A huge thanks to our friends over at Crunch IT for their inspired insight into this growing topic.
The benefits of tablet adoption in the world of Early Learning are many. Immediate access to all important information, enhanced learning experience, tracking of children’s progress and ensuring adhesion to the plethora of government regulations involved.
However as with any solution there are potential drawbacks if not managed or implemented with the appropriate degree of care and understanding.
As the manager of a childcare centre you are not just responsible for the physical safety of children but also the security of private data and associated images relating to those minors.
No doubt for logical reasons of operational efficiency you plan to use your mobility solution to capture, manage and refer to data that relates to the children under care. Using the right tools can create a fantastic collaborative learning and reporting experience between careers and parents.
If you’re planning this with a solution such as Kinderloop then this task is made easy. However you still need to ensure the security of this data and any other that might be stored in other applications on the device. This extends to photos that are taken using the device for newsletters and other reporting to parents and the community.
What happens if the iPad is misplaced or inexplicably goes missing? Unless the device and the data thereon is managed using a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution such as AirWatch or Casper then you simply can’t guarantee that the information that you’re responsible for protecting will not be used inappropriately.
Below are my top six considerations to help minimize or eliminate this and other risks and maximize the positive elements of adopting a mobility (often tablet) solution in a childcare or early learning environment.
Why you need an Mobile Service Management Solution
- A Mobile Device Management solution enables you to force the use of a passcode (of an appropriate complexity) to unlock a device which cannot be removed
- It can enable you to geographically track down a device if it goes missing
- You can remotely wipe all data if the device cannot be found
- Ease of setup and management is a great feature of a Mobile Device Management solution. Enabling the easy configuration of new devices including deployment of Apps, email, wireless and many other profiles. From an ongoing management point of view Mobile Device Management software enables the easy update of profiles such as wireless security or email username and passwords.
- App management can cause a lot of cost and management issues for mobility solutions in many organizations. Mobile Device Management software enables the establishment of private app store to enable staff to download approved apps that have been selected by the business. Equally there is a high degree of flexibility in the setup of Mobile Device Management software to enable staff to purchase apps themselves, or not.
- Preventing the viewing of inappropriate content is an important capability. Sometime it’s about protecting people from themselves as much as from others.
Crunch IT are Mobility Solution experts with unique capabilities to assist your centre best manage the risk and realize the potential of your mobility solution. To discuss this further please contact Yolanna on yolanna@crunchit.com.au or call 1300 305 292.
