Executive Summary
When outdated screen casting tools and inconsistent AV tools left sites with security gaps and budget strain, Cleveland County Schools found a smarter solution in Vivi. The district rolled out over 1,000 Vivi devices across 30 sites—driven by reliability, interoperability, and real-time control.
Challenge
Previous screen-sharing tools caused more trouble than they were worth. Teachers logged in with personal accounts, video ads distracted students, and some students even hijacked displays. As Lead Systems Engineer James Beighley put it, “They would screen share their phone… which can be ‘interesting’ at times.”
Emergency communication was another pain point. Traditional methods couldn’t visually notify every classroom. The systems weren’t integrated, it wasn’t seamless and – most importantly – alerts weren’t accessible for all learners.
Solution
Vivi offered a better way to scale—and secure—classroom tech. Beighley’s team transformed the experience by putting in 1,000+ Vivis, replacing fragmented AV tools and created a unified system for wireless sharing, districtwide communications, and signage. Further, they significantly improved their emergency alerts.
Impact
Safer School Sites, Instant Notification
- By connecting panic buttons to Vivi, the district enabled real-time visual lockdown messages on every screen. Vivi’s emergency features qualified for a safety grant—freeing up instructional budget. “We got funded through a security grant, which saved the instructional budget.”
Districtwide Broadcasts, No Travel Between Sites, No Expensive Equipment
- Vivi’s live broadcast feature also enables district- and campus-wide announcements from one location and even student-led productions—all without needing separate AV investments. “Before Vivi, our superintendent had to visit every school. Now he just goes live from his office.”
“You can actually save districts a lot of money using just that [live broadcast] feature… You don’t have to buy sound mixers or AV gear anymore.”
Smarter Security, Fewer Interruptions
- By tying Vivi into Active Directory, the district eliminated unauthorized sharing—while cutting back on IT disruptions. “Now [students] have no way of getting that code.”
Reliable Admin Tools for Scale
- James’s team configures devices before deployment and uses Vivi Central for updates and troubleshooting. Vivi Central enables bulk firmware updates and reboots. “Especially now that you can do the cloud updates… The console obviously is very good… I can reboot it through the network switch.”
Consistent, Multi-Platform Performance
- Now, the district’s mix of Macs, Chromebooks, and Windows devices all work seamlessly. “Other tools didn’t show up half the time. With Vivi, it pops up—and you can make it your default room…We’re not getting all these work orders in the morning… The Vivi works every time.”
