Top 7 requirements for a next-gen, future-ready school network

Top 7 requirements for a next-gen, future-ready school network

From implementing virtual classes and personalized learning programs to streamlining the automation of cloud-based administrative operations - your school needs a network that supports it all. You need a future-ready network solution for your school to embrace the emerging trends in the education sector and to provide your students with cutting-edge learning experiences. On that note, let’s explore what the future holds for your industry and what measures you need to take to adopt the emerging ed-tech solutions as they come.

What your school network needs, to be future-ready

#1 High-speed connectivity

Here is a quick list of activities that typically make up your students’ calendars:

• Prompt file and email sharing

• Online event announcements and quick updates through online portals

• Collaboration and communication through online channels

• Shared project work on shared file locations on shared SaaS platforms

• Online exams, olympiads, and virtual labs

• High-speed and seamless access to the knowledge base on intranet and internet

 If you could notice, there’s one thing common in all of these educational activities: they wouldn’t be possible without a strong network foundation that offers high-speed internet connectivity. Students need a high-performing network and bandwidth for labs and SaaS platforms where they can work on shared projects set up on a common school platform. To ensure enriched learning experiences and fast information sharing, you need to deploy a network solution for your school that is reliable, resilient, and always available. 

#2 Capable of latest technology adoption

Every student has different learning requirements and evolves at his / her own pace. Considering how the learning journey of each student differs from the other, you cannot use the same methods for their schooling. On the other hand, it’s quite difficult for the faculty to personalize learning for every student. 

AI-powered learning and automation to the rescue!

Artificial intelligence and no-code automation enable you to implement personalized learning for all your students. These cutting-edge technologies can automate tasks such as:

• Marking and tracking attendance

• Course registration and student onboarding

• Student shortlisting

• Scheduling classes

• Student grading and assessment

• Identify areas of improvement

• Recommendation on subjects/chapters to be focussed

Adoption of these technologies is important to keep up with the trends in the educational industry and also to increase the efficiency of operations. To achieve this, you need to step up from the legacy infrastructure and adopt a robust school network solution that is digital-first and future-ready.

#3 Network reliability 

Students need consistent access to the school network to access their study material, share files, and receive prompt information regarding important events. Busy days and heavy traffic are a common occurrence in schools due to online exams, high strength in labs, online events and olympiads, and interschool online competitions. To ensure that all your operations are executed smoothly, even during peak hours when all the students simultaneously accessing the network, your network must promise high availability and resilience.

#4 Shared access from all locations

Sitting in a single place all day limits students’ ability to study for long hours. Changing locations and the environment really promotes better learning, and that’s why students try to make the best use of their campus. When not attending classes from their classrooms, they like to study in silent libraries, sometimes in secluded spots in busy playgrounds, or even in canteens when they need to collaborate with their peers. And so, they should be able to access the school network from anywhere on campus - whether they are in the library, in classrooms, labs, canteens, or just roaming in the corridors or outside from their homes.  For accessing school knowledge resources from outside the school campus, it is critical that the access is protected from hackers and cyber attacks with high-level security solutions.

#5 Increased adoption of digital learning programs

Schools are opting for online learning and virtual classes more than ever. Up to 82% of students choose a hybrid learning environment over a traditional one. And so, you must be able to conduct examinations, webinars, events, and olympiads that need students from multiple locations to join your school network. Moreover, your school network needs to be available for the students who are attending classes from home - and be always prepared to shift operations online in the pandemic-hit world. This calls for a school network solution that offers scalable bandwidth and is strong enough to support high traffic, allowing you to:

• expand the scope of your digital/ online learning program by scaling network bandwidth and student count as per your requirements

• adopt pay-as-you-grow solutions for cost-effectiveness as you scale your network

#6 Network Security 

It’s really important to filter the data that your students access using the internet in your schools to avoid any distractions during their study routine. Moreover, in countries like the United States of America, K-12 educational institutions are required to implement the Child Information Protection Act (CIPA) policy is a federal law that mandates the use of Internet filters and other measures to protect children from explicit and inappropriate content.

With these factors in consideration, and also, to safeguard the critical data of your students, and implement role-based access on school platforms - you need a secure school network solution. Furthermore, you should leverage next-gen firewalls and end-point security solutions to increase the security of your network, and successfully implement the necessary policies on all the devices used by students to access the school networks. 

Cost-effective network management

Managing a school network can be very cumbersome but highly critical. There’s so much to look after - the labs should always be operational, there must be no lags in communication and file sharing, admin services should always be available, and the network should ensure high speed and security. With so many tasks, your IT team might feel pressurized and overwhelmed; moreover, you might feel the need to hire highly-qualified network engineers and specialists who can cost you big bucks. 

Enter Managed Network Solutions for schools.

Managed network solutions to tackle the major network issues and also the day-to-day network bottlenecks, eliminating the need of hiring network specialists. These solutions provide 24*7 network monitoring and management support to avoid any instances of your network going down, ensuring an uninterrupted learning experience for students.

You’re in good hands because that’s just what we offer to fuel your digital requirements for delivering improved learning experiences. Our wide spectrum of managed network solutions for schools include:

• Managed Security: Protect students and instructors against cyber threats in the school network

• Managed Leased Line: A dedicated leased line solution to ensure high network bandwidth, high uptime

• Managed SD-WAN: A software-defined, cloud-first WAN solution that ensures rapid adoption of emerging educational technologies and trends

• Managed Wi-Fi: A centralized Wi-Fi solution for all your schools that enables simplified management of high-speed Wi-Fi across locations

To decide which solution would work best for your school’s networking landscape, do reach out to our solutions consultants. They will guide you through our diverse network solutions for schools and help you make the right choice for enhancing learning and streamlining ops.