Creating a Connected & Sustainable Campus

Universities and colleges face growing pressure to deliver digital services that are sustainable, resilient, and able to adapt quickly to change. IT, estates, and student-facing teams are expected to achieve more with fewer resources, while still improving the student experience and meeting long-term strategic goals.

Across the sector, institutions are turning to IoT technologies and integrated digital infrastructure to achieve this balance. Smart, connected systems are helping leaders gain better visibility, reduce manual work, and build campuses that are more efficient, more sustainable, and easier to manage.

The Role of IoT in Modern Campus Management

The Internet of Things is rapidly becoming a key enabler for smarter digital estates. By connecting devices, buildings, and critical systems, IoT helps universities:

Track how spaces, equipment, and resources are used
Automate routine processes to reduce manual workloads
Improve decision-making with real-time data
Support estate-wide reliability and sustainability goals

When IT, estates, and service teams all access the same data, they gain a full picture of what’s happening across the campus. This leads to more efficient operations, better service delivery, and reduced pressure on staff and budgets.

Smart Lockers: A Practical Step Toward a Smart Campus

Smart lockers represent a tangible, high-impact example of IoT in action. Institutions use them to create seamless access to devices, tools, and services, supporting students and staff around the clock.

LapSafe® Smart Lockers enable universities to:

Automate device loans and returns
Centrally manage assets across multiple campuses
Integrate with existing IT and ITSM systems
Collect valuable usage and sustainability data
Improve service reliability with fewer manual processes
Automates the handover of equipment, parcels, files, and much more.

This combination reduces queuing, minimises device loss, improves digital accessibility, and supports sustainability goals by monitoring energy use and enabling better lifecycle management of devices.

Building a More Sustainable Digital Estate

Sustainability is now a strategic priority for leaders across higher education. As digital infrastructure continues to expand, institutions are focusing on solutions that:

Reduce carbon output
Lower energy consumption
Extend equipment lifespan
Support long-term resilience
Minimise waste through better management and repair

Smart lockers directly support these aims by gathering data that helps teams understand device utilisation, optimise procurement, and avoid unnecessary replacement cycles.

Automation That Scales with Your Organisation

Automation is becoming essential as teams face increasing demand without a corresponding increase in resources. By embedding automation into everyday operations, universities can:

Reduce repetitive manual tasks
Improve service uptime and consistency
Scale services without increasing staff workload
Reduce operational costs
Redirect teams to higher value work

Smart lockers are a core part of this shift, removing the need for staff to manually distribute, track, or maintain loan devices.

Trusted Across the UK Higher Education Sector

Almost all UK universities use LapSafe® solutions to improve digital access, streamline device management, and support more sustainable operations. Our aim is to help institutions build smarter, greener, and more automated estates that deliver long-term value, supporting both operational excellence and strategic transformation.