Alternative Approaches to Managing and Maintaining ICT Systems

The management of an effective ICT infrastructure in schools and tertiary organizations has developed well beyond the capabilities of the teacher-enthusiast or part-time technicians. Institutions will be faced with serious decisions around a range of issues that will require solutions that are robust and affordable.

Issues of concern include:

• Selecting which systems to use (LMS, SMS, LibraryMS etc) as part of an overall Managed Online Learning Environment
• Security, firewalls, anti-spam etc.,—the range of concerns associated with providing access to the WWW from within an organisational setting, and issues re staff and students connecting to school from home etc.
• Software licensing and updates. These costs—additional to the purchase price of the computer—are often “hidden” in budgets, and can become overwhelming—particularly as the number of computers increases
• Technical support—currently provided through a combination of help-desk operations and on-site support. Specialist knowledge and skills are not always available in all areas of the country.
• Resource access, storage and licensing
• Back-up and disaster recovery.
• For all but the largest schools and institutions, the issues noted above will best be addressed through the provision of the shared provision of services, requiring new ways of thinking and operating.