State University Provides 9,000 Apple iPad Devices to Class of 2024

With the COVID-19 pandemic quickly establishing what we now know as our “new normal,” many organizations have been forced to switch to a new, remote way of doing business. Colleges, universities, and higher education systems have been working hard to discover new ways to enhance student success during such a challenging time. This is where SHI and OMNIA Partners stepped in to help.

A large U.S. university with a nearly 70,000-student population began the 2020-21 school year remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep the Class of 2024 freshmen engaged with distanced learning, the university wanted to leverage the CARES Act funding as well as the OMNIA Partners cooperative purchasing contract to supply each student with a device. Once the funding was approved, the customer tasked SHI with selecting, deploying, and shipping 9,000 devices over a three-month span.

After carefully reviewing the parameters of the project, SHI was able to help the university pick out a device. SHI experts assembled initial pricing with warranties, SHI services, and shipping for hardware from five different manufacturers. Afterwards, SHI then crafted a proposal laying out quantities, models, accessories, warranties, services, shipping, and insurance for each option.

This is where the SHI partnership with OMNIA Partners helped seal the deal. Based on pricing through the OMNIA Partners contract, and the vendors’ ability to ship the devices within the requested deadline, the university selected Apple iPads with two years of AppleCare.

SHI’s Knox Integration Center immediately moved forward with boot checks, Apple School Manager (ASM) enrollment, kitting, and shipping to the 9,000 unique addresses spread throughout several campus locations. SHI’s Mobility Solutions team also worked closely with the Apple team to fund custom drawstring bags featuring the logos of the university, SHI and Apple for each kit.

SHI completed the project within the three-month timeframe, enabling the Class of 2024 to enjoy the university’s gift for their first day of classes.

About SHI and OMNIA Partners:

OMNIA Partners, Public Sector is the largest and most experienced cooperative purchasing organization dedicated to public sector procurement – shaping the future of procurement through power, access and trust. SHI offers an entire product catalog of IT services and solutions, including hardware, software, cloud, security and accessories. SHI commits to a customer-centric approach by offering world class support and cost-efficient services and solutions. By maintaining robust, award-winning partnerships with leading manufacturers, SHI ensures you get the best products and services, designed specifically for your needs. To learn more about SHI’s cooperative contract with OMNIA Partners click here.