Project Deep Dive: Managed Hardware at St Andrew's Cathedral School

Educational technology requires constant updates and streamlining, and like many schools St Andrew's Cathedral School needed to update their managed hardware. This is where SureDeploy comes into play.

This blog post details the project objectives, challenges faced, and ultimate success achieved. We embark on a deep dive into the deployment of 1,362 devices, with uniform installations of numerous applications and stringent security configurations. 

Project overview

The primary goal of the project was to deploy 1,362 managed devices within 14 days. Impressively, the team exceeded expectations and finished the entire project two days early, showcasing their teamwork and dedication, and the reliability of SureDeploy to get the job done.

Main objectives

The project's main objectives included providing one device per user,  and managing the deployment of a large array of applications and security configurations per user.

The team unboxed, set up and labelled each student device and supplied accessories. They also replaced any damaged devices via Microsoft Advance Replacement with Accidental Protection. 

Precision was paramount to ensure user profiles, applications, policies and security lock downs were deployed to each device across the fleet in a uniform manner.

Challenges and resolutions

A couple of obstacles were faced during deployment, including internal network limitations on site, and changes in user lists. 

To address these obstacles, the team utilised a POE injector to increase lateral movement of data and speed up the process. Regarding the change in user list, the team quickly and efficiently communicated with the client, ensuring vigilance when cross checking the new list against devices deployed. 

Project team structure

Our project team consisted of a Project Manager/Coordinator, Lead Engineer, four Deployment Specialists and two Graduates.

While excelling at their professional roles, this group also found time for fun team-building activities like celebrating project milestones with lunches - with some team members even singing on site, boosting morale during the festive season!

Critical resources and technologies

Microsoft Intune was used for device management,  and SureDeploy was the driving force used for application management and device configuration management.

This project outlines the reason we migrated from Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). We continue to prove that using SureDeploy to manage your Intune can handle large and complex deployments, without the need for SCCM or hybrid joined devices; moving education into 2024 with fully cloud managed endpoints.

Excellent time management, delegation, organisation, clearly-outlined roles and effective communication among the team were all essential resources to the project's success.

Cost

How much did this project cost? Nothing. It is all part of our managed service.

Key learnings from the project

This project highlighted the versatility of SureDeploy and its use of Intune, showing the capability in handling various tasks from on-demand app updates to quick device configurations and remediations.

The importance of pre-project meetings to discuss itinerary and project agenda and scope were highlighted for future endeavors to ensure maximum efficiency in the team.

Feedback 

The team received very positive commendation from the client, who was delighted with the team's productivity and the project's early completion: 

In summary

The deployment project for St. Andrew's Cathedral School demonstrated the power of Intune operated by SureDeploy as a powerful tool for managing deployments and devices.

Not only did the project meet its technical goals, but it also improved teamwork within our organisation - truly living up to one of our company values - #BeATeammate - which encourages everyone to be a super star by collaborating together effectively.

Ultimately, the project's successful completion stands as testament to team dedication, adaptability, and effective use of SureDeploy technologies.

Take the complexity out of Microsoft Intune deployments with SureDeploy. Elevate your device management capabilities and enhance your security score.