MAT Hardware Differences

[ITGURU]

Has anyone found when becoming part of a Multi academy trust, how different the networks are? I've come across some which are still running 100mb to the desktops. Is there anywhere else that still is or is everyone on gigabit?

[elsiegee40]

I don’t think this is unique to MATs. There are schools and other organisations across the country/world that are well behind the times with their infrastructure and with neither the money nor knowledge to improve it.

 

MATs are just schools joined together by a single Academy Trust. The Trust probably has bigger priorities than trying to get all schools onto interlinked, up to the minute infrastructure... getting teaching standards, student outcomes and budgets in order are top of the list.

[localzuk]

Half of our schools are 100Mbit to the desktop - including the biggest one, where I'm based. Gigabit to the desktop is a nice to have, but still not a necessity. Switches are a 10 year investment really, so it isn't surprising that schools still have them at that speed.

 

All our schools down here have similar networks, as they were all set up following a single LEA model.

[ITGURU]

I guess we are just lucky then with our infrastructure! Glad we got it when we did. However becoming a MAT we've been told our network operates faster than others and want to know why! It's only when you see other schools running you realise the difference. Gigabit to the desktop is certainly a necessity when transferring large files and logging on, there is a big difference and we noticed it when we upgraded years ago.

[Norphy]

Over the last year, we've slowly been getting all of the schools in our MAT onto more modern switching hardware. The oldest switches we have now are HP 2510G, 2910G and 8200ZL switches. I expect we'll be looking to replace the 2510s and 2910s in the next two to three years once they pass ten years old.

[bossman]

@ITGURU

 

Been on 100Mbit to the desktops with Gig fibre backbone here for the past 17 years.......I originally designed the network infrastructure for 10 years hoping we may get 12 but we just kept on going as we have had no money for the past 10 years so had to make do and mend....good job I designed it with good quality Cisco kit all them years ago and guess what?.......we are getting a school rebuild....well refurb really but the good part is that our infrastructure is going to be 20GB backbone with 10GB POE switches and Gig to desktops.....sweet!

 

We don't have any problems as we are and I do feel what we getting is overkill for what we will be requiring for the future but hey ho not our call......

 

Its not how big it is............its how you use it!!!

 

Have a nice day

[FN-GM]

I have been lucky really. The primary schools before they joined the MAT were managed by the LA IT team so all the kit is consistent. We did change the switches and wireless at primary schools though. The Secondary schools both had me working at them so the kit was the same anyway. So whilst the computers inherited from primary and secondary are different there are significant quantities. As we purchase new kit it is standardised across the board at all school