Do you work for an education provider? From nursery and infant school through secondary school and college, we know you’re seeing an increase in the emphasis around data protection, child safety and compliance frameworks such as PREVENT. We also know you’ve got more pressing things to think about than your organisation’s digital infrastructure because you’ve got one thousand things to do each day!
In 2026, education providers at all levels are mindful of the importance of secure IT systems and the role of a good internet service provider in supporting your organisation with safeguarding. That’s where the importance of a good managed service provider comes in. A managed service provider, or MSP, is a third-party service that manages an organisation’s IT infrastructure and end-user systems: think email, telephony, network and wifi… if you need it, there’s a good chance there’s an MSP near you who can provide it. But not all MSPs are created equal, and at Aspgate we spend a lot of time fixing our clients’ digital infrastructure after they’ve been locked into a subscription with a subpar MSP.
So why use an MSP and why should education providers such as schools or colleges consider enlisting an managed services provider?
24/7 Cyber Security
A good MSP, such as those offered by us here at Aspgate, will offer round-the-clock cyber security including regular and consistent patching and security updates, ongoing optimisation of cloud services such as Microsoft 365, and will ensure systems remain complaint with legal requirements such as GDPR.
Strengthening Safeguarding
Your managed service provider should ensure industry standard secure identity and access controls, such as multi-factor authentication on pupils’ user accounts and web filtering and monitoring. We know education providers must comply with PREVENT guidance, and a high-quality MSP will assist your organisation by identifying harmful or inappropriate content. Furthermore, at Aspgate we’re always happy to come into organisations to talk pupils through good digital etiquette and appropriate use of organisation computers. In autumn 2025 our Managing Director Carl spent a day at the College of Esports in London, giving an induction on best digiral practice.
Streamlining IT Operations Across the Learning Environment
Between classrooms, laboratories, remote schooling, multiple sites or campuses, staff devices, pupils’ devices… education systems often find themselves with complex digital systems! From setting up decent wifi across multiple buildings to ensuring every staff member’s work laptop works with centralised digital systems, an MSP can help reduce the burden of organising IT operations. While most schools and colleges do have an IT department, we know they’re always the busiest office in the building and there’s always more to do, which is why, when we work with education providers, we focus on streamlining services so teachers can focus on teaching and the in-house IT team can focus on day-to-day tasks like helping with password resets and connecting the right speaker to the right whiteboard in the right classroom!
Ensuring Budget Efficiency
MSPs tend to work on a subscription basis, which makes budgeting IT costs more straightforward. They also consolidate tools and platforms, so it’s easier to decide what to invest in. MSPs will help with hardware life cycle planning (so devices are replaced before they become obsolete but not before they’ve fulfilled their value for money) and will assist with license rationalisation (ensuring there is appropriate use of educational licensing on tools and products).
Ensuring Continuity Throughout the Academic Year and Beyond
MSPs typically provide backup and disaster recovery planning, cloud-based access to systems and rapid recovery in event of issues, as well as secure remote learning capabilities. While the academic year might only run for nine months, we know that education providers need 24/7, 365 IT support, and a good MSP will provide that.
Thinking of enlisting an MSP for your school or college? At Aspgate, we offer a variety of managed IT support and we work with clients in lots of industries, including education. We’re happy to chat with senior management and the IT team in your organisation to establish what you need from managed services and how we can ensure your organisation stays secure, compliant and functional so you can get on with what you do best: providing today’s young people with an exemplary education. Give us a call on 330 390 6888 or email enquiries@aspgate.co.uk to discuss how we can help!