Centre de services scolaires de Laval
The inventory management optimization challenge at CSS Laval: a successful transformation with Hector
CSS Laval (Centre de services scolaire de Laval) has the mission of supporting the schools of the City of Laval so they can offer optimal teaching conditions for students. CSS Laval is one of the largest school service centres in Quebec.
Beyond software, I was looking for a partner who could truly understand my needs and support me in setting up an inventory system. I found that partnership with Hector.
Before Hector
Previously, CSS Laval used an Excel file to manage its IT resource inventory. With the shift from school boards to school service centres, and the new standards imposed by the Ministry of Education, using an Excel file was becoming very laborious and outdated.
At the heart of these changes, Mario Boivin plays a central role as IT Coordinator. He manages support for teaching staff, including level 1 IT service requests (for example, a teacher having a problem with their computer), and oversees escalations to level 2 support when no solution could be found at level 1.
Mario Boivin had already set up a ticketing system with C2 Atom, and wanted to put in place an inventory solution that could communicate with his existing systems.
Needs
- Track equipment assigned to students
- Comply with security requirements
- Generate reports
- Have centralized inventory management
- Track fleet obsolescence
CSS Laval faced a major challenge with the management of its IT fleet. School administrations lacked visibility into the state of their IT equipment. More specifically, they had no tool to effectively manage the obsolescence of their IT equipment, or to properly track the devices assigned or loaned to students, particularly those covered by measure 30180.
This lack of visibility and control created potential problems in managing IT assets within CSS Laval. School administrations faced challenges related to planning, maintenance and management of IT resources, hampering the efficiency of their operations.
In addition, the Ministry of Education had issued a set of 15 security standards that every school service centre, including CSS Laval, had to implement. Among these standards, one mandate required implementing a more centralized inventory management system, able to provide essential information, generate reports and ensure compliance with security requirements.
Faced with this, CSS Laval was at a pivotal point in its development, seeking to implement a centralized IT inventory management system to meet schools’ needs, comply with Ministry of Education standards, and optimize the management of its IT resources.
Solutions
After a thorough analysis, Hector proved to be the ideal solution to meet our inventory management needs. During the request for proposals for an inventory management solution, Hector amply met all the criteria set.
Integration at CSS Laval took place in two phases:
Phase 1
Equipment managed by the facility manager: computers, tablets, Chromebooks, interactive flat panels, laptops, interactive whiteboards, projectors.
Phase 2
Infrastructure: wifi access points, routers, network equipment centralized by the ETI, and a software module for licenses and certificate management.
Transition to Hector
To make adoption easier for school administrations, the platform was customized in CSS Laval’s colors. In addition, custom materials such as written tutorials and videos (a webinar) were created to help users get the most out of Hector. A genuine change-management effort was designed to maximize Hector’s benefits within CSS Laval.
Thanks to this collaborative approach and ongoing commitment, integrating Hector proved smooth and effective, allowing CSS Laval to maximize the benefits of the inventory management solution.
Favorite features
Obsolescence management
With Hector, the lifespan of IT assets is managed effectively. CSS Laval uses the "End-of-life date" feature to quickly generate reports on machines that need to be replaced. This helps optimize investments by anticipating equipment replacement, contributing to cost control.
Stock check-in / check-out management
The major challenge in inventory is keeping the database always up to date. Thanks to the barcode system, every machine entering inventory is labeled and scanned, and the same goes for inventory exit by the recycler. Hector is synced with CSS Laval's Intune and Jamf databases to centralize information and keep inventory up to date.
Mobile app, scanner and printers
The built-in mobile app and compatibility with scanners and printers are major assets. These features make asset management easier by reducing manual tasks, which considerably improves the overall efficiency of inventory management.
Assigning devices to teachers
The assignment feature simplifies distributing equipment to teachers. It ensures every teacher has the tools they need to teach, while making tracking and maintenance easier, ensuring continuous availability.
Integration with C2 Atom
Two-way communication with C2 Atom, to send operations and alerts into their ticketing system (for example, a certificate that needs to be renewed).
Why choose Hector?
The collaboration with Hector was an exceptional experience, a true partnership where we worked hand in hand to achieve our shared goals. Together, we formed a solid team to build and manage our inventory.
- A true partnership
- Integration with several software systems
- A solid team
This collaboration with Hector allowed us to achieve two essential objectives.
Give school administrations a complete overview of their IT fleet, allowing them to:
- Plan the investments and purchases needed for coming school years, thanks to alerts and reports on equipment end-of-life
- Know in real time the location of devices assigned or loaned to students, including those covered by measure 30810
Automate adding and updating inventory in Hector, thanks to close integrations with the following systems:
- Chrome OS
- Jamf School
- InTune
- C2 Atome
How Hector made the difference
Hector proved to be a user-friendly tool, fully meeting our expectations. In addition, the integration with the C2 Atom ticketing tool was a decisive step. We were able to combine two Quebec products for smooth interaction. This integration brought a complete solution to our asset management, strengthening our operational efficiency. Thanks to Hector, we are now ready to take on challenges with confidence.
Hector fully meets our expectations thanks to its strengths:
- Precise management of asset inventory
- Accessibility for each institution while giving the IT team a global view
- Detailed reports for informed management
- Intuitive interface, easing adoption and efficiency