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Southbrook School Case Study
November 15th, 2023 by admin
Tell us a little about Southbrook school…
Southbrook School is a Special Needs (SEN) school with just in excess of 120 secondary age
pupils who have mild to moderate learning difficulties. Each year group (years 7-11) has
approximately 30 pupils split into two classes.
What are some of the main IT challenges you have faced?
Safeguarding our pupils is a top priority as they are more vulnerable than pupils in mainstream
schools. Keeping them safe and being able to help them with any issues is very important.
In addition, classroom monitoring is important for us to keep pupils on task and ensure they
don’t stray from the work they’re meant to be doing.
How has DNA helped at your school?
DNA has helped us to keep track of our pupils’ activity and what they’re typing, searching for or copying in all applications, not just the internet. It alerts us to what a certain pupil has typed or images they might have copied. DNA also has a large number of keywords that trigger alerts, which we really like. It also gives an explanation of each phrase, which is helpful for our staff if they don’t know what a certain phrase means.
How have you found the remote support tools in DNA?
We use the remote control tools to provide support to staff across the school without having to
physically go to them. We also use the remote support to log off machines that have been left on
in classrooms.
DNA includes SoftLINK classroom management. What do your teachers find are the main benefits?
We’ve trialed SoftLINK and our teachers really like it as they can make sure pupils are on task
and lock machines to take away any distraction. They can also share their screen so that the
pupils are focused on the right thing during lessons.
How do DNA and SoftLINK compare to previous solutions you have used?
We’ve previously used some free software, but they just didn’t provide the level of features we needed. The safeguarding has been really beneficial for us.
What do you think of the DNA support team?
The tech support team have provided quick and easy fixes over the phone for any problems we’ve had.
How do you see DNA and SoftLINK supporting your school in the future?
We will definitely continue to use DNA. It sits in the background and does what we want it to do. We’d also like to continue to roll SoftLINK out across the whole school.
York High School Case Study
November 15th, 2023 by admin
Tell us about your school…
York High School is a medium-sized community secondary school catering for approximately
735 students between Years 7 – 11.
What are some of the main IT challenges you faced prior to DNA?
One of our main challenges was to encourage staff to be as independent as possible, to enable them to do the tasks they needed to carry out and to encourage them to problem solve. It’s not just about fixing problems but empowering people and reducing their reliance on requesting support.
How has DNA helped at your school?
DNA has enabled teachers and other staff to be able to carry out various tasks that they may have otherwise asked the IT team to do. The SoftLINK element also ensures teachers can get the attention of the whole class instantly and keep their students focused. Staff have found DNA easier to use then our previous solution – and the integration with Group Policy is a bonus for the IT team. We find it’s a well-supported product that is easy to use and it has increased our productivity by saving us time with its automated tools.
Do you use DNA to support your safeguarding efforts?
Yes, it has enabled safeguarding staff to be able to view internet history independently without having to ask the IT team to look at any logs or reports. They are also able to follow up on any safeguarding alerts that come in.
DNA includes SoftLINK classroom management. What do your teachers find are the main benefits?
Some teachers just want to see the SoftLINK element to help them with delivering lessons. It also helps them to improve students’ behavior, with the ability to monitor their activity and ensure they are working on the task set for the lesson.
What do the staff think of DNA in terms of usability?
The staff who see it and try it like it, but the biggest problem we have is that staff do not always have time to learn how to use new systems. However, once they start using DNA, they do find it intuitive and easy to use.
What do you think of the DNA support team?
The support has always been excellent!
How do you see DNA and SoftLINK supporting your school in the future?
We have no plans to use anything else, as it does what we need it to do. We’d definitely recommend it to others.
Cameron University Case Study
March 1st, 2023 by admin
Tell us a little about Cameron University…
Cameron University is located in Lawton, Oklahoma. The university provides affordable education to local Oklahoma residents as well as international students from around the globe. We offer nearly 50 degrees through two-year, four-year, and graduate programs.
What challenges were you trying to solve?
Trying to distribute an installer file to a computer lab to expedite the install and update process.
What SoftLINK features do you find are used the most and why?
For us we use the file distribution, launch app buttons, and screen monitoring. We use the first two features to updates machines in mass. We use the last one to monitor testing labs and provide remote support to classrooms.
How has SoftLINK helped you?
It has helped us work on updating machines on a large scale remotely, provide a more broad proctoring service for our testing centers, and to provide immediate remote assistance in the classroom.
How would you describe Applied Computer Systems’ customer service?
I have spent years using the product and never contacted support. When I finally did, I received a solution to a problem I had been dealing with all those years in a matter of hours. It was wonderful!
What would you say to other organizations facing the same challenges?
It is a fantastic solution that is easy to implement and use. It has utility both for ITS staff as well as instructors and tutors.
Would you recommend the SoftLINK software to others?
Absolutely!
Bradleys Estate Agents Case Study
February 2nd, 2023 by admin
Tell us a bit about Bradleys Estate Agents…
Bradleys Estate Agents is the largest independent estate agents in the West Country. We currently have 33 offices and 250 staff. We also recently won the All Agents Best Estate Agent of the Year Gold Award 2018 and Best Estate Agent of Year at the Negotiator Awards.
What were some of the main IT challenges you faced?
Our main issue was controlling PCs across 33 offices with 250 staff in three counties. We have offices in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall so it’s quite a big area that we cover.
Did Manager help you to meet those needs?
Definitely!
What do other IT staff in the organization think of it?
Do they find it easy to use?
We all think it’s fantastic really. It’s really easy to use and it’s so easy to just show someone how to use it. Any new staff, you just say, “This is what you do, this is how you use it and this is what you can do with it.” They can pick it up really, really quickly.
What are the tools in Manager that you use the most?
The control aspect is mainly what we use in order to control PCs across our 33 offices from one place. We also use the file deployment. If we have a global update to send to every PC, we just highlight them all and go for it. It’s worked really well.
How has Manager contributed to your organization?
Manager has saved us an awful lot of time as we don’t have to travel to the different sites. If someone’s at a site in Somerset and we have a call come in from Southern Cornwall, it’s a lot easier to hop on a machine, than get in the car and drive 2-3 hours.
Would you recommend Manager?
Yes, 100%!
St Joseph’s Health Case Study
August 15th, 2022 by admin
Tell us about St Joseph’s Health…
Established in 1982, SJH provides a full range of care facilities including 16 acute care hospitals, home health agencies, hospice care, outpatient services, skilled nursing facilities, community clinics and physician groups. SJH serves 10 distinct communities and strives to provide perfect care while building the healthiest communities and ensuring every encounter is sacred..
What were the challenges you were trying to solve?
Our key challenge was finding a system that would provide instant and reliable desktop messaging across our entire system.
Why did you choose Notify?
I had implemented Notify at another hospital years ago. It was a great product then and continues to be superior in delivering critical messages in a timely manner, at a lower cost than its competition. Overall, we are very pleased with the product and currently have 5000 Notify licenses. This is my second implementation of Notify at two different hospitals. I would highly recommend it to any organization that is looking for an easy to use, reliable, instant desktop notification system.
How is the software currently being used in your organization?
Notify is being used throughout our hospital and healthcare system as a communications tool for IT related functions, such as system downtime notifications and updates. Notify is also used a pivotal instrument for hospital-wide emergency awareness situations like Code Bravo. We appreciate the fact that the delivery of such important messages is instant to the desktops – no waiting, and that we are able to capture such data as acknowledgments of the messages.
How/where has Notify added value?
The system is extremely easy to use and train staff on the ability to send alerts. Having the option to schedule the delivery of the messages is great as well.
New York Power Authority Case Study
August 9th, 2022 by admin
Tell us about NY Power Authority…
The New York Power Authority is America’s largest state power organization, with 16 generating facilities and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines.
What challenges were you trying to solve?
We wanted to find a solution that would allow us to control multiple server and PC workstations securely. After testing and reviewing other remote control and desktop management solutions, we found Manager was the one most suited to our requirements.
Why did you choose Manager?
The product’s speed and ease of use were the most important factors in our decision. This is the best remote manager software tool I have used. We are extremely happy with this product
How is the software currently being used in your organization?
We use Manager to monitor and control workstations performing polling activity, and to also carry out updates to our machines, quickly, easily and reliably.
How/where has Manager added value?
Manager allows the user to multi-task machines, detect problem machines and address issues without leaving the space.
Would you recommend Manager?
Yes, no problem. I used it in my previous company and was very impressed with it!
Catholic Charities Case Study
July 14th, 2022 by admin
Tell us a little about your organization
Catholic Charities USA is a national organization that offers support to member agencies, provides disaster relief and promotes poverty-reduction through research and legislative reform.
What was the primary reason for purchasing Notify? And what challenges were you attempting to address?
We wanted a mass alerting product that would enable us to broadcast messages to inform all of our staff about IT updates, server rebooting and so on.
Now that you are using Notify, has this challenge been addressed?
Yes, I am now able to broadcast important messages to staff that they can see instantly as they take screen focus, so everyone is kept up to date without having to rely on email or other methods.
What was a key deciding factor in selecting Notify?
We chose Notify based on the price, the simplicity and ease of use, and the ability to broadcast to a large number of users at once.
Paul J Hagerty High School Case Study
July 12th, 2022 by admin
Tell us a bit about Paul J Hagerty High School…
Paul J Hagerty High School is a public high school in Oviedo, Florida with approximately 2,250 students.
What challenges were you trying to solve?
We wanted to have the ability to communicate school-wide without a PA system.
Why did you choose Notify?
Notify is easy to use and has great platform support. We also found it has a wide range of features and offers a high level of security. We use NetSupport School already and found that Notify is exactly what we needed to solve our communication issues.
How is the software currently being used in your school?
We have Notify installed on all staff computers. When we need to communicate something of importance and cannot use the PA system due to classroom or testing interruptions, we use Notify. This makes it possible to communicate messages to our staff instantly without it being a disruption.
Where and how has Notify added value?
Notify is very intuitive and easy to use. It is a very flexible system that has helped us save time and increase productivity.
Would you recommend Notify?
Yes, we would recommend Notify.
City of Dickenson Case Study
July 12th, 2022 by admin
Tell us a bit about City of Dickinson…
City of Dickinson is the local government for Dickinson, North Dakota. Dickinson sits in Stark County and has a population of over 20,000.
What IT challenges were you trying to solve?
We wanted a product that would not only track our user’s internet usage but also allow us to filter what sites they have access to, helping keep staff on task and productive.
How is DNA currently being used in your organization?
We are currently using DNA to track internet and application usage, to restrict internet usage, and to track some of our hardware assets. The internet and application metering tools allow us to track what websites and applications our staff are using, when they are using them and how long they’re using them for. We can also create lists of approved and restricted URLS so we ensure staff stay on track and productive during working hours. It provides robust reporting capabilities that keep staff accountable for the sites they are visiting during work hours, as well as ensuring that business resources are only used for business purposes. When it comes to our hardware assets, DNA’s Hardware inventory tools allow us to track and manage our assets and see important information from one central place.
Why did you choose DNA?
We found DNA to be more user-friendly and robust than the alternative products offered by other vendors that we tried during our testing phase. Plus, it’s affordable and has lots of useful features.
How/where has DNA added value?
DNA for us is used in a manner to keep staff more accountable for their usage of technology, which in turn means more time spent on work and less spent surfing the web. It’s not only helped increase staff productivity and performance, but our IT staff have also found it really easy to use.
Would you recommend DNA?
Yes, definitely!
Thermal Equipment Sales Case Study
April 21st, 2022 by admin
What challenges were you trying to solve?
Thermal Equipment Sales is an HVAC manufacture rep and we use the SoftLINK software. I teach service and troubleshooting classes and I use SoftLINK to watch our two labs in real time or project my computer screen. When the opportunity presents itself, I share a trainee’s screen to the projector and we talk about the issues or problems they see.
What SoftLINK features do you find are used the most and why?
Watching and sharing trainee screens, it is very easy to use.
How has SoftLINK helped you?
It’s been very helpful. I can watch the two labs we have set up and I am able to pin point those individuals that need help and can assist them.
How would you describe Applied Computer Systems’ customer service?
My account executive, Monica Broceus, has been great!
What would you say to other organizations facing the same challenges?
I would recommend they call Applied Computer Systems and speak to Monica (1-800-237-5465).
Would you recommend the SoftLINK software to others?
YES!