Keller Independent School District improves student experiences with Surface laptops and secures the organization using Microsoft 365 A5

When they were purchased, the browser-based devices seemed like a good solution to Keller ISD’s first-ever one-to-one student device deployment. They were cheap and available, and the vendor was providing schools with the use of some cloud services free of charge. However, just three years later, those same devices were showing their age. Students were reporting that the devices took too long to load web pages, save classwork, and would not allow them to study at all without access to the internet. On top of that, the devices were out of spec for the mandatory online testing the state of Texas conducts each year, and the vendor had begun charging for its productivity suite.

To make sure students and staff were set up for success, Vrlenich needed to identify and deploy longer-lasting devices in only a few months. He would need to help the school district adopt a new learning management system as well. “When Matt came to Keller ISD, he began to point out the savings we’d generate by adopting Microsoft 365,” says Jennifer Price, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction at Keller ISD. “We’d been paying for other reading tools, for instance, but we could replace those with Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge for free, and it worked better for our students.”

Assuring migration, adoption, and security go smoothly

Vrlenich has managed large-scale device migrations in the past, and in his opinion, Microsoft was the only company he believed could make such a meaningful shift in a short amount of time. “Microsoft has been all-in on education for a number of years,” says Vrlenich. “With Surface, you’re not just getting a premium device, you’re getting the dedicated support you need to deploy efficiently and effectively. You don’t get that with other vendors.”

To keep school data secure and manage email and user groups, Keller ISD was already making use of Microsoft Entra ID. This meant that the school district was running other platforms on Microsoft infrastructure. When other vendors increased the school district’s costs, implementing both systems became too expensive. “Data security is the thing that keeps us tech folks up at night,” says Vrlenich. “Since we were already running Microsoft Entra ID, it made sense to expand our use of the Microsoft platform to enable Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Endpoint Manager—a true mobile device management solution.”

“We had the fortunate opportunity to strategically partner with the Keller ISD’s leadership team and explain how hardware and services support—managed by Connection—could accelerate Keller ISD’s educational success,” said Tiffani Collins, Business Development Manager at Connections. Working together with teams from Microsoft and Connection—a member of the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program and Microsoft Global Training Partner—Connection and Keller ISD provisioned 23,000 Surface devices with Windows Autopilot. This way, all Surface devices would have the right role-based content filters and security configurations installed from the moment they were placed in student hands.

“The deployment experience was second to none,” says Price. “The biweekly calls we had with Microsoft and Connection during the process really helped make sure we stuck to our timelines.

Vrlenich continues to reach out to Microsoft and Connection for support. “I have a small IT team,” he says. “We’re much more efficient with our time now that we can escalate our troubleshooting issues to Microsoft and its partner organizations.”   

“We look forward to continued success with Keller ISD, as they affordably grow and improve efficiencies with their education technology migration,” says Tiffani.

Ensuring improved student outcomes

During its device migration process, Keller ISD took the opportunity to shift to Canvas. “We’re preparing our students for the next phase of their education,” says Price. “When they get to college, these kids will very likely be using Microsoft 365 and Canvas, so we wanted to give them a head start by implementing that same platform here.”

More than just preparing kids for the future, Keller ISD is also giving its students access to technologies that help them better understand their lessons today. Immersive Reader, which easily integrates with Canvas, allows students to use text-to-speech and speech-to-text as learning aids right from their devices. “Students used to have to raise their hands or move to a special workstation to access these learning accommodations,” says Price. “Sometimes that came at a social cost in the classroom, so it’s great to see them using educational aids simply by putting on their headphones at their desk.”

During a recent assessment period, teachers also applauded the adoption of Surface devices. “We had people applauding the lack of need to troubleshoot these devices, the extended battery life, the speed of the processors, and their overall usability,” says Price. “The days of watching students wait for their devices to upload their online test responses are behind us, and that’s a wonderful thing.”

Demonstrating the power and adaptability of Surface in education

The move from browser-based devices to Surface devices running a full version of Windows 11 has been a major win for Keller ISD, and the benefits of moving over to Microsoft 365 will continue to grow in the coming months. “When our license of a third-party video conferencing app comes up for renewal, we could save a lot of money by moving to Teams,” says Vrlenich. “We’re mid-migration to SharePoint as well, and when we finish that process, we’re going to start seeing savings in the range of $200,000.”

The processing power and adaptability of Keller ISD’s Surface devices are also turning heads. Schools within the district previously had to maintain mobile computer labs made up of Windows devices that students used for more resource-intensive projects, like animation. “Now every student device can run those programs with ease,” says Vrlenich. “Surface gives you everything you need to be successful, whether you’re in fifth grade or the superintendent of the district.”

Price is thrilled to see the benefits Surface delivers to students, teachers, and administrators. “When the Surface devices came in, I saw a sparkle in the eye of every student and every parent I met,” says Price. “Personally, my Surface is the best device I’ve ever had, and I’m happy to see our student families sharing in that experience.”