As schools continue to expand device fleets, the strain on device management has become more pressing than ever. According to CoSN’s 2025 report, the majority of EdTech leaders now support new tech, including physical access controls and security cameras.
That’s a new responsibility on top of thousands of student devices that need to be deployed, tracked, repaired, and eventually replaced — often with no formal system in place.
This article explores how a formal device lifecycle management (DLM) strategy enables districts to gain greater control over IT operations and reduce the total cost of device ownership.
Key takeaways
- Districts that follow defined lifecycle phases, from procurement to retirement, gain clarity on who owns what, where, and when.
- DLM tools give IT teams real-time oversight into every step of a device’s life, helping recover lost units and spot inefficiencies early.
- Standardizing repairs, replacements, and checkouts allows small tech teams to scale support across thousands of devices.
- With automation in place, students handle device swaps themselves — cutting IT labor time from 30 minutes to two.
What is device lifecycle management — and why schools need a smarter approach?
Device lifecycle management for school environments covers the complete journey of a device, from planning and procurement to deployment, use, repair, and retirement.
Unlike traditional asset management that only tracks ownership, DLM brings structure to the process and tracks devices’ performance, condition, and lifecycle status. This distinction is critical for schools that manage thousands of devices across campuses, classrooms, and student homes, often with limited IT staff.
Common challenges of device management in schools
School devices, such as tablets and laptops, typically experience heavy and unpredictable use, leading to damage, loss, and mounting pressure on small IT teams:
- Time-consuming processes. Repairs, replacements, and distributions often rely on paper logs, spreadsheets, and emails, adding administrative burden to overwhelmed staff. These are just a few examples of mobile device deployment challenges districts face at scale.
- Limited IT resources. Understaffed districts, often with 1–5 IT members per 1,000 students, struggle to manage large device fleets. IT teams face numerous support tickets, with students typically waiting for hours and even days to resolve device issues.
- Unpredictable student behavior. Devices are frequently lost and misused. Some losses are accidental, but some are intentional. Both are hard to prevent without real-time visibility.
- Accountability gaps. Without consistent reporting, it’s difficult to track device owners and device locations. The issue exacerbates in large districts. For example, Chicago Public Schools reported over 77,000 devices lost or stolen, worth $23 million, during the 2021–2022 school year.
The real benefits of device lifecycle management
A well-defined device lifecycle management directly improves how schools work with devices:
- Fewer learning disruptions. With defined repair and loaner workflows, students receive replacements faster, while teachers spend less time troubleshooting. This helps teachers keep students aligned with learning plans.
- Lower IT burden. Instead of responding case by case, IT teams follow a standardized process of distribution, repairs, replacements, and retirement with clear steps, tools, and checkpoints. With less guesswork, IT professionals can spend more time on strategic work, such as developing more stringent security controls.
- Better accountability. Schools that implement structured DLM have better visibility into when devices are distributed, repaired, replaced, and decommissioned, and who was responsible at each step.
- Cost-savings. Structured mobile device deployment lowers IT labor costs, while better accountability helps recover more lost devices.
Five phases of the device management lifecycle
These phases form the foundation of structured device management, helping schools bring order, accountability, and consistency to every stage of device ownership.
1. Planning and procurement
Schools typically align device strategies with curriculum plans, testing schedules, and funding cycles. Before purchasing anything, districts assess how many devices and which models are needed, who will use them, how, and for how long. Planning for replacements is also crucial — most standard student laptops have a usable lifespan of five years or less.
On the procurement side, schools need to find a vendor that meets both device specs requirements and logistical needs. This includes clarifying warranty terms, delivery timelines, and customer support’s capacity to help with troubleshooting after deployment.
2. Configuration and deployment
Successful device deployment in education environments depends on a coordinated effort. Devices must be tagged by user group and pre-configured with installed apps, profiles, and security policies. Then, IT teams organize pickup events and ensure devices reach the right hands.
3. In-use management
As devices enter daily use, the focus shifts to keeping them functional — updating learning apps, operating systems, and security policies. A significant part of in-use management comes with updating content filtering under the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Schools must block access to inappropriate websites and games to remain compliant and eligible for federal funding.
4. Repair and replacement
On average, 8–12% of school-issued devices are damaged annually, making a clear repair and replacement workflow a huge part of DLM. The damaged devices are checked in, and replacements are issued on the spot. Students typically report broken and damaged devices to IT teams, but many ask for help from teachers and librarians.
5. Decommissioning and retirement
Many Chromebook models come with a built-in expiration date, after which they stop receiving updates, even if the devices still work. When that date hits, schools must decommission them to avoid security risks. The process begins with removing the device from the school’s device management system and wiping all user data. Devices are then recycled or sold if eligible.
A summary of device management lifecycle phases
Here is a device management checklist categorized by device lifecycle phase, with key actions during each phase.
|
DLM phase |
Action |
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1. Planning and procurement |
|
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2. Configuration and deployment |
|
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3. In-use management |
|
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4. Repair and replacement |
|
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5. Decommissioning |
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Best practices to scale IT device lifecycle management
Thorough device lifecycle management needs more than just good intentions. Districts with strong DLM practices use digital tools and make hardware choices that support sustainable device cycles across campuses.
1. Use a centralized platform to log and track devices
When device tracking and lifecycle management happen through spreadsheets, emails, or paper logs, most things go missing. A better approach is to use a DLM platform that logs all devices and helps teams supervise execution from a central dashboard.
Tools like Learn21’s Tech Director Toolbox and Incident IQ help IT teams record inventory levels, device usage, repair statuses, and much more across thousands of devices. For schools with limited IT staff, the difference between systemwide visibility and scattered spreadsheets is night and day.
2. Opt for devices that last longer
Check auto-update expiration dates to ensure system and security support covers the full expected device lifespan. For example, the Dell Chromebook 3110 will be supported until June 2029, while the 3120 model will have official support until June 2033.
Choosing new 3120 models over used 3110s may cost more upfront, but the longer update window can extend their usable life and reduce replacement costs down the line.
3. Automate device lifecycle management with smart lockers
Smart lockers are secure, cloud-connected storage units designed to automate physical distribution, check-ins/outs, and charging — the most time-consuming tasks in device management. Here is how smart lockers integrate into the device lifecycle management.
|
DLM phase |
Smart locker workflow |
|
Configuration and deployment |
Students and teachers retrieve their pre-configured devices directly from assigned locker bays. |
|
In-use management |
Students access charged loaners or shared devices whenever they need them. |
|
Repair and replacement |
Students drop off broken devices and pick up ready-to-go replacements on their own. |
|
Decommissioning and retirement |
Staff and students return outdated or recalled devices to designated locker bays. |
Each smart locker bay is individually locked and monitored. Access to students is granted via encrypted secure logins with existing systems, such as Learn21 and Microsoft Azure/Entra single-sign on (SSO).
IT teams get real-time visibility, with all activity automatically logged through the cloud platform or existing mobile device management (MDM) integration. Smart lockers deliver measurable benefits to everyone involved in the secure device lifecycle management:
- IT teams save time. LocknCharge’s K-12 customers using FUYL Smart Lockers have reported device swap times dropping from 30 minutes to just under two minutes — a 93.3% reduction in effort as students and staff do the swaps themselves. For an average district with 5,000 devices, that translates into 350 IT hours saved annually based on our ROI Calculator data.
- Cost-savings. On device replacements alone, an average district with 5,000 devices saves approximately $15,500–$16,000 in recovered IT time each year at a fully burdened IT labor cost.
- Instructional time reclaimed. By minimizing teachers’ involvement in device management, smart lockers help schools reclaim valuable classroom time. When students manage device swaps themselves, districts recover up to 200 instructional hours annually.
- Greater security. Smart lockers offer built-in protection through encrypted cloud connections and secure ID-based access. These controls, combined with integration into existing systems, make them a powerful asset for mobile device management and security — with minimal effort from IT.
Final thoughts and recommendations
Here is what schools gain when every phase of the device journey is well-defined and supported with the right technology:
- Fewer learning disruptions, with faster device repairs and replacements
- Lighter IT workload due to standardized, repeatable workflows
- Greater accountability with clear records of who has what, when, and where
- Lower costs through automated device management
Struggling with manual, fragmented device lifecycle management?
It’s time to simplify. LocknCharge takes the complexity out of device lifecycle management by automating the toughest processes — giving you real-time visibility and self-service access without adding IT overhead.