Regional Education Center Enhances Virtual
Learning with Microsoft Surface Rollout

Challenge:

A regional education center, supporting 20 school districts and charter schools, needed to quickly find a device which would simplify and enable a seamless transition to remote learning for 4,900+ students and teachers. They needed both students and teachers on the same platform to ensure a more standardized experience. Most importantly, they needed guidance and assistance on deploying 4,900+ devices across the county.

Solution:

SHI initially provided multiple demo devices for the customer to evaluate. After looking at various leading manufacturers and their comparable devices, the customer decided on Microsoft Surface Pro 7 for their 900 staff and teachers and 4,000 students.

To simplify the rollout and provide users with ready-to-go devices, right out the box, SHI’s Mobility team suggested Windows Autopilot and SHI Zero Touch Deployment – 2 solutions which allow SHI to remotely configure, image and deploy each device, all while enabling the customer to take advantage of their existing investment in M365 A3 licenses.

Results:

SHI delivered 4,900+ Surface Pro 7 devices for students and staff in four months

• SHI used Zero Touch Deployment and Autopilot to quickly get all devices up and running, with Azure AD and Microsoft Endpoint Manager to enable use of existing M365 A3 licenses.
• Configuration, imaging and distribution was reduced from eight months to two months – saving the customer’s limited and already over-stretched IT resources.
• Adoption was immediate – all devices were delivered working out of the box, ready to go.