VIZOR “Crescent” Release: A New Dawn for Education Technology Management

In the constantly evolving landscape of education technology, managing and tracking IT assets in schools and school districts can often feel like an uphill battle. Fortunately, the new VIZOR “Crescent” release is here to help, bringing significant advancements along with it. Packed with over 60 new features, “Crescent” addresses three functional pillars crucial to modern education technology – inventory, automation, and repairs.

One of the biggest pain points for districts has been managing a unified view of device inventory. VIZOR’s “Crescent” release integrates with Microsoft Intune and Jamf, enabling a single, centralized view of the entire device inventory. This complements existing integrations with Google Workspace and Microsoft Configuration Manager, providing a single source of management for Chromebooks, iPads, and Windows devices.

The new features significantly enhance the efficiency of asset inventory. VIZOR now supports asset bundles, making it easier to provision multiple assets – like media kits – to students. An improved auto-assign algorithm for Chromebooks uses login data from Google to identify devices students may have swapped. Check-in/out workflows have also been simplified with a revamped UI, bulk device check-in, and on-the-spot asset label printing. In essence, school Tech Directors and Admins can seamlessly track assets and manage inventory policies.

The “Crescent” release introduces a server-side rules engine to automate K-12 workflows, saving time and reducing the workload in device management. The ability to disable/enable devices or remotely Powerwash Chromebooks can now be delegated to non-IT staff and automated processes such as Powerwashing Chromebooks when loaner devices are returned add an extra layer of convenience. These updates build on VIZOR’s strong integration with Google Admin, eliminating the need to call up your Tech Director for these routine tasks.

Building on VIZOR’s robust repair tracking, the “Crescent” release simplifies device repair management. It enables tracking of parts inventory and the cost of parts required for each repair. Enhanced functionality allows easy tracking of repairs per user and sends automated notifications to students with excessive repair requests, encouraging responsible behavior. Additionally, a new Fees API and integration with InTouch make it easier for schools to collect repair fees, simplifying the process even further.

We have been big fans of VIZOR for a while now and the “Crescent” release is another example of how they are leading the way in education technology management. And we have just barely scratched the surface of all the new features VIZOR has added so if you are in the education technology field and want to learn more, head over to the release page on their website here to get the details.