6 Perfect K-12 Technology Projects to Complete This Summer

Although classroom activity slows down in the summer, the tech department’s activity ramps up. With quiet hallways and fewer tech requests, school technology directors can focus on big, districtwide upgrades and projects.

So what are these big projects that technology directors face in the summertime? They’re the ones that may disrupt learning—so it’s important to get them done in the three summer months when classrooms are quieter. Each K-12 technology director’s summer checklist varies based on the tech plan, budget, technology adoption, and year-round productivity.

Below are six of the best projects to complete in the summer by your K-12 tech team. Feeling overwhelmed? Contact K12itc to learn how our Albert solution covers all this and more for a flat monthly rate.

1. Managed Service Implementation

Many schools implement Albert with K12itc over the summer, but we can deploy it any time without major disruption. Implementing Albert requires planning and collaboration from school leaders and K12itc. Albert implementation covers network upgrades, cybersecurity services, Help Desk deployment, and many tasks on a school district’s summer checklist. By implementing Managed Services over the summer, students and staff return to school in the fall with secure and reliable technology infrastructure and support, ensuring a smooth start to the new school year!

2. Category 2 E-Rate Installations & Configurations

Schools typically receive their Category 2 E-Rate funds in early spring. Therefore, installation and setup takes place in the summer.

The most productive summers for tech departments are often those spent completing E-Rate projects, such as installing firewalls, replacing access points, and running network cables or fiber. Tech departments are able to easily access classrooms, ceilings, and network closets without disrupting learning.  Sometimes, however, these projects can be quite large. K12itc frequently completes installation and configuration of equipment for K-12 school districts who are utilizing E-Rate funds. Even a portion of our Albert solution is E-Rateable!

3. Network Closet Clean-Up

We see a lot of messy network closets. Years of patching old technology can turn a tech closet into a cluttered mess. The summer is a great time to clean up those messy closets and even recable some of the equipment and racks. K12itc specializes in network cable and fiber installations, as well as closet clean-ups, rack installs, equipment configuration, and more.

4. Email Migration

As K-12 tech experts, many school districts turn to us for advice on the best email platform. While email migrations can happen anytime, we recommend doing them during summer, Winter Break, or Spring Break, so teachers can familiarize themselves with the new platform when they return.

We have helped numerous school districts migrate to GMail, or their email platform of choice, as it can take quite a bit of coordination. If you’re interested in migration to a new email platform, contact us today, and we will help you get started.

5. Deploy a MFA Solution

Summer is the perfect time deploy another layer of cybersecurity. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a simple and effective security measure that requires staff to provide two or more verification factors (such as a code sent via text) to access an account or system. 

Deploying MFA significantly enhances security by adding an extra layer of protection beyond passwords, making it much harder for attackers to gain unauthorized access, even if credentials are compromised. By setting up MFA over the summer, users will come back to school with a more secure network.

6. Update Rogue Access Points and Switches

Many districts check their tech equipment at the end of the school year. They see what needs to be replaced and do so in the summer. Although in theory this is a good process and project, there are more proactive ways to update hardware throughout the year.

Our Albert solution ensures that all district hardware runs throughout the school year—and never goes rogue. And if it does, we ship a new piece of equipment out to you for no extra charge. You can easily check off this to-do list item for your tech department by using our Albert solution.

Just when things seem calm at a school district, the technology department gets busy. However, does this really have to be the case? At K12itc, our mission is to help school districts manage their technology. This reduces stress for tech departments all year and during the summer.

If your summer tech checklist is too long, or you need extra help with big projects, contact us. We can help you save time and money, and maybe give you a little summer break back.