Supporting QUT’s mobility and technology choice at scale

How Apple iPhone and iPad, supported by JB Hi-Fi Education, help staff and students access the tools they need.

With more than 53,000 students and over 4,500 staff across its Brisbane campuses, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is one of Australia's largest and most digitally connected universities. QUT's focus on real-world learning, industry engagement and research places high demands on the technology used across the institution. Employees need reliable devices that support teaching, research, administration and student services, while IT and procurement teams require efficient ways to manage technology at scale.

To support these needs, QUT has built a technology ecosystem that gives its people choice while maintaining consistency, security and visibility, and partnered with JB Hi-Fi Education for the procurement, management and warranty support of staff mobility with iPad and iPhone.

With a diverse workforce spanning areas from engineering and health to creative industries and administration, QUT needs to support a broad range of technology requirements and user preferences. Operating in this decentralised environment, one of the university's key objectives was to give employees the flexibility to choose the technology that best supports their role, while providing a simple and streamlined way to access and purchase those devices, according to Tivolee Spragg, Associate Director, Finance Services at QUT.

The solution was to centralise procurement through QUT's internal eMarketplace, creating a streamlined experience that integrates directly with the university's finance systems while giving staff access to a broad range of devices and services.

"We introduced our eMarketplace to create a single way for people to buy technology and mobile devices," explains Tivolee. "People want choice, they want their product immediately, and they want access to technology that best supports the work they do. At QUT we support a diverse range of disciplines, so it's important that our staff have access to the right tools for their needs.”

How Apple supports mobility across QUT

QUT offers employees a wide choice of technology platforms, however Apple devices continue to be a popular option across the university because of their mobility, versatility and ease of use.

iPhone supports executives, academics and professional staff who work across multiple campuses and locations, while iPad has become a valuable tool across teaching, administration and student-facing services. Devices are used in classrooms, research activities, libraries and student support centres, enabling staff to work, collaborate and access information wherever they are. QUT's HiQ student services teams use iPads to assist students across campus service points, while library staff use them to provide support throughout the university.

"While we offer a range of technology options, we consistently see strong adoption of Apple devices across the university," says Tivolee. "They continue to be a popular choice across the university."

For Nathan Clark, Associate Director, Client Technology at QUT, the appeal comes from balancing employees' experience with IT requirements.

"Apple devices are easy for people to use, while also giving our IT teams a platform that's straightforward to deploy, configure and support. That helps us provide a consistent experience across the university," says Nathan.

For QUT, Apple technology helps create greater mobility and flexibility across the university, allowing users to focus on delivering outcomes rather than managing technology.

Combining Apple services and procurement expertise to support mobility

As Apple adoption has grown across the university, QUT needed a simple and consistent way to purchase, deploy and support devices at scale. Working alongside QUT, JB Hi-Fi Education helps simplify that experience while ensuring devices can be enrolled and supported through established processes.

A key part of this approach is Apple Business Manager, which enables devices purchased through the eMarketplace to be automatically enrolled according to QUT's requirements.

"Having all purchased devices automatically enrolled provides a standardised experience. It ensures all devices are managed from a security and risk perspective, and it significantly reduces administration for our team. It gives us visibility of devices from day one and removes a lot of the manual work that would otherwise be required," says Nathan.

JB Hi-Fi Education also supports QUT through AppleCare for Enterprise, which provides access to Apple technical support for hardware, software issues and troubleshooting. For QUT, this helps create a more consistent and predictable support experience across its Apple mobility fleet, while giving IT teams direct access to specialist expertise when required.

"Having a device support solution was quite important for us. It means we can reliably expect a device to have a certain lifespan. AppleCare saves us time. We can see all our Apple devices in a single console, confirm purchase and warranty dates, log warranty requests and escalate issues directly to Apple, which simplifies ongoing device management for our team," says Nathan.

The combination of procurement, enrolment and warranty support helps QUT maintain visibility across its Apple environment while reducing administrative effort for IT teams and creating a better experience for staff.

Supporting students beyond the staff experience

The partnership extends beyond staff procurement and future training.

JB Hi-Fi Education also supports QUT students through a dedicated Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) portal that helps them access approved technology suited to their course requirements. The portal provides a curated purchasing experience while allowing students to choose from a range of approved devices.

For QUT, the program is another way to improve the student experience.

"It's a value add for our students," says Tivolee. "It enables them to get devices that are compatible and will help them start university quickly and easily."

The portal is managed by JB Hi-Fi Education, reducing the administrative burden on QUT’s procurement team while providing students with direct access to technology options, support resources and education pricing.

Creating a flexible technology environment at scale

For QUT, Apple iPhone and iPad continue to support teaching, research, administration and student services across the university. Their reliability, ease of use and management capabilities help staff focus on delivering outcomes, while enabling IT teams to manage devices efficiently at scale.

Supported by JB Hi-Fi Education's procurement expertise, device enrolment, warranty services, and BYOD program, QUT has created an approach that combines technology choice with operational efficiency. Together, Apple and JB Hi-Fi Education support QUT's approach to providing staff and students with access to technology, support services and learning opportunities.