Robust, secure and cost-efficient: LHRIC's Managed IT pilot program benefiting districts

Districts looking to maintain a robust, secure technology framework are turning to the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center, whose new Managed IT support services keep them online and on the cutting edge.

A three-district pilot program is already proving the program’s worth.

Briarcliff Manor, Pocantico Hills and Pleasantville are all taking part. Just two months into the school year, the results are likely to convince more districts to sign on.

“The advantages have been phenomenal,” says Briarcliff’s Director of Technology, Erica Beasley. “We definitely got what we were looking for in terms of expertise.”

The Managed IT program enhances the districts’ ability to manage information, secure data, improve instruction, and transform communication.

To be sure, any district’s technology infrastructure can seem a dizzying array of networked computers, server frameworks, software applications and hardware elements that incorporate hubs, switches and bridges.

Finding an end-to-end solution can be costly.

“Maintaining costs for school districts is a major priority of the consortium,” explained the LHRIC’s Executive Director Dennis Lauro.

Working with Southern Westchester BOCES and neighboring BOCES in Putnam/Northern Westchester and Rockland counties, the service allows the LHRIC to provide efficient, cost-effective technology support. Districts, meanwhile, can take advantage of state aid regulations to help contain costs.

Beasley, in Briarcliff, saw the need for Managed IT support years ago.

“In fact we had a lot of trouble finding the right resources to meet our needs,” she said.

The district considered hiring an outside firm but realized it wouldn’t provide a viable long-term solution.

The LHRIC’s expertise and talented technicians have been a blessing in keeping district technology online. “Everything is really secure now,” Beasley says.

‘Just-in-time support’

Behind the scenes, the pilot program provides what LHRIC’s Assistant Executive Director Christine D’Aiello calls “just-in-time support” for remote and on-site support, project-specific assistance and total technology management.

For example, Microsoft’s System Center Configuration Manager enables the deployment and security of devices and applications across an enterprise. It can now be delivered remotely to districts like Briarcliff.

That means no more disruptions for the classroom teacher with as many as 30 computers that need to be upgraded.

Pleasantville Superintendent Mary Fox-Alter says the shift to Managed IT has been seamless. The innovative pilot program ensures her staff gets the training and support it needs to maintain infrastructure, she adds.

A successful shift to Microsoft cloud-based computing and an overhaul of its Wi-Fi network has enhanced Pleasantville’s already ubiquitous computing capabilities. The entire system is more robust and more secure, Fox-Alter says.

“Before this, districts were constantly adding staff to deal with various tech-related issues,” says LHRIC’s D’Aiello, adding that Managed IT “has helped to alleviate that.”

The pilot project will be evaluated in June 2017. That will be instrumental, says Lauro, the Executive Director, as the LHRIC looks to offer this service to all of its districts.

“Our process and approach will be consistent from district to district,” he says, “but it will definitely be tailored to fit their needs."