Computing infrastructure: review and procurement

Find out what's included in your school's IT infrastructure and what to consider when reviewing it and procuring new equipment or systems.

Last reviewed on 21 April 2022
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 6885
Contents
  1. What's included in IT infrastructure?
  2. How to review your IT infrastructure
  3. How to procure elements of IT infrastructure

What's included in IT infrastructure?

The DfE’s guidance about school IT systems states that IT infrastructure includes:

  • Physical cabling and data connections
  • Wireless equipment, including wireless access points (WAP) and WiFi
  • Internet equipment and systems, such as routers
  • Internet security systems
  • Management systems

When evaluating your IT's strengths and weaknesses, and your IT development plan, you should also consider your school's:

  • Physical IT equipment: laptops, tablets, computers, SMART boards, and printers
  • Cloud-based platforms, subscriptions, and apps

How to review your IT infrastructure

To make sure your school's IT infrastructure is as effective as possible, review what you have and assess what you need to do to improve it. This includes both your school's physical IT infrastructure, and your contracts and subscriptions.

Your school business manager (SBM), ICT teacher, or IT support staff may be able to help you with the review.

Depending on the needs of your school, this might be every 3 to 5