Over the last two years, schools across the country have invested in new technologies, including learning management systems, video conferencing solutions, mobile hotspot devices, and upgraded laptops and tablets for students.
However, all this technology also increases the need for IT support for schools to secure student and operational data and ensure these solutions function optimally. Going forward, schools will need to figure out a way to secure and maintain the performance of the various digital applications, systems and devices they now use to support students—without significantly increasing their IT costs or resource needs. One solution that can help to alleviate the burden on schools is managed IT services.
The growing need for school IT support for schools
While many schools may have IT personnel, these teams are often small and largely focused on troubleshooting or installing new equipment. However, as schools have introduced more IT complexity into their environments, there is a more urgent need to provide more IT support for schools. Educational institutions, for example, may be using different point solutions from several cloud providers, and some of these solutions may not be interoperable and come with different security features and performance requirements.
On top of this, the ratio of users to technology support personnel is often imbalanced. A school district may have hundreds—if not thousands—of students, but it's unlikely they even have close to the same number of support personnel to monitor the devices and activity of all these end users. There also may not be enough school IT support staff to manage most of these devices in the event of a massive outage or technology malfunction.
For all of these reasons, it's crucial to have more flexible IT support for schools. Using managed IT services can allow educational institutions to scale IT support for schools as their technology needs grow.
The key advantages of managed IT support services for schools
Managed IT support services for schools allow school districts to benefit from a suite of interoperable solutions that are fully managed and monitored with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and an expert team. For example, through a managed IT services provider, schools can access video conferencing solutions, dedicated internet services, and fixed wireless access for better connectivity and secure cloud gateways for applications and devices that connect to their networks—all in one place.
By outsourcing IT support for schools, educational institutions can expand their IT capacity, reduce burdens on their IT personnel and take advantage of the latest security and connectivity solutions. They also won't have to worry about patches and upgrades because these updates are largely automated or handled by their managed IT services provider on a regular basis. Working with a managed IT support provider is especially beneficial for districts with resource constraints or very small IT teams.
While many schools have returned to in-person instruction, hybrid learning may continue to be an option going forward—either due to public health concerns, to allow for learning continuity during weather-related disruptions, or for neurodiverse students who learn best in this environment. Because of this, implementing secure, highly available and high-performing technology will be a requirement for schools to build more resilient learning environments, making a strong case for why additional IT support for schools is needed.
Managed IT services for schools can help districts scale school IT support and ensure technology isn't an impediment to delivering the best learning experience for students.
Discover how Verizon's K-12 Education Solutions can help support a smooth remote learning experience.
The author of this content is a paid contributor for Verizon.