It’s time to upgrade to Windows 7… really it is.

Have you stopped for a moment, between fiddling with your Windows XP desktops, to consider the practical ramifications of running this outdated and no longer supported Operating System? You may be surprised at how much support time and resources are spent retaining it in your organization.

Sure, it still works and runs your existing programs. And yes, it will still work on those 10 year old computers, but at what cost?

The consumerization of desktop/laptop computers continues to bring prices down and features up as manufacturers compete for more business primarily through price. The benefit to you, the consumer, is that a new PC can be purchased for the rough equivalent of about 5 hours of modestly priced technical support. And how many times have you spent more than 5 hours, either all at once or piecemeal in resolving a computer issue.

Economics aside, consider what it really means when Microsoft “sunsets” an operating system, or it plain language, stops supporting it.

It does not mean that the software all of a sudden fails, nor does it mean that it will stop functioning at all in a steady state. In simplest of terms it means that Microsoft no longer does regression testing on new product releases. In other words, all patches, fixit utilities, service packs, hot-fixes, and new version roll-outs are not tested for backwards compatibility.

Due to the near infinite number of hardware combinations, system configurations, and software customizations it is impractical, if not impossible to test for backwards compatibility. Even assuring programs run on current Operating Systems is difficult enough. Furthermore, most new software is written or programmed for the new operating system architecture. Bottom line is you are on your own with Windows XP technical support.
In the back of your mind you probably know the upgrade is coming. But large upfront costs of purchasing and installing new workstations may persuade you to put it off. While that seems a reasonable course of action, the old saying of “Penny wise, pound foolish” really does apply. What you will begin to experience is support cost creep, an incremental, almost unnoticed, but constantly increasing expense to maintain your desktop/laptops.

Sadly, if your support personnel are paid on an hourly (break-fix) basis, rather than a support contract, they may not be motivated to push for the upgrade either.

Do yourself a favor, and do the upgrade to Windows 7. You’ll save money in the long run, and probably even in the no-so-long run. Even if you don't purchase new computers, do the upgrade! Windows 7 performs well on a large variety of not-so-new PCs
Now for some great news! The upgrade to Windows is very inexpensive for education customers. When you enroll in a Microsoft OVS-ES agreement for your school, you get blanket coverage for all computers in your organization. Furthermore, you also get a license to run Windows Office Professional 2010 on all of your computers in the school. Finally, there are many other software benefits you enjoy, such as work at home versions of the same software.

The cost of an OVS-ES agreement is determined by counting your full time staff and multiplying that number by $55.00 (approx.). Do the math and you will find this to be an extraordinary value. Windows 7, Office Professional, Core Client Access, and other benefits for a few dollars per PC.

It’s time to upgrade your phone system, start saving money, and get better service.

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) is no longer an emerging technology with the promise of providing better features at lower costs, someday. It is a stable and widely accepted industry with significant hardware, software, and technical service adaptation. And it is much, much, less expensive that Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS). In addition to lower phone bills, you will also enjoy a smorgasbord of features previously found only with very expensive phone systems.

And cost savings on your monthly phone bills are just the beginning. You can also enjoy an efficient virtual receptionist that provides better call routing and more relevant information based upon whether your school is open or closed. You can take a handset home and appear to be in the office, you can answer and make phone calls from an (internet enabled) airplane at 35,000 ft while traveling to a conference or meeting. And your phone messages and faxes can be delivered to your email inbox and be reviewed on any mobile device. And this is just a very partial list of features. Every possible feature, including call forwarding, conference calling, extension transfer, music on hold, intercom, voice mail, etc. are standard features of currently available VOIP systems.

There are two general types of VOIP systems – on premise and hosted. Simply stated the difference is a function of where your call controller hardware is located. With an on-premise system this hardware is located within your building much like a traditional phone system, with a hosted VOIP system all of your call center hardware is located in a datacenter not in your building. Most of the advantages discussed in this article relate to a hosted VOIP system.

Hosted VOIP requires only two things to operate – a handset on your desk (or software on your computer) and an internet connection. Prices start about $25.00/mo per line and the service is managed completely on line. If you are doing new construction, VOIP significantly reduces both the cost and complexity of installing a new phone system. A VOIP handset can be plugged directly into a network cable, so rather than pulling both phone and network lines, all you need are network lines. And with a hosted VOIP system, rather than having a proprietary and expensive call controller mounted in your server room, you can now outsource that function to a provider that maintains all of the hardware you need, for a low flat monthly rate.

There are several scenarios where a hosted VOIP system is particularly beneficial. If you are leasing space in a building while facilities are under construction it is a tremendous idea. If you are expanding to a new building, it is also very practical. And if your staff routinely has remote work assignments or a use a satellite campus, a hosted VOIP system will greatly simplify your phone configuration.

The reason a Hosted VOIP solution is so flexible is because there are no physical space limitations to the system. You can literally install your office phone any place in the world that has a reliable internet connection. I recently relocated to temporary office for a few months. And my only action to transfer phone service was to unplug my handset, transport it to the new location, and then plug it back into the internet. At power-up, the phone was routed onto the internet and into my VOIP server and within minutes, my office phone system was relocated.

If you are managing e-Rate reimbursement properly, a hosted VOIP system is particularly beneficial, because the monthly service fees are always reimbursable as a priority one expense, regardless of your discount rate. The only priority two expenses are handsets, which can be reimbursed two of each five years, conditioned upon your discount rate.

Take a closer look at the cost of your telecommunication service and features, then compare available VOIP services. You will be surprised at potential money savings and service improvements available. Just think, you could have enjoyed time at home with the family this holiday while appearing to be in the office!  

 

Technology Management or Technical Support – there is a difference

In a perfect world, you would have a Chief Information Officer to help guide your school through the ocean of technology choices, and there are plenty. Desktops or Laptops, on-premise infrastructure or hosted, PC's or Macs (or a combination), and the list goes on. Decisions are heavily influenced by the premises you occupy, existing networking infrastructure, and the demographics of your student population. And of course there is the reality of your budget, your e-Rate eligibility, and the disposition of your board.

All of these decisions directly impact the form and function of your school and they should not be taken lightly. But are you the best qualified to make those decisions? And if not who is?

As it turns out, it might be your IT support company or not, it all depends…

Back at the turn of the last century (like early 1900's), my grandfather earned the nickname of Ray "Henry Ford" Hall, because of his ability to repair the early models of cars being then produced by the Ford Motor Company. Actually, he could fix just about anything. Apparently I inherited his insatiable desire to understand how things work and to a lesser extent how to fix things. At an early age, I was dismantling toasters, bicycles, radios, and just about any mechanical device that I could get my hands on. Like my grandfather, I could fix just about anything that was broken.

 
Fast forward 100 years, and consider the corollary in the world of technical support.

 
Entrance into the world of computer repair is wide open and similar to the mechanics of last century. Some of the cleverest technicians I have worked with have no post-secondary education, few certifications, and few credentials. Yet they can resolve computer issues with blazing speed and uncanny thoroughness. You may even have a few of them on staff.

That talent, as important as it is, has precious little to do with making sound technology management decisions. To prove my point, consider the evolution of the Chief Information Officer position. CIO's are becoming key executives at a growing number of companies. The increase in productivity generated by automation and information systems is driving significant profits to the bottom line. That lesson should not be lost in the translation from business to education. Every Charter School needs access to the guidance of a CIO.

I could easily make the case for financial reasons alone, having witnessed hundreds of thousands of dollars lost to poor decision making and execution of technology projects. But money aside, the weightier matter is the education of our children. Every moment a teacher is interrupted by a technical challenge or prevented from accessing a source of information or is required to spend time doing repetitive mindless administrative tasks, is a moment they are not educating my children and yours. And that is a real problem!

So have I convinced you to run out and hire a Chief Information Officer for your school? Good luck, the board will probably send you for a drug test! Seriously, how do you obtain the services of a CIO, when the going salary for a competent network engineer is 150% of your highest paid administrator! It's not a sustainable proposition.

 
The solution is simple and many of you are using the model already, just for different things. For example how many of you contract for special education services, school lunch programs, or financial management? Those are crucial programs that have wide adoption in the charter school community. So why not technology managers? I submit that it boils down to two reasons, money and expectations. In the above examples there are specific funds designated for such services and they pay for themselves. But expectations for technology management simply don't exist. IT staff fix computers; business managers, principals, board members, or PTO presidents make technology infrastructure decisions. Not true? I beg you to be candid about your own organization and what or who drives these policy decisions.

In a meeting with a school administrator, not long ago, I was shocked to hear her state that the only criterion for hiring technical support personnel was cost. "I will go with the lowest cost provider" she proudly stated. Upon digging a little further, I discovered she had hired her nephew instead and her comments were probably more for the financial manager sitting in the next room than for me. I have also observed principals being cajoled by the technology teachers into implementing wholesale changes in the computer lab, only to have that teacher leave the school within the year. I have observed software purchase decisions costing thousands of more dollars because of a lack of Academic licensing experience, and the list goes on.

The very best schools we operate were purpose built from the ground up and continue to have reliable, affordable, and relevant information systems. We submit that is because we have significant experience managing Charter School technology. We have also observed complete chaos at schools where technology decisions were made by well-intentioned principals who simply had no business making these kinds of decisions.

 
When searching for a Technology Manager, you should minimally have on your list of requirements experience, focus, and reputation. You need to work with someone with experience not only in educational technology, but Charter School educational technology specifically. Ensure that your management team has a clear focus on education and that you are not just one of a dozen different types of businesses they serve, and finally check the reputation of your candidates. Most of the time you find long term relationships exist with technology managers and the schools they serve; ideally they might well serve on the board.

Do your homework, be cautious about using well-meaning internal resources that have only basic skills, and check references of past and present customers. And finally, be sure you are working with a service provider who understands e-Rate, the federal reimbursement mechanism. Your technology costs can be dramatically lowered by structuring resources to maximize e-Rate reimbursement.
    

 

 

Why you need an e-Rate consultant (and why it cannot be me)

Imagine receiving a coupon in the mail that was redeemable at any grocery store which offered you 70% off of all bread, milk, eggs and meat. Eligibility for the coupon was conditioned upon stating your house had a refrigerator to store the items and completing a few forms before your first shopping spree. In these resource constrained times, few of you would pass up such an opportunity!

Now imagine driving to the store intending to use your coupon to find that only bread and milk were available to you, because of your income. Imagine further that it would take you several hours if not days, to complete the forms required to redeem your coupon, and that the store providing the groceries was prohibited from talking to you about how the coupon worked or how to use it. Additionally, imagine being scheduled for training meetings to learn how to complete the forms which have very time sensitive windows for completion and a long list of approved uses for the discounted groceries. And finally imagine being required to plan your menu 3 – 5 years in advance for your most costly groceries, which of course had to be approved by a complete stranger.

Your coupon suddenly becomes not quite so appealing.  Yet giving up a 70% discount (or more) on items you use every day is very appealing, and for some, quite necessary! What do you do?

This is the “stranger than a reality show” world of e-Rate at a large majority of Charter Schools. Does this sound familiar? Here is the corollary:

• E-Rate is the coupon, USAC controls who gets them, and the relative prosperity of your student’s families is part of your eligibility
• CIPA (Child Internet Protection Act) compliance is your refrigerator, which you must have to even be considered for eligibility
• Your technology service provider is the grocery store who is prohibited from assisting you in obtaining your coupon
• The groceries for which you seek the coupon are your telephone, internet, email, website, and related technology equipment bills

So how do traditional school districts do this? It usually boils down to economy of scale (which most Charter Schools don’t have). Traditional districts are sufficiently large and the funds so significant, that they can afford to hire full-time e-Rate staffers.  Such is not the case with most freestanding Charter Schools.

Is it any wonder that the Charter School Community has difficulty obtaining their fair share of e-Rate funding? With few exceptions what I observe is a complete disaster; in one case the financial losses exceeded one hundred thousand dollars (yes that is six figures worth) in a single school year. And this even happened at a school where financial management was outsourced by supposed professionals, which is truly perplexing.

Here are the most common mistakes I observe regarding e-Rate:

• Attempting to do this without a significant investment in training and time. This is not a good second duty for a principal or math teacher.
• Assuming you are ineligible for reimbursement. Certain expenses are always eligible for reimbursement, regardless of your free and reduced lunch count.
• Failing to utilize a family survey to get a more accurate e-Rate discount. This is especially important where “free lunches” run counter to social norms..
• Structuring technology resources in manner that is ineligible for reimbursement or incorrectly classifying the expenses as priority two.
• Believing (erroneously) that the money is too insignificant to justify the effort 

For most charter schools, this is simply not a task that you should attempt on your own, unless you belong to a consortium of schools that can afford a full-time professional. If you doubt my advice, all that is needed to prove my point is a simple search at the official USAC website which maintains a complete database of e-Rate reimbursement. For example, in the State of Utah in FY 2010 fewer than a dozen charter schools received any e-Rate reimbursement that was not filed by an e-Rate professional.

In states that have a large population of freestanding Charter Schools, an e-Rate consortium is an excellent idea. It essentially brings the economies of scale to individual Charter Schools by filing e-Rate as a group. However, this requires a high degree of co-operation and may provide fewer benefits for some within the consortium than others. Getting independent and highly individualistic charter schools to co-operate seems to be a challenge.

For these reasons, we strongly encourage the use of e-Rate professionals, but it is important to do your homework when selecting an e-Rate professional. There are no formal credentials in the world of e-Rate consultants, although the e-Rate Management Professionals Association is attempting to change that. In our experience, fees range widely, as do the personal interaction with your staff. Some companies provide a mostly web-based do-it-yourself interface; others have a very personal and accountable approach. Our recommendation is Kellogg & Sovereign, LLC located in Ada, Oklahoma.

Now for the “not me” part of this article. By statute, technology service providers are restricted in many aspects of the e-Rate process, especially in the pre-bid time frame. This is to prevent undue influence and fraud associated with contracting procedures, and rightly so. E-Rate fraud has been problematic in the past, which is inexcusable, but understandable as the amount of money involved is significant.

So what’s the bottom line? Decide now to get some professional assistance for your e-Rate process. We are well into the FY 2012-13 e-Rate program year. In the worst case scenario you will be dollars ahead for telephone, fax, email, and web hosting costs each month; and in the best case scenario you will receive a huge discount on those expensive technology upgrades every few years.

In these resource constrained times, you simply cannot continue to ignore this important funding mechanism.