The collaboration between Howest and asknet

With 9,000 students at two campuses in Belgium, Howest University of Applied Sciences is one of Belgium’s top universities, and home to the award-winning Digital Arts and Entertainment Gaming curriculum. When Howest transitioned to a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) model, it sought a way to provide students with all the necessary software and licences for their specific programmes in a single platform. asknet provided the all-in-one solution with its easy-to-use self-service licensing and deployment platform.

The challenge

Howest launched its 'Laptop Project' in 2004 and expanded its BYOD policy university-wide in 2012. Therefore, Howest wanted to find a way to offer all the software students needed for their curricula on one platform.

Key challenges included managing deployment and licensing for all BYOD devices, incorporating software costs into tuition fees, and ensuring all software was legally licensed and up to date.

The solution

In 2017, Howest partnered with asknet to develop a one-stop-shop platform for student software. This platform allows every student to download the software they need, whether it's a paid title included in their tuition fee or a free, educational option. Through the Howest API, students instantly receive the software bundle associated with their enrolled programme, ensuring compliance with legal licensing requirements.

Asknet serves as an easy-to-use self-service licensing and deployment platform.

Results

The partnership between Howest and asknet has yielded numerous benefits. The platform is closely integrated with Howest's student administration systems, so students can log in and immediately access the software bundles that are linked to their curriculum. This ensures that all associated costs are covered within the student’s tuition fees.

The university looks forward to further collaboration with asknet to enhance these student-focused services.