By Chris Ehrlich
RAMSEY, N.J. — All Covered is partnering with a maker of an operating system that coverts obsolete PC and Mac computers into Chrome devices.
All Covered is helping to drive the deployment of Neverware’s CloudReady OS on old computers with a Windows or Mac OS, making them “secure, fast machines” that can be managed through Google’s Chrome Device Management, according to All Covered.
Neverware’s CloudReady OS is built on the same foundational technology as Chromebooks and the Chrome OS and delivers the same experience as a Chromebook.
CloudReady has been used by schools, enterprises and nonprofits in 135 countries to repurpose computers, work directly in the cloud and simplify device management.
“All Covered is proud to join forces with Neverware to offer this turnkey solution that gives access to schools for much-needed computer resources,” said Marco Maggio, All Covered’s VP of strategic practices.
“All Covered’s ability to process thousands of devices a day through our deployment center will allow us to help schools convert quickly and easily to CloudReady, and we look forward to the impact it will have on students across the nation.”
Schools and computers
School districts in particular are struggling to meet demand for student devices as they offer fully remote or hybrid learning.
One in four teens in households with an annual income under $30,000 lack access to a computer at home, compared with 4% of those in households earning over $75,000, according to the Pew Research Center.
“Over time, hardware running large cumbersome operating systems, such as Windows 7, Windows 10 or Mac OSX, becomes slower,” said Andrew Bauer, CEO of Neverware.
“However, that same device can run much faster with a ‘lightweight’ operating system.
“Computers that were once destined for the trash can now serve many more years of service in a school for a fraction of the cost of buying a new one.”
All Covered’s parent Konica Minolta is also working on a donation program that will allow its large-scale customers to donate old equipment to schools in need.
Nationally, school districts spend $13 billion a year on ed tech tools, according to EdTech.
New2U
All Covered is branding its offering through CloudReady as New2U.
The program targets budget-strapped schools to overhaul computers, laptops and tablets, up to 12 years old, for “a fraction of the cost” of buying new Chromebooks.
New2U is also designed to help schools’ IT teams manage devices and deployments by efficiently getting devices “where they are needed most.”
Under the New2U program, All Covered receives the outdated devices from schools and determines their compatibility and ability to function.
The CloudReady software is then downloaded on the devices, and each device is individually tagged before being eco-packed.
The devices are shipped back to the school or directly to students.
Chromebook market
For the first time last year, the Chrome OS that powers Chromebooks is the second-most used OS in the overall marketplace, with 10.8% market share, according to GeekWire.
The Mac OS is now used in 7.5% of the market, falling to the third position.
Windows holds the largest slice of the market, with 80.5%.
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