Adding Chromebooks to Device Management Made Easy

When it comes to distributing, tracking, and organizing hundreds of Chromebooks, device management is essential.

But how do you add Chromebooks to device management? 

We’re here to provide a step-by-step process to setting up device management for your organization’s fleet of Chromebooks.

In this guide, we will also discuss:

• The importance of device management
• Device management software
• And more

Chromebook management can be a nightmare. Typically, there are two options when it comes to Chromebook management: 

1. Waste time and money on unreliable management hacks performed in-house
2. Rely on over-priced “white glove” services 

Go-Box has created a third option to this dilemma:

1. Effortlessly enroll and configure Chromebooks in-house with Go-Box, creating your own in-house “white glove” service for a one-time investment.

With Go-Box, you can:

• Provision 16 Chromebooks with one Go-Box device at a time
• Automate the re-enrollment process of Chromebooks
• Enroll and configure Chromebooks without extensive coding knowledge
• Rely on full tech support if you need it

Go-Box is the best solution for streamlining the Chromebook management process. Click here to request a quote for your organization today.

When putting Chromebooks into the hands of hundreds, or even thousands, of adolescents, Chromebook management is a necessity to avoid chaos.

Let’s talk about some of the pros of establishing Chromebook management.

When it comes to Chromebook management, most schools focus on implementing management of devices in the classroom. However, Chromebook management is also important from an IT perspective. 

Proper Chromebook management can help extend the lifetime value of your Chromebooks by creating an organized process for:

• Lending Chromebooks to students
• Making repairs and replacements
• Configuring devices as needed
• Establishing user and device settings
• And more

Chromebook management allows you to implement configurations and updates across a fleet of Chromebooks under the same deceive management rather than updating Chromebooks individually. 

Synchronizing configurations and updates across a fleet of Chromebooks not only saves your IT department time so they can focus on more pressing matters, but it also saves your organization labor costs.

So, what exactly does Chromebook management involve?

Essentially, “Chromebook management” is a catch-all for the broad process of managing Chromebook fleets. 

This process includes:

• Keeping track of Chromebook enrollments
• Loading software
• Configuring devices
• Pushing updates in bulk
• And more.

When it comes to setting up Chromebooks for device management, there are 5 steps:

1. Set up Google Admin Console
2. Acquiring proper licensing
3. Enrolling Chromebook devices
4. Configure and manage user and device settings
5. Create organizational units

Let’s go through each of these steps in detail below.

If you don’t already have one set up, setting up a Google Admin Console will be your first step to setting up Chromebooks for device management. 

To set up a Google Admin Console, click here.

A Google Admin Console account will grant you the ability to …

• Manage user accounts
• Manage APIs
• Manage devices
• Install updates
• And more

… simultaneously across your Chromebook fleet.

But first, you must complete the following steps.

Google licensing rules require a license for each Chromebook that is managed within your organization. 

There are two options for licensing: 

1. The standard Chrome management license
2. Single app kiosk Chrome management license

The standard Chrome management license is the most suitable option for schools.

Licensing options can be found under the “Licensing App” tab on your Google Admin Console.

Once the proper licensing is secured for each device, the Chrombooks must be enrolled so policies can be enforced.

You can find instructions for the Chromebook enrollment process here.

Once Chromebooks are enrolled, you can configure and manage user and device settings. The selected settings will apply to anyone using the Chromebook device.

Once you have established the user and device settings you would like to implement on all devices, you can create an organizational unit to ensure all devices have the same configurations.

Follow these steps to set up an organizational unit: 

1. Log into your Google Admin console
2. Click on > Device Management > Chrome devices
3. Select and configure the devices that should belong in an organizational unit

Different organizational units you can create include: 

• Admin
• Faculty
• K-8 students
• 9-12 students
• And more

Once your Chromebooks have been properly enrolled and set up on Google Admin Console, you’ll want to look into a device management software.

While a Google Admin Console offers some device management solutions and integrations, a specialized software takes management a step further. 

For a comparison of different Chromebook management software for schools, click here.

With a device management software for Chromebooks, you can:

• Simplify the distribution process for Chromebooks and accessories
• Monitor Chromebook circulation 
• Deploy notifications; and
• Monitor repairs.

Chromebook distribution can vary from school to school. Some schools have their librarians distribute Chromebooks. Others prefer homeroom teachers to distribute Chromebooks.

No matter how Chromebooks are distributed, the process can become unnecessarily disorganized without a device management software.

Most device management software integrates with G-suite, making it easy to access Chromebook information in the system with one, simple click. This can make it easier for your IT department to organize and allocate Chromebook carts to the appropriate distributors.

Chromebook management software makes it easy to track Chromebooks that are in circulation by identifying when a device is checked in or checked out. 

When a Chromebook is checked in, the system automatically re-adds it to the inventory. When a Chrome book is checked out, the software can identify who is borrowing it.

With Chromebook management software, you can schedule and send notifications to Chromebooks to remind students when devices are due.

Chromebook management software makes it easy to monitor repairs and exchange Chromebooks as needed. 

When a Chromebook is checked-in with the IT department for repair, a Chromebook management software usually tracks:

1. How many times the device has been prepared
2. Which parts were repaired on the device

Being able to monitor repairs can help identify devices that may need to be exchanged after a history of repairs and can help protect your investment.

A device management software can do many things, but only Go-Box offers an in-house solution for automating the enrollment and re-enrollment process of Chromebooks.

Pairing Go-Box with a Chromebook management software is the key to efficient and organized device management.

White glove services for Chromebook enrollment can cost up to $5 to $10 per device. When considering the number of Chromebooks in your organization’s fleet and how many times devices need to be enrolled and deployed during a school year, this is a huge investment. 

Go-Box is a one-time investment that costs pennies per device enrollment.

Using Go-Box to enroll and deploy Chromebooks in-house can free up some of your budget to cover the costs of Chromebook management software.