Education spotlight
Network trends affecting schools and universities
Alan Hayward, sales and marketing manager at SEH Technology explores how the impact of new technologies continues to play an important role in delivering accessible and immersive learning environments for students across the world.
A
n article by Forbes last year reported that the value of the EdTech sector is forecast to grow to $680 million (£551 million) by 2027. Additionally, its growth
accelerated by 21% year-on-year in 2021. Educational institutions are constantly playing catch up with emerging technologies as they need to ensure their IT network infrastructure can cope in order to give students a seamless learning experience. Covid-19 forced many schools and universities to rethink how
their lessons are taught to students, with an emphasis on an ‘operate anywhere’ model. But this had its challenges – educational institutions couldn’t control the devices that students and teachers used to connect during these lessons and they relied on participants having a strong, secure and stable internet connection. No IT team wants to deal with a security breach, as even the smallest
incident can cause irreparable damage to a business’ credibility and reputation. According to a 2022 report by the UK Government, around six in ten higher education providers reported experiencing breaches or attacks at least every week. In comparison, further education colleges (20%), secondary schools (23%) and primary schools (12%) experienced fewer weekly breaches or attacks. The report added that 71% of higher education institutions
experienced a negative outcome as the result of a breach, such as a loss of money or data, and half stated that their accounts or systems were compromised and used for illicit purposes. But counter to this, further education colleges (42%), secondary schools (33%) and primary schools (20%) were less likely to report a negative outcome. The education sector is
appealing to hackers because of the data schools and universities store in their IT systems, which can include a wealth of personally identifiable information (PII). The large number of laptops, tablets and desktop computers stored on-site also gives hackers many opportunities to strike. Schools and universities must have strong security procedures
44 | March 2023
in place to ensure they are not a constant victim and it’s even more important to strengthen any barriers if any have had a cybersecurity breach in the past. In recent years, immersive learning experiences such as
augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality and 3D simulations have now started to feature more in classrooms across the world. Vendors such as Oculus and RobotLab are now becoming a common feature for those teaching everything from STEM subjects to history. Using AR allows students to see 3D depictions of things
such as dinosaurs, chemical elements and the human body. It allows schools and universities to deliver stimulating learning experiences without the need to buy physical equipment. For example, VR companies are able to develop interactive laboratories for STEM students to conduct experiments as if they are in a real-life environment. While it’s clear these emerging technologies are already helping to
deliver a valuable learning experience to students, the importance of educational institutions having a strong and stable network connection in place should not be underestimated. Bring your own device (BYOD) is another trend that has swept
through higher education in recent years. New technological advances are allowing the sector to rely on wireless infrastructure and mobile learning devices to meet the vision of advanced learning. More students and faculties are now using smartphones, tablets and laptops as a way to enhance engagement, collaboration and receive individual teaching on their courses. A reliable WiFi connection is therefore essential to embed these changes
at schools and universities. There is a growing demand for the education sector to embrace these new technologies and it’s vital that a school or university’s IT network can be accessed by a large number of students. In some cases, university campuses can be many miles apart so IT
teams have to cover millions of square feet to ensure a strong connection is accessible in new classrooms, administrative offices and portable buildings. There might even be some facilities that are out-dated and need to be renovated in order to handle today’s network connections. The sheer amount of data now consumed each day means networks
are being pushed to their limits. But if schools and universities ensure they have strong and secure processes in place to handle high teaching demands, they give themselves the best protection against hackers and ensure students are not disrupted throughout their academic journeys.
www.pcr-online.biz
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