The shifting needs of education require flexible hybrid IT systems that are efficient, compliant, and resilient
Technology has revolutionized what goes on in the classroom (physical and virtual). As one media source points out:
“In modern classrooms, digital tools have become indispensable. Interactive technologies like smart whiteboards and digital textbooks have replaced traditional blackboards and books, creating an engaging and dynamic learning environment.”
Technology has quickly changed how students learn, and there are indications that more shifts are coming. Therefore, institutions must future-proof their educational IT infrastructure to gain maximum resilience, efficiency, and compliance.
The right hybrid IT solution can give them the power and flexibility to successfully deal with whatever is coming down the road.
Preparing Education for the Future with Hybrid IT
Today, K-12 and higher education institutions depend on dependable, dynamic educational IT infrastructure to support combinations of in-person and virtual learning opportunities. Students must engage in interactive lessons, collaborate with peers over distances, easily access vital resources, and much more.
With the right digital transformation partner, schools can harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to personalize education experiences, provide customized support and resources, give real-time feedback to pupils, and automate administrative tasks for school staff.
Resilient technology that adapts to current needs and provides the flexibility to change with future trends is increasingly provided through hybrid IT infrastructures, which combine educational institutions’ familiar on-premises systems with the many advantages of public and private cloud technology, including improved performance, cost savings, and greater security.
Overcoming Legacy System Challenges in Educational Institutions
Educational institutions that rely solely on in-house legacy technology can encounter serious problems, which may undercut their drive to use new and innovative solutions. For example, legacy systems and applications can pose security risks, putting critical information at risk.
Other problems with legacy systems can include:
- An inability to grow and change as a school’s needs do
- Performance issues
- Trouble integrating with new technologies
- Lack of remote access
- Increased maintenance and repair costs
- A greater burden on tech support staff
A hybrid solution, however, can extend the life of legacy systems while adding new functionality that can help facilitate and transform the educational experience. Schools can move away from centralized servers with aging equipment to a hybrid model with computing and storage options that shift the burden of in-house infrastructure maintenance to the cloud.
A hybrid solution can extend the life of a school’s legacy systems and maximize the value of its infrastructure.
Key Benefits of a Hybrid IT Infrastructure in Education
One of the great advantages of a future-proof educational IT infrastructure is that it enables enhanced learning access and flexibility. Its powerful features support diverse learning models, including in-person, remote, and hybrid learning. Reliable, high-speed access ensures uninterrupted educational experiences, including dependable access to critical learning resources. And integrating with mobile technologies can help facilitate student collaboration.
Encryption, multi-factor authentication, secure data storage, and other features of robust hybrid infrastructure can safeguard sensitive student and institutional data and keep networks secure. End-to-end security provides peace of mind but helps keep schools compliant with relevant government regulations, such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Non-compliance with some regulations can trigger hefty fines if they are violated. AI analytics can also help to identify and prevent data breaches and security risks.
Balancing budgets and stretching dollars are essential concerns for many educational institutions. A hybrid solution can help with cost efficiency by reducing the need for repairs and maintenance, enabling users to work faster and better, and enabling schools to scale without investing in expensive new equipment.
Strategic Steps for Building a Resilient Hybrid IT Model
To achieve a reliable, future-proof educational IT infrastructure, schools should begin by assessing their current systems and needs, identifying critical needs for modernization and specific IT goals.
An assessment can tell which legacy equipment can be retained and what needs to be updated or replaced. The assessment should be conducted before investing in a solution to ensure you are only paying for what you need. Once this assessment is done, it can be used for future evaluations of how the IT solution operates to ensure you get as much mileage as possible from it.
The next step is to develop a phased hybrid IT roadmap, gradually integrating new cloud services to minimize disruptions to operations. The phased approach might include a test of a migration strategy before you commit to it. You can also set data migration for off-hours when demand for applications is low. And you might also do data migration in batches rather than committing everything to one go.
When implementing security best practices, you should begin by regulating access to information using a “zero-trust model”—enforcing strict identity verification inside and outside the institution. Endpoints should be protected with anti-malware software, threat protection protocols, and regular system/software updates.
Many cloud-based platforms have flexible pricing options so that you can scale your operations according to your needs. Whether it is increased use of AI and automation, cohort learning, new collaborative experiences, game-based educational experiences, or whatever else might become a new priority, your hybrid system should be primed to support you in any way you need.
Partner with CoreBTS for a Future-Ready Hybrid IT Infrastructure
If you want to help implement and optimize a hybrid IT infrastructure, Core BTS ensures that the school is in. We have deep experience working with some of the world’s best K-12 and higher education institutions, using cutting-edge technology to discover new ways of learning in an ever-changing world.
With our CoreScholar school analytics program, you can find a smarter way to manage student data to achieve better outcomes. The easy-to-use dashboards and smart analytics make it easy to integrate any data sources, analyze individual students and schools, track progress over time, and better focus your educational efforts.
Want to learn more? Contact one of our team members for more information. We’re committed to helping you make the grade.
