K-12 education looks different now than when I was in school just a few years ago and it will look different when our children get there. Technology is constantly evolving and making tasks easier or obsolete. iPads and Chromebooks have taken over schools and VR and AR technology are becoming the next big thing. This is the trend today, but what will the trend be next year? In 5 years? 10 years? And more importantly how are school districts and universities supposed to plan for it?

Progress has been made and a rapid technological evolution has occurred over the last two decades, somewhat because of schools acceptance and use of technology. If schools weren’t teaching students how to use computers and other technologies, some of the greatest innovations may have never taken place! With schools pushing for computer use in classrooms and at home computer usage has become ubiquitous. When I was growing up, if I didn’t need a computer to complete homework or my mom hadn’t seen the learning benefits of having one, we would not have had a personal computer. So, I guess I should be saying “thanks” to my elementary school teachers for requiring our paper reports to be typed all those years ago or I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn how to use a computer and be able to use all of its wonderful capabilities back then.

The thing with technology now is, it’s not just the idea of the computer anymore. Now students use iPads, cellphones, iPods, Chromebooks, laptops, Smart Watches, and the Internet constantly. There is no telling how all of these devices will improve over the next few years or what other devices will be invented for students and faculty to use. Schools really have no way of knowing exactly how much that will cost, but they might not need to know. Schools might be able to avoid the procurement cost of new technologies by not purchasing them. They won’t need to purchase them, or at least as many, if they allow students to bring in their own devices (BYOD) to school. Then schools would be able to concentrate on the one thing needed by all devices: a simple, secure, fast, and smart network.

Preparing for network expansion and improvement is the one thing that schools will always need. If schools are planning to continue to use technology they will always need a network connection to the Internet. Extreme Networks provides just that, a great network that is simple, secure, fast, smart, and all encompassing. All of your school’s networking needs can be fulfilled by Extreme Networks. Extreme offers a solution for schools that includes switches, wireless access points, application analytics, access control, management center, and a cloud management service.

With Extreme’s capabilities schools can have a powerful network that meets and exceeds their needs. Networks can be designed to enable greater and faster connectivity; if every student has multiple devices connected to the network it needs to be powerful, secure, and fast. Network managers need to analyze the network through analytics to see what applications students are using and block inappropriate and unacceptable ones, while also looking for security threats. The analytic programs and management centers make using technology more convenient and enable network managers to save time on troubleshooting. Schools are able to save time and money with their Extreme Networks investment because we offer the entire solution and make the purchasing and service experience easy and convenient. Extreme Networks offers a fast, simple, secure, and smart solution for schools in need of a new or better network solution.