As another summer comes to an end, businesses need to prepare themselves for the upcoming spike in Internet activity as students return to school. Internet technologies are being adopted by an increasing number 
of educational institutes, including primary, secondary and post-secondary schools. It’s also important to recognize that it’s not only the students who are consuming bandwidth, but the school officials as well.
It’s no secret that we’re moving more and more materials online. Therefore, educational institutes need to ensure they have a reliable Internet service that provides them with the capability to send and receive a great deal of data. Items such as email communication, video conferencing, student records, learning materials, and tests are now frequently used by teachers, professors, and school board members. Primary and secondary schools use their Internet connection primarily for communicating with their regional school board via email or accessing a virtual private network. However, teachers have also begun to integrate online materials into their classrooms as well.
Post-secondary schools have fully embraced the use of Internet Technologies in their establishments, with several professors using the Internet to communicate directly with their students through email, online chat, or 
student portals. A large number of post-secondary schools are also using the Internet for class registration, where students log on to a private network to select their courses. And every student is now assigned a student number as well as an email address upon successful registration. Most universities and colleges also assign each student with a username and password that are used to log-in to an online portal. Typically, these portals allow for students to view their class schedule, network with other students, obtain class notes, submit assignments, and communicate with their professors or instructors.
Taking into consideration the number of students who connect to their school’s Internet service for compulsory reasons, such as submitting an assignment or getting the class notes, one can only imagine how much bandwidth is being used. Add to that all the students who do research for their assignments online, are killing time in between class, or live in residence, and we’re talking some serious bandwidth consumption. During the school year, there are a significant number of users consuming a substantial amount of bandwidth. It’s important for schools to have an understanding of how much bandwidth is needed before school is in session in order to avoid a slow connection as students log on.
Businesses also need to be aware of any schools in the surrounding area since, in many circumstances, they’ll be sharing an Internet service with them. A majority of providers don’t make the distinction between business and residential, so the two types of customers are left sharing the same connection. This can result in an extremely slow connection once school begins, which can have a negative impact on your productivity.
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Blog Author: Vanessa Hartung
