Delivering Equitable Technology Access Across 7,000 Square Miles with C1

"C1’s work is consistently high-quality and fast, even with different team members. Both sales and IT are a pleasure to work with, and feedback from my school sites, my principals, and my teachers is fantastic.” 

Tom Lorek | Administrator, IT Support and Operations

The Challenge:

Scaling IT Operations Across Diverse Educational Environments 

The Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) faced a complex logistical challenge: supporting 23 schools and over 120 sites spread across 7,000 square miles of diverse geography. From traditional classrooms to correctional facilities, each site had unique needs—and the scale made centralized service delivery difficult. 

One of the biggest operational pressures stemmed from the district’s structured, four-year device refresh cycle.  The 4-year cycle and associated logistical work involved with distributing the devices to each student across this vast landscape, consumes limited team resources, preventing them from driving operations across other aspects of the business. 

The Solution:

Partnership Helps Optimize Device Lifecycle Management  

Since 2018, RCOE has partnered with C1 for hardware support—and in 2022, for a full overhaul of its device refresh process. Through C1’s IT Lifecycle Services (ITLS), RCOE receives end-to-end support: warehousing, asset tagging, delivery, deployment, and reclamation. 

Serving more than 120 sites across 7,000 square miles—including traditional schools and correctional facilities—requires detailed coordination and logistical expertise. With a four-year refresh cycle, large device volumes must be replaced annually without disrupting daily operations. 

Previously, RCOE’s 10-member Technical Support team handled deployments directly, often traveling long distances. “When it was computer refresh season, our day-to-day tickets would get backlogged because everyone's at a site doing the refresh,” said Tom Lorek, Administrator of IT and Operations, Riverside County Office of Education. “That meant longer call times, slower resolution, and lower satisfaction for our internal stakeholders.” 

C1’s ability to manage the process keeps RCOE staff focused on core responsibilities. To streamline communication, C1 also manages scheduling directly with sites using a dedicated RCOE email alias. “They communicate directly with our program leads, which has been a tremendous help,” Lorek added. 

This partnership has made RCOE’s large-scale device refreshes smoother, faster, and far less disruptive.

The Result:

Cost Savings, Time Efficiency, and Positive Community Impact   

The partnership with C1 has significantly improved the speed, efficiency, and quality of RCOE’s IT operations. With C1’s help, device refreshes that previously took up to eight months now take just four to six months, even while balancing daily support tickets. The time savings are substantial: Lorek estimates up to a 40-50% reduction in time spent on refresh logistics.   

C1’s involvement has eliminated bottlenecks in delivery and installation, helped avoid ticket backlog, and freed RCOE’s IT team to focus on more impactful work—such as special software configurations and direct support for educators, students, and programs. The initial $200,000 cost savings over their previous partner was a compelling driver, but the long-term value of consistency, professionalism, and reliability has been even more impactful. 

In the last four years alone, C1 has deployed 3,949 devices and retrieved and e-wasted close to the same number. 

Most importantly, educators and students are receiving timely, properly configured technology—regardless of whether they’re in a Head Start classroom, a juvenile detention facility, or a migrant learning program. With dedicated project management, a reliable deployment process, and excellent communication, C1 has become a valued and trusted partner in RCOE’s mission to serve every learner. 

The professional services team has become an extension of RCOE’s internal IT staff, allowing them to focus on strategic tasks and specialized configurations. The program is being expanded to additional device types—including iPads that will further reduce demands on IT staff.