The importance of reliable internet for schools

Reliable Internet is Essential for Schools

In today's digital age, reliable internet is essential for schools. Students need access to online resources to thrive academically, and teachers need to be able to use technology to deliver engaging lessons.

The Department for Education (DfE) in England has set minimum requirements for internet speeds in schools. Primary schools should have a minimum download speed of 100 Mbps and an upload speed of 30 Mbps. Secondary schools, all-through schools, and further education colleges should have a connection capable of delivering download and upload speeds of 1 Gbps.

In addition to a reliable internet connection, it is important to have a backup plan in case of an outage. This can be achieved by setting up an automatic failover system. An automatic failover system is a type of network redundancy that automatically switches to a backup internet connection if the primary connection experiences an outage, this could be a connection from a different ISP or as a managed solution from that same ISP then ensures diverse routing via different telephone exchanges

There are many benefits to having reliable internet in schools. Research has shown that students with access to high-speed internet in the classroom tend to achieve better academic outcomes. Additionally, high-speed internet fosters greater engagement, making learning more interactive and motivating, ultimately leading to improved retention. It also enables effective collaboration among students, enhancing their problem-solving and communication skills. Moreover, high-speed internet facilitates personalised learning, allowing teachers to tailor lessons to individual students and improve overall learning outcomes.

If you are a school business leader in the UK seeking to upgrade your internet connection, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

To meet the minimum bandwidth requirements laid out by the Government bodies, Fibre to the Premises / Ethernet services are an essential solution.
Ensure network security by implementing firewalls and antivirus software. This will help to protect your school's network from potential threats.
Provide training to your staff on effective internet usage. This will help to ensure that students are using the internet safely and effectively.
By following these recommendations, you can ensure that your school benefits from a reliable internet connection that adequately supports the needs of both students and teachers.

DB Comms will be presenting at ‘Invest In You’ a networking event and event for School Business Managers and Finance Directors at Hylands House, Chelmsford, on 21^st June, 2023 please see here to register as delegate

Flexible Working

As the UK begins to transition out of restrictions, the question of returning to the office is one of great interest. Since the pandemic began, millions of workers have moved to working from home and employers have been encouraged to promote flexible working. But what does ‘flexible working’ really mean and how is this something your business can adopt without sacrificing productivity?

Is Office Working a thing of the past?

Many companies have thought about the future and how office working may be impacted. Take Microsoft Teams for example, pre pandemic it had around 32 million daily users. By October 2020, this had grown to 115 million daily users and has continued to grow to 145 million daily users. This shows that businesses are taking work online and with the flexibility of Microsoft Teams, it’s not hard to understand why.

Microsoft Teams for Business:

Microsoft Teams is a service that was launched in 2017 and has evolved over time. Microsoft Teams allows you and your team to communicate through calls, video conferencing and messaging. You also have the ability to share your screen. This allows you to still meet ‘face to face’ with colleagues and even external clients. DB Comms can also help your business use Microsoft Teams as a cloud-base phone system to replace your old-style ISDN/PSTN phone lines, something that will need done as we approach the 2025 switch off. (Read more about Direct Routing)

Cloud-Voice – The Complete Package?

With Openreach’s ‘Big Switch Off’ looming, businesses are now beginning to take the required steps to future proof their businesses phone systems, in preparation of losing their old-style ISDN/PSTN phone lines. This is a daunting time, something that has been so standard in our lives will be completely gone in the next 3 & ½ years. However, cloud-voice phone systems, such as Horizon or the new PhoneLine+, have been created to really embody flexibility. Now, the next step allows users to make calls ANYWHERE, as long as the user has an internet connection. The evolution of mobile & desktop apps allows user to call from a landline number from any device that is connected to the internet. It also allows businesses to utilise a mobile data connection as a back up incase of any broadband issues, meaning the business can be contacted at all times.

Customer Success stories –

One of our customers was still using an old-style phone line with an additional line for his old fax. He also had multiple handsets throughout his workshop for someone to always be on hand to answer. By looking into cloud-based solutions, we found that we could streamline his services and save him money by migrating his traditional phone line number to our Cloud Voice platform. Furthermore, he benefited from additional features like scheduling, time of day routing, voicemail to email, music on hold, all of which made is system more aligned to his business, enhancing his brand and added to his customers experience.

This meant our customer was saving money, making life easier and into the bargain he is now all set for future and the ISDN & PSTN Switch off