Priorities for IT teams in Oman in the new academic year
AS
students and teachers in Oman prepare for a new school year, many will expect to find changes to classrooms, such as new furniture or upgraded whiteboard displays. However, what will most likely go unnoticed is the hard work conducted by IT teams over the summer holidays to upgrade the school or campus network and the integration of new technologies to build the foundations for a fully-realised digital classroom experience. School IT teams will be looking to future-proof their networks in preparation for an influx of new technologies. But with cutbacks in IT spending and a limited amount of time to actually make foundational changes to networks, what should school IT teams prioritise to prepare themselves for a digital future?
Getting the basics right
Internet access is now a necessity for the education sector. Both teachers and students rely on it daily to complete homework as well as in-class tasks. Most learning materials are housed online so that students can access it no matter where they are, and teachers’ lesson plans are increasingly being stored in the cloud as well, so having consistent Wi-Fi access is essential.
However, implementing a site-wide Wi-Fi network that’s consistent, no matter if you are in a building or on the playing fields at the edge of the school grounds, is a far harder challenge for school IT teams than it would appear. The problem lies in legacy networks that many institutions are still using that was built to look after centralised IT suites, whereas now they are being asked to handle multiple IoT devices accessing the network at any one time. Whether educators like or loathe the use of mobile devices during school hours, they are increasingly becoming part of the educational toolset. With this fundamental change to teaching, it must be a priority for IT teams to integrate enterprise-level WiFi to handle this influx of devices, and manage their bandwidth efficiently, wherever they are onsite, to keep up with the expectations of staff and students.
Build the foundations for future
There has never been a greater need to connect students, classrooms, and buildings. Student enrolment (who are always more tech-savvy and more expectant than the year that preceded them) continues to rise, and the benefits of technology – better grades and greater staff wellbeing – are necessary if schools are to maintain high levels of performance during the challenging time of digital transformation.
According to IDC, more than 150 billion devices across the globe will be connected by 2025, and nearly half of those will be IoT devices. This development, which will impact educational institutions as these types of devices become a greater part of the curriculum, means greater stress on IT departments and will require proactive planning to manage. To ensure wireless coverage everywhere, schools need to start reviewing and testing Wi-Fi 6, the next generation of networking, which is designed for more demanding environments, like universities and campuses.
With a fit-for-purpose wireless network in place, schools unlock the opportunity to digitally transform their workplace. Staff will be freed up from manual tasks, such as data input, to make faster decisions and engage students whose learning styles vary. For instance, Bryanston School in the UK has been trialling new technologies like ‘eLockers’, using them as a drop folder where teachers and pupils can upload resources and assignments, such as PowerPoint presentations and homework.
Make sure security and safeguarding are key
The biggest challenge for institutions will be balancing technological innovation with the threat of security breaches. Schools, colleges and universities all want to prioritise providing the best possible education to students whose expectations around technology are growing exponentially. To connect with them in a meaningful way requires reliable, optimised, and personalised learning experiences. But with an influx of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, from phones and tablets to smart speakers and VR, and a cohort that aren’t all trained in security best practices, the network could easily become at risk of intrusion.
IDC says that more than 150bn devices globally will be connected by 2025, and half of those will be IoT devices.
*Saadi Kawkji is the Presales Director, MEMA at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company