Tenet·Feature Guides 07 · Installing Tenet (The Install Pitch) ← All guides
Guide 07 · The Install Pitch

Installing Tenet

The install conversation is where most K-12 deals stall. Tenet's is three steps and an afternoon: add the extension, paste a short config in Google Admin, and (for Pro) upload a simple roster. This guide shows you how to say that with confidence and get the details right.

Same-day Basic No new infrastructure
Why the install pitch matters

Most ed-tech dies on "how hard is this to deploy?"

Districts have been burned. They expect new software to mean agents on every device, network changes, certificates, and a multi-month IT project. So when an IT director hears "another tool," they brace for work. Tenet flips that expectation, and the ease of install is one of your strongest closing tools. Lead with it.

Memorize this
"There is nothing to build and nothing to install on student devices. It is an extension, a short config you paste once, and you are live."
The whole install

Three steps

1 · Add the extension
Chrome Web Store, force-installed via Google Admin
2 · Paste the config
a short JSON in Google Admin that points it at the district
3 · Upload a roster
Pro only, optional, a simple CSV to turn on classroom features

Steps 1 and 2 are all Basic needs and take minutes. Step 3 is Pro, and even then it is a single CSV.

Step by step

What actually happens

Add the extension from the Chrome Web Store

Tenet is a Chrome extension, published on the Chrome Web Store. IT does not push an installer to each laptop. Instead they force-install it from the Google Admin Console:

  • Google Admin, then Devices, Chrome, Apps and extensions, then Force install
  • It lands on every managed Chromebook in minutes
  • Students cannot disable, remove, or bypass it, because it is installed by district policy

Paste a short config (the Google Admin JSON)

In the same Google Admin screen, the extension has a "policy" field. The district pastes a few lines of JSON that tell the extension which district it belongs to and how to reach the Tenet backend. Tenet hands IT the exact snippet. It looks like this:

{ "tenet_district_id": "springfield-usd", "tenet_api_url": "https://app.tenet.example/api", "tenet_google_oauth_client_id": "...apps.googleusercontent.com" }

That is it. The config sets the district identity, the backend address, and the Google sign-in client used for verified login. IT pastes it once, and every device picks it up automatically.

Upload a simple roster, Pro only and optional

To turn on classroom-level features (per-teacher rules, roster-aware privacy, class views), Pro takes a simple roster as a CSV. No integration project, just a file. Live ClassLink and Clever sync is on the way for fall 2026. Basic does not need this at all.

The roster nuance, get this right

Basic and Pro take rosters very differently

This is the detail reps most often get wrong. Be precise, because it shapes what data the district has to share.

Tenet Basic
  • No roster required at all. Students are recognized by their school email domain.
  • Optional: a simple grade-only roster (just email and grade) to enable grade-level-specific AI blocking, for example "block AI for grades K to 5."
  • Basic's roster carries no class and no teacher information. It is purely an email-to-grade map.
Tenet Pro
  • A simple roster with students, classes, and teachers.
  • That unlocks per-teacher classroom rules, bell-schedule awareness, roster-aware DLP, and class-level analytics.
  • Still just a CSV today, with ClassLink and Clever sync shipping fall 2026.
Say it like this
"Basic needs no roster. If you want grade-level blocking, you can give us a simple email-and-grade list, nothing else. Pro takes a fuller roster with classes and teachers so each teacher can set rules for their own class."
Coming soon
Tenet is getting fully integrated with ClassLink and Clever. Once that ships in fall 2026, Pro districts will be able to sync their roster automatically through the same single sign-on directory they already use, with no CSV to maintain. Until then a one-time CSV is all it takes, and the upgrade to live sync will be seamless.
Friction relief

What the district does NOT have to do

Name these out loud. Each one is a project the IT director was bracing for and will not have to run.

What they expectWith Tenet
Stand up servers or infrastructureNone. The backend is hosted.
Network or firewall changesNone.
SSL certificates or a proxyNone. There is no proxy.
Install software on each deviceNone. It is a managed extension.
A new login systemUses the district's existing Google Workspace.
Replace the current web filterNo. Tenet runs alongside it.
Analytics destinations

Where the sanitized analytics land

Tenet keeps prompts on the device and only sends sanitized, aggregate analytics. Districts choose where that data lands, and standing it up is quick.

Google Apps Script

The fastest path. A district can stand up a Google Apps Script endpoint in about five minutes and have analytics flowing into their own Google Workspace, no extra vendors.

Cloud storage

For larger districts, Tenet writes to Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, or Azure Blob Storage. Point it at the bucket your data team already runs.

We meet you where you are

If your team is technically proficient, you have everything you need to stand it up yourselves. If not, we are happy to set the whole thing up for a one-time stand-up fee.

Say it like this
"Your analytics go to a destination you own. A Google Apps Script takes about five minutes, and for bigger districts we support S3, Google Cloud Storage, and Azure Blob. If your team wants to stand it up, you have everything you need. If you would rather we handle it, we will set it all up for a one-time fee."
The live talk track

Walking an IT director through it

Keep it concrete and short. The whole point is to make the install feel small.

The 30-second version

"Here is literally all you do. You force-install our extension from the same Google Admin screen you already use for other extensions. You paste a short config we give you, three lines, that tells it your district. That is Basic, live today. If you go Pro, you upload one roster CSV to turn on the per-teacher classroom controls. No servers, no network changes, nothing on the student laptops. If you ever want to pause it, there is a single off switch."

Then hand them the one-page IT rollout guide and offer to be on the call when they push it. The deploy is usually shorter than the conversation about it.

Timeline

Decision to deployed

Basic

Same business day. Force-install plus the config, and you are live.

Pro

2 to 3 days, mostly to upload the roster and let teachers set their class rules.

Paperwork

The data privacy agreement, on a pre-cleared SDPC template, is usually under two weeks and runs in parallel.

Install objections

FAQ

Do students have to install anything?
No. It is force-installed by district policy from Google Admin. Students do nothing, and they cannot turn it off.
Is the JSON config complicated?
No. It is a few lines that we hand you, identifying your district and the backend. IT pastes it into the extension's policy field in Google Admin once.
Do we have to give you a roster?
For Basic, no. Students are recognized by email domain. If you want grade-level blocking, you can optionally share a simple email-and-grade list. For Pro, you upload a roster CSV with classes and teachers to unlock the classroom features.
Will this slow down our Chromebooks or our network?
No. The work happens on the device in a few milliseconds, and there is no proxy or cloud round-trip added to traffic.
What if we need to turn it off?
There is a district-wide kill switch that disables enforcement instantly, with no uninstall or redeploy.
Honest notes

Say this before they ask

Where to set expectations

  • Deployment targets managed Chrome (Chromebooks, and Chrome on managed Windows). Other browsers and native mobile apps are not covered yet.
  • Pushing the extension and the config requires Google Admin Console access, which any district running managed Chromebooks already has.
  • Rosters are CSV today. Live ClassLink and Clever sync ships fall 2026. Basic needs no roster.
Keep reading

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