Case study : Centre de services scolaires de Laval
Inventory Management Optimization Challenge at CSS Laval: A Successful Transformation with Hector!
The CSS Laval (Centre de services scolaire de Laval) aims to support schools in the City of Laval to provide optimal teaching conditions for students. CSS Laval is one of the largest school service centers in Quebec.
Before Hector
Previously, CSS Laval used an Excel file to manage its IT resource inventory. With the transition from school boards to school service centers and the new standards imposed by the Ministry of Education, using an Excel file had become very cumbersome and outdated.
At the heart of these changes, Mario Boivin plays a central role as the IT Coordinator. He manages support for teaching staff, including handling level 1 IT service requests (e.g., a teacher encountering a problem with their computer), and oversees escalations to level 2 support when a solution cannot be found at level 1.
Mario Boivin had already implemented a ticketing system with C2 Atom and wanted to establish an inventory solution that could integrate with his existing systems.
Challenges faced
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Track the equipment assigned to students -
Have centralized inventory management
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Compliance with security requirements
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Track the obsolescence of the fleet
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Be able to generate reports
CSS Laval faced a major challenge regarding the management of its IT fleet. School administrations were in a situation of lacking visibility into the condition of their IT equipment. Specifically, they had no tools to effectively manage the obsolescence of their IT equipment or to adequately track devices assigned or loaned to students, including those under measure 30180.
This lack of visibility and control generated potential issues in managing IT assets within CSS Laval. School administrations were confronted with challenges related to planning, maintenance, and management of IT resources, thus hindering the effectiveness of their operations.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Education had issued a set of 15 security standards that each school service center, including CSS Laval, was required 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 establish 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 a thorough analysis, it turned out that Hector was the ideal solution to meet our inventory management needs. During the call for proposals for an inventory management solution, Hector fully met all the established criteria.
The integration into CSS Laval was carried out in two phases:
Phase 1: Equipment managed by the establishment manager (computers, tablets, Chromebooks, IFP (Interactive Flat Panel), laptops, IWBs, projectors, etc.)
Phase 2: Everything related to infrastructure, including Wi-Fi access points, routers, all network equipment, centralized equipment by the IT department. In Phase 2, CSS Laval also deployed the software module for all licenses managed within the schools, as well as certificate management (including certificate expiration dates).
With Hector as our inventory management solution, we are confident that we will be able to effectively manage our asset portfolio, from essential equipment to infrastructure components, thus meeting the requirements of the Ministry of Education and our organization optimally.
Transition to Hector
“Once the database was imported into Hector, we instantly switched from our Excel file to Hector. There was no transition period where we had to maintain two systems.”
“The integration experience of Hector within CSS Laval was exceptional, with a VIP treatment dedicated to the project’s success.”
To facilitate the adoption of the software by school administrators, the platform was customized with CSS Laval’s branding. In addition, personalized documents, such as written tutorials and videos (webinars), were created to help users make the most of Hector. A real change management strategy was developed to ensure that the benefits of Hector were maximized within CSS Laval.
Thanks to this collaborative approach and ongoing commitment, the integration of Hector proved to be smooth and efficient, allowing CSS Laval to maximize the benefits of the inventory management solution.
Favorite features
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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A true partnership
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Integration with multiple softwares
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A strong team
This collaboration with Hector has allowed us to achieve two essential goals:
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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.
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Maximize automation of inventory addition and updates in Hector through close integrations with the following systems:
- Chrome OS
- Jamf School
- InTune
- C2 Atom
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.
“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
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