How your IT system can help make your school secure and successful

Anyone who has ever walked into a school – let alone works in one – would attest to the fact that schools are busy, busy places.

Put aside the day-to-day demands of running a building that potentially houses hundreds or more children and educators, but the added weight of responsibility of teaching, management and organisation is simply mammoth.

Aside from chaining the gates and locking the doors, school security might not always come at the top of the essential, daily To-Do list. But in the growing environment of cyber threats and attacks aimed at the education industry, it’s never been more vital to take the time and ensure you have an up-to-date IT system, that helps keep your school safe.

Need convincing?

Outdated systems are at risk

Given the choice when taking a flight, would you choose a brand new, state-of-the art aircraft, or an older, less sophisticated tin can with a few million kms under its wings?

It’s the same when you think about the IT system you’re relying on to store your valuable school data and keep your operations running. The older the system and software, the more gaps in the security standards. 

It’s also true that the longer hackers have access to a certain system, the easier it is for them to identify how to circumvent any security measures. 

Older technology can’t recognise new threats

Just because your current software and hardware still looks like it’s working, it’s unlikely that it’s able to offer you the protection you need against newer, more sophisticated threats.

Every time a hack is exposed, hackers learn how not to do it.

This is extrapolated by the fact that technology is an ever-developing part of our lives and new security measures may not be compatible with older machines and programs.

Legacy platforms can’t act as quickly to stop threats

While older systems will have some security functions and be able to monitor and track threats once they happen, they won’t have the kind of up-to-date intrusion detection facilities that newer platforms can offer.

These new functions not only pinpoint a threat but can stop it before it crosses into your network, preventing costly and time-consuming damage and disruption.

Costly crashes and lost time

Computers crashing feels like an outdated concept today, with sophisticated systems simply not getting overloaded as easily as they once did.

However, old models and outdated software are more likely to crash, resulting in lost data and valuable time. 

Communication between both school and parents, and within the school itself, is essential to keeping the cogs turning. The longer, and more frequent, system crashes are, the more learning time is lost and communications missed.

Why your system needs an IT upgrade

Even thinking about updating your school IT system might feel like too big a job to tackle. But it doesn’t have to be hard – or costly.

For one thing, you don’t have to do everything at once. 

Assessing what your school needs most, where systems could be working better, and teachers and students need greater support, will clarify what areas are most in need of an upgrade.

Even making small changes, where you are able to see the benefits quickly, can help make the changes easier.

Upgrading your school IT also doesn’t have to blow all of your budgets. Good, reliable, reputable vendors don’t mean huge bills, and some platform features are free to eligible schools.

School security and safety is, and should be, a primary issue. A reliable, up-to-date IT system will save time and money, and allow your school to focus on successful outcomes.