Lack of Resources in K-12 Districts Grow
As districts range in size and scope one thing has remained a constant for K-12 Districts, they are being tasked to do more with less. This increase in responsibility has led to the adoption of self-service knowledge bases. Roughly 7 out of every 10 districts surveyed stated that they would barely give themselves a passing grade when it comes to providing centralized information.
This leaves users and staff searching for answers and taxing IT and systems. As K-12 districts grow and new complexities in school operations compound these systems at even greater levels.
Districts are finding that they can leverage a well-built knowledge base and online service catalog for IT. HR, Facilities and other administrative departments can also join in to save costs and relieve stress on departments. A self-service knowledge base provides information and solutions when and where you need them and alleviates service call volume. The average cost of a level one support call is 22 dollars a call. Knowledge-base systems alleviate that cost with an average cost of only two dollars!
Increased Cyber Incidents
In the past years publicly disclosed cyber incidents in K-12 school districts saw a stark increase across the board. While 2016 saw a year-end total of 67 incidents, 2017 blew past that total by the end of the first quarter, reporting 74 cyber incidents by May of that year.
District growth expands in two ways, the number of users and the diversity of devices. The influx of new devices often poses new opportunities for cyber security issues. Coupled with the already large task of onboarding and off-boarding individuals, IT is left having to figure out how to cohesively manage this growth. While reducing redundant work to free up manpower and time for high-priority projects, without disrupting the classroom. Talk about keeping plates spinning!
How Districts are Adapting
New technologies and streamlined systems allow districts to solve problems through Knowledge-Centered Support or KCS. This adaptable planning allows the creation of content through problem-solving. As this content is used, an up-to-date database of knowledge is created. What started as a customer support system has now blossomed across other organizational areas increasing resolutions by up to 50%.
Students, parents and teachers all have unique interactions with their districts. The school district is a major institution that will be a central pillar to their life and work for the greater part of a decade. Districts that are continually working to be nimble and collaborative across all departments are setting themselves up for success. IT leaders are starting to move IT Service Management and Project Management together. Merging the full scope of work so it can be managed, workflows can be streamlined and end-users can benefit from having a centralized view of work assignments.
TeamDynamix provides the tools K-12 schools need to manage processes throughout their institutions and bridge divides between classrooms, administrators, facilities, and more—all with a single cloud-based platform that combines service management and project planning.