Anaheim Union High School District Ensures Complete Visibility and Control of Over 30,000 Devices with Absolute Secure Endpoint
Founded in 1898, the Anaheim Union High School District is a partnership of students, parents, faculty, and staff that serves the educational needs of families in Anaheim, California, and surrounding cities. One of the largest school districts in the state, Anaheim Union’s student population is just shy of 30,000 on 21 different junior high and high school campuses stretched across five cities. The school is also the City of Anaheim’s third largest employer, with over 3,000 faculty and staff.
How Anaheim Union Took Learning Online
Computers and technology have been a part of Anaheim Union High School District’s college and career-readiness strategy for some time. Even though equipping almost 30,000 students with digital devices is a large investment, the plan came to fruition when a global pandemic forced everyone to stay home.
When COVID hit, schools were forced to shut down as a precaution and their learning modules were flipped upside down. At the same time, a new problem emerged: equipping students with the tools they needed to be able to thrive in a remote learning environment. This is where Absolute Secure Endpoint came in to help.
Absolute and their Student Technology Analytics give us the ability to see how and when our devices are being used and correlate that information to student outcomes.
How They Did It
Protecting Technology Investments
Technology has long been a part of the district’s vision to graduate college and career-ready students but equipping almost 30,000 of them with digital devices was a sizable investment —particularly 20 years ago. Erik Greenwood has been Chief Technology Officer at Anaheim Union for the past 16 years. He and his team have used the Absolute Resilience solution from the beginning to protect that investment.
Securing Remote Learning Environments
Historically, devices didn’t go home with students. There were very few exceptions; devices remained at school and in charging carts while not in classroom use. But when the COVID-19 outbreak hit, the district had to transition to a fully remote learning environment.
As students were being dismissed for remote learning, Greenwood and his team were formulating a plan for getting technology into the hands of those who didn’t have access to it at home. After a district-wide survey, they had to quickly configure 7,000 Chromebooks and 2,000 mobile hotspots to distribute to needy families. Each device had Absolute Resilience turned on, so Anaheim Union IT could track the ones being checked out, even after they left the school network, with an always-on digital tether, allowing for a two-way connection.
From Loss Prevention to Learning Outcomes
Tracking how many students the district was serving with technology and the details of which student got what device across a large fleet became the new normal for Anaheim Union. While Anaheim Union’s original intent in using Absolute Resilience was as a theft deterrent, they rely on the solution for so much more today. Comprehensive fleet visibility and control allow them to best leverage the assets they already have and respond to student needs in a timely way as they arise.
Absolute Secure Endpoint was so effective, we now use it on all our devices.
Supporting Remote, Hybrid, or In-Person Learning Without Sacrificing Security
Because the future of learning remains somewhat in flux, Anaheim Union has focused on honing the mechanics of a few different learning models—in-person, fully virtual, or a hybrid approach. With the capabilities Absolute is delivering, the district is much more prepared to roll out whatever model makes the most sense at the time.
For Anaheim Union High School District, Absolute Secure Endpoint:
- Tracks devices being checked out, even after they leave the school network, with an always-on digital tether that allows for a two-way connection
- Allows the school district to support remote learning without sacrificing security
- Provides visibility into asset inventory, allowing the district to ensure it is best meeting its students’ needs
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