Essential Tools for Innovative IT Teams

March 24, 2024 |  5 Key Initiatives, API, BI Reports, Data, Reports
3 min

Proactive IT teams need to utilize both computer management software and computer monitoring software.

How can higher ed IT leaders sustain innovation in a changing world?

IT teams play a significant role in advancing key university objectives, such as enhancing student success rates and ensuring budgetary efficiency through data-driven decision-making. The scope of goals and tasks encompasses diverse contexts and environments, with data serving as a crucial element in almost every project. 

To meet this demand, proactive IT teams need to utilize both computer management software and computer monitoring software.

Computer management software should be utilized for the overall administration and maintenance of computer systems. Computer management software automates tasks and provides remote access to a group of computers. Management software is an essential tool to ensure computers are running properly.

Use computer management software to:

  • Remotely control computers
  • Restrict access to certain users
  • Shut down, restart or log off remotely
  • Update and configure the operating system
  • Execute virus and vulnerability scans
  • Install and manage software applications

On the other hand, computer monitoring software is specifically geared towards observing and tracking computer activities, providing useful data to aid in decision-making. 

Use computer monitoring software to:

  • Identify opportunities to repurpose computer labs into classrooms
  • See most and least used computers on campus
  • Locations with the most logins
  • Identify unused software applications
  • Days/hours with the highest use of computers
  • Accessibility resources are being used
  • Provide data that proves compliance (ADA, Accessibility, 504, Title IX)
  • Justify budget requests with usage data
  • Identify outdated or vulnerable software that’s bogging down image size
  • Spot check for unauthorized software downloads
  • Target where to deploy software
  • Update refresh schedule to match usage
  • Compare usage of similar software
  • Quickly find current IT inventory
  • Identify computers that are not responding before students/staff create tickets
  • Track individual student usage to fulfill lab requirements
  • Verify faculty/staff are using requested resources
  • Track ROI of special funding projects
  • Collect data on the effectiveness of new approaches to providing IT resources such as loaner laptops, virtual desktops and group work spaces 

LabStats has been providing data-as-a-service to higher education institutions for almost two decades. LabStats offers the most reliable and robust data, specifically tailored to the needs of college and university IT teams. In fact, the first version of LabStats was developed by a university lab manager, just trying to find a better way to do his job.

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How LabStats stands out:

  • The only purposefully built remote access solution specifically for higher education 
  • The only monitoring solution designed for campus-wide reporting 
  • Monitors more software by default than leading competitors 
  • Excels at physical lab usage reporting and tools 
  • The only solution designed to help students discover available computers both in person and remotely 
  • Provides a complete software licensing picture, others don’t 
  • Cloud-based software does not require on-prem install like others 
  • The leading technical support in the industry, with real human interaction 
  • Supports both Windows and Mac environments, regardless of physical location and network enabling development on staff and faculty devices 
  • Offers robust API enabling integration to enterprise BI systems 
  • Enhances the overall efficiency, user experience, and management of computer resources within a university environment. 
  • Plays a crucial role in optimizing resources, improving decision-making, and ensuring that computing facilities align with the evolving needs of students and faculty 

LabStats enhances the overall efficiency, user experience, and management of computer resources within a university environment. It plays a crucial role in optimizing resources, improving decision-making, and ensuring that computing facilities align with the evolving needs of students and faculty.

“In 20 years working in IT, I can’t think of a company that provides better service than LabStats.”

Marco Mascari, CTO, UCLA Graduate School of Education

LabStats recently launched extended historical API endpoints and two Power BI Dashboard Templates to support large scale IT initiatives. With these new data points and dashboards, IT teams can analyze millions of hardware and software data points in minutes, and reach new levels of insights.

Colleges and universities are facing more pressure than ever before. With tightening budgets, cramped campuses and students’ increasing demand for technology, knowing how hardware and software are being used is essential for current decision-making and future planning.

Check out our latest ebook: 5 Key Initiatives for IT Decision Makers in Higher Ed for 2024 to learn more about using LabStats data in higher ed IT.


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