Maintaining school computers

Dana R. Bowler / Star staff Dan Spencer, president of Faster Planet Inc. in Thousand Oaks, shows students a new microscope program on their computers at The Phoenix Ranch School in Simi Valley

Thousand Oaks consulting firm provides regular service

By Allison Bruce
abruce@VenturaCountyStar.com
January 31, 2006

Aside from when a lightning bolt struck an oak tree and knocked out part of Phoenix Ranch School's network, Principal Frances Alascano didn't need heavy-duty technical assistance for the school's computers.

What she needed was a caretaker. The damage from that storm brought Faster Planet Inc., a consulting firm from Thousand Oaks, to the private Simi Valley school to get the network up and running.

Discussions with Alascano led to a whole new area of business for the company: providing tech service for schools.

"Sometimes it's as simple as working out why the printer isn't connected properly," Alascano said. The school needed someone who could devote an hour or two here or there to talk with teachers having problems, check the server, install any patches or make repairs and be on his or her way, she said.

Faster Planet CEO Jeff Baugher and President Dan Spencer thought a lower-priced service could make sense for the company and for schools.

Baugher said he wanted to help schools such as the ones he has seen with computers sitting unused in a corner because there's no one to set them up, turn them on or get them running.

The company now has two schools signed up for the service, including Phoenix Ranch. Faster Planet sends a technician about once a week.

Ultimately, Faster Planet hopes to have a technician assigned to 10 schools who can devote about four hours to each school.

The cost will depend on the number of computers in a school, how often the school needs someone to come out and the number of schools that sign up for the service. The company is still working out the pricing.

"It's financially dependent upon having a larger number of schools," Baugher said.

Alascano's 300-student school has about 76 computers. She expects the cost to be cheaper than what companies have charged her for service and better than the salary of a full-time employee.

Most large districts have their own tech staffs. Faster Planet's service could provide experts for smaller districts or private schools that often draft teachers or parents to oversee their computers.

Whatever the size of the school or district, technology has become an important part of operating schools, said Mike Vollmert, director of assessment and technology for Conejo Valley Unified School District.

"Schools aren't any different than anywhere else," he said. "Twenty years ago, computers were a novelty. Today, computers are an essential component of everything we do."

Computers are used in classrooms, science labs and libraries; they keep track of student records and help teachers communicate; they are essential to district planning, testing and evaluation.

Vollmert said the people on his staff are responsible for making sure every computer is operating correctly, keeping them secure from viruses, making sure the network runs smoothly and computers can connect to the Internet without a problem.

Baugher said Faster Planet's school service covers the basics but also gives schools a connection with the company for when they take on bigger projects, such as wiring a new addition, which would require an outside consultant. Such consulting jobs would cost extra.
For the most part, the service gives schools an expert when they need one who can keep things running smoothly.

"If the server's up and running properly and the network is fine, problems are minimal," Alascano said. "It's more or less a caretaker that you need."