Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools uses Computrace to Manage and Protect Computers for School Children
VANCOUVER, May 12 /CNW/ - Absolute© Software Corporation ("Absolute" or the "Company") (TSX: ABT), the leading provider of firmware-based, patented, computer theft recovery, data protection and IT asset management solutions today announced that Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is using Computrace(R) to combat computer theft, reduce laptop management costs and simplify inventorying processes for more than 25,000 school computers.
According to Kevin Sherrill, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools' Director of Information Technology, "The job of managing computers for staff and students in a large district really is the perfect storm. The need to be accountable for IT spending in schools has never been more important while at the same time, we're moving to highly-portable laptop computers that are incredibly resource-intensive to inventory and administer. Regulatory compliance is another factor for us. Absolute's Computrace technology uniquely addresses these issues and really makes my job easier. We can remotely inventory computers whenever we want, get a snapshot of the software installed and do our best to stretch the working lives of laptops to the maximum. A product like this is a must-have for districts that are using laptops to extend the learning day."
Formed in 1963 with the merger of the city and county school systems, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools serves about 51,000 students with the goal of providing a quality education for each child. It is the fifth-largest school system in North Carolina and one of the top 100 largest districts in the United States. The school system has 40 elementary schools, 15 middle schools and 11 high schools. Eight special schools bring the system-wide total to 74.
One of the district's unifying values is that all students and staff must have access to emerging technology. True to this mission, the district makes extensive use of laptop and desktop computers as well as RIM(R) BlackBerry(R) smartphones.
Calming the Perfect Storm: Laptop Management With Computrace
Absolute's Computrace solutions address a K-12 school IT administrator's top three headaches: knowing where computers are, making sure they're performing and protecting them from theft. With the advanced reporting provided by Absolute's products, district administrators can instantly inventory computers and their hardware and software configuration regardless of whether they are in the library or across the country with travelling students and staff. Administrators can also ensure that computers remain in top condition by detecting tampering, unauthorized software installations - even receive alerts for out-of-date antivirus software.
If a computer is stolen, the Absolute Theft Recovery Team can locate it and lead police to thieves - reducing the criminal element that threatens student safety. And, when it comes time for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools to call all 25,000 computers back at the end of the school year, IT administrators can send a message to tardy students via Computrace asking them to return the assigned computer.
How Absolute's Computrace Solutions Work
The Computrace Agent that powers Absolute Software's solutions is embedded in the firmware of computers from the world's leading computer manufacturers right at the factory or it can be installed by the customer.1 It is activated when customers purchase a subscription ranging in length from one to four years.
Embedded in the firmware of computers for extreme tamper-resistance, Absolute's technology regularly communicates with the Absolute Monitoring Center servers to report each computer's location and attributes. School district IT administrators can access this detailed information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via a secure web-based portal called the Absolute Customer Center.
If a computer is stolen, the Absolute Theft Recovery Team can use location information sent by the computer and forensically mine it using a variety of procedures including key captures, registry scanning, file scanning, geolocation, and other investigative techniques to determine who has the computer and how it is being used. Absolute then works with local law enforcement to help recover the computer.
For more information on Absolute Software and its range of computer theft recovery, data protection and IT asset management solutions, please visit www.absolute.com or www.lojackforlaptops.com.
1 For a complete list of firmware-supported computers visit www.absolute.com/firmware.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements and financial outlook that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements and financial outlook relate to, among other things, the expected performance, functionality and availability of the Company’s services and products, and other expectations, intentions and plans contained in this press release that are not historical facts. When used in this press release, the words “plan,” “expect,” “believe” and similar expressions generally identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect the Company’s current expectations. They are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, changes in technology and general market conditions. In light of the many risks and uncertainties, readers of the press release should understand that Absolute cannot assure them that the forward-looking statements and financial outlook contained in this press release will be realized. Furthermore, the forward-looking statements and financial outlook contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements and financial outlook, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.
About Absolute
Absolute empowers more than 12,000 customers worldwide to protect devices, data, applications, and users against theft or attack — both on and off the corporate network. With the industry’s only tamper-proof endpoint visibility and control solution, Absolute allows IT organizations to enforce asset management, security hygiene, and data compliance for today’s remote digital workforces. Absolute’s patented Persistence® technology is embedded in the firmware of Dell, HP, Lenovo, and 22 other leading manufacturers’ devices for vendor-agnostic coverage, tamper-proof resilience, and ease of deployment. See how it works at www.absolute.com and follow us at @absolutecorp.
©2019 Absolute Software Corporation. All rights reserved. ABSOLUTE and PERSISTENCE are registered trademarks of Absolute Software Corporation. Other names or logos mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. For patent information, visit www.absolute.com/patents. The Toronto Stock Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved of the information contained in this press release.
For more information, please contact:
Media and Analyst Relations
Jill Rosenthal, InkHouse
absolute@inkhouse.com or 781-966-4167
Investor Relations
Joo-Hun Kim, MKR Group
joohunkim@mkrir.com or 212-868-6760