Education Report WINTER 2020

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Over $3 Million Saved in 2019!2019 was quite a year at Doceo.

In 2019, Doceo entered into copier contracts with 8 additional Pennsylvania Public School Districts, all first time Doceo customers and the net savings for these 8 schools was collectively $3,100,000. Our cumulative 2019 school savings represented a 40% increase over the $1,800,000 that we saved 6 Pennsylvania Public School Districts in 2018.

But what really sets Doceo apart?

Doceo’s response time guarantee and flexible terms continue to receive accolades from Business Managers throughout the state of Pennsylvania, and IT directors enjoy working with our team of experienced engineers; a team that averages 23 years of IT and copier/printer experience.

Welcome to the following school districts who decided to place their trust in Doceo in 2019:

Conestoga Valley School District

Eastern York School District

Gettysburg Area School District

Hollidaysburg Area School District

Middletown Area School District

Northern Lebanon School District

State College Area School District

West York Area School District

As we begin the new decade, Doceo is already engaged in several RFP processes, largely thanks to therecommendations that our service team has receivedfrom the expanding group of school district partners thatwe serve.

We look forward to assisting many others with their document strategies in 2020 and beyond.

EDUCATION DIVISIONA Doceo publication delivering relevant news and technology tips.

Bel Air

Towson

Gettysburg

Frederick

Hagerstown

Baltimore

Annapolis

Ephrata

Reading

Pottsville

Bloomsburg

Berwick

Kutztown

Lititz

Elizabethtown

Millersburg

Lewisburg

HersheyCamp Hill

Shippensburg

Chambersburg YORK

HARRISBURG

STATE COLLEGE

LANCASTER

HANOVER

HUNT VALLEYWESTMINSTER

CARLISLE

Elkton

Aberdeen

Columbia

Gaithersburg

Chestertown

Rockville

Harper’s Ferry

Washington DC

La Plata

Leonardtown

Centreville

Salisbury

Easton

DentonUpper

Marlboro

Mercersburg

McConnellsburg

Waynesboro Oxford

Lebanon

Quarryville

Shrewsbury

Dover

Newark

Exton

Newport

Lewistown

Williamsport

Altoona

Huntingdon

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What Constitutes as a Strong Password?

For years now we’ve been educated on the importance of ‘strong’ passwords to protect our sensitive information and accounts, as well as what constitutes a strong password. In addition to utilizing strong passwords, we’re discouraged from using the same password for multiple accounts or platforms. We’ve also been directed to change our passwords regularly. All of these recommendations are necessary to protect us from financial fraud and identify theft. Or so we’ve been told. But, is this a) accurate, or b) practical?

While creating long, complex passwords won’t in and of itself do you any harm, the reality is this practice can lead to problems that will undermine security. For starters, complicated passwords are difficult to remember, which inevitably leads to bad digital habits such as resorting to predictable password patterns, inappropriately reusing passwords, or writing down passwords. All of these practices create security vulnerabilities. Former National Institute of Standards and Technology manager, Bill Bur – an expert considered to have ‘written the book’ on password management – now believes his advice to create strong passwords is misguided. According to Burr, they lead to lazy mistakes and easy-to-predict strings of characters and numbers that can be exploited by hackers and malicious algorithms.

The practice of changing passwords regularly results in similar outcomes. Changing them every several weeks or months (as we were told was in our best interest) typically results in people resorting to easy-to-crack passwords. To comply with this directive, many people simply change the last character of the string every now and then to the next item in the sequence; for example, modifying the password from ‘ABCDEF1’ to ‘ABCDEF2’. Regularly changing your passwords is not harmful in and of itself; however, doing so tends to lead us to create ones that are hardly ideal.

So, what should be considered as the best practice when it comes to creating a secure password? According to Burr, we should utilize passphrases rather than passwords. Rather than a string of letters, numbers, and special characters, use a phrase that’s easy for you to remember. Or even a full sentence. For example, something such as ‘Thank_God_It’s_Friday’ is complex enough while remaining easy to remember. And, only change this passphrase if your platforms have been put at risk by a data breach or other vulnerability. By employing this strategy, you’ll create strong passwords that are easy to remember without falling victim to bad or lazy habits.

By: Joyce F. Now

ell*

Lack of Substitute Teachers Straining PA School DistrictsThe Greencastle-Antrim School District still is facing concerns in filling substitute teacher positions.

The Franklin County district is not alone in the problem that has been recognized at the national and state levels.

In February 2019, the school board increased the daily pay for substitute teachers from $90 to $100 per day in hopes of helping with a shortage of the classroom subs that Superintendent Kendra Trail first reported in December 2018.

Trail said the district has found itself having to use counselors and administrators to cover classes in the absence of substitute teachers.

The United States, including Pennsylvania, is dealing with a teacher shortage, according to Bob Crider, chief educational officer for the Greencastle-Antrim School District. He noted that since 1996, the number of undergraduate education majors has declined 55%.

Crider said Pennsylvania used to issue licenses to more than 14,000 new teachers annually, but in 2016-17, the state issued 4,412. He added that the number of Pennsylvania residents seeking teaching certificates has dropped 62% in the past three years.

Nearly half of the school districts in the Keystone State were reporting a “severe or somewhat severe” shortage of substitutes as far back as 2013.

According to a 2014 National Council on Teacher Quality study, teachers were out of the classroom an average of 11 days per year. Crider said Greencastle’s average is 9.5 days.

Locally, the number of days taken for family and medical leave grew by more than 100 from 2017-18 to 2018-19, according to statistics provided by Crider. Meanwhile, sick leave has stayed fairly steady over the past three years.

* Nowell, Joyce F. “Lack of Substitute Teachers Straining Pa. Districts.” Herald- Mail Media, 14 Jan. 2020, www.heraldma- ilmedia.com/news/tri_state/pennsylvania- lack-of-substitute-teachers-straining-pa-districts.

If your school is like most, you still rely onpaper documents in your day-to-dayoperations. However, many companies arebenefitting from converting these documentsinto digital versions and working with themelectronically through documentmanagement. Are paper documentsbogging down your workflows andprocesses, while hampering your regulatorycompliance? To determine whether it’s timefor your organization to implement adocument management system, here aresome of the warning signs to be aware of.

TOO MUCH HUMAN ERROR.To err is human, but mistakes cost money. By automating manual filing processes through document management, you will eliminate human error and put an end to lost or misfiled documents and missed deadlines.

TOO MANY VERSIONS OF YOUR DOCUMENTS.Wondering whether you’re working with the right version of a document can be extremely frustrating. Even worse, employees working on different versions of the same document is counterproductive. Document management provides version control, ensuring you are always working on the most up-to-date version of a particular document.

TOO MUCH TIME SPENT LOOKING FOR DOCUMENTS.Time spent looking for documents is time that could be spent more wisely. When the amount of time searching is significant, it is negatively impacting your employees’ productivity. Document management eliminates manual searches by enabling you to search your files digitally by keyword, which takes much less time.

TOO LITTLE AUDIT PREPAREDNESS.Many industries face regulatory requirements they must comply with when it comes to protecting, storing, and archiving their documents. With a document management solution, your business will be prepared in the event of an audit by ensuring the secure, compliant retention of your documents and quick, easy access to audit information.   

If your workplace is exhibiting one or more of these signs, you’d benefit from implementing document management. Contact us today to learn how we can customize the perfect solution to meet your organization’s unique needs!

Signs That Your School Needs A DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

CONTACT CHRISTIAN WHITE Chief Technology Officer 717-495-8993 • cwhite@mydoceo.com

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DocuWare is a leading developer of cloud and on-premises software

for document management, process transformation and

workflow automation.

DocuWare enables you to digitize and optimize the processes that power the core of your business. By removing the tedious, manual

tasks that drain your team’s energy, your knowledge workers are free to focus on the projects that drive

productivity and profits.

Doceo is a Silver Partner of DocuWare.

888-757-6629 mydoceo.com @MyDoceoService & Sales Locations Throughout Central Pennsylvania and Maryland

Doceo is proud to be a member of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO).

Welcome to Doceo!WINTER 2020 Education Report THIS ISSUE FEATURES:

Over $3 Million Saved in 2019!.......................................PAGE 1

Lack of Substitute Teachers Straining PA School Districts...................................... PAGE 2

What Constitutes as a Strong Password?...................................... PAGE 2

Signs That Your School Needs a Document Management System...................................... PAGE 3

Welcome to Doceo!...................................... PAGE 4

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equipment to the education community since 2004.

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We’d like to thank each school for their trust in making the switch to Doceo in 2019.

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