Like a lot of organisations, Sedbergh is tackling the enormous task of keeping everyone happy with their IT; driving transformation and data modernisation whilst battling with legacy technology and resource constraints. As Head of IT – and a past teacher himself – Matt McVoy, is also driven by the knowledge that digitally confident pupils are inspired by ‘digitally confident teachers, who are inspired by a digitally confident IT department who aren’t constantly sticking plasters on legacy infrastructure to keep it going’. So, transforming the School’s IT is a priceless investment in the future of our pupils.
‘Schools have a huge responsibility to bear when it comes to preparing children for life beyond school. We must be sure that our children are ready for whatever life throws at them and that requires agility, flexibility, freshness of mind and openness to listen. Digital readiness, confidence and skills absolutely play a part in this and can only be enabled by our own digital transformation.’
Matt McVoy
HPE Greenlake interviewed Matt to discuss the challenges specific to a School and how HPE Greenlake’s flexible, hybrid cloud strategy addresses Sedbergh’s needs relating to end-user security and cyber-defence, scalability, integration with existing infrastructure, and inflation-resistant cost. It’s a brilliant case study and fabulous interview. Dialogue relating to the decision to adopt HPE Greenlake for Sedbergh School is repeated below and the full article and interview can be watched on Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s blog.
Why have you chosen HPE GreenLake for Sedbergh School?
‘There are many reasons. The school was keen to transform in terms of infrastructure so that we could deliver the best possible learning, teaching, living, welfare and pastoral experiences for our pupils. We were also looking to stop the drain on resources from managing the day-to-day demands of IT. The school wanted to consolidate our technology to avoid the rinse-and-repeat of the past when it comes to capital expenditure on systems that are either unproven or have a limited shelf-life. HPE GreenLake does all of these things.
We’re always conscious of costs, and cost predictability, so the flexible 5-year term and ‘no surprises’ fixed pricing bands of HPE GreenLake are excellent when spreading risk. This is particularly important during periods of uncertainty – as is the case with inflation and was the case with Covid-19. I also wanted a solution that can flex on demand, one that scales and evolves with the school. HPE GreenLake provides us with the transparency, predictability and reliability we need. The flexibility and scalability of HPE’s solutions don’t scream with arrogance. They don’t state, this is the solution for you that will look after your organisation for 3, 4, 5 years, what they say is, this is the solution for you today and we’re going to be alongside for you for whatever is thrown at you as you continue to expand.
HPE’s commitment to the circular economy was extremely attractive. We’re now able to consolidate our technology assets with one, future-proofed platform. That saves management time, so our IT professionals can now concentrate on doing more of what they do best. There’s also the reassurance we’re able to give our parents, that their children’s online activities are subject to the most robust of guardrails. Last but not least, how HPE GreenLake is able to play an informative role in how our pupils learn to collaborate – before they face the realities of the wider working world.
It is also important to note that the day-to-day management of IT is shifting from the very technical management of heritage infrastructure to that of user confidence, certainly in a school setting. It is vital we allocate time to increasing digital confidence within the team. I have an incredibly talented group of IT professionals at Sedbergh School that are willing to move away from that heritage network infrastructure management and seeing the benefits of having upskilled, digitally confident colleagues in the classroom because it makes a difference to our learners. If our students are inspired by digitally confident teachers, who are inspired by a digitally confident IT department who aren’t constantly sticking plasters on legacy infrastructure to keep it going, then great.
HPE GreenLake enables this, empowering our colleagues to provide our students with a brighter, more agile future.
HPE is committed to supporting education organisations to transform the learning experience and ultimately, children’s futures. Working with you to accelerate your digital strategy, we provide you with a transformation solution suite that fulfils your objectives today and collaborate with you as your organisation evolves.