Our educational institutions are facing an immense amount of pressure. Time and budget constraints are only set to grow, while the phenomenon of hybrid learning has introduced new and unprecedented challenges, along with other external factors.
Unfortunately, these issues are often compounded by the fact that many schools and educational institutions are struggling to maintain often outdated legacy IT systems and infrastructures, usually with very limited in-house resources.
Managed services can help to lighten the load in these circumstances. They can ensure the maintenance of key systems, mitigating any potential disruptions to learning, while providing the best possible teaching experience for students and staff alike.
So, how can managed IT solutions help make the most of IT systems within this vital sector of society?
Security
Schools and similar institutions naturally deal with a lot of data on both staff and students, and have a huge responsibility in keeping this data private and secure. While schools do a stalwart job at this, the fact that IT environments are increasingly accessed through a variety of devices such as phones, laptops and tablets, means that this creates many access points that can compromise security if the IT infrastructure is not properly secured.
Your managed service provider can help ensure that this important data is secure, and can advise on solutions such as identity and access management that will help to safeguard sensitive information. Additional managed services such as managed backup, antivirus, patching, monitoring and update management can all work together to ensure cyber security meets your organisation’s requirements.
Cloud services
While cloud computing has been around for a long time, in recent years, it has gained widespread recognition in both the private and public sectors. Cloud solutions offer a huge array of benefits to educational institutions that are dealing with the effects of time and budget limits.
Cloud-based collaboration, communication and other functions offer educational organisations safe, flexible and agile ways of teaching and learning, all while being incredibly cost-effective solutions. However, planning and executing a migration to the cloud can be a huge undertaking, especially when resources are already stretched thinly. Managed service providers can offer invaluable support when it comes to such an implementation, and can also provide the ongoing help needed to maintain the cloud.
Reduced down-time
Schools and educational institutions rely on a variety of different technologies that enable effective teaching and learning, and this reliance has increased even more so since the pandemic and the rise of remote and hybrid learning. This means periods of downtime can have a severe impact on learning.
Opting for a managed service provider can provide crucial peace of mind, by providing maintenance and monitoring for key IT systems, while also providing fast response times in the event of an IT issue. Ultimately, less downtime and faster responses in regard to IT faults, means more time spent teaching.
Cost effectiveness
Institutions already face tough decisions on how best to spend limited budgets, and choosing to work with a managed service provider can be invaluable in making the most of even a modest IT budget, while achieving a level of service that would not be possible if operated exclusively in-house.
Managed service providers operate remotely, meaning there is no need for a resource-intensive on-site team. Institutions have access to trusted, experienced professionals at a fraction of the cost of directly employing them, allowing IT budgets to go much further, and provide tools and technologies that actively improve the learning and teaching experience.
Talk to us today to find out about opportunities for efficiency and cost reduction, so you can focus on what you do best. Email hello@core.co.uk to request a complimentary consultation with one of our specialists.
