Why every Independent School needs a Super-Hero!

This cartoon recently caught my eye, and made me chuckle. I do think that nowadays we expect so much from our ICT staff that they do indeed need to have superpowers to fulfil all our expectations!

Let's consider how things have changed over recent years: a decade ago, there was a small, simple network serving the administrative side of the school, and perhaps a couple of ICT classrooms equipped with specially configured computers for delivering ICT lessons.

Nowadays, the network extends to every area of the school. Pupils and staff alike are connecting all kinds of different devices to the network through Wi-Fi, and ICT services have become the bedrock of delivering most, if not every, lesson.

Whilst network managers and IT technicians are sometimes much maligned (especially, in my experience, when the network goes down!), their role has in fact changed beyond recognition in recent years.

No longer is it sufficient to have a network that runs OK most of the time. Nowadays it needs to be an "industrial strength" network that is at the top of its game every minute of the school day.  We expect our network managers to have the network design skills to put together such a system (despite typically never having done this before!), not to mention the strategic vision to "back the right horse" by investing in the right technologies that will future-proof the school network and provide the best learning environment for children. 

Naturally, we also expect them to be technical geniuses, able to fix any problem from the most mundane password reset through to a complete reconfiguration of the network.  Then during school holidays, we also expect them to don their superhero capes and become “project managers extraordinaire”, in order to smoothly, without disruption and within budget, implement technically complex upgrade projects!

Come the start of term, it's back into the phone box for our ICT folks, to metamorphose themselves into the role of hand holder, support giver, mentor and trainer.

Of course, in today's digital world, we also expect our ICT team to be cyber security experts, abreast of a constant stream of new threats and coming up with ways to mitigate the risk and safeguard our pupils, staff and data.

So next time you write a job advertisement for a Network Manager, don't forget to include "Super Powers" in the essential skills section!

Failing that, you could perhaps consider engaging an experienced Independent Schools ICT provider to work in partnership with your Network Manager, so that he or she doesn’t need to have quite so many superpowers!

“Closed Cloud” in Independent Schools

In my last article, I talked about cloud computing in independent schools, the differences between public cloud and private cloud, and some of the concerns independent schools had about data protection in relation to public cloud solutions.

Due to these concerns, I am seeing increasing numbers of schools looking to adopt private cloud or indeed "closed cloud" solutions where all data remains in school. So today I thought it would be useful to elaborate on "closed cloud": how it works, what benefits it offers independent schools and how it compares with other types of cloud technology.

Closed cloud uses the same technologies that public and private cloud providers use, but the vital difference is that rather than being hosted at a cloud provider's data centre somewhere in the world, the whole system is physically located in school.

As with private cloud, this necessitates dedicated hardware and thus is more expensive than public cloud. However it has the benefit over both public and private cloud of providing complete assurance around data protection, since all data remains in school at all times. There is also much less reliance on a third party, as although a provider will typically be running and maintaining the system on the school’s behalf, they are not actually hosting the data and therefore should there be a falling out, or indeed a firm ceases trading, there is no vulnerability to the school in terms of their data.

In terms of functionality, a closed cloud solution offered similar benefits to private cloud, including:

• The ability to securely access all the school’s systems from any location, whether that be from different classrooms within the school, from home or elsewhere, with a uniform desktop being presented wherever you sign-on.
• The ability to use any device, (desktop, laptop or tablet) to access the system. This can facilitate safe and effective use of "bring your own device" (BYOD), since the device is effectively just providing a "window" into the cloud system – there is no data held on it. It also means should a PC fail, it is simply a question of plugging in a replacement, with no software or data to worry about installing.
• The ability to quickly and easily install security updates and new software releases, since in this scenario they only need to be deployed to the "master" desktop image(s) on the closed cloud server, rather than needing deployment to every computer on the network.
• The ability to secure the desktop environment and avoid the introduction of unauthorised software, viruses, spyware and other malware.

So how do the economics of closed cloud stack up?

By the nature of it, closed cloud will necessarily be more expensive than public or private cloud, but interestingly it is still significantly cheaper than a traditional in-house school network.

Why is that? Well there are significantly reduced PC hardware costs since in this arrangement the specification of the end user device is not important as all processing is happening at the server side. This increases the lifespan of PC devices, or allows for low-cost alternatives such as thin clients or BYOD. Additionally there is a significant and ongoing ICT cost saving in the support, management and maintenance of the network.

I have put together cost comparisons for several schools on a traditional in-house IT infrastructure versus a closed cloud solution, and it has been really interesting to understand how the existing ICT budget can be redeployed to provide a solution with far more functionality, that also yields a significant and ongoing ICT cost saving. Not normally two things that go hand-in-hand when it comes to ICT!

I don't want to bore everyone here with lots of facts and figures, but if any bursar or headteacher would like to see some cost comparisons, drop me an email and I will gladly send you over some indicative figures.

I hope this article and my previous one have given you a flavour of what public, private and closed cloud solutions can offer for independent schools. If you have questions, or want to explore cloud solutions for independent schools in greater depth, please do not hesitate to contact me on 0330 002 0045 or email schools@entrustit.co.uk

Cloud Computing in Independent Schools

It's true, the network does seem to get the blame for many things!

But if technology providers are to be believed, all our woes will soon be over, thanks to the advent of the “Cloud”.

This is a subject I get asked about a lot when I visit schools, so I wanted to put pen to paper to try and clarify what it's all about, as I know there is a great deal of confusion.

Cloud computing is a huge subject, but at its simplest it delivers software & data to any internet connected device; from datacentres owned by a service provider. Data will be synchronised across all devices that a user may use to connect and changes are immediately applied giving a “fully mobile” experience. Assuming you have the right level of internet connectivity, the experience will be almost indistinguishable from a traditional system – and of course it matters not if you lose or break the device because there’s nothing really stored on it that cannot be accessed from somewhere else.

Before I get bombarded by emails from the true experts among you, I realise this is a gross simplification. However I think it summarises nicely the key aspects of a cloud environment for an independent school.

The benefits of this kind of arrangement include:

• Systems can generally be accessed from anywhere, using any device. This facilitates remote working, easy sharing of data and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD).

• The hardware, software and security of the cloud system is maintained and managed by the service provider, removing a huge burden of work, worry and cost from the school.

• Remote storage of the data makes disaster recovery and resilience much simpler to achieve. Backup almost ceases to matter – although you have to be careful of the geography of your cloud partner (on which, more later).

• Such systems tend to be licensed on a "per user, per month" basis, thereby removing large CapEx spends on replacement server equipment and making costly disk and SAN upgrades a thing of the past.

There are however a number of different types of cloud and it is very important that schools understand the differences between them and the benefits and risks associated with each before making any decision to migrate to the cloud.

Public Cloud

With public cloud, the provider stores data in a network of computers, which potentially may be located anywhere in the world, with server use and storage pooled among clients. This model reaps huge economies of scale for the providers, and as such they are able to offer comparatively low monthly subscription costs. Well-known examples of public cloud would include Microsoft Office 365 and Google Apps for Education (GAFE).

Private Cloud

With the private cloud model, the same benefits are delivered as with public cloud, but on a "private" basis, with separate resources being dedicated to each client at the cloud provider’s data centre. This provides greater security and control over data, including assurances over exactly where the data is held. Being a more individual service, private cloud can also offer a much more tailored experience for schools, encompassing not just data storage and the common Microsoft applications, but a full desktop of all their education software. However, as this model does not allow providers to leverage the economies of scale in the same way as public cloud, it is necessarily more expensive.

Due Diligence and Data Protection

It is important to realise with any cloud implementation that, although you are transferring control of your data to a third party, you still remain legally responsible for protecting that data. As such it is vital to carry out due diligence to ensure you are happy with the level of security, availability and legal compliance the provider offers. This should include looking at their Service Level Agreements around availability, compliance with security standards such as ISO27001, and examining their T’s &C’s to ensure you are clear where your data is going to be held (including not just “live” data but also copies for backup and disaster recovery).

On this latter point, the data protection act requires that personal data may not be transferred out of the EEA unless the territory to which it is sent ensures an adequate level of protection. Given the US dominance of public cloud provision, it is transfers to and from the US that are most likely to affect a UK customer.

Last October the EU-US Safe Harbour agreement that enabled data transfers between the EU and the US to comply with Data Protection laws was overturned. Its successor (the EU-US Privacy Shield) only came into effect in July and is already being contested in courts in Ireland and France. To keep European business flowing the large public providers (Microsoft Azure, Google, Amazon) have attempted to embed EU data protection laws in their contracts for EU citizens. However, if we learned one thing from Snowden, it is that the US Government considers all data processed by a US business to be “fair game” – wherever the ultimate user may be from. So even if the cloud provider is well intentioned toward protecting its EU client base; there is no guarantee that the US courts or government will agree.

What does this all mean for an independent school?

Caution should remain in place when using public cloud services. There are some excellent applications available for education and you should take full advantage, however, try and resist public cloud based messaging solutions (email etc) unless they guarantee EU only data processing & be careful about what data you share using public cloud tools. At the end of the day, school data will always remain the responsibility of the school, and therefore it is for the school to assess safeguarding risks.

Cloud technologies can be a fantastic tool to embed ICT into school life, however, many schools remain sufficiently concerned over data geography to adopt private cloud solutions, or indeed “closed cloud” solutions where all data remains in school. The latter is a topic in its own right which I shall be exploring in a future article.

In the meantime, should any Bursar like my advice on data storage solutions that will leave their school fully compliant in this regard, or indeed any other ICT related issue, please do not hesitate to contact me on 0330 002 0045 or email schools@entrustit.co.uk

Embedding Technology into Prep School Life

It never ceases to amaze me how much the use of technology in Independent Schools has changed over just a few years.

Only recently, ICT was confined to a suite of school-owned computers in one or two classrooms, specific to the teaching of ICT. Nowadays though, ICT is embedded in everything that we do, and provides part of the learning framework for every lesson, not just ICT.

I was recently visiting Fiona Price, head of ICT at Stroud Prep School in Romsey. Fiona is also the ICT subject advisor for IAPS, and it's great to see how Stroud have embraced and embedded the use of technology throughout the whole of school life.

Every pupil at Stroud from year 5 upwards has an allocated iPad, as do the teachers and teaching assistants, with all other students having access to a banked iPad - so about 400 in all.

To facilitate the use of technology in any part of the school, there is a centrally managed wireless solution that provides coverage across all the various buildings. These types of Wi-Fi systems have moved on light years since the early days of wireless technology, where coverage was sketchy, only a limited number of devices could be connected at any one time in any given area and security was something that had to be set individually on each wireless access point.

Stroud's Internet connectivity is provided by a 50Mbps leased line; again such circuits were cost prohibitive to many schools not so long ago, but have tumbled in price as the market has opened up, allowing many more Independent Schools to obtain high quality, fast Internet connectivity at a reasonable price.

The Internet line at Stroud also provides a secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection to Stroud's parent school, King Edward VI School in Southampton, allowing for the sharing of resources between the 2 schools.

By providing pupils with tablets which are routed via the school network, and not allowing smartphones or other tablets in school, Stroud have done much to prevent pupils circumnavigating the school's web access controls.

Stroud's use of ICT demonstrates how a well-designed system can do much to help pupils use technology as an effective learning tool, without the safeguarding risks or distractions that can come with less controlled access.

Should any bursar like my advice on embedding technology in their school, or the associated issues around managed Wi-Fi, internet connectivity and systems security, please feel free to contact me on 0330 002 0045 or email schools@entrustit.co.uk

When it comes to your Network, Expect the Unexpected!

With Independent Schools becoming increasingly reliant on technology for delivering lessons and running the administrative side of the school, network reliability and resilience is one of the hot topics that I often get asked about by the schools we work with.

While many Independent Schools enjoy stunning countryside locations, there can be some pitfalls in terms of technology! Over the years, most schools have bitten the bullet with the "excess construction charges" that BT and similar organisations levy to connect these locations to the Internet. But many schools still suffer from Internet reliability issues. I noticed in the press just this week that Myddelton School which has just opened in North Wales enjoyed a challenging first few days when their Internet circuit was severed, and I know many other schools have been in the same boat over the years, when something as simple as a bad storm took down overhead cables, resulting in a lengthy Internet outage.

And when it's not the great British weather causing havoc, it can be the local wildlife creating chaos, as one school I spoke to recently had found to their detriment. They first became aware of a problem when one building could no longer connect to the network. After much troubleshooting, it was discovered that a local rodent had nibbled through the fibre-optic cable that ran between two buildings!

And of course power problems have been a common cause of downtime for many schools over the years.

Coming from a business background, where there has been a reliance on 'always on' ICT for some years now, I am well versed in ways to overcome these challenges, so I thought it would be useful to share a few pointers:-

1. Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) equipment is important, not only to protect your servers but also other connectivity equipment such as Internet routers, firewall, network switches and Wi-Fi access points. Just having a UPS isn't enough though, it is important that they are sized correctly to provide an adequate run-time in the event of a power outage and that they are tested periodically and batteries replaced when indicated.
2. Some resilience can be built into Internet connectivity by having a backup line – where practicable routed differently from the main line – which will provide a failover in the event of the main line experiencing an outage. Again, just having a backup line is not enough though, as there are some technical intricacies involved in swapping from one line to another, therefore the firewall or router needs to appropriately pre-configured to enable a seamless switchover to take place. We are currently implementing solutions for many of our customers around this technology, and the good thing is that with ever-falling Internet connectivity prices, in some cases we've been able to provide them with a new main line and a backup line for a similar cost to their current main line only.
3. Inter-building connectivity can be made more robust by undergrounding cables where possible and providing diversely routed connections between buildings so that there is more than one route by which network traffic can travel between building A and building B.
4. In terms of server hardware, it tends to be the components that contain moving parts - things like power supplies and disk drives - that are most prone to a failure, so it's important that equipment has redundant power supplies and redundant arrays of disk drives. Or of course you could consider migrating to the cloud to negate the need for in-house servers at all – but that’s a big topic for another day!
5. Server monitoring software can also provide a valuable insight into the health of the network, allowing problems to be addressed proactively before they cause disruptive downtime. I would caution though, that it is vital this type of software is configured correctly, as there is a tendency for it either to over-alert and cry wolf too often, in which case real problems can be overlooked, or to under-alert resulting in vital problems being missed.

In future articles I will be discussing more ways of ensuring your ICT is “always on”, but if in the meantime you need any help or advice around making your network more resilient, then please do not hesitate to contact me on 0330-002-0045 or email schools@entrustit.co.uk

Knowledge is Power for Bursars in Independent Schools

With technology now intrinsically embedded in pretty much every element of school life, both inside and outside the classroom, the ability to make empowered decisions about the strategic use of ICT within the school has never been more important.

The Bursar frequently has the unenviable job of ensuring that the school ICT system simultaneously delivers:

• The best possible learning experience to pupils
• Provides for the smooth running of the administrative side of the school
• Safeguards the pupils
• Complies with all relevant legislation
• Serves to attract new pupils to the school

And he or she also needs to achieve all of this within the confines of a limited budget!

This is where Sir Francis Bacon's famous adage "Knowledge is Power" really comes into its own.

Because without good information the Bursar and the rest of the school's Senior Leadership Team can be left in a precarious position, as they don't have the knowledge needed to make informed decisions over the strategic use or direction of technology within the school. Whether you love or loathe technology, the reality is that ICT is now interwoven into the framework of the school and its successful strategic use is critical to the ongoing success of the school.

With technology, and associated security threats, ever-changing, this is an area where no school can afford to stand still.

So it may be worth considering the questions below, to make sure you have the information you need to make empowered decisions over the strategic use of technology in your school:-

• Do you know what technology you have got and what value it adds to your school?

• Do you understand how your ICT systems, in conjunction with your procedures, policies and pupil/staff education plan, safeguard children?

• Has the resilience and disaster recovery provision of your systems kept pace with the changing use of ICT in Independent schools?

• How cost-effective is your ICT system? Are you overspending or under spending compared with other independent schools? Could your ICT budget be deployed more effectively?

• Is the SLT kept abreast of the ever-changing cyber security threat landscape, and have you implemented the necessary technologies, policies and staff training to mitigate the risks? Is this reviewed and updated on a regular basis in light of technological advances and new threats?

• Do you know which technologies other local independent schools have deployed or are considering implementing and how that will impact on your competitiveness in attracting new pupils?

• Do you have a clear understanding of how future proof your ICT systems are? If they have a limited lifespan (and let's face it, most things in ICT do!), have you considered when you will replace them, and what with?

  • Are you clear about the benefits and risks of Cloud Computing in independent schools?

• Do you understand what technology and procedures you have in place to prevent data leakage and/or loss?

• Are you aware of the ways you can leverage your ICT systems to generate further income for the school or fulfil its charitable status obligations?

In the digital world in which we now live, making the right ICT choices is integral to success.

And that all starts with having the right information.

Web Access in Independent Schools - Protect or Educate?

One of the common themes I get asked about when I visit Independent Schools, is that of web access.

It's one of those areas where many schools find it difficult to get the fine balance right between safeguarding and usability.

In most cases - and for all the right reasons - the internet has been locked down very tightly, to ensure pupils can't access inappropriate websites. Often though, the policies set also preclude the staff from being able to access online resources which are needed, or would be useful, to carry out their job.

In other cases the system has grown organically over the years, and now has such a complicated set of algorithms behind it, that it is difficult to unravel or make changes, and indeed may seem to give inconsistent results over what can be accessed and by whom on any given day.

Neither of these situations is beneficial for any school, and when I am approached by schools who find themselves in these scenarios I normally suggest that we sit down and redefine the web access policy from scratch. Let's bear in mind that times have changed from the early days of Internet connectivity, and whatever controls we implement on the school's firewall to restrict access via Wi-Fi or school computers, pupils can, if they wish, circumvent, using 4G on their smart phone. Many schools feel this changes the onus from one of blocking everything possible, to one of educating youngsters in the safe and effective use of the Internet nowadays. Now please don't think I am proposing unrestricted Internet access for all, as that is absolutely not the case. Certain types of websites will always need to be blocked. I am just saying that schools’ responsibilities around safeguarding are complex, involving not just age appropriate access policies, but also around equipping pupils for later life by educating them in safe and effective use of the Internet, whilst also providing staff with monitoring and reporting facilities so they have visibility of what sites pupil are visiting.

Luckily, modern web filtering products have moved on apace and many now offer powerful reporting capabilities, along with the ability to set up multi-layered security policies, so that specific subsets of people such as staff or different year groups can have differing levels of access. Whilst most schools prefer to get in a specialist IT company to ensure the systems and policies are initially setup correctly, the beauty is that these systems are then largely self-managing, with automatic security updates being applied and a relatively straightforward management and reporting interface.

The Relentless March of Technology

 

I must be getting old, but the other day I found myself wondering, just when did every classroom become an ICT suite?

ICT used to be boxed away so neatly. There was that room with all the cables and the stuff with the flashing lights on it where the Network Manager lives, and there were a few ICT suites carefully equipped with highly configured and secured PCs.

But suddenly every Tom, Dick and Harry (or at least pupil, staff member and visitor) is turning up with their own laptops, tablets and phones and seems to be creating an on-the-fly ICT suite in every room. Throughout the land, Network Managers are ashen-faced and on occasion, dare I say it, a little huffy, at the thought of a random array of unapproved and uncontrolled personal devices being connected to "their" network. And as always, the Bursar is left to pick up the pieces.

At one school I visit, there is a lively debate going on between the Head of English and the Head of ICT as to whether the new school library should contain books or just electronic readers. Libraries without books? What is the world coming to?

Then there's the Cloud. Should we even have an in-house ICT system at all? Or could we do away with all this costly equipment and the people to manage it, and the hassle of trying to fix it when it goes wrong and constantly battling to keep it up to date! The Cloud sounds like the panacea to all our ICT woes. But wait, I hear you say, we can't even get a reliable high speed connection to the Internet from the stunning rural location of our Independent School.… So how's that ever going to work?!

There is no doubt that the arrival of the digital era has created enormous challenges for Independent Schools, with cyber security and safeguarding children being two of the key issues. But with the Internet now considered a “basic human right” in the digital world in which we live, the need for pupils to learn how to use it safely and effectively is paramount. And with an ever increasing reliance on technology in the classroom, making school systems bullet proof has also become a necessity, because there is nothing worse for a teacher than to stand in front of a room of eager (or not!) pupils, finding he is unable to deliver his lesson as planned because the internet has gone down. Of course a good teacher will always get by, but that's not the point, he should be able to rely on his technology to deliver the lesson in the most appealing and engaging way for his pupils. And of course there's the unenviable task of trying to find budget to fund new ICT initiatives and the appropriate safeguards that are needed to go with them.

But it's not all doom and gloom. Many Independent Schools are finding their way through the challenges and embracing the technology. They've found ways to flip their ICT budgets and use the current pot of money in a very different way to create a powerful learning platform that serves to teach children more effectively and equip them for life in the digital era. A system that is safe and secure, reliable and fast. A system that not only serves the educational needs of the school, but helps to balance the books commercially too, ensuring that their school's technology is keeping pace with, if not surpassing, that of other local schools, and is serving to attract new pupils to the school. And there are other ways these schools are leveraging their new technology commercially, perhaps to attract more events to the school, or bring in more summer school bookings. In some cases they are leveraging their new technology to help them fulfil their charitable status obligations too, by using some of that technology for the good of the local community for example. What great PR for the school too!

So actually, perhaps the relentless march of technology is not so bad after all. In fact, on reflection, I think I can safely say, bring it on!