Education today: Why modernising campus networks is a must

Greg Kovich

March 18, 2024

Educational institutions worldwide must modernise their networks to meet today’s new requirements.

The pandemic transformed life as we know it, but it truly impacted education systems around the world. And it’s fair to say that education networks prior to the pandemic were already in need of attention.

Today, though, the situation has reached a tipping point and education networks worldwide must be modernised.

IT teams are now well behind their upgrade and maintenance schedules after being urgently diverted to support online learning during lockdowns. In parallel,  government-funded school systems are feeling the pain of the economic slowdown and would likely welcome an intuitive technology solution that transforms the teaching environment in a cost-effective way. There’s also the cybersecurity issue: networks made more vulnerable by the hybrid teaching environment are easy prey without a more robust security solution.

Let’s take a look at the challenges today’s education networks face, and what a modern campus network can do for them.

Making the transition

The pandemic shone a light on the evolving requirements for teaching, learning and campus safety, and in particular underlined the need for educational institutions to support more personalised education.

Indeed, a report  by McKinsey & Company claims that “students and faculty are eager to continue using new classroom learning technologies adopted during the pandemic, but institutions could do more to support the shift.”

Another study , conducted by Forbes in 2022 revealed that more than 80% of students want at least some courses online and 40% want only online education.

Post-secondary institutions recognise they need to move beyond short-term fixes to get ahead of the game. And Kindergarten to grade 12 schools know they need to transform to deal with the massive increase in student devices, as well as to provide next-level educational opportunities. A modernised network is a good first step and many schools are already making the move — schools like University of Johannesburg in South Africa, Wagner College in the United States and Dresden Student Network Working Group in Germany.

Today’s campus network must be designed and built to provide the reliability and performance needed for consistent, high-quality online course delivery that helps all parties succeed. It must also empower students and faculty to incorporate new and more sophisticated digital learning tools and technologies into their courses — whether they are participating on campus or remotely. A modernised campus lets students take advantage of HD video, virtual reality, augmented reality and other cutting-edge technologies for more engaging and interactive educational experiences.

There’s also the urgency for educational institutions to play a role in mental wellness. The stress and uncertainty of the past few years — combined with rising rent, food and tuition costs — have pushed student anxieties to new levels and are hindering educational progress.

Campus safety has also become an issue. Technologies that protect the physical safety of everyone on campus are crucial.

And when it comes to securing student and faculty personal data and course content security is paramount. A modernised network must include a Zero trust security strategy, which is the most effective way to reduce the risks of both external and internal threats and to manage the fast-changing cyberthreat landscape.

A modern network partner

Once an institution is ready to begin the journey to network modernisation, choosing the right partner can prove critical.

With the right partner, strategy and network technologies, educational institutions can deploy a modern campus network that is agile, reliable and secured against cyberthreats. High-performance wired and wireless connectivity throughout even the most sprawling campuses supports student and staff initiatives and broader digital transformation goals in a cost-efficient and sustainable manner. And it securely extends services beyond campus to wherever students and staff are located.