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Building A Cutting-Edge Asset Management System for K-12 Chromebooks

A Brief Glimpse Into Our Client

Brainium was approached by a very large US-based EdTech company that wanted to develop a cutting-edge asset management system, tailored for K12 education, which they would offer to several school districts.

The client hired us to build a product that would streamline their workflows, improve service delivery, and ultimately enhance the educational experience for students using Chromebooks.

The client is primarily involved in order management for Chromebooks and related accessories that come in from various school district administrators. They also submit repair requests for damaged devices, track the status and location of devices, check out devices to students, and update records. Other than that, they order parts for in-house repairs and manage their “parts closet” inventory and manage account information and relevant metrics.

Our team built a highly advanced online system for our EdTech client. It was created in order to simplify the management of educational Chromebooks that our client offers to their customers (local school districts). The secure frontend of the application allows school districts to order devices, repair them, and track them. The internal admin interface helps employees at our client’s company with account management, shipment tracking, accounting, and inventory. Other essential features we included was device checkout to students and tracking repair progress.

We integrated the product to the Google Admin Console. Now, school administrators and technology directors will easily manage their Chromebook information. The integration provides users with the ability to synchronize and update device data without having to access external URLs. The system supports in-house repairs for devices covered under warranty and provides a central toolbox for device management. Our work on the advanced system gave our client one smooth and effective web app for their unique needs within the education sector.

Industry

Education & EdTech

Tech Stack - Database

PostgreSQL, pgAdmin, Render Dashboard

Tech Stack - Frontend

React.js and TypeScript.js, Mocha, ESLint, Prettier

Tech Stack - Backtend

Auth0, Node.js, Express, Jest, pg, Husky, Pusher

Tech Stack - Third-party APIs

Auth0, NETSUITE, UPS, GCP APIs

Country

US

The Challenges We Faced Along the Way

The development of the advanced asset management system for our EdTech client presented several challenges that we needed to overcome to ensure a seamless solution. These challenges were largely related to system integration, data management, user experience, security, scalability, and workflow automation. Here’s a closer look at what we had to overcome:

Integration with Other Systems
One of the most critical challenges was integrating the system with existing platforms, particularly the Customer Central system (CCv2) and Google Admin Console. This integration had to be planned and executed carefully to avoid disruptions in ongoing operations.

Data Migration
Migrating a significant amount of data from the CCv2 system without losing data integrity was a major hurdle. We employed rigorous data validation and transfer processes, ensuring that all data was accurately transferred with no loss or corruption.

User Experience and Interface Design
Creating a user-friendly interface that would be intuitive for both school district administrators and our client’s internal employees was quite a challenge. We had to ensure that the interface was both functional and simple to navigate.

Security and Privacy
Handling sensitive data, including student information and device specifics, required stringent security measures. We had to ensure the system was compliant with data protection regulations, such as FERPA, to guarantee that all data was secure and that user privacy was upheld.

Real-Time Synchronization
We had to consider real-time synchronization with the Google Admin Console to keep all device management data up-to-date. We had to implement efficient data synchronization mechanisms to achieve this goal.

Customization to Fit Diversified Needs
Each school district had unique requirements, so the system needed to be highly customizable. To overcome this challenge, we had to develop a flexible solution that could be tailored to meet the specific needs of different users.

Our Primary Approach for This Project

After the client came to Brainium with the challenges in their workflow, such as the need for integration, access to data and insights, customization, and automation, among many other things, we came up with an airtight plan to have all these covered using tried-and-tested solutions and best practices.

Integration with Other Systems
Integration with CCv2, the existing Customer Central system, and the Google Admin Console was required. This needed planning and execution so that data and functionalities could be migrated without disrupting ongoing operations.

Data Migration
An extensive amount of data was to be migrated from CCv2 without loss or corruption to the project. Strong data validation and transfer processes were used to guarantee data integrity.

User Experience and Interface Design
School districts and our client’s employees required an easy-to-use interface. This involved iterative design and testing, securing the functionality of the code while ensuring that it remains user-friendly.

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Our Primary Solution for This Project

The product we developed is a cutting-edge asset management system that integrates Google telemetry data for improved operational efficiency. It offers our client real-time tracking of assets (Chromebooks that are designed for K-12 students) with detailed insights pertaining to asset performance and usage. This, in other words, means proactive maintenance, reducing the downtime and hence in a position to optimize the utilization of assets in the best possible manner. Our solution makes a huge improvement in the client’s ability to manage and maintain their assets effectively. We focused on the following aspects in our solution:

Real-time Asset Tracking
We integrated Google telemetry data that allowed us to provide real-time tracking of assets, helping our client proactively manage repairs and maintenance.

Comprehensive Device Management
Our system enables school districts to order, track, and manage devices with ease. Administrators can view the status of each device, track repair progress, and manage device checkouts for students.

Inventory Management
We made sure that our platform enables the management of inventory, including parts for in-house repairs, with seamless ordering and tracking systems. This helped our client streamline its internal processes and ensure parts were available when needed.

Automation of Key Workflows
We automated critical workflows such as order management, repair tracking, and inventory management to reduce manual work and improve efficiency.

Results

Our client needed a centralized asset-tracking system with an easy-to-use interface for order management, repairs, device tracking, and inventory. They needed a custom system to facilitate the delivery and management of Chromebook devices in the best possible way to local school districts. We begin our workflow with account registration, where we empower school districts to easily register with our client. We provided client admins with the tools to verify and approve accounts upon registration in an efficient manner.

Placing Orders

We engineered an intuitive interface where school districts can log in, select products and accessories they need, and place orders for them. We designed the system to automatically send order details to client admins for processing in a seamless ordering experience.

Repair Requests

The online system we created allows school district customers to log repair requests for their devices. This means that admins receive these requests and can change the status of repairs in real time to provide maximum transparency and efficiency when devices are repaired.

Tracking Devices

We provided functionality to allow school districts to check devices out to students and track their status using our application. We armed admins with the ability to see an overall device inventory and change statuses as needed to ensure that tracking and accountability of devices were on point.

Google Admin Console Integration

Among the major accomplishments was the integration of this product with the Google Admin Console. Now, school districts can manage Chromebook details inside our system. We have taken care of its perfect synchronization, so all devices will be registered and updated in the Google Admin Console—with no external URLs required.

Inventory and In-House Repairs

We added features that would help school districts order parts for in-house repairs and manage inventory. We also added the following functions for client admins: managing the overall inventory and processing in-house repair credits—thereby taking care of the entire device management and maintenance process .

Admin Management

Leveraging our system, our client's employees can engage in an extensive array of various administrative tasks, including account management, ordering, and further analytics on sales metrics. At the same time, these functionalities are to be combined to improve efficiency and users' experience for school districts and our client's company.

Fulfilling Client Needs One Step At A Time

The asset management system we developed for our EdTech client has proven to be a game-changer in how Chromebooks and related assets are managed for K-12 education. By overcoming key challenges in integration, data management, security, and automation, we delivered a solution that is both user-friendly and highly efficient. Our client now has a robust, scalable platform that supports the growing needs of school districts while ensuring optimal device performance and usage.

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Hear From Our Client Their Experience Partnering With Us

10/10 experience. There’s not a single thing that we can complain about, and that’s saying something considering how complex this project was. The team was always ready to take on new challenges and we’ve had a wonderful time working with them.