5 Steps To Streamline Student Device Collection

Simplify your K-12 device collection process with Absolute. Secure, track, and recover devices remotely with an easy-to-use platform that boosts efficiency.

As K-12 students prepare for summer break, school IT teams are staring down the daunting task of year-end device collection. Chances are the conversations have looked very different across most districts this year.

The Challenge of Student Device Collection

When the pandemic forced staff and students into a remote learning model last year, some schools had to increase the size of their student device fleet. With continued uncertainty over what a return to school would look like, it made more sense to send devices home with students.

Whether those devices returned to school for the summer, however, has been a district-by-district decision. There’s no one clear answer, Regardless of what your district decided in this anything-but-normal school year, there are steps you can take to ensure a successful device collection process – and for Absolute users looking to reclaim Chromebooks, you already have the tools to easily do it.

Making Device Collection Easy

The Absolute platform supports a more effective and efficient device collection process. With Absolute, IT teams gain the visibility to see every device in their fleet from a single screen. The platform creates an unbreakable digital tether to devices, data, and applications, making it possible to secure and manage those endpoints no matter where they are.

If a laptop misses the return deadline, administrators can freeze it remotely, send out an alert message to notify the user, and track the device to a precise location for recovery. Using the cloud-based Absolute console, there are 5 basic steps to streamline your device collection and audits:

1. Plan - 45-60 days prior to device collection, prepare user message scripts and target your student device groups.

2. Execute - In the month leading up to the collection period, create custom alerts and reports to categorize devices by desired return date.

3. Collect - Follow your standard procedures to collect student devices.

4. Control

• 1-2 days after collection, flag outstanding devices as missing
• 5-7 days after flagging devices missing, freeze devices that haven’t checked in

5. Monitor - Use the Missing Devices view and Device Freeze Summary report to keep your inventory visible.

Our Device Collection Guide outlines each of these 5 steps in more detail, and highlights the Absolute features that will support you through a simpler, more efficient device collection process.

Learn How Absolute Can Help You Streamline Device Collection

Closing Thoughts

As the school year wraps up, K-12 IT teams face the daunting task of collecting devices. With many districts expanding their fleets for remote learning, managing the return of these devices is critical for both security and operational efficiency.

Absolute provides IT teams with the tools to manage devices remotely, track their location, and take action quickly if a device is overdue. This visibility ensures that devices are securely returned without disrupting the learning process.

For more on securing school networks, explore cybersecurity strategies to safeguard against growing threats. These strategies help school districts stay proactive in protecting valuable student data and devices.

To further improve device security and data protection, check out top cybersecurity tips for schools to enhance your IT team’s approach. Simple steps can dramatically improve your district’s resilience against cyberattacks.

With Absolute, K-12 schools can streamline device collection, boost security, and reduce risks, making the end-of-year process smoother and more efficient.

Find Out More

Absolute provides resilient visibility and control to more than half of the 50 largest school districts in the U.S and more than 1,700 institutions. For more on how Absolute supports cybersecurity in education, explore our K-12 Education solutions.

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About Absolute

Simply put: we’re undeletable. Embedded in more than 600 million devices, our cyber resilience platform delivers endpoint-to-network access security coverage, ensures automated security compliance, and enables operational continuity. Nearly 21,000 global customers rely on Absolute to protect critical assets and keep security applications running smoothly. Building lasting cyber resilience is our promise — are you ready?