CASE STUDY: Ivybridge Community College IT Suites
By Jack Whitfield
2024-06-27
VeryPC Flex Slim, a computer designed for Education
In this success story, we demonstrate how VeryPC provided Ivybridge
Community College with a cost-effective, education-specific product that has enabled the College to prolong the lifespan of its computers, while also saving the IT Department valuable deployment time.
School Profile
Ivybridge Community College is dedicated to providing excellent education for students aged 11 to 18. It’s the second-largest secondary school in Devon and among the ten largest secondary schools in England, with over 2,400 pupils.
In 2016, they were awarded the ‘World Class School’ status and have been re-accredited since, making them the only school in the southwest of England with this status.
The Pains
Christian Rowlands, ICT Network Manager, has been in the education industry for 17 years. Throughout his career, he has consistently faced several challenges:
- Dealing with flimsy and easily damaged computers
- Struggling with unreliable components that are difficult to upgrade within the computers
- Inability to find a computer specifically designed for education
- Spending excessive time on deploying computers due to constraints within the IT department
- Finding budget-friendly computing solutions
We were looking for a computer that was specifically designed for education. We were fed up with buying computer cases that were flimsy and easily damaged.
Christian Rowlands, ICT Network Manager
The Challenge
Ivybridge Community College needed a computer that could be easily implemented across the entire campus without requiring excessive time for deployment and repair.
Additionally, they required a dedicated account manager who could always offer assistance and provide a personalised experience, which is uncommon in larger companies.
The Solution
Christian reached out to the team at VeryPC back in 2014, after discovering them on Edugeek, a forum for IT professionals in education. After hearing positive feedback from fellow IT professionals and reading about what VeryPC has to offer, he decided to get in touch and see if VeryPC could provide Ivybridge with a suite of PCs that met the school’s requirements and budget.
The team at VeryPC suggested the Flex Slim as the best solution, as it was designed specifically with the education sector in mind.
Due to its flexibility, security, and practical features, it’s an obvious choice for the classroom. It can easily be converted into an All-In-One style configuration, saving on desk space, and the bracket is adjustable in all directions: tilt, rotate, swivel and height.
Flex Slim PCs come with a lockable cable shroud ensuring that cables are out of reach from students to tamper with, along with a Kensington lock point and easily accessible USB and audio ports.
For the past 8 years, Ivybridge Community College have been using the Flex Slim as their preferred PC of choice. VeryPC account manager, Jack Whitfield has been working closely with Christian to ensure he has everything he needs, from guidance on licensing and pricing to help with configuration and factory services. We’ve also been assisting Christian with upgrades to components, saving him time and money in the long run and preventing the school from having to purchase unnecessary additional equipment.
We’re delighted to announce that Ivybridge will be deploying an additional 170 Flex Slim units across the site in the summer of 2024.
I’d recommend VeryPC without hesitation. We’ve found the Flex Slim to be the perfect solution for our school and having used it now for 8 years it’s by far the most reliable computer we’ve ever used.
Christian Rowlands, ICT Network Manager
Key Improvements
Experience a captivating 3D tour of the IT Suite at Ivybridge Community College: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=mnzR4JT5kWv
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