South West Grid for Learning Trust Schools Internet Services · South West Grid for Learning Trust Schools Internet Services Here are some specific points and comparisons with

South West Grid for Learning TrustSchools Internet Services

Here are some specific points and comparisons with other sources of connectivity and/or with managing various elements internally:

SWGfL itself

As a charity, SWGfL ensures the best value for money for schools (as we do not make any profit), and shares the same values and objectives as schools: we’re here to help improve education and learning in the south west

Organisations that might place commercial success ahead of the needs of schools

No(other networks are unlikely to be private)

Economies of scale: As we work for 2,500 schools, we can apply considerably more commercial pressure on suppliers to get the most competitive pricing

Lower discount levels (meaning higher prices) or restricted supplier/product ranges

Yes (but probably at additional cost)

We work with a very wide range of telecoms companies to find the best products in each area. This means that the selection of telecoms from the wide range of suppliers is on the basis of quality and value, not the amount of profit that can be made

Restricted range of suppliers and products

Yes (other suppliers can’t provide NEN connections; some provide peering with additional costs)

SWGfL will continue to procure best value services for schools and negotiate with suppliers to get the right contracts and protections for schools, rather than the standards terms and conditions from suppliers

Contracts that suit the supplier, not the customer, with terms and conditions (e.g. liabilities, IPR etc) that could be problematic

No(but probably at additional cost)

Service With SWGfL you gain… Without SWGfL you gain… Can I get this elsewhere?

5

4

3

2

1

Connectivity &

infrastructure

Education-specific connectivity with SWGfL & RM IHG sourcing best suppliers & managing entire delivery

Different suppliers supplying different services; plus extra services to manage within your school

Yes (but probably at additional cost)

All telecoms integrated and passed on by RM IHG at 0% margin, ensuring best value

Cost of service provider’s profit margins No (other suppliers make profit on telecoms)

A free of charge ADSL backup service for schools with managed CPE and over 400 learners

Loss of connectivity if the main circuit fails for whatever reason, affecting learning and school operations

Yes(but often at additional cost)

A private network, so performance, security & reliability can be better managed, avoid issues like contention and unrealistic “up to” speeds

Less confidence in the network’s ability to meet your school’s needs

No (other networks are unlikely to be private)

Wherever possible dedicated, symmetric circuits, so you get the (faster) upload & download speeds and better-managed network traffic (contention ratios)

Slower upload & download speeds, particularly at peak times

Yes

(but probably at additional cost)

Dedicated high-speed connections to 350 peers (eg Google, JANET & BBC), plus fast access to National Education Network (NEN) for a wide range of learning content and applications

Slower access & multiple subscription costs

No(other suppliers can’t provide NEN connections; some provide peering with additional costs)

Ongoing development of your network solution & service according to your needs

Slower access & multiple subscription costs

Yes(but probably at additional cost)

Essential safety

Safety from illegal content for users as all traffic is passed through proxy servers & checked against Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) database

Less protection from illegal content Yes(but probably at additional cost)

A unique approach which guarantees automatic notification to police of any attempts to access illegal material

The possibility of un-investigated infringements & perpetrators not held to account

No(only SWGfL can provide this)



2

Essential security

Cisco IronPort (market-leading protection against spam, spyware & phishing)

Risk of spam or virus attack, time/resource needed to remove spam each week & to handle complaints from staff/students/parents


Protection for your school via multiple active Cisco enterprise-class firewalls with intrusion detection & prevention

Need to purchase and deploy your own security solutions or risk a network open to external abuse


Service accredited to ISO27001, the industry standard for information security, giving you assurance that your data is being handled by trained professionals in line with a set of stringent standards

Potential concerns around information security, or worse still incidents that lead to losses or harm

Yes(but often at additional cost)

Help managing the risk at school level through a holistic service

Increased risk through different suppliers or school staff having to manage some elements of their services

No(only SWGfL can provide this)

Change & Service

Management &

development

ITIL-based FITS-aware processes to ensure quality in management of service & change

A service provider that may not have underlying systems for effective evolution/improvement of your service Questionable

Continual service improvement through strong partnerships

Less likelihood of roadmaps & service improvements if no/few partnerships

No charge for technical change requests (e.g. firewall ports, DNS changes, IP changes)

Unpredictable bills to make necessary changes, or projects held up due to lack of funding

No

(most suppliers charge for changes)

SWGfL and RM IHG (through aggregated approach) negotiate better contracts with telecoms companies and other suppliers to give schools more protection

Schools alone or in small numbers would have limited ability to influence telecoms company standard contracts/T&Cs, often leading to unfavourable terms for the school

No

(SWGfL can achieve this by acting on behalf of 2,500 schools)



3

Electronic Service

Interface (ESI)

Secure integrated user-friendly dashboard where you gain info & make decisions based on service data

The trouble of going to multiple sites & contacts to get the info you need

No(this is bespoke to SWGfL)

Quick easy online mechanism to log & track support calls & change requests at your convenience

Less responsive/flexible support when you need to resolve issues or make changes

Fast easy anytime access to comprehensive online support via the Knowledge Library

Time wasted browsing generalised support from different suppliers


Service desk &

support services

One low-cost local support phone number for SWGfL support

Need to contact different suppliers & call centres for different services, with no shared responsibility & variable call/service costs; call centres (with calls logged, but issues unfixed)


Support from highly qualified engineers (Cisco CCIE, Microsoft MCSE, Red Hat RHCE & CISSP)

Critical work undertaken without guarantee of highly qualified engineers

Questionable

24x7 proactive network monitoring with automated alerts for fast detection & correction of faults

The possibility of service fault/failure before your ISP is aware (undetected issues can lead to longer periods of downtime)

Questionable


Design & management

standards

SWGfL’s industry awareness & specialism, inc. teaching/learning, e-safety& large-scale networks for education & public sector

Slow or no response to changes in education sector (e.g. DfE requirements)

A service provider with less/no understanding of education & public sector

Questionable

RM’s business & quality standards, accreditations & awards, inc. Becta Accreditation, ISO Standards, Service Standard awards

A service provider that is not a leader in the education sector

No(other suppliers unlikely to be education specialists)


4

Documents

South West Grid for Learning Trust Schools Internet Services · South West Grid for Learning Trust Schools Internet Services Here are some specific points and comparisons with