Sponsored content: How K12itc’s outsourced IT model meets technology needs and saves money

The shift to online learning and hybrid instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic means many school districts’ information technology needs have increased.

Some Arizona school districts in rural and remote areas have turned to K12itc to meet those needs.

“With technology constantly changing and budgets shrinking, we deliver cost-effective, efficient technology solutions for schools,” said Brian Nelson, K12itc sales manager. “Our objective is to work with superintendents and even IT staff to make their daily responsibilities easier.”

K12itc account managers visit many Arizona school districts and helps them find solutions to challenges.

“My focus right now is to help superintendents and IT departments provide the best technology to their staff and students,” Nelson said.

Globe Unified School District is one of those schools that reached out to K12itc for assistance.

“We are a small school district with limited staff,” said Jerry Jennex, superintendent of the district that serves about 1,600 students in Gila County. “We only have two people working in our IT department.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, Globe Unified has been getting a couple thousand computers to students and teachers, trying to keep up with our network and more, Dr. Jennex said. 

“We wanted to work with someone who has IT oversight and network management experience, and someone who has worked in schools,” Dr. Jennex said. “When K12itc started making their foray into Arizona, they came to mind that they would be someone that would fit that bill.”

After the ransomware event at Flagstaff Unified School District last year, Globe Unified wanted to increase their security, Dr. Jennex said.

“I have good people working for me, but there’s only two of them, and they have to do it all,” Dr. Jennex said. “We felt that we would really be increasing our internet security by working with K12itc.”

K12itc upgraded and improved the district’s network security, Dr. Jennex said.

“K12itc is not free, but the cost of a security breach or a ransomware issue could be very expensive,” Dr. Jennex said. “I would say look at what your needs are and then consider K12itc as an experienced partner.”

“I like their business model. I like that I’ll never have to buy networks again, never have to try to manage that, and that I can stay state of the art on that side,” Dr. Jennex said.

If urban school districts lose a tech director or support, they can often find a replacement quickly, but that’s more difficult for remote or rural school districts, Nelson said.

Related articles:
How an IT director launched a company to help schools save money and improve support
Why schools are ransomware targets
What schools should do if they’re the victim of cyberattacks
Two Arizona school districts change IT model

More than 60 school districts nationwide outsource IT to K12itc.

K12itc’s outsourced IT model is called Albert – the next generation of technology management – which bundles a school district’s connectivity, infrastructure and maintenance into a package where more than 12 technology services are managed remotely by Albert team engineers and can cut schools’ technology costs by 15 percent. Albert also includes antivirus protection to ensure school data remains secure.

“Cybersecurity is top of mind at K12itc. We are constantly working to safeguard against threats and mitigate potential risks,” Nelson said.

In addition to outsourced IT, K12itc provides security cameras, outdoor wireless options and extended help desk support for school staff.

Schools have found the extended help desk support to be a big help during online and hybrid learning. During the COVID-19 pandemic, K12itc expanded their tech support to students and their parents at no additional cost to the district.

“Our help desk strives for first call resolution. Today, have a 92% remote resolve rating,” Nelson said.