The Customer
Cardinal Newman Catholic High School provides education for around 855 students in Warrington, Cheshire. With technology playing an increasingly important role across teaching, learning and administration, the school needed to replace an ageing fleet of PCs and laptops approaching six years old.
But this wasn't simply a case of replacing old equipment.
The new devices needed to deliver the performance required for modern education, while the school also needed to manage budget, financing, procurement and deployment around the school calendar.
The Challenge
After almost six years of use, the school's existing PCs and laptops were increasingly creating performance and support issues.
The replacement devices needed to:
Deliver performance
Run demanding applications including 3D modelling software and Adobe Creative Cloud.
Support staff & students
Provide reliable technology for both classroom and staff use.
Maximise the budget
Secure competitive pricing while making the most of available trade-in opportunities.
Minimise disruption
Coordinate the delivery and rollout around the school timetable.
Simplify the process
Give the school a single point of contact to manage the project from start to finish.
The Solution
One partner. Multiple solutions.
Through Probrand's partnership with Churchmarketplace, Cardinal Newman was introduced to Probrand and its IT procurement services.
Probrand quickly understood the school's requirements and brought the right people together - including direct engagement with HP specialists.
After considering equipment from Dell, Lenovo and HP, the school selected an HP solution that combined the right specifications with the strongest overall value.
But Probrand's support went beyond sourcing the equipment.
The solution included:
465 new devices
195 PCs + 195 monitors + 75 laptops
£12,800 cashback
Secured through HP's Brighter Futures scheme
Flexible finance
Arranged through HPE Financial Services
Stock holding
Equipment secured and stored until the school was ready
Direct manufacturer access
Probrand connected the school directly with HP specialists
Probrand's communication was excellent from the start. Every question we had was answered within a matter of hours.
Probrand managed the project from initial enquiry to completion.
Replacing hundreds of devices is a significant undertaking for any school. Cardinal Newman needed the equipment ready for the new academic year, without filling valuable school space with hundreds of boxes or disrupting teaching.
Probrand secured the required stock and held it until the school was ready for deployment.
This gave Cardinal Newman the flexibility to secure the agreed deal in advance, while avoiding the need to store the equipment on-site.
The devices were delivered at the end of July, ready for the IT team to configure and deploy during the summer holidays.
The Result
A faster, smoother IT environment
Since the new academic year began, the school has replaced PCs across every IT room and introduced new laptops for staff.
The impact has been immediate.
Faster computers
The new devices have significantly improved performance, making everyday tasks quicker and more responsive.
Fewer IT issues
Replacing the ageing machines has dramatically reduced the number of technical problems requiring IT support.
Smoother teaching
Teachers can rely on modern hardware capable of supporting the school's curriculum and demanding applications.
A better experience for students
Students now have access to significantly more capable technology across the school's IT rooms.
Everything is running a lot smoother. The new devices have massively reduced the amount of support time we have to provide.
For Cardinal Newman, one of the biggest benefits was having Probrand manage the different elements of the project through a single point of contact.
From selecting equipment and coordinating with HP to managing finance, cashback, stock and delivery, the school didn't have to navigate the process alone.
“It was really useful having HP involved directly. Probrand put us in contact with the manufacturer, so we could talk through exactly what we needed and make sure we were getting the right products.”
With its PCs and laptops now refreshed, Cardinal Newman has a stronger technology foundation to support its students, staff and curriculum.
And with the experience proving successful, the school would be happy to return to Probrand for future technology requirements.
We’re really happy with the products and the whole experience. If we have any further requirements in the future, I would absolutely come back to Probrand.
Free to use. Easy to manage. Designed for control.
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