Printing and copying remains a central function of practically every school in South Africa – but it doesn’t have to break the bank. At Newcastle High School in northern KwaZulu-Natal, the school has seen significant cost savings and increased productivity from its printers and copiers in recent years, thanks to a long-standing relationship with managed services provider Itec.
Like most public schools, Newcastle High still relies heavily on printed material. As a result, the school runs a printing operation that is comparable to many mid-sized companies, with at least 3 enterprise-grade printer and copier devices, each capable of printing hundreds of copies per minute, and several smaller copiers for areas where sensitive information is managed.
Newcastle High principal, Manuel Govender says the school is under constant pressure to manage its budgets and find ways of saving money, and Itec has ‘bent over backwards’ to find ways to help the school reduce unnecessary printing and increase efficiencies. The school has also procured its closed-circuit security cameras and PABX telephone system through Itec, realising further savings in the process.
“Our relationship with Itec goes back more than 20 years, and that’s what makes it so successful. They even sponsor the first rugby team, who are known as the Itec Tigers! Even the sports fields are known as “Home Of Itec Tigers”…
They’ve evolved with us over the years and are critical to our ability to maintain the efficiency of our workflow cost-effectively and sustainably,” said Govender.
“I see the Itec team as colleagues, rather than service providers. They check in on us regularly to see how our technology is doing and offer advice on how to get the most out of our existing investments.”
Itec Newcastle Director, Ronnie Naidoo said the relationship with Newcastle High highlighted the importance of understanding a client’s business needs.
“We see the effects tight budgets are having on the education sector, with schools under pressure to reduce expenditure while improving education. We’re committed to helping Newcastle High and our education customers save money, improve efficiency, and reduce the burden on admin and non-teaching tasks. This frees educators like Manuel Govender up to do what he does best: teach,” said Naidoo.
“We’re all about growing with our customers while ensuring their costs are kept low. That’s why our customer relationships last for decades. Whatever they need, we’re always happy to help them plan for the future.”
