The Problem
The school initially purchased a Swyx telephony system two years ago from HBT Communications. Their IT was managed inhouse by an IT manager. Unfortunately, the IT manager left the organisation and they were in the dilemma of recruiting a new IT Manager to manage the infrastructure for the two schools. The school had one technician and were not in a position to recruit immediately.
The school’s infrastructure is dated, equipment and infrastructure have been fixed or replaced as and when required. Furthermore, there has not been a coherent IT strategic plan for several years. The school is keen to move forward and wanted a risk-free solution.
In Summary
The partnership has improved the IT support provision on site and created cost efficiencies. By working with HBT, EWS have not experienced the cost of recruitment and by using a managed service provider there is no issue around holidays and sick days as there is always someone on hand to support the school.
"As a school we were struggling with recruiting an IT network manager as we were unsure of what needed doing and lacked the expertise in house. HBT provided an excellent service with the telephony system and offered a solution which amalgamated a number of first line support contracts which we had with other providers and offered more.
"René and his team have been brilliant; our system was creaking at the seams before and they have stepped into fix things at the drop of a hat. More importantly as a school we would not have been able to operate as effectively during the COVID 19 crisis if it had not been for HBT, they were able to provide remote working solutions, fix any issues immediately and support the school ensuring all students could access emails.
"The cost of their solution has been cheaper than recruiting a network manager and has provided more security and options for the future."
The Solution
HBT Communications have worked alongside EWS on their telephony so were well positioned to support with their IT.
The solution put in place involves HBT and EWS working closely. EWS have employed a 1st line support technician based on site, faults are initially raised to him, if he is unable to fix them, they are escalated to HBT’s help desk which provides support based on their SLA. The solution also included a technician provided by HBT when the schools 1st line technician was unavailable.
Support includes network, server, and users’ faults. We also include support for 3rd party applications.
HBT have also worked with the academy to develop an IT strategy for the future. As a result, a technology and resource plan will be developed with budget indications, this will help to ensure that long term a resilient IT infrastructure is implemented which improves the delivery of education and promotes a network that meets the needs of the user.
The approach is flexible and fair, EWS have the freedom to purchase and acquire their own quotes and can call upon the expertise at HBT as and when required.
Testimonial
“The cost of their solution has been cheaper than recruiting a network manager and has provided more security and options for the future.”
Elizabeth Woodville School (EWS) is an inclusive comprehensive school with approximately 1150 students. The school is located on two sites, Roade and Deanshanger the schools are 8 miles apart, operating as one school with staff working across both sites.
