Technology Audit Checklist for Schools

Under cutoff analysis, your IT department and other teams would halt daily operations to focus on inventory audit. Typically this occurs during summertime or winter break when student activities have decreased significantly.

Teachers typically utilize barcode scanning technology during an inventory audit to assist teachers in verifying the classrooms’ school technology and expedite the audit, decreasing IT team efforts required.

1. Inventory
An inventory phase of a school technology audit is an essential element. Here, the team must ascertain which devices and systems the school currently utilizes; which ones may no longer be useful; and any required updates.

Information gathered at this stage will enable schools to assess efficiency and identify any major discrepancies in records. They can also take this opportunity to see which forms of technology are most frequently employed – which could have an effect on costs.

For instance, when students purchase eBook access rather than expensive textbooks that may become lost, schools can use this opportunity to maximize investment while minimizing operating costs. Furthermore, schools can utilize this time to enhance technology planning processes and streamline workflow.

2. Security
Security assessments in technology audits concentrate on observations during normal school and facility operations with students and staff present. To provide an objective assessment, multiple team members should evaluate each area.

These assessments involve reviewing physical access to offices and server rooms, and protecting devices like laptops and mobile phones against security risks. They also involve looking at how data is stored on and transmitted from these devices.

Schools use various approaches for auditing, but many have begun employing automated risk management tools like Incident IQ that help facilitate audit processes and reduce errors. Such tools are suitable for internal or external tech audits and should help to identify vulnerabilities which could be exploited as well as developing policies to address such concerns.

3. Training
Un external perspective can often reveal hidden problems in technology that have gone undetected for too long. An audit can identify security flaws that compromise privacy or lead to costly data breaches and downtime issues.

Many public-traded companies must comply with Sarbanes-Oxley regulations and Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards, respectively. A tech audit can help these organizations identify their vulnerabilities and devise a strategy to overcome them.

At this stage, it is crucial that you engage stakeholders and gather necessary data in order to compare current training practices against industry standards and identify areas for improvement in your training program – for instance, you might find out that some learners struggle with certain learning platforms.

4. Administration
Administration Phase of an Audit

School administrators should look to asset management tools such as Incident IQ to assist them in overseeing this process. Emily Stapf, customer success manager of Incident IQ recommended schools conduct an inventory audit midway through each academic year and during summer vacation in order to better prepare for external audits.

The school facility audit checklist is intended to assist in the identification and observation of specific procedures, conditions and operations within individual schools and support facilities. While it may not apply universally, this tool could prove invaluable in auditing facilities of any type and size.

5. Maintenance
One of the key elements of school maintenance checklists is their electrical system. Malfunctioning wires, equipment, or circuits can bring down an entire campus at once as well as pose serious safety concerns like fires or electric shocks.

Additionally, your tech audit checklist should cover plumbing issues. A properly operating plumbing system is critical to ensure student safety and comfort as it keeps water flowing to wash hands, flush toilets and supply kitchens.

Digital preventive maintenance checklists can help your school remain organized and up-to-date with its equipment, facilities, and systems. A streamlined digital operations management solution such as Xenia allows for effortless reporting on maintenance times, pattern recognition in work orders, aggregate reports on maintenance times and more.