<jewell.juan@paideiaschool.org> wrote:
>Have any of you had experience with software designed to track a stolen
>computer, such as Macphonehome or Computrace?
>
We used Computrace a number of years back and it worked well. We stopped
because we just couldn't justify the cost. It cost us $15K - $20K per year
to cover our 750 laptops and we just don't lose enough laptops to justify
the cost of the software/service. If Computrace offered more financially
attractive ($10/laptop/year) and easier to manage terms for covering a fleet
we would be a customer again. Instead, the pitch their asset management and
other value-added features to justify the cost but all we want is a laptop
recovery tool. Honestly, I don't think Computrace understands the K-12 market.
The other negative for us is that we regularly re-image and swap hard drives
(e.g. into loaner laptops) which was a significant headache with the old
version of Computrace. I have heard the newer version is less of a hassle,
but you should definitely make sure the software is compatible with the way
you manage your fleet and won't create a support headache. If I were you I
wouldn't take the sales person's word for it either. Rather, I would
thoroughly test the software in your environment using your procedures
committing to the purchase.
Tom Phelan
Peddie School
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