Cost-effective Remote Backup Strategies For Higher Education
Universities have IT needs unlike most other clients and often find the IT managed services at their disposal to be lacking
. Centers of higher learning need IT providers who are willing to customize their services to meet university requirements rather than simply try to push an unsatisfactory solution.
University Clients Need Specialized IT Solutions
Universities are centers of education and research. Their role in society is to safeguard and disseminate information. They were among the earliest organizations to use computers and were the first sites to connect to ARPANET, the predecessor of the modern Internet. They act as reference sources to users across the globe and their body of knowledge is constantly growing and changing.
When a university is involved in research, they may house information that is unavailable anywhere else in the world. Data loss could compromise research projects that have been going on for years. Other studies, dependent on the information from that university, could have their own efforts set back in a rippling domino effect. Such critical information needs to be protected as completely as possible against harm and, in the unfortunate case of data loss, it needs to be restored by IT managed services with total reliability and exceptional speed.
Staying On The Leading Edge Of Technology
Universities continue to explore the most effective ways to store, retrieve and disseminate information. They work to streamline information access and make it available to all users without discrimination. As society's needs evolve and change, universities have had to also change their educational model to accommodate non-traditional students. Online classes and resources have become a necessity rather than a luxury in higher education.
University IT managed services have to be able to cope with networks that rival that of global corporations and technologies that may still be in their infancies. Changing user demands and the introduction of new information tools such as remote backup services mean university IT departments have to be flexible and open to change.
The Challenge Of Staying On Budget
Although a university's need to guard information is greater than that of a typical corporation, they don't have the same assets available to private companies. Universities may have global reach, but they are not giant corporations that can easily throw a few million dollars at the problem. Rather, they have a limited ability to control their revenue, especially during difficult economic times. Recent years have seen dropping enrollments, slashed government funding and shrinking private contributions. Universities have to be smart shoppers, finding the information resources their students and faculty demand all while staying within severe budgetary limitations.
Traditional Remote Backup Services Are Unsatisfactory
It is ironic that the same universities that were at the forefront of computer and network technology have been left behind by the explosive growth of information technology. University clients often find IT managed services intended for the private sector do not meet their needs. Some of the service providers offer only a handful of plans for remote backup services or sometimes even just offer a single solution that is meant to satisfy everyone. The lack of flexibility leaves the service lacking and data may not be sufficiently protected. These plans may depend on the client's internal IT teams having the skills needed, at a time when universities are shrinking staff in an effort to save money.
Other remote backup services may not be able to scale up or down as the university's data requirements and financial resources change. Providers used to dealing with wealthy corporate clients may not have the patience for the limited resources of a university.
IT Managed Services That Work For Higher Education
Universities need both exceptionally reliable remote backup services and cost effective IT managed services. That conflict might seem like an insurmountable obstacle, but when service providers offer creative solutions, many educational institutions have found the options they need.
Universities should seek service providers willing to create remote backup services customized to the institution's seemingly contradictory needs. Solutions should be flexible and scalable so the client can get exactly the level of service needed at the time. As university resources change, the plan should be able to change with it.
Our institutions of higher education are one of the country's most important assets. The information they safeguard is priceless and they need IT managed services that are up to the task of protecting such a precious resource.
by: Steve Bulmer
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