Asset management solves school budget concerns

The School Revenue Funding Settlement which was announced by Jim Knight, Minister for Schools, Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), in November 2007, ensures that schools are fiscally and lawfully aware of budget spend and licensing agreements. In short, schools should be able to complete thorough audits of on and offsite assets on a regular basis.

As with all new initiatives, schools and their teaching staff are a little cautious of how to implement new procedures and where the funding will come from to meet each target. With the allocated funding being disseminated to and by Local Authorities, each school can make better long-term decisions, to use budgets more efficiently and strategically.

Jim Knight explained: "We want maximum resources targeted at teaching and learning. That's why we are giving schools the financial stability to plan ahead with confidence, with the first-ever three year funding settlement. We are also supporting schools to run their finances even more effectively, so every pupil gets the opportunities they deserve and money can be freed up and reinvested in the education system."

With the increase in software and handheld learning in modern day education, it is paramount that schools have a thorough knowledge of all the assets on site. Pupils now handle equipment worth thousands of pounds, with some using laptops, interactive whiteboards or handheld smartphones. Software asset management can assure teachers and education staff with peace of mind for compliancy issues and appropriately allocated resources.

Educational establishments must be fully aware of their accountability for all assets. Precious time and effort could be wasted by educational staff when carrying out the annual audit, as well as attempting to compare installed software on each computer against licences. This time should be spent on effective pedagogical delivery of the school curriculum and ensuring continual professional development, therefore schools must find a solution - Software Asset Management.

Deploying IT Vision's revolutionary Parago in the school environment takes the burden of auditing away from staff and allows them to do what they do best - teach! Parago, developed and designed in conjunction with schools and authorities across England, aids schools to establish legally amenable software and ensure future compliancy. Schools and colleges will boost their ICT efficiencies, reduce licensing and support costs, and more skilfully manage legal risks, when utilising this innovative solution. The Parago system is designed to allow schools' assets to be located into their very own virtual school, presenting a unique visual representation of their inventory. Parago even offers remote PC tracking which identifies all hardware and software changes in the home or at school via the internet, even if not connected to the school network.

Parago requires little or no training and at £250 per annum for a primary school and £850 per annum for a secondary, it fits into all school budgets.

With the growing acknowledgment of the importance of e-safety and the misuse of software across the UK, it is vital that schools and colleges address their "duty of care" with the latest software asset management, specific to education - Parago.

Key Advantages of Parago

Tim Roots Director
Tel: 01189 026818 - Fax: 01189 026401 - ITVision.net

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