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