District Administration - June 2011 - (Page 41)

Advertisement Low-cost computers that come with premium customer service CDI offers recertified computers with lengthy warranties and strong customer support acts as a troubleshooter with the powan a company be sleek and er to get things done. efficient and still have the “With CDI, you got one person, neighborly feel of “The Andy which tends to make things quicker,” Griffith Show”? Deweese said, calling his sales rep David Deweese thinks so; in fact, “a jewel.” that’s how he describes CDI, which Marlboro County’s largest schools began providing recertified computhave adopted CDI equipment rapidly. ers to his South Carolina district three About a third of the high school’s comyears ago. puters—a mix of desktops and lap“I get a small-town, dependable tops—are recertified units. Because kind of feeling with them,” said Dethe district uniformly uses Dell equipweese, technology coordinator for ment, most teachers and students fail Marlboro County School District, “I get a small-town, to notice any difference, Deweese said. which operates nine schools around dependable kind of CDI purchases most of its equipBennettsville, S.C. ment from corporations that lease a The Marlboro County district trafeeling with them.” particular model for a short time, then ditionally purchased new Dell equiptrade up to more powerful units. The ment, but that was no longer possible once the recession began in 2008 and belt-tightening equipment tends to be gently used, with enough horsepowbecame the order of the day. A sales representative from CDI er to handle educational software. Once computers are brought into its warehouse, CDI puts had been calling Deweese from time to time in a persistent but not pushy way, and had laid out a convincing case for them through a rigorous checklist of deep cleaning, hardware repair and software testing. The process is repeated buying recertified Dell units. “I usually do not let salespeople talk to me,” Deweese said. again before units are shipped out to customers. The company, which caters to the education market, “He called me for a year before I decided to go with him.” Deweese’s tech staff was trained and certified on Dell also offers custom imaging so district technicians don’t equipment, so he wanted to stick with that brand. He was have to spend a lot of time loading software once a shiphappy to learn that he could buy two or three refurbished ment arrives. Technology coordinators from other districts near MarlDell units from CDI for the same price as a brand new one from the manufacturer. And the warranties on the equip- boro County have a monthly consortium to talk about issues, ment stretched from three to five years, which met or beat Deweese said, and CDI recently came up. “They’re getting a name in South Carolina and it’s a pretty Dell’s coverage, he said. Deweese added that in the infrequent instances when CDI’s good one,” he said. equipment did fail, the company made up for it in service. “They work pretty hard to get it right,” he said. “They’re For more information, visit www.cdicomputers.com. pretty quick about it, too.” For example, he said that one set of 30 computers arrived loaded with the home edition of Windows 7, which wasn’t compatible with the district’s network. CDI immediately sent out the correct version of the software for Deweese’s staff to load. It helps that the company’s sales representative also C http://www.cdicomputers.com http://www.cdicomputers.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - June 2011

District Administration - June 2011
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Curriculum News
Sustainability News
Administrator Profile
District Profile
District-Level Downsizing
Lessons Learned from One-to-One
Partner for One-to-One Success
Pioneering States
The Changing Role of the CTO
New Directions for Special Ed
Problem/Solution
Books
Products
Student Counsel
Going Mobile
Professional Opinion

District Administration - June 2011