Back to School
HELPING SCHOOLS GET THEIR
PRIORITIES RIGHT
Rachel Rothwell, senior regional director, UK and Ireland, of Zyxel Networks,
T
here are a number of important and perpetual challenges schools face when it comes to networking and cybersecurity. It’s important for them to make the best possible use of the
technology that they do have and to get their priorities right with respect to new investment and ongoing management. It’s in these areas that partners can really add value for schools, whether they are small local primaries, secondary schools or further education colleges. For reseller partners and MSPs, this is a big opportunity – to
help schools make the best use of their technology and budgets to achieve positive results.
Eating-up capacity Probably the most frustrating challenge is the constant rise in demand for bandwidth. Every app and online resource eats up ever more capacity, and with scores of pupils accessing simultaneously, the increase is multiplied. Ageing WiFi kit and network switches might not be able to cope. Cybersecurity is also a growing issue – both in terms of the rise
of infiltration and hacking and the additional capacity required by security that needs to be running in the background at all times. Te threats can come from inside as well as outside – from tech- savvy students seeking to gain a sneak preview of exam questions, or looking to alter recorded marks, for example.
42 | September/October 2025 It’s paramount that schools have full protection in place for pupil
and staff users and for the personal information they store on both. Cybersecurity needs to be properly configured and kept up to date. Tis can be a considerable burden on schools, and the constant pressure and worry of running cybersecurity is one reason many schools are now turning to MSPs.
Struggling to manage Schools also need to manage the network – and that’s a big challenge as well, especially if they do not have full-time IT personnel. A lack of available skilled staff and budget constraints have led many smaller schools to share IT staff. A single IT specialist might be supporting multiple locations, visiting each on a regular basis to fix any problems that require hands-on attention, and providing first-line support for incidents that require immediate attention. Tis kind of arrangement can work well most of the time, but
it is not always ideal. A managed service, with constant proactive monitoring and backed up by expert support, is an attractive alternative. It also appeals from an admin point of view. It’s vitally important
that schools keep their licences up to date, but it’s something that can easily slip through the net, as it would never have seemed like a
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