NEW YORK (CNNMoney) – Jonathan Hefter is passionate about two things: education and troubleshooting.
And the 29 years has focused on NeverWare, the startup which he founded in 2011. NeverWare developed software to give new life to old school computers and make them work as new.
“Why constantly we replace computers when they still have a latent power?” asks Hefter, who uses a Dell laptop of 2008.
The company worked with Google to develop an operating system based on the cloud called CloudReady. Built on the Chromium OS, the software essentially turns a PC or Mac into a Google Chromebook.
To install CloudReady, schools receive a USB drive with the new operating system that takes just minutes to install.
CloudReady runs entirely on the web, using Google’s online applications such as Google Drive for storing files or Google Docs for creating documents.
Like everything is run from a web browser, the operating system requires both computer hardware and can make old machines work again as new. (It works with any computer made in the last eight years).
Schools can choose an annual license of $ 25 per machine or a lifetime license of $ 59 per machine, which includes four years of support. (NeverWare estimated CloudReady adds at least four years of life for a computer).
Hefter said the company already has in the United States with nearly 100 school districts as paying subscribers.
And the schools are on a budget that’s being taken CloudReady. The Upper Sandusky E.V. School District Ohio is one of them.
“A couple of industries in the area have closed in recent years. When that happens, we lose the tax base and the money that came from there to fund schools,” said Jim Frye, coordinator school district technology.
These shortcomings have made district administrators seek creative solutions.
“I was intrigued with CloudReady. We can not disregard the teaching of computer science because it is critical for most of the jobs for which they prepare children,” Frye said. “You have to know how to use a computer to apply for a job at Wal-Mart, a job in the military or go to college.”
The district schools that introduce their 1,800 students in using computers in preschool have 650 laptop and desktop computers, 30% of whom are older models. CloudReady been given new life, Frye said.
Michele Cina IT is responsible for the Susquehanna Community School District in Pennsylvania.
It is a low-income rural areas where 80% of students qualify for free or reduced price school meals. Needless to say that money is the biggest concern of the directors of those schools.
“We have 800 students, and our budget is small”, Cina said. “I bought CloudReady in April to five computers and within five minutes became our machines 8 years Chromebooks” he said. Since then the software has been installed in at least 100 computers.
“We saved about $ 5,000 and we have updated and operating computers for our students,” said Cina.
NeverWare has raised $ 6 million in funding, and wants to expand to international schools. And has pilot programs in 10 countries, including Australia and Brazil.
“We have entered the schools, have dusted off old computers and have risen,” Hefter said. “I’ve always had an active imagination. That’s what led me to seek alternative solutions.”
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