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Laval School Service Center

Inventory Management Optimization Challenge at CSS Laval: A Successful Transformation with Hector!

Before Hector

The CSS Laval (Laval School Service Center) has a mission to support schools in the City of Laval so they can offer optimal teaching conditions for students. CSS Laval is one of the largest school service centers in Quebec.

Previously, CSS Laval used an Excel file to manage its inventory of IT resources. With the change from school boards to school service centers and the new standards imposed by the Ministry of Education, using an Excel file became very cumbersome and outdated.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 (e.g., a teacher encountering an issue with their computer), and supervises escalations to level 2 support when no solution could be found at level 1.

Mario Boivin had already implemented a ticketing system with C2 Atom and wanted to implement an inventory solution that could communicate with his existing systems.

« Beyond just software, I was looking for a partner who could understand my needs well and support me in implementing an inventory system. I found this partnership with Hector. »

Mario Boivin

IT Coordinator

Challenges Faced

Tracking equipment assigned to students

Having centralized inventory management

Compliance with security requirements

Tracking obsolescence of the park

Ability to generate reports

CSS Laval faced a major challenge regarding the management of its IT equipment. School administrators lacked visibility into the status of their IT equipment. Specifically, they lacked a tool to effectively manage the obsolescence of their IT equipment or to adequately track devices assigned or loaned to students, especially those under measure 30180.

This lack of visibility and control generated potential problems in terms of managing IT assets within CSS Laval. School administrators faced challenges related to planning, maintenance, and management of IT resources, thus hindering the efficiency of their operations.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Education issued a set of 15 security standards that each school service center, including CSS Laval, had to implement. Among these standards, one mandate stipulated the need to implement a more centralized inventory management system capable of providing essential information, generating reports, and ensuring compliance with security requirements.

Faced with this issue, CSS Laval was at a pivotal moment in its development, seeking to implement a centralized IT inventory management system to meet the needs of schools, comply with Ministry of Education standards, and optimize the management of its IT resources.

Solutions

After thorough analysis, it was determined that Hector was the ideal solution to meet our inventory management needs. During the tender for an inventory management solution, Hector largely met all the established criteria.

Integration into CSS Laval was done in 2 phases:
Phase 1: Equipment managed by the establishment manager (computers, tablets, Chromebooks, IWBs (Interactive Whiteboards), laptops, interactive screens, projectors…)

Phase 2: All infrastructure, wifi access points, routers, all network equipment, equipment centralized by the IT department. In phase 2, CSS Laval also deployed the software module for all licenses managed within schools, as well as certificate management (with certificate expiration dates).

With Hector as our inventory management solution, we are confident that we will be able to effectively manage our asset inventory, from essential equipment to infrastructure components, and thus meet the requirements of the Ministry of Education and our organization optimally.

Transition to Hector

“Once the data was imported into Hector, we instantly switched from our Excel file to Hector. There was no transition period where we had to maintain 2 systems.”

“The integration experience of Hector within CSS Laval has been exceptional, with VIP treatment dedicated to project success.”

To facilitate the software adoption by school administrators, the platform was customized to CSS Laval’s colors. Additionally, personalized documents, such as written tutorials and videos (webinars), were created to help users make the most of Hector. A real change management approach was designed to ensure the maximization of Hector’s benefits within CSS Laval.

Thanks to this collaborative approach and ongoing commitment, Hector’s integration has proven to be smooth and effective, allowing CSS Laval to maximize the benefits of the inventory management solution.

Favorite Features

Obsolescence management

Inventory in / out stock management

Assignment of devices to teachers

Mobile app, scanner, and printers

Integration with C2 Atom

Obsolescence management: With Hector, the lifespan of IT assets is effectively managed. CSS Laval uses the “End of Life Date” feature to quickly generate reports on machines that need to be replaced. This allows for investment optimization by anticipating equipment replacement, thereby contributing to cost control.

Inventory in/out stock management: The major difficulty in inventory management is keeping the database up to date. Thanks to the barcode system, all incoming inventory machines are labeled and scanned, as well as outgoing inventory by the recycler. Hector is synchronized with CSS Laval’s Intune and Jamf databases to centralize information and keep inventory up to date.

Assignment of devices to teachers: The assignment function simplifies the distribution of equipment to teachers. This ensures that each teacher has the necessary tools for their teaching while facilitating tracking and maintenance, thus ensuring continuous availability.

Mobile app, scanner, and printers: The integrated mobile application and compatibility with scanners and printers are major assets. These features facilitate asset management by reducing manual tasks, significantly improving overall inventory management efficiency.

Integration with C2 Atom: Bidirectional communication with C2 Atom to send operations/alerts to their ticketing system (e.g., a certificate needs to be renewed).

Why Choose Hector?

A true partnership

Integration with multiple software

A strong team

The collaboration with Hector has been an exceptional experience, a true partnership where we worked hand in hand to achieve our common goals. Together, we formed a strong team to build and manage our inventory.

This collaboration with Hector has allowed us to achieve two essential goals:

1. Provide school administrators with a comprehensive overview of their IT inventory, allowing them to:

-Plan investments and necessary purchases for future school years through alerts and reports on equipment end of life.

-Know in real-time the location of devices assigned or loaned to students, including those under measure 30810.

2. Maximize automation of inventory addition and updates in Hector through close integrations with the following systems:

-Chrome OS

-Jamf School

-InTune

-C2 Atom

We are very satisfied with Hector

“Hector completely meets our expectations.”

How Hector Made a Difference?

Hector proved to be a user-friendly tool, fully meeting our expectations. Additionally, integration with the C2Atom ticketing tool was a decisive step. We were able to combine two Quebec products for seamless interaction. This integration provided a comprehensive solution to our asset management, enhancing our operational efficiency. Thanks to Hector, we are now ready to confidently tackle challenges.

Appreciation:

“Overall, Hector has exceptionally met our needs in terms of IT inventory management.”

Hector completely meets our expectations thanks to its strengths:

• Precise management of asset inventory.
• Accessibility for each establishment while providing an overview to our IT team.
• Detailed reports for informed management.
• Intuitive interface, facilitating adoption and efficiency

 

Discover all aspects of Hector with A free 15-day trial!

If you wish to benefit from this enhanced management within your school or company, try Hector for free for 15 days or schedule a call with a specialist to specifically target the gains you will make considering your needs!

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