The Marist Catholic Primary School

Based in Surrey, we are a small establishment made up of 312 pupils. We own just 62 computers, all looked after by our ICT support staff.

Background

Based in Surrey, we are a small establishment made up of 312 pupils. We own just 62 computers, all looked after by our ICT support staff.

Challenge

Software administration and tracking was a never-ending task for us, as we have only a few administration staff. Our ICT support company were keeping a record of our ICT software through asset tagging and for inventory purposes we were also keeping a manual list. We soon began to realise that this was not the safest or most efficient method of tracking our assets. We were highly aware that we were obliged to record all software licence information to avoid falling foul of licensing laws, so we began to doubt our manual tracking process.

As a brand new school, we either purchased new computers or had them rebuilt, so we really started from scratch. We used manual records to check our licensed software, which again proved highly time consuming. Time is a precious commodity in our school, so this had to be addressed immediately. We also realised how vulnerable we were, if anything were to happen to the records. This drawn out task was conducted by our ICT technician and Bursar, however as time went on, we soon appreciated that we needed a more proficient and up-todate system. The very moment we conducted the audit, it would be out of date so an action plan was in desperate need! Carolyn Beddow, School Bursar explains, “Our two key needs were resource planning and software asset management, so we had to turn to Parago Software to help us plan for the future.”

Solution

We were put in touch with Parago Software where we purchased Parago and ParagoMobile. This is proving to be a highly successful implementation and a great development for our pupils and staff. It is so quick and easy to track all our software as well as all our other assets such as whiteboards and kettles! It did not take long for the installation; however due to our school being a brand new establishment we felt that we did not have the skills to use the PDA. Parago Software's highly efficient and customer friendly staff visited us immediately and they couldn't have been more helpful. Parago is proving to be an extremely cost effective, time saving and an impressive investment, allowing us to have peace of mind regarding our licensed software and other assets. It was a great choice!