IRIS Assets a success across 33 school Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust

The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust have been using IRIS Assets for more than two years. During the seven years since the trust was established, the group has quickly expanded to include 33 schools, warranting a centralised approach to asset management to ensure compliance, consistency and confidence of stewardship.

The challenge

COO, Howard Nelson, explains why IRIS Assets piqued the trust’s interest two years ago and how the system continues to support their Central Management team today:

“The Trust has grown very quickly over the years and we needed a coordinated approach to asset management. IRIS Assets means we no longer rely on outdated or onerous spreadsheets. Instead, from site maintenance and compliance to asset and contract management, we now have a complete and central overview across our sites.”

“When considering IRIS Assets, we had three main priorities. The first was stewardship; we wanted to know exactly what we had at each school in case of emergency. Secondly, we wanted a consistent and reliable way to store data and documentation to support compliance. IRIS assets fulfilled both priorities and for very good value for money, too – which was our third priority!”

Meeting compliance

“In terms of compliance, IRIS Assets provides a central repository for documentation. Across our estate, we have lots of site maintenance tasks to fulfil; gas checks, boiler servicing and health and safety checks, for example. We wanted all the relevant documentation stored digitally, in one place, making information easy to access and manage as required.”

“For contract management, too, the schools asset manager keeps us up to date with renewals and reviews, so we are well placed to act or investigate new suppliers.”

Managing assets

“The ability to use a mix of video and ticket-scanning makes the whole process of adding items to the platform quick and easy. For expensive assets, such as interactive smartboards, computers and IT equipment, owning a reliable and up-to-date list of the details for these is reassuring.”

Training and account management

“As with most software systems, it took time to implement IRIS Assets. However, the training we received was fantastic. With approximately 40 people using the platform regularly, IRIS Assets training is a service we still rely on today to ensure all staff are up to date with functionality. Our account management has also been first class.”

“Every trust should have a comprehensive inventory of assets across their sites. IRIS Assets offers fantastic value for money and innovative, user-friendly, reliable functionality. For us, it has implemented consistency across our schools. I would recommend IRIS Assets to any school looking to do the same.”