Strong school networks make happy students

The magic umbrellaWith more schools moving to a 1:1 or BYOD environment, many times the school’s network is forgotten. The network is at the heart of Steve Zurier’s article on EdTech. The network is what enables students to get online, it makes education more interactive. Besides devices, schools also have to think about where the content for instruction is coming from. Teachers and school libraries are starting to use more online textbooks and eBooks. Schools want teachers to use the latest online resources and video tools.

In the article, Brad Casemore, research director for data center networks for IDC, offers three factors IT managers should keep in mind before embarking on a network upgrade:

  1. Consider moving to the cloud.
  2. Reduce costs by virtualizing everything.
  3. Retrain the network staff.

Do you have other ideas? Is your school’s network ready for thousands of devices? Can it handle hundreds of videos streaming to classrooms? Share things that have worked for you in the comments below!