Application provides key data to reduce costs and offer greater return on investment
LONDON, UK --- January 6, 2012 --- SMART Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SMT) (TSX: SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, announces the release of SMART Vantage technology-management software, an easy-to-use software application that provides key data to administrators and technology directors so they can manage and understand how SMART Board® interactive whiteboards and projectors are being used. Simply by logging in to the web-based interface, educational and IT administrators can access data on SMART Board interactive whiteboard and projector use in individual classrooms, throughout schools and across entire local authorities or regions. This comprehensive information provides valuable insight into technology use, enabling ICT managers to reduce operating and maintenance costs, decrease hardware downtime and make more informed decisions about professional development opportunities. SMART Vantage software has two modules. The Manage and Report module, which manages SMART Board interactive whiteboards and SMART projectors, is expected to be available globally in English by March 2012. The second module – Manage, Report and Integrate – manages SMART products and third-party projectors and will be released globally in Spring 2012.
SMART Vantage is the first software product from SMART to enable ICT managers to inventory and proactively manage their SMART Board interactive whiteboards and projectors. Projector lamp life can be monitored, greatly reducing the chance that a projector will fail and disrupt lesson delivery. Using the intuitive user interface, ICT managers can see how many times an individual SMART Board interactive whiteboard has been touched, which applications have been used and which subject areas and grade levels are making the most effective use of the interactive whiteboard. Information on usage can then assist in ICT planning, including determining training and professional development opportunities and enabling administrators to gain the highest return on investment from their SMART purchases.
”Managing and monitoring the large number of SMART products across the school district can be a challenge, and SMART has the only software that allows us to do this and measure the effectiveness of our classroom technologies,“ says Travis Taylor, Instructional Technology Specialist, Little Rock School District in the state of Arkansas in the United States., “SMART Vantage has allowed us to monitor how often the interactive whiteboards are being touched, assisting in assessing teacher and student engagement, and saves us time and money with its bulb life monitoring and ability to shut off the machines remotely.”
“As more and more schools around the world continue to adopt ICT solutions into classrooms, administrators require tools to manage those solutions efficiently, within their budgets and also to have a comprehensive understanding of their return on investment,” says Linda Thomas, Vice President, Products, SMART Technologies. “With the release of SMART Vantage software, educators will get instant insight into how, when and in what subject areas SMART Board interactive whiteboards are being used, helping them to make informed decisions that will support teaching and learning at all levels.”
Features
Inventory
– Use the Manage and Report module to identify and manage SMART Board interactive whiteboards and SMART projectors. Use the Manage, Report and Integrate module to identify SMART Board interactive whiteboards that are used in conjunction with third-party projectors, and then set up automatic monitoring for these third-party projectors.
Profile configuration
– Assign personnel to defined administrator or report roles
Power management and scheduling
– Create system power schedules to automatically start systems and activate sleep mode to reduce energy consumption while not in use
Projector bulb warning
– Proactively manage overall projector bulb health through an e-mail notification that indicates when the projector bulb has decreased to a designated level
Customized reports
– Issue reports on a daily, monthly or yearly basis with the customized options that provide insight into SMART Board interactive whiteboard usage
Pricing and availability
The Manage and Report module is expected to be available globally by March 2012. The Manage, Report and Integrate module will be available globally in Spring 2012. The suggested education list price for the SMART Vantage technology-management software Manage and Report module is £31 per classroom annually, while the suggested education list price for the Manage, Report and Integrate module is £50 per classroom annually. Prices vary by country. For purchasing information and a list of SMART authorised resellers, visit smarttech.com/gb
About SMART
SMART Technologies Inc.
is a leading provider of collaboration solutions that transform the way the world works and learns. We believe that collaboration and interaction should be easy. As the global leader in interactive whiteboards, we bring more than two decades of collaboration research and development to a broad range of easy-to-use, integrated solutions that free people from their desks and computer screens, so collaborating and learning with digital resources are more natural.
Reader’s advisory
Certain information contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking information or statements. By their very nature, forward-looking information and statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks that predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking information and statements will not be achieved. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these statements as a number of important factors could cause the actual results to vary materially from the forward-looking information or statements. We do not assume responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking information or statements. Any forward-looking information and statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
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For more information, please contact
Public Relations
SMART Technologies Inc.
Phone +1.403.407.5128
E-mail pr@smarttech.com
smarttech.com
© 2012 SMART Technologies. SMART Vantage, SMART Board, smarttech and the SMART logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of SMART Technologies in the U.S. and/or other countries.
Please note that SMART is written in all capital letters.