ICT Support and Services for Independent Schools

Connect Systems are a well established IT support company based in Chesham in Buckinghamshire. Traditionally most of our clients have come from small and medium size businesses and financial institutions. Since 2009, we have also been designing, installing and supporting networks for Independent Schools. We have recognised that the ICT systems in use at many independent schools have been based on proprietary systems and as such have become unwieldy, expensive to run and maintain and in some cases unreliable.

As technology plays an increasingly important part in both the classroom and the administrative function of the school, so a robust network becomes more and more vital in the education sector. Connect Systems LLP brings 19 years of experience from the business world to Independent Schools to offer an IT network that is much more reliable, supportable and cost effective to run. In some cases we can reduce a school’s ongoing ICT support costs by as much as 65% whilst also giving them a more reliable, state of the art system based on virtualisation technology.

Depending on the size and complexity of your network, we can either provide a fully outsourced ICT department providing all aspects of your network support or we can work to supplement your existing in-house ICT personnel. All of our staff who attend site to provide support are CRB checked.

We understand that scholars, teaching staff and administrative staff will all have different IT requirements and can recommend, install and support suitable solutions for each category including, where appropriate, ICT facilities for boarding students.

We have a good understanding of the software and hardware systems in use in schools such as SIMS, Activeteach, Edexcel, Smartboards and many others. We can also recommend, supply and install PC and server hardware, networking equipment, software licencing, Internet circuits, firewalls and much more.

We recognise that security is a vital part of any school’s network and we can offer advice and configuration expertise on a range of solutions including anti-virus products, anti-spam solutions, firewalls, email content filtering and web monitoring and filtering. We can also provide solutions for CCTV and Access Control that integrate with your network.

We can also help you prepare your ICT systems for your ISI (or Ofsted) inspection, by ensuring that your ICT systems follow best practice in terms of security, backup and disaster recovery.

The bursar normally has the unenviable task of balancing the school’s requirement for a robust and well-performing modern IT system, against budgetary constraints. Our experience at many other customers over the years means we can offer expert advice on what works well and what doesn’t, so that the money you invest gives you a real business benefit.