MARKET REPORT Education
“Through savings from upgrading to cloud technologies, schools will be able to create the ROI to fund
necessary new technologies to support post-pandemic changes and success.”
Alison Hastings, Regional Channel Leader, Avaya UK&I
Alison Hastings, Regional Channel Leader, Avaya UK&I
Internet of ings (IoT) is
providing a pathway to much
more individualised learning.
One of the biggest bene ts is to
support the di erent learning
patterns of each student and to
encourage more connectivity
within the school.
“On a granular level, resellers
need to put themselves in a
position where they can roll-out
licenses to new laptops or tablets,
or onto pupils’ existing devices.
It’s the level of administration
that many schools or colleges
won’t be equipped to handle.
“ ose channel partners
The long-term role of UC in education?
James Turner, Enterprise Sales – Professional
Services at RingCentral
“So much of education is outside the classroom learning social
skills so being back to school is important. That said I think UC will
play a part for some time to come, so many people I see on social
are not likely to follow government back to school commands when
they come and follow their own path for children’s safety.”
with the ability to o er those
advanced services will have
the most chance of success.
is is where it is vital to work
with vendors as they can o er
expert advice and help with
deployment. All of which eases
the burden on the channel.”
Alison Hastings, Regional
Channel Leader, Avaya UK&I
commented “We expect to
see more exploration from the
wider school community into
AI and the potential bene ts
for personalised and enhanced
learning. Also, a wider adoption
of more sophisticated and
robust ‘paid’ remote learning
technology as Covid-19
continues to disrupt in ‘pockets’
of self-isolation as a result of
being in the close vicinity of
an infected person and wider
pandemic planning.
As children return to school,
we expect schools to need to revisit
secure campus technologies
and there is even greater need
to keep students safe. rough
savings from upgrading to cloud
technologies, schools will be
able to create the ROI to fund
necessary new technologies to
support post-pandemic changes
and success.”
Wardell added, “ e
purchasing behaviour of this
vertical is seeing buyer motives
changing as Multi-Academy
Trusts increase in size and
start to focus on achieving
more strategic and sustainable
technology estates to reduce
costs and support their shared
services and resource pools.
Stakeholder engagement has
moved from IT, Business
Manager and Procurement roles
to a more inclusive ‘Evaluation
Team’ approach involving wider
roles from around the trust. e
sales cycle is protracted but there
is greater opportunity to sell a
value end-to-end solution rather
than a disparate phone system
with a refresh every three years.
Against a background
of government having to
donate equipment to enable
children to be able to learn
at home, schools are starting
to consider procurement of
digital technologies, which
will make them consider the
options more carefully and
solutions will need to be cost
competitive and sustainable
whilst not compromising on
solution functionality and
interoperability.”
ED SAYS…
With global spending expected to top $314 billion by 2025 (up 11% per annum) fi nding
the right solution and getting maximum return on investment are imperative for any
education facility. One of the major headaches for schools is the sheer variety of
technology available and the need to create in-classroom learning experiences as
well as prepare for any future hiccups which might arise. Delivering a solution that
takes classrooms and educational settings seamlessly from the status quo into the
future, with software that is intuitive for educators and students to use, is key. A
partner that is able to offer the right advice and technology will be the best placed to
take schools into the future.
pickings for VanillaIP partners
over the next 12 months.
Like with all organisations,
we are selling a broad range
of services in this sector. Our
strategy is to arm individuals,
as well as departments, and the
school/academy in general; this
means deploying simplicity,
mobility, call management,
reporting, recording, seasonal
services and on-demand
delivery.”
Back on campus
Although we can’t escape talking
about the global pandemic
right now we must not forget
the role of technology in the
classroom. EdTech is a huge area
of opportunity which is designed
to keep students engaged and
focused and deliver a rich
learning experience. Spending
in the sector is likely to remain
strong and will top $314 billion
by 2025.
Nigel Dunn said, “Fiscal
challenges are, in many ways,
driving and de ning the
purchasing behaviour from
educational institutions. But
new technologies, such as the
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