A Tech for Good initiative has been launched in North of England tackling longstanding issues of digital inclusion exacerbated by the pandemic.

Blancco Technology has partnered with WANdisco to drive the Laptops for Kids campaign, a project aiming to deliver devices to schools in need across the North of England. Through donations of free drive eraser licenses, Blancco has already enabled the campaign to securely erase 1,400 donated used digital devices, with this number rising daily. The campaign has been integral in supplying children with access to technology, especially during extended periods of home schooling.

Launched in September 2020 the partnership has already sourced 14,000 devices (laptops, tablets or desktops) and as part of the collaboration, Blancco and WANdisco have facilitated training on how to use the erasure software to sanitise the donated devices. This practice has been carried over to the WANdisco Data Academy at Sheffield College, where students have been taught how to carry out the erasure process themselves.

“When WANdisco approached us about collaborating on this campaign, we were of course delighted to be a part of it. The sharp lockdowns forced issues of digital inclusion out into the open, with uncertainty around how children would access online learning,” said Adam Moloney, CFO at Blancco. “Donations from local communities and businesses have been instrumental in supporting this campaign, and our erasure software ensures all data is irreversibly removed from refurbished devices.”

Organisations and individuals interested in volunteering or donating to the campaign are encouraged to visit the Laptops for Kids website to find specifications on the types of devices that the charity is looking for.

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