3 Technology types that will impact higher education in 2019

The growing threat of sophisticated security attacks is a concern not only for corporate organisations but also for higher education institutions. The move to Software as a Service (SaaS) products, coupled with the increase in the number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices within the learning environment requires a new outlook on security and risk. As educational institutions become more digital, issues such as privacy, safety and confidentially have greater importance.

However, the challenge here is how far do you go? Recently it emerged that a test of UK university defences against cyber-attacks found that in every case hackers were able to obtain “high-value” data within two hours. Clearly there is a huge problem here; however, there is a balance that needs to be found. Students can become annoyed with layers of security and authentication, while the threat of cyber-attacks concerns IT managers. Furthermore, if higher education institutions are having to allocate more budget towards, security and risk management, this has the mitigating effect on them being able to procure the latest technology and innovations.

When regarding hardware the security risk doesn’t just only end when you return the assets. It would be best if you considered what happens to those devices and the following data that is stored on them after you’ve got rid of them. Often they’ll be sold to a secondary market, meaning data deletion is imperative. When choosing a service provider for your data deletion requirements be sure to select a provider that uses Blancco. They provide the industry standard in terms of data deletion, and their service is approved by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the British Standards Institution (BSI). In addition to this some service providers can offer secure, GPS tracked transportation, with the deletion of data conducted in a secure area with biometrically controlled access to further enhance security. The fact is that data security is an absolute priority, and you can’t afford to cut corners here.

Similar to how Barcelona has street lamps that react to surroundings to save energy or how Milton Keynes has implemented AI-powered traffic lights, university campuses are now transforming into mini smart cities. We are already seeing institutions looking to implement this with The University of Glasgow working with innovation centre Future Cities Catapult on a plan to bring smart tech to their campus. The project includes rolling out intelligent campus AI, an on-demand bus service and a data centre powered by renewable energy.

Having a smart campus can bring several benefits with it such as, making your campus more sustainable, lowering operational costs and providing a better student experience. Aside from The University of Glasgow other universities including Manchester Metropolitan, The University of Nottingham, The University of Malaya in Malaysia and Deakin University in Australia are all implementing smart campus technology. Similar to smart appliances, smart TV’s, smart watches and smart buildings, this is a trend we expect to see keep on growing. The problem in rolling out a smart campus is that many higher education institutions have departments which operate in silos. To roll out a smart campus universities need to work in unison. Moreover, a smart campus is a large project for any institution. Sometimes the best thing to do can be getting an external partner involved who can alleviate some of the pressure placed on the university regarding a large project such as this. 

As the name suggests wireless presentation technology allows you to project content from a computer, laptop or mobile onto a screen wirelessly, rather than using wired connections such as an HDMI or VGA cable. Wireless presentation technology is likely to become even more critical as most devices are swapping out HDMI ports for mini display ports, requiring the need for additional adaptors. Also with higher education institutions moving to choose your own device (CYOD) solutions, alongside the increase in the use of mobile devices and tablets, wireless presentation technology provides everyone with a much better, easier to use and faster experience.

Although this technology has been on the market for several years it has still yet to completely catch on. Often the high price and set-up time can be factored into why institutions don’t implement this technology. There is also a feeling of if it’s not broke, don’t fix it here. Wired connections work fine, but like a lot of wireless technologies, wireless presentation technology is one of those things you don’t realise you need until you have it. The ease of use the technology provides, and the fact you have one system that works on all devices means that as your technology environment advances, you will always have a presentation system that works.

Technology moves fast; there’s no doubt about that. Trying to keep up with the latest innovations can seem impossible at times and change is challenging. However higher education is about students, their learning environment, their development and above all providing them with the platform to succeed in later life. Technology procurement, deployment and support decisions need to be made with this educational focus. At CHG-MERIDIAN we provide you with a complete solution that encompasses infrastructure, hardware and maintenance — wrapped up in an ‘as-a-service’ finance package we take care of all stages covering the preparation, rollout, useful life and the end-of-life of the assets. No matter what the technology type, we can take of everything and allow you to focus on what you do best.