How many of your strategic priorities can you achieve efficiently without a reliable WiFi network? 20%? 10%? How about a different question - how would your strategic priorities shift if you knew your school was supported by reliable, future-proofed, next-generation WiFi networks?
It’s impossible to separate the two - technology and priorities - and no one should feel any pressure to do so. The world runs on WiFi and today’s schools aren’t the exception. All of those with a vested interest in a school’s success need to understand how deeply WiFi technology permeates schools, what is possible with it, and, maybe more importantly, what can’t be done without it.
Why schools need WiFi
When it comes to education, technology is less about pushing boundaries and dazzling investors and more about robust, dependable infrastructure that supports teachers and administration in helping students grow in the present and prepare for the future.
That means technology is not only in the classroom, but also in offices, auditoriums, and possibly even outdoor spaces. Technology is used when teachers take attendance, when counselors research resources, when office staff print documents, and when students take assessments. It can be used to regulate temperature, provide security, and keep parents informed. It’s present in laptops, tablets, smartboards, and IoT devices.
On a daily basis, every single person in a school is affected by technology, and most of that technology depends on the WiFi network.
Why strategic success needs WiFi
Long-term goals often focus on academic improvements, community relationships, and financial security. Achieving these goals requires educational officials to assess their resources and plot out actionable, measurable steps to use those resources to reach the desired end.
Priorities might include:
- Giving students greater access to online resources
- Making students familiar and comfortable with technology to prepare them for the next grade, university, and/or jobs
- Simplifying teacher workloads with automated support
- Boosting community involvement through the use of online ads, community portals, interactive events, and more
- Streamlining office tasks
- Reviewing past analytics to keep on target and create personalized action plans
When priorities resemble any of the above, technology and the WiFi network are key resources. Without a reliable network, technology won’t be there when students and teachers need it. Without a network capable of supporting growth, strategic priorities will fall short of being realized.
Understanding your current WiFi network’s capacity, capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses is critical to both setting goals and achieving them.
What makes reliable WiFi possible?
While every network is unique, there are some commonalities when it comes to designing, maintaining, and optimizing reliability.
First, schools need an analytics platform that will deliver network insights and not only data. These analytics are the only way to know how the network is performing, what issues exist, and how to resolve them. Without that, you can’t expect long-lasting dependability. It’s important to move beyond data to actionable insights because every second counts in the world of issue identification and resolution. The less time IT has to spend reviewing data to find issues before they can be resolved, the better.
Secondly, analytics should come from the entire WiFi ecosystem. This includes backend and frontend infrastructure, connected devices, and non-WiFi devices that can affect network behavior such as Bluetooth. Insights should be delivered in real-time. IT also needs access to historical analytics, whether these are manually or automatically saved. These analytics will give critical insight into how the network has changed over time and what will be needed in the future to meet demand.
Thirdly, IT needs 24/7 access to the network. For the most part, teams should be able to review performance, run tests, and solve problems without having to be onsite. This is not only useful when IT physically can’t access a school, or when doing so would require lengthy travel, but also when IT would otherwise need to interrupt students to gather data and improve WiFi performance.
Fourth, technologies should be flexible. The last thing schools want is to lock themselves into a dead-end option that can’t adapt to meet future inventions.
Finally, technologies should be relatively easy to learn. This means significant training time shouldn’t be required and vendor support should be highly rated and available.
Schools can and should look for E-Rate eligible technologies when planning updates. This program can make a significant difference in keeping resources budget-friendly and top-of-the-line.
Is there a technology cheat-sheet?
Like any other market, technology keywords abound. You’re likely to see ones such as:
- Proactive
- Actionable
- Real-time
- Plug-and-play
- 24/7 support
- Free trial period
- User-friendly
All of these are good, but we all know that keywords don’t make a reputation. Always ask for a technology demo and you can also turn to message boards and get the opinions of real-life users. You’re the only one who knows your school and your priorities, but hearing from others how a certain technology has helped or hurt them is valuable.
Don’t ignore your network
WiFi isn’t going anywhere and it’s important to make sure this resource is actually a resource and not a handicap. Review performance and behavior analytics regularly, understand its capabilities, prioritize optimizing it, and it will take your students, teachers, and staff far.
