How the University of the Sunshine Coast Is Rethinking IT Support
Background
The University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) is based in Queensland, Australia, with a network of campuses and locations stretching from Brisbane to the Fraser Coast. Its flagship Sunshine Coast campus is located in Sippy Downs, in the heart of the region.
Surrounded by some of Australia’s most distinctive natural environments, it is perhaps no surprise that sustainability plays such a central role in the university’s identity. UniSC currently ranks in the top 4% of universities worldwide for sustainability impact based on
THE Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026, with sustainability embedded across its teaching, research, campus operations, and community work.
That focus also shapes the way UniSC manages technology:
As Client Support Manager, Carmelo Pellizzeri is helping the University rethink both the support experience and the lifecycle of its devices. Rather than replacing hardware simply because it reaches a certain age, the team looks at whether each device is still meeting the needs of the person using it.
At the same time, UniSC is moving away from a traditional support desk model and the conventional ways those services measure success. A key part of that shift has been the introduction of Tech Bars, generally located inside University libraries and staffed by a mix of employees and students.
“The idea is founded around experience. We believe that human interaction is still a big part.”
Similar to the service experience of an Apple Store, students and staff can speak with someone face to face and work towards a solution without relying entirely on a traditional ticketing process.
The challenge
While the Tech Bars gave students and staff a more direct way to access support, the university still needed a better way to manage physical devices.
New, loan, and replacement devices often had to be handed over by a member of staff. That limited access to staffed hours and made the service dependent on when the support team was available, rather than when someone needed help.
The University wanted a cleaner, more coordinated way to manage those assets while extending support beyond the hours when the Tech Bar was staffed.
As Carmelo put it, the University is moving towards “what the customer actually needs instead of what we’re available to do.”
That gap became especially important when someone needed an immediate solution. A student or staff member might arrive with a device that was not working — and no time to open a ticket and wait for a response.
In those situations, the priority was not necessarily to complete the full repair straight away. It was to make sure they could leave with a working device and continue with their day.
The solution
The University introduced seven ForwardPass smart lockers as an extension of the Tech Bar experience.
Its support workflow is designed to give each user a definitive outcome within about 20 minutes. Staff spend the first 15 minutes trying to resolve the issue live. If they cannot fix it within that time, the person can be directed to a ForwardPass locker to collect another device.
“You just grab a new device and you’re fixed.”
The IT team can then investigate and repair the original device separately, without keeping the user waiting. Once repaired, the device may be returned to the available pool and issued to someone else.
The lockers can be used for several categories of equipment, including:
- New devices
- Loan devices
- Replacement devices
They also allow students and staff to collect devices at a time that works for them, including when Tech Bar staff are not available to complete the handoff in person.
To connect the locker workflow with its wider support operation, the university built a custom integration between ForwardPass and its IT service management and asset management systems, including Asset Panda and ServiceNow.
The integration can also notify the support team when locker activity takes place, helping staff maintain visibility when a device is collected and keeping the transaction connected to the broader support and asset management process.
The goal was not simply to create secure device storage. The lockers needed to become part of the service workflow.
The outcome
By combining staffed Tech Bars with ForwardPass smart lockers, the University has created a clearer path from a technology problem to a working device.
Students and staff can still speak with someone in person, but they are no longer limited to the hours when a team member is available to complete a device handoff. If the original device cannot be repaired quickly, another device can be made available while the technical work continues separately.
The model is particularly useful when time matters. Carmelo described the Tech Bar as an “emergency hotspot” for people who cannot afford to wait for a longer support process.
“If you have a meeting in half an hour, then you probably don’t want to open tickets and wait for a reply or talk with an agent. You just walk up to the Tech Bar and you know you’ll have your meeting in half an hour one way or another.”
The same approach also supports the University’s wider device lifecycle and sustainability goals.
Rather than replacing hardware based on age alone, the IT team looks at whether a device is still meeting the needs of the person using it. A laptop that is a year out of warranty may still be performing perfectly well, while a much newer device may no longer be suitable for someone working with very large files or more demanding applications.
In those cases, the team can upgrade the device or provide a higher-performing one. The previous device can then be reassigned to someone whose needs it still meets.
That approach helps extend the useful lifecycle of the University’s hardware and reduce unnecessary replacement.
“Being able to prolong the lifecycle of our assets is obviously much more sustainable for us. And we do that comfortably through the lockers.”
For UniSC, the value of the model is not simply automation. It is the flexibility to combine fast, human support with smarter device allocation, longer asset life, and access to hardware when people need it.
If your IT team is spending too much time coordinating device repairs, managing loan devices, or keeping users productive while devices are out of service, ForwardPass can help streamline the handoff.
Book a discovery call to explore how smart lockers can support faster device swaps, reduce repair-related downtime, and make device support easier to manage across your campus.