and benefits Microsoft 365 - Stone Group · 2019-10-24 · 03 Microsoft 365 for Education is a universal toolkit that contains a range of intelligent software, tools and services

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Technology is at the centre of modern society

Unlock creativityin each student

Office 365

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Windows 10

Provide a simple and safe experience

Enterprise Mobility + Security

Minecraft:Education Edition

What does it include? Introducing Microsoft 365 for Education

Keep students engaged and inspired

A universal toolkit built for collaboration

Simplify IT processes and keep data safe

The world is evolving faster than ever. As technology is becoming increasingly integral in connecting communities and modern workspaces, it is crucial that children and young people have access to the IT that enables them to succeed in education while helping them develop the skills they’ll need in the digitally-driven future. But with the technology landscape so vast, it can be hard to know where to begin when curating an effective modern IT infrastructure. A great place to start is with Microsoft 365 for Education, an all-encompassing solution that helps schools, academies and colleges overcome their challenges. Microsoft 365 has a huge range of intelligent features and learning tools that enable students and staff alike to work smarter and thrive in the education environment while preparing them for the future.

Combining Office 365, Windows 10, Enterprise Mobility + Security, and Minecraft: Education Edition in a simple and budget-friendly package, Microsoft 365 has everything needed to transform learning experiences and enhance the education environment. Offering endless productivity, creativity and collaboration features with superb security built-in as standard, Microsoft 365 has been designed to empower educators and help students reach their potential, on a safe and effective digital platform.

Empower teachers with a single, affordable and safe solution for better learning outcomes


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Microsoft 365 for Education is a universal toolkit that contains a range of intelligent software, tools and services that allow students, teachers, IT departments and all other staff to work more effectively and collaboratively. Purpose-built for education, it’s an affordable and agile suite of essentials (and added extras) that helps your school or college spend less time and money on IT management, and more on the things that matter. This flexible bundle has been optimised to bring together a best-in-class line up of education-focussed products into a single, simple subscription that’s cost-effective and easy-to-manage. Each individual component has been hand-picked and developed to benefit every user in any education establishment. With Microsoft 365, students get access to an innovative and engaging learning environment, educators are equipped with a huge range of flexible teaching tools, and the school benefits from simplified IT and a safe, simple and secure digital environment.

Office 365Office 365 brings conversations, content and classroom tools together in to one cloud-based experience that’s accessible across all your favourite devices. Featuring the essential apps your students and staff are familiar with, including Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook, users can enjoy always-accessible files and real-time updates that enable collaboration without boundaries, and make building your curriculum seamless and easy.

Windows 10The best Windows yet, Windows 10 helps create productive workspaces with faster start-ups, enhanced usability and innovative features such as Focus Assist – all on a platform your users know and trust. You can also have peace of mind that your digital environment is safe and secure, with automatic updates of the latest security features that provide comprehensive protection at no extra cost.

Enterprise Mobility + SecurityMicrosoft Enterprise Mobility + Security provides an identity-driven security solution that offers a holistic approach to the security challenges in the evolving IT landscape. This intelligent toolkit helps adds an enhanced level of security to your network, not only help you protect your school, but to identify breaches before they cause damage, simplifying security management and keeping users safe.

Minecraft: Education EditionEngage learners and help them interact, develop their creativity and memorise new information with the educational version of game that’s popular with children all over the world. Minecraft: Education Edition, provides a unique approach for educators to deliver engaging and immersive practical lessons in Maths, History, Science and more.

Breaking down the Microsoft 365 offering


ENHANCED EMPLOYABILITYOffice 365 includes the array of apps that are commonplace in most modern workspaces. When students have access to these tools in their formative years, they can master the skills and applications their future employers will value the most. Students can get a head start in learning the ropes of apps like Word and Excel and use them as transferable skills in the workplace or as they progress in their education. Teach students how to create spreadsheets, organise data and create modern visuals that turn numbers in to valuable insights..

TEAMWORK AND COLLABORATIONIn our society where collaboration and communication is more prominent than ever, Microsoft 365 helps students learn to share ideas and work together. Microsoft Teams and OneNote facilitates group learning by allowing students to easily connect with others, share ideas and co-author in real time across their devices. Students can work together to boost their confidence in public speaking through creating group presentations on PowerPoint and presenting back to the class. Let students put their own twist on their projects with animations, transitions, photos, and online videos to tell one-of-a-kind stories.

UNLOCKED CREATIVITYInnovative creativity tools from Office 365, such as 3D design and data visualisation, allow students to bring their ideas to life and use their artistic flair in their learning. Windows Ink enables intuitive note taking in the classroom, transforming touch devices into digital notebooks that are second-nature for the tech-savvy generation of students. Minecraft: Education Edition offers a unique game-based learning platform that engages students and expands their curiosity for a range of subjects. With Minecraft, students can learn to code, improve their problem solving and explore history with mixed reality, providing them with meaningful digital experiences they can take beyond the classroom.

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The benefits of Microsoft 365 for studentsMicrosoft 365 has a huge range of beneficial tools and features that enable students to get the most out of learning while helping them develop the skills they’ll need after education. Engaging tools and innovative features allow students to focus on their independent study while helping them become well-versed in collaborative working.


SAVE TIMECollaborate with other staff on Yammer, schedule meetings on Outlook and save time on planning, assignments and communication with a single hub for classes and teams. Teachers can save several hours a week using tools such as Microsoft Forms to mark assessments. By adding links to the form in Teams, it can automatically grade the student’s exams which can then be exported as an Excel spreadsheet. Due to automation and simplicity of Microsoft 365, less time is needed for administration tasks so more can be assigned to valuable activities such as instructional learning.

TRANSFORM TEACHINGWith Microsoft 365, you can set up a classroom in under an hour and easily manage devices, users and apps to align with your different lessons. Teaching staff can deliver lessons that meet the needs of individual students with personalised workspaces, support independent working for all abilities and increase the engagement of classrooms. Each students progress is easily measured through data and analytics to make sure they stay on track

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The benefits of Microsoft 365 for teachers and staffAs a universal toolkit that helps staff work more strategically and efficiently, Microsoft 365 gives teachers what they need most: more time to teach. Microsoft 365 greatly benefits teachers by allowing them to work with the latest technologies which increases their productivity, work satisfaction, and their own skills development.


The benefits of Microsoft 365 for school IT teams

HASSLE-FREE LICENSINGWith ever-increasing numbers of students and staff to provide for, the complexities of attaining and maintaining licensing fees, have the danger of detracting from the efficiency they are being deployed to save. However, with all the great benefits from the multiple products tied together in easy-to-implement packages, it saves your IT staff the hassle of negotiating the minefield of software licensing multiple times over. Instead of spending hours deconstructing each and every service and their respective licenses, the work is already done – meaning your staff can focus on what they do best.

PROVIDE A SAFE EXPERIENCEMicrosoft 365 helps your school monitor and manage all users, devices and data from a single, easy-to-use dashboard. It provides you with the tools you need to keep your network safe from unwanted guests, threats and attacks, and keeps your organisations data – and that of all those within it – protected and secure. Windows 10 delivers comprehensive, built-in and ongoing security protections that you can trust – including Windows Defender Antivirus, firewall and more. Security is made simple, as PCs running Windows 10 stay up to date by automatically checking for the latest updates.

COST SAVINGSYour school can enjoy reduced and more predictable IT costs alongside better performance and security by moving to the Microsoft 365 cloud solution and away from an on-premise data centre. Additionally, Microsoft 365 solution is free for students as paid licenses are only required for faculty and staff, making licensing costs lower.

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Devices powered by Microsoft 365We have a wide range of high-quality, flexible and affordable Windows 10 devices curated with Education in mind, designed from the outset for the flexibility to enhance the Microsoft 365 experience for every student or staff member. Our own Stone

branded devices and those from our leading partners have a selection of configurations, to ensure your new IT is truly tailored to your requirements.

Stone Cloudbook> 14.1” Full HD Display> Intel® Celeron® N3450 Processor> 4GB RAM> 64GB eMMC SSD> 7hr Battery Life> Windows 10 Home

+ Great Performance per £ Ratio Excellent Warranty ServicesBattery & PSU Covered under Warranty

Acer B118> 11.6” HD 360 Degree Convertible> Touchscreen Display> Intel® Celeron® N3450 Processor> 4GB RAM> 64GB eMMC SSD> 13hr Battery Life> Windows 10 Home> Digital Pen Included

+ Lightweight designOpens up 180 degrees for facilitating easy collaborationSpill resistant keyboard

Stonebook Mini> 11.6” HD Display> Intel® Celeron® N4100 Processor> 4GB RAM (Upgradable)> 120GB SSD (Upgradable)> 7hr Battery Life> Windows 10 Home

+ Customisable specExcellent Warranty ServicesBattery & PSU Covered under Warranty TPM 2.0 as standard

Lenovo 300e Winbook> 11.6” HD IPS 10 Point Multi-Touch

Display> Intel® Celeron® N4100 Processor> 4GB RAM> 64Gb eMMC SSD> USB Type-C Charging> Windows 10 Home

+ Rugged DesignSpill resistant keyboardOpens up 180 degrees for facilitating easy collaborationActivePen ready for creativity

Probook x360 11 G3 EE> 11.6” HD 360 Degree Convertible> Touchscreen Display> Intel® Pentium® N5000 Processor> 4GB RAM> 128GB SSD> 13hr Battery Life> Windows 10 Home> Digital Pen Included

+ Military Spec Tested Ruggedness Gorilla Glass DisplayDual CameraExcellent Security Features

Asus E203NA> 11.6” HD Display> Intel® Celeron® N4000 Processor> 4GB RAM> 64GB eMMC SSD> 10hr Battery Life> Windows 10 Home

+ Designed for mobility Optimised for all-day computing USB Type C Data Delivery for super-fast transfer speeds Ergonomic Keyboard

Devices starting at £199


Recycling Services & Stone ApprovedSustainability is one of our core values, so we’ve heavily invested in our recycling service, not only to provide complete 360° solutions, but as a leading ambassador for a greener environment. We’ve made our award-winning IT recycling completely risk and hassle-free. Everything is done in-house with no third-party involvement, keeping data safe and ensuring 100% of cash rebates go back to your school or college to put back into your budgets. Our facility at Stone HQ guarantees your end-of-life IT assets are recycled responsibly, to protect you from data breaches and the financial penalties they can incur. We ensure your data is erased to the same prestigious standards as the MOD, so we can provide you with peace of mind that your valuable information stays yours.

Refreshing your IT estate when budgets are limited is challenging, and at Stone, nothing goes to waste. That’s why we created Stone Approved, our extensive range of high-quality second-user devices that provide a low-cost alternative for updating your hardware. We give equipment that’s no longer used a new lease of life and deliver the cost savings our customers. Our Stone Approved range includes our own Stone branded devices, as well as models from our leading partners including HP, Lenovo, Dynabook, Acer and more. Our experienced, vendor certified technicians at our Stafford HQ, professionally refurbish our Stone Approved products to the highest standard. We can fully license all our second-user devices, and we supply every device complete with a Certificate of Genuine Authenticity to give you peace of mind. Our high-quality machines are also eligible for upgrades of memory and SSD, so you can get the power and performance you need at an affordable price. And so you know your devices a built to last and protected for the future, Stone Approved devices also come with a 2-year no quibble warranty as standard.

Free CollectionsIf you have 25 qualifying items or more, we will collect your

devices free of charge

Secure Data Erasure As one of an elite number of UK Gold Blancco partners, we’re

able to overwrite all data bearing assets using Blancco’s industry leading software to Government approved CESG standards. This ensures that we dispose of data correctly in accordance

with GDPR regulations.

Full Accreditations Our facility highest level of Accrediations with certifications

including ISO 27001: Information Security Management, ADISA Distinction with Honours, DIPCOG and Cyber Essentials.

Complete Traceability We provide you with a full audit report and certificate of

disposal, to ensure complete traceability.

Potential Rebates We can help you realise any residual value in any kit we take

back, offering you fair market rebates on qualifying equipment.

Zero-Landfill We’re committed to ensuring all of our operations contribute to a better environment, so we ensure nothing is wasted with our

commitmwent to zero landfill.

HP for EducationThe HP for Education programme helps you make your IT budget go further while responsibly recycling your old equipment. With HP for Education, you can trade in your school’s old desktops, laptops and tablets and receive cashback rewards to spend on the latest technology from Stone and HP. Use your rewards to equip your school with a range of solutions, including devices, software, training and consultancy. Or, you can take your trade in rewards as a transfer to your school’s bank account. All cash rewards are paid to your school within 30 days of the claim, making HP for Education a financially risk-free option for IT refreshes. We’re a HP Gold Partner and HP Service Partner, so we have the experience and expertise to consult on, provide

and support HP products and solutions with knowledge straight from the source. Our partnership with HP for Education means you get access to loyalty benefits and exclusive discounts and offers on classroom enhancing hardware, software, training and support. Our technical staff are vendor certified by HP to take care of any issues or repairs on your devices, and our trusted partnership status means we can ensure you get the best deal and the optimum value from your IT. And as a leading IT provider for education for over 25 years, we can share with you our expert advice on the best technology for your school, and help you make your budgets go further.

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Device as a ServiceAs our innovation-focused society evolves and the subscription economy continues to dominate, many organisations including in the education sector are working to identify more progressive methods for building their IT infrastructure. To fit this need, we offer DaaS, helping you curate a digital landscape that is tailored for your school, that’s flexible, easy-to-manage and affordable.

COST EFFECTIVE To ensure your infrastructure is both efficient and secure, and to minimise the cost of maintaining slow, outdated tech, your IT typically needs auditing every 3-5 years. Transitioning to a subscription model for your end-user hardware can relieve this unpredictable management expense, by aiding you to implement valuable hardware refreshes when needed, at a reduced cost. With Stone DaaS, your school has a manageable service-based cost that is easy to forecast and work into your ongoing budgets.

SCALABILITYThe number of students and the nature of classroom settings can fluctuate greatly year-on-year. An influx of new students can leave your school short on devices and faced with the challenge of finding a quick solution on a tight budget. Conversely, a reduction in the number of students you support, can see IT assets you’ve already invested in left to gather dust. With Stone DaaS, it easy to adjust your IT estate according to your level of requirement, helping to ensure you can quickly and cost-effectively obtain more devices to suit, whilst preventing your assets becoming

stagnant.

FLEXIBILITY AND MANAGEMENT By moving to Stone DaaS, your schools can enjoy enhanced flexibility and customisation, while leaving the worries of the lifecycle management of your IT assets to Stone. Our award winning, fully accredited IT recycling facility will ensure any obsolete devices are disposed of to the highest security standards, and the ongoing device management and maintenance is handled by us, removing the burden from your technical staff, and saving you time and money. We also appreciate the complexities of software licensing and expect our specialist staff to provide guidance to give you the freedom of more informed decision-making, or even manage license agreements on your behalf for all devices. You need only spend time on approving new updates when relevant.

DaaSfrom

We’re a one-stop-shop who are proud to be able to offer a complete end-to-end service with everything we do, and our Stone DaaS offering is no different. With Stone DaaS, your organisation can create an affordable, flexible and bespoke IT estate that benefits you end-users without the hassle. We take care of every aspect of the device lifecycles, including ongoing device management and maintenance, software and licensing services, and secure disposal of your end-of-life tech, removing the burden from your technical staff and saving you time and money. We offer additional benefits and options such as no hassle device swap-out, pre-installed anti-virus for a secure solution and flexible financing options. You can also enjoy fully-accredited, vendor certified support carried out by our network of experienced technicians and knowledgeable support staff to give you added peace of mind.

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DaaS

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GetYourTech4SchoolIf, however you’re looking for a 1-1 scheme, then GetYourTech4School from Stone could be exactly what you need. GetYourTech4School is our 1:1 parent partnership scheme that helps children get access to the technology that benefits their education. Funded by parental payments, GetYourTech4School enables your students to develop their skills so they can thrive in an increasingly technology dependent world and utilise the digital learning landscape without the need to dip into your schools budget. We have a fantastic selection of education focused devices available from brands such as HP, Acer, Dynabrook and Lenovo, as well as our own branded Stone kit. For added security, the devices can be managed and distributed by you, meaning there’s no risk to your infrastructure by bringing in personal devices as part of a BYOD scheme.

In particular, BYOD gives students the comfort of operating a hardware platform that they’re already familiar with and takes the irritation away of trying to adapt to new systems and technology.

THE BENEFITS

For Students> Instant access to the latest

devices, learning tools, apps andknowledge

> Opportunities for independentstudy and group-based learning

> Improved digital skills andworkplace readiness

For Staff> Increased student engagement> Easier to track student progress

and tailor learning experiences> Improved student student/teacher

communication> Greater lesson flexibility and

fluidity between learning styles

For the School> Zero cost to the school so

no impact on budgets> Risk-free and hassle-free> Better student outcomes

and school performance> Prevents accumulating costly,

outdated assets

We can help you smoothly and securely migrate to the cloud and realise new cloud capabilities with Stone Migration services. No matter what stage you are at in your Cloud journey our team of experts are available to provide readiness assessments, Virtual Machine sizing, Cloud Strategy consultation, project planning and data migrations. Saving you valuable time whilst removing the burden from your technical staff and enabling use of the newest technologies such as Azure, Microsoft 365 and Windows 10.

Migration Services


How Stone can assist your Microsoft 365 implementationImplementing new technology on a large scale and achieving effective integration within the existing digital infrastructure, in combination with ensuring staff and students are onboard and informed of new IT solutions can be an intimidating task to face. Without appropriate planning, deployment and training strategies, introducing new tech across any organisation can become unnecessarily arduous, complex and timely.

Why Stone?Since 1991, we have been building strong relationships with schools, academies and colleges across the UK, and this has given us a deep understanding of the diverse needs and challenges faced by the sector. As a leading provider of technology to education with over 25 years of experience, we have developed an extensive bank of knowledge and expertise that we offer to our customers to help them get the maximum value from their investments.

We’re also a trusted Microsoft Gold partner, so we have first-hand knowledge, resources and training directly from Microsoft that we can share with our customers, meaning we’re perfectly positioned to assist schools in implementing Microsoft 365.

We have a huge portfolio of wrap-around services and solutions that streamline deployments and end-user adoption of new technology. We listen to your requirements, challenges and concerns and to collaboratively design a bespoke modern landscape and deliver the most effective. Our dedicated education teams and software specialists can take care of complex licensing processes, provide demonstrations to your key staff, and deliver training sessions, so you can outsource uncertainty while retaining control of your investment.

We’re committed to delivering completely bespoke solutions, so we offer a full range of solutions and deployment services that ensure your technology roll outs are smooth and effective. Our value-added offerings include SCCM imaging, laser etching, asset tagging, install-to-desk, and more.

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Our nationwide network of vendor-certified, expert engineers can be onsite to support your IT staff and migrate your data with state-of-the-art security, and our UK-based helpdesks are equipped to provide you with remote assistance when you need it.

We have an experienced team of technical staff that can advise on the most suitable technology to benefit your users and enhance your Microsoft 365 deployment. We have an extensive portfolio of flexible and affordable devices and infrastructure solutions and are ready to help you realise the IT vision you have for your school.

‘Stone Assured’ means our service to you is always underpinned by our core values. Contact us today to find out how Stone can re-imagine your school’s FREE Microsoft 365 opportunity.

Technical Services and Support

Training and ResourcesWe have a dedicated team of software specialists and technical staff, poised to provide valuable training and guidance to facilitate the most effective implementation for your individual organisation. As a trusted Microsoft Gold partner, we have worked diligently to retain privileged access to a plethora of expertise, guidance and resources, meaning we can guarantee an efficient and sound provision of the most up-to-date industry knowledge.

Our expert guidance can be tailored to suit the style and specific needs of your educational environment. From classroom-based innovation, to in-depth technical implementation with network managers, from seminar sessions to informative webinars, our latest unique insight is that we make sure to factor the consideration of your time investment into the procurement, by supplying you with only the skills and knowledge that you identify as relevant for your successful deployment, and pairing this with our reliable post-deployment relationship strategy.

Whether you’re seeking guidance on how to integrate Minecraft into the curriculum, or training on utilising Office 365 to simplify administrative tasks, we can assist you every step of the way.

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Granite One Hundred | Acton Gate | Stafford | Staffordshire | ST18 9AA

08448 22 11 22 | www.stonegroup.co.uk | [email protected]

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and benefits Microsoft 365 - Stone Group · 2019-10-24 · 03 Microsoft 365 for Education is a universal toolkit that contains a range of intelligent software, tools and services