At Dataspire, we never set out to be a managed service provider, but times have changed.

The pace of the technology evolution in schools is faster than it has ever been and, therefore, even the most competent of IT managers can’t be expected to keep abreast of the ever-changing landscape knowledge that’s demanded of them: cloud computing, cyber security, network infrastructure, and wireless connectivity, to name just a few. Because of this, bringing in a managed service provider has become the norm in schools, as it gives them access to a pool of people that thoroughly understand technology, understand schools and are experts in their field.

The danger when schools rely solely on a Network Manager for all their IT management is that all too often they will continue to use the same infrastructure as they’ve had before; one that sits within the Network Manager’s skill area and therefore one they feel comfortable managing. Consequently, they fail to explore the more efficient, cost effective options available to schools so become a barrier to change.

We work with two types of school settings. In some cases the school wants us to take away all the pain and completely manage the whole IT service. In other cases they want to retain employment of the onsite IT team but recognise that they are struggling to cope with the need to be reactive to issues as they occur as well as be proactive in developing the schools use of technology to enhance learning. In this case Dataspire can work collaboratively with the school IT technical team to reduce the burden and provide them access to the skilled team to fill in the gaps where required. Which ever way a school choses for us to operate the important part is that we fully understand the school’s individual needs. Once we understand this, we can then ensure the technology being used is the optimum option available for its individual budget, needs and the future.

But how does a school ensure the tripartite relationship between the school, IT head and managed service provider works? At Dataspire, we believe that the most important part to achieving successful IT management is high-quality training. Why? Because only with this training can an IT head start to understand why a particular infrastructure and blend of technologies has been chosen and why it’s effective. By having this appreciation, they are bought into the management and feel empowered to work with the service provider to share their knowledge and expertise with other staff. To get them up every morning they have to see a career progression and believe in what they are doing.

In turn, teachers and other staff can be confident in the knowledge that the technology will work without disrupting the lesson and that it will always drive continual improvement in the school.

With the pace of technology increasingly on a weekly basis, combining the knowledge of a school’s ICT head with a managed service provider is the only way to achieve a successful and appropriate IT infrastructure.

But our advice to all schools is to ensure that your external provider always offers training to your internal team to ensure they understand and are excited by the developments in tech and the possibilities that they can offer the school.