The COVID-19 global pandemic has brought on a unique set of IT challenges for primary & secondary education, especially the issue of returning to school. Engaging students and preparing them for their futures just became more challenging. In times like this we can thank technology for assisting us through these unique circumstances.  

The list of challenges K-12 is facing today: 

• Deploy new styles of teaching 
• Improve student learning outcomes and success with personalized learning  
• Ensuring Student Safety and Privacy in the new normal 
• Prepare for the new normal in a post-COVID-19 world 
• Improve remote/online learning- a need especially heightened by COVID-19 
• Manage cybersecurity risks which have been heightened by extended and remote online access 
• Ensure compliance with evolving government requirements 
• Extend connectivity with drive-In learning, remote sites, and mobile Wi-Fi hot spots 

Primary and secondary institutions need a flexible, agile, scalable, and intelligent networking solution that will support present and future needs. In the fast-paced, constantly evolving, education environment it is crucial that your network can handle the unforeseen challenges. 

It’s high time that primary & secondary education starts taking advantage of the benefits of cloud infrastructure. 

Our survey of over 200 education IT professionals found that 94% of education institutions are hosting at least one solution in the cloud. This includes email platforms, learning management systems (LMS), student information systems, CRM, curriculum content, and teaching devices. 

And while 17% of education institutions currently manage their IT network in the cloud, 40% plan to move their IT network to the cloud in 1-5 years. 

Why should education institutions have a cloud infrastructure management strategy now? Here are some of the benefits: 

• Lower infrastructure management costs 
• Ease of interoperability, system integration, and data exchange, including remote access of data for remote locations and online classes 
• Flexibility and scalability 
• Improved security 
• Intelligent analytics and AI/ML-powered insights 
• Increased network reliability (100% uptime for ExtremeCloudIQ) 

Extreme Networks is committed to the complex requirements unique to K-12 educational institutions. Extreme Networks infrastructure management solution, ExtremeCloud IQ is designed to support K-12 education and deliver the highest levels of student data protection, management, and compliance needed to take on the evolving industry demands. 

Check out this ExtremeCloud IQ in action video for Primary and Secondary Education!