In years gone by, schools maintained an on-site (local) server to provide:
- network services – DHCP, DNS, etc.
- web services – Intranet, caching-proxy, content filtering
- file services – home folders, shared folders
- email services
- client management – desktop, applications, network settings, etc.
- client re-imaging (for all computers on the network)
However, this was back when Internet bandwidth was minimal, or non existent, and schools’ ICT budget was exhausted on the provision and maintenance of large numbers of computers housed in ‘labs’ with grills on the windows!
Fast forward to the present day, where most schools are served by high capacity bandwidth, online file storage, web publishing and email services are readily available, and students and teachers are responsible for maintaining their own devices through BYOT programs. The list of local server requirements now looks a little different…
- network services – DHCP, DNS, etc.
web services – Intranet, caching-proxy,content filteringfile services – home folders, shared foldersemail servicesclient management – desktop, applications, network settings, etc.- client re-imaging (maybe – for a small number of school-owned computers)
If your school is part of a larger organisation, it is likely that the organisation is also providing DHCP and DNS services to your school’s network
Online providers such as Google Apps for Education provide file storage services in the cloud – currently unlimited storage capacity for every student and teacher. At no cost to the school. (Max size for a single file for Google Apps for Education is 5TB!)
Ditto for email and Intranet services. There may remain a need for a local caching proxy server. And content filtering is most likely provided by your school’s governing organisation.
The widespread adoption of BYOT is rendering the re-imaging and ‘management’ of large numbers of computers redundant. Schools will maintain a small number of temporary ‘replacement’ devices, and maybe pods of computers for expensive specialised applications such as CAD. And maybe these computers can be re-imaged from local USB HDs, rather than from a server over the network.
So, reflecting on the above discussion, does your school really need to maintain a local server?