Preface
Edge understands that many higher education institutions are grappling with significant financial challenges driven by a convergence of factors. Declining enrollment, fueled by demographic shifts and a shrinking pool of high school graduates, has reduced tuition revenue, particularly for institutions in regions most affected by the “enrollment cliff.” This has been exacerbated by increased competition among schools vying for fewer students, often resulting in higher financial aid expenditures and reduced tuition rates. Meanwhile, decreased public funding has forced many public colleges and academic institutions to rely more heavily on tuition income, straining budgets further. At the same time, rising operational costs—such as salaries, benefits, technology upgrades, and campus maintenance—have compounded these financial pressures. The lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including reduced revenues from housing and auxiliary services and increased expenditures for online learning and health measures, have only deepened these fiscal challenges.
Compounding these issues, disparities in institutional resources have widened. Wealthy academic institutions with large endowments have been better equipped to navigate financial turbulence, while smaller, tuition-dependent schools often face existential threats. Many students and families are questioning the value of higher education amid rising tuition and concerns about student debt, leading institutions to reevaluate program offerings to align with workforce demands. However, these adjustments often require substantial investments that can be difficult for struggling institutions to afford. The financial instability has led to an increase in college closures, mergers, and consolidations, particularly among smaller private institutions. In response, schools are exploring new revenue streams, shared service models, and operational efficiencies to remain viable, but the long-term sustainability of these measures varies significantly by institution.
Virtualized and outsourced information technology solutions can significantly reduce operational costs for higher education institutions by minimizing the need for on-premises infrastructure and reducing associated maintenance expenses. Virtualization enables institutions to consolidate servers, storage, and other IT resources, improving resource utilization and reducing the physical space and energy consumption required to support IT operations. Cloud-based platforms and services allow colleges and academic institutions to scale IT capabilities based on demand, avoiding the high upfront capital costs associated with purchasing hardware and software. These solutions also offer institutions the flexibility to pay only for what they use, enabling more predictable budgeting. Additionally, by shifting to cloud-hosted applications for administrative tasks, learning management systems, and data analytics, institutions can streamline operations and redirect resources to mission-critical activities such as teaching and research.
Outsourcing IT services, such as cybersecurity, help desk support, and software development, can further enhance cost efficiency. Partnering with specialized providers enables institutions to leverage expert knowledge and advanced tools without the expense of maintaining a large in-house IT team. Outsourced solutions often come with built-in updates, ensuring that institutions remain current with technology trends and compliance requirements without incurring additional costs. Furthermore, outsourcing frees up institutional resources to focus on strategic initiatives, such as improving student outcomes or enhancing the academic experience. By embracing virtualized and outsourced IT solutions, colleges and academic institutions can not only reduce operational costs but also increase agility, enabling them to adapt more effectively to a rapidly changing higher education landscape.
As higher education institutions grapple with escalating financial pressures, they are increasingly exploring innovative solutions to maintain operational efficiency and deliver quality education. The concept of “Virtual IT” has emerged as a compelling strategy, providing an alternative to the traditional in-house IT model by outsourcing specific technology functions to external providers or remote workforces. By adopting Virtual IT, colleges and academic institutions can harness the power of modern technology without incurring the substantial costs of managing comprehensive IT departments on campus.
The financial challenges facing higher education are significant, fueled by factors like declining enrollment, reductions in state funding, and growing operational expenses. In this context, maintaining a fully staffed and up-to-date IT department can strain institutional budgets. From personnel salaries and training to software licensing and infrastructure maintenance, the financial demands of an in-house IT team can be prohibitive, especially for smaller institutions. Virtual IT offers a pathway to financial sustainability, allowing educational institutions to reallocate resources to their core mission of teaching and learning.
This white paper explores the emergence and advantages of Virtual IT in higher education. It examines how outsourcing technology functions can lead to substantial cost savings, improve access to specialized expertise, and provide enhanced flexibility in adapting to evolving technological needs. By shifting select IT responsibilities to external vendors, institutions can achieve a balance between financial efficiency and technological advancement, positioning themselves to thrive in a dynamic educational landscape.
Higher education institutions are experiencing unprecedented financial pressures that necessitate innovative solutions to reduce operating costs, particularly in IT. Several key factors contribute to these economic challenges, including:
1. Declining Enrollment Rates
Demographic shifts, especially in the United States and parts of Europe, have led to a shrinking pool of college-age students, which has driven down enrollment numbers in many regions. Additionally, some potential students are questioning the return on investment of higher education, leading to fewer applicants and increased competition among institutions to attract students. Lower enrollment directly impacts tuition revenue, a primary funding source for many colleges and academic institutions, creating budgetary constraints across the institution, including IT.
2. Reductions in State and Federal Funding
Public institutions, in particular, rely heavily on state and federal funding, which has been on a downward trend in recent years. Economic recessions, political shifts, and competing priorities have resulted in decreased state appropriations for higher education. With fewer public funds, institutions face difficult choices, often needing to reallocate or reduce budgets for essential services, including IT. This funding shortfall pushes institutions to seek more cost-effective ways to maintain and upgrade their technology infrastructure.
3. Rising Operational Costs
Across the board, operational costs for higher education institutions have increased. The cost of utilities, campus maintenance, healthcare benefits, and other operational expenses continues to rise. Information technology, with its ongoing need for software licensing, hardware upgrades, cybersecurity measures, and personnel training, represents a significant portion of these expenses. As other areas also require increased funding, IT departments are under pressure to cut costs wherever possible.
4. Technological Advancements and Rapid Change
The pace of technological change in IT is faster than ever, with innovations emerging in areas such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and cybersecurity. While these technologies present exciting opportunities, they also require continuous investments to stay current. For institutions already facing financial strain, the costs of frequent hardware upgrades, new software tools, and specialized personnel to implement and maintain these technologies can be unsustainable.
5. Increasing Need for Cybersecurity
Higher education institutions are prime targets for cyberattacks due to the sensitive data they hold and their often-vast and complex networks. Cybersecurity is a significant financial burden, as it requires not only up-to-date technology but also skilled personnel to monitor and protect the institution’s digital assets. Implementing comprehensive cybersecurity measures is costly, and many institutions struggle to keep up with the resources needed to secure their IT infrastructure adequately.
6. COVID-19 Post-pandemic Impact
The COVID-19 pandemic had a lasting impact on higher education, with institutions forced to shift to online and hybrid learning models nearly overnight. This shift required substantial investments in digital infrastructure, training, and support to accommodate remote teaching and learning. While many institutions received temporary federal support to cover pandemic-related costs, these funds were finite, and the increased reliance on technology continues to demand investment long after the initial transition. The pandemic also led to revenue losses in other areas, such as housing, dining, and auxiliary services, compounding financial pressures.
7. Pressure to Maintain Competitive Edge
As more institutions vie for a smaller pool of students, maintaining a competitive edge is crucial. Technology-enhanced learning environments, smart classrooms, and digital campus experiences are increasingly seen as differentiators. However, creating and sustaining these environments can be costly, and with limited budgets, institutions often struggle to balance the need for innovation with fiscal responsibility. Virtual IT offers a potential solution by providing access to modern technology without requiring the heavy capital investments associated with maintaining an in-house IT department.
8. Increasing Student Expectations
Today’s students expect their institutions to provide a seamless digital experience that includes fast Wi-Fi, virtual collaboration tools, online services, and secure access to academic resources from anywhere. Meeting these expectations requires continuous investment in IT infrastructure and services. However, with financial pressures mounting, institutions are challenged to deliver this level of service with limited resources, making Virtual IT an appealing solution for improving service while managing costs.
Given these financial pressures, higher education institutions are exploring ways to lower their IT operating costs without sacrificing quality. Outsourcing specific IT functions, leveraging cloud-based solutions, and employing remote technical support teams allow institutions to reduce overhead costs associated with staffing, equipment, and software maintenance. Virtual IT provides access to specialized skills, economies of scale, and flexible service models that can be tailored to an institution’s specific needs, helping them stay technologically competitive while managing costs. By adopting Virtual IT, institutions can reallocate funds toward their core educational mission, ensuring they continue to deliver value to students despite the economic challenges they face.
What are Edge's 10 Predominant Virtualized IT Solutions and Services?
One of the most common forms of virtual IT is moving to cloud-based solutions for data storage, hosting, and software applications. Instead of maintaining expensive on-premise hardware and software, institutions can rely on cloud providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud to manage infrastructure, providing scalable solutions that align with the institution’s needs.
HOW IT WORKS
Cloud-Based Infrastructure: Instead of maintaining on-premise data centers, academic institutions and colleges can transition their IT infrastructure to the cloud, relying on providers like AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud. This action involves migrating data storage, hosting, and software applications to these secure, scalable platforms. Cloud providers handle the maintenance, updates, and infrastructure management, freeing up the institution’s internal IT resources for other tasks.
Scalable Solutions: Cloud services allow higher education institutions to scale their computing resources up or down based on current needs. This flexibility is essential during peak usage times, like the beginning of semesters or when large-scale research projects demand increased computing power. Cloud platforms offer elastic capabilities, meaning academic institutions only pay for what they use, optimizing both performance and costs.
Managed Services: Many cloud providers offer managed services for software applications, security, and infrastructure, which can further offload operational responsibilities from internal IT teams. This enables institutions to access advanced features like automated backups, data encryption, and load balancing without having to manage them in-house.
BENEFITS
Cost Efficiency: Moving to the cloud reduces the need for on-site hardware, reducing capital expenditures and ongoing maintenance costs. Academic institutions avoid the upfront costs of purchasing servers, storage devices, and other infrastructure, instead paying for cloud services on a subscription or usage-based model. This model supports budgeting flexibility, as costs align more closely with actual demand.
Scalability and Flexibility: Cloud platforms offer unprecedented scalability, enabling institutions to easily scale resources as their needs grow. Whether it’s adding more storage capacity or scaling up computing power for specific research needs, academic institutions can adjust their cloud infrastructure to meet demand without worrying about overcapacity or underutilization.
Enhanced Security and Reliability: Leading cloud providers invest heavily in security and offer a range of built-in features such as multi-factor authentication, encryption, and compliance with industry standards like GDPR or HIPAA. Cloud services also often provide robust disaster recovery solutions, ensuring that institutional data is protected and recoverable in case of hardware failure or cyberattacks.
Focus on Core Objectives: By offloading infrastructure management to cloud providers, academic institutions can focus more on their core objectives, such as delivering quality education, conducting research, and supporting faculty and students. IT staff are freed from routine maintenance tasks and can focus on more strategic initiatives.
EXAMPLE
A mid-sized public academic institution might have traditionally relied on an on-premise data center to host its website, student portal, and faculty collaboration tools. However, the academic institution experiences frequent spikes in demand during registration periods, and maintaining the infrastructure is costly and labor-intensive. By moving to a cloud-based platform like AWS, the academic institution can offload its infrastructure management to a cloud provider, ensuring the website can handle high traffic volumes without downtime. The academic institution can also scale up storage and computing capacity as needed during busy periods, and scale down during quieter times, minimizing costs. Additionally, by using cloud-hosted tools like Office 365 and Google Workspace, faculty and students can access their work from anywhere, enhancing collaboration and reducing reliance on internal hardware.
Rather than staffing an entire IT department, academic institutions can outsource specific functions to third-party vendors. For example, IT management services such as network monitoring, helpdesk support, cybersecurity, and system administration can be provided by companies that specialize in these areas. This can free up the academic institution’s internal staff to focus on more strategic initiatives, such as enhancing teaching and research technologies.
HOW IT WORKS
Outsourcing Specific IT Functions: With Managed IT Services, academic institutions can delegate key IT functions to third-party vendors who specialize in areas such as network monitoring, helpdesk support, cybersecurity, system administration, and software management. Rather than hiring and managing an entire internal IT team, academic institutions can work with a service provider to handle the technical aspects of their infrastructure.
24/7 Support and Monitoring: Managed IT services typically include around-the-clock monitoring of systems, ensuring that networks, servers, and critical applications are functioning optimally. Providers often use advanced tools to detect issues early, preventing downtime before it affects users. Helpdesk services are also available to assist students, faculty, and staff with technical problems in real-time, reducing internal support burdens.
Cybersecurity and Compliance: Many Managed IT Service providers offer specialized cybersecurity services, including threat detection, data encryption, firewall management, and compliance with industry standards. Academic institutions, which often deal with sensitive student data and research materials, benefit from the expertise of security professionals who can help mitigate risks and ensure regulatory compliance.
System Administration and Maintenance: Managed services can also include regular system administration tasks, such as software updates, patch management, backups, and disaster recovery planning. This allows academic institutions to ensure their IT infrastructure remains up-to-date and secure without dedicating internal resources to these time-consuming tasks.
BENEFITS
Cost Savings: By outsourcing specific IT services, academic institutions can avoid the high costs associated with hiring, training, and retaining a full in-house IT team. Managed IT providers typically offer flexible pricing models based on the level of service needed, enabling institutions to choose packages that fit their budget. These services also reduce the cost of hardware and software maintenance by ensuring efficient and proactive system management.
Access to Specialized Expertise: Managed IT services bring in expert professionals who specialize in areas like cybersecurity, cloud computing, and network infrastructure. Academic institutions benefit from the high-level expertise that might otherwise be costly or difficult to hire for a full-time, internal team. This expertise is particularly valuable in fields like cybersecurity, where threats are constantly evolving.
Increased Focus on Core Priorities: With routine IT management outsourced to experts, academic institution staff can focus more on strategic, value-driven initiatives such as enhancing classroom technologies, supporting research innovation, or improving student engagement platforms. This shift in focus helps maximize the impact of IT resources on the institution’s core mission.
Scalability and Flexibility: Managed IT services offer scalability, allowing academic institutions to adjust the level of support as needs change. For instance, during periods of peak demand (e.g., the start of a semester or when a new research project kicks off), additional services can be quickly brought in. Conversely, during quieter periods, services can be scaled back, ensuring that the institution is only paying for what it needs.
Enhanced Security and Compliance: By leveraging the expertise of managed service providers, academic institutions can bolster their cybersecurity posture and ensure compliance with regulations like GDPR or FERPA. Managed services often include proactive risk management and monitoring, which helps institutions avoid costly breaches or non-compliance penalties.
EXAMPLE
A large research academic institution might have a small internal IT team focused on supporting faculty and staff with technology needs for teaching and research. However, the academic institution struggles to keep up with the demands of maintaining network security, monitoring systems for vulnerabilities, and providing 24/7 helpdesk support for students. By outsourcing network monitoring and cybersecurity to a managed services provider, the academic institution can ensure that its IT infrastructure is continuously monitored for potential threats. The provider also handles system updates and ensures compliance with data privacy laws, freeing up the internal team to focus on supporting the academic institution’s academic and research missions. Additionally, when students experience technical issues with the academic institution’s online portal, the outsourced helpdesk team is available around the clock to provide immediate support, improving user experience while alleviating the burden on internal IT staff.
Virtual IT teams can be spread across the globe, allowing institutions to tap into talent pools in regions with lower labor costs. For example, academic institutions could hire remote IT staff from countries with lower wage levels for roles such as system administrators, software developers, or technical support agents. This strategy can help reduce personnel costs without sacrificing expertise or service levels.
HOW IT WORKS
Global Talent Pool: Virtual IT teams leverage the ability to hire professionals from anywhere in the world, enabling academic institutions to access a broader and more diverse talent pool. By employing remote IT staff in regions with lower labor costs, institutions can reduce their overall personnel expenses without compromising on the quality of service or technical expertise.
Distributed Workforce: Remote workforces operate from multiple geographic locations, often across different time zones. This structure allows academic institutions to benefit from extended support hours and faster response times, as tasks can be handled around the clock by team members in various regions. For example, technical support can be provided during off-hours by remote agents, ensuring that issues are addressed without delay.
Flexible Roles and Responsibilities: Academic institutions can hire remote staff for specific IT functions such as system administration, software development, technical support, or database management. These roles can be filled by individuals with the relevant skills, whether it’s a network engineer from Eastern Europe, a software developer from Southeast Asia, or a cybersecurity expert from Latin America. Remote work platforms and collaboration tools facilitate communication and project management, ensuring seamless teamwork despite geographical distances.
Cost Optimization: By hiring remote staff in regions with lower wage levels, academic institutions can achieve significant savings compared to hiring local professionals with similar qualifications. This cost advantage allows institutions to stretch their budgets further, enabling them to invest in other critical areas such as student services, academic resources, or research initiatives.
BENEFITS
Cost Savings: One of the primary advantages of employing a remote workforce is the reduction in labor costs. By hiring IT professionals in regions with lower wage standards, academic institutions can save on salaries, benefits, and other employment-related expenses. These savings can be redirected to other priorities, such as enhancing campus infrastructure or developing new academic programs.
Access to Specialized Expertise: Remote workforces open up access to a global talent pool, which means academic institutions can find the specialized skills they need at competitive rates. For example, a academic institution could hire a cybersecurity expert from India, a cloud architect from Brazil, or a software developer from the Philippines—all of whom bring unique expertise and experience to the institution.
Increased Flexibility and Scalability: Hiring remote IT staff allows academic institutions to quickly scale their teams based on evolving needs. For example, if a academic institution is launching a new research initiative or undergoing a major IT overhaul, it can easily hire additional remote staff with the required skills for a limited period, avoiding the overhead costs of full-time hires. This flexibility is especially valuable during times of growth or peak demand.
24/7 Support and Coverage: With a distributed remote workforce, academic institutions can achieve continuous support coverage. By leveraging time zone differences, academic institutions can ensure that technical support, system monitoring, and issue resolution happen at all hours, providing a higher level of service to students, faculty, and staff across different locations.
Diverse Perspectives and Innovation: Remote teams often bring diverse perspectives and ideas, which can enhance problem-solving and innovation. Academic institutions benefit from the cultural diversity and unique approaches that remote workers bring to the table, especially when it comes to developing creative solutions for technology challenges.
EXAMPLE
A medium-sized academic institution in the U.S. needs additional IT support to handle an expanding online course offering and to maintain a growing research infrastructure. While the academic institution’s internal IT team is focused on day-to-day campus technology needs, they require extra help for system administration, software development, and technical support. To keep costs under control, the academic institution hires a system administrator from Mexico, a software developer from the Philippines, and a technical support agent from Ukraine.
By having remote staff in different regions, the academic institution can provide around-the-clock support for students and faculty, address technical issues faster, and implement new systems with greater efficiency. The cost savings from hiring these remote professionals—who are skilled and experienced but at a fraction of the cost of local hires—allow the academic institution to reinvest those savings into its academic programs and student services, further enhancing the educational experience for its community.
Many institutions are involved in cutting-edge research that relies heavily on IT infrastructure. Instead of investing heavily in building and maintaining research-specific IT environments, schools can partner with external research organizations or cloud-based platforms that offer specialized computing resources, such as high-performance computing (HPC) or machine learning infrastructure.
HOW IT WORKS
Collaborating with External Research Partners: Academic institutions can outsource their research and development (R&D) needs to specialized external organizations or cloud service providers that offer cutting-edge IT infrastructure. Rather than investing in expensive on-site hardware, academic institutions can tap into cloud-based platforms or partner with external research institutions that provide high-performance computing (HPC), machine learning (ML) infrastructure, and other specialized resources.
Cloud-Based Research Infrastructure: Instead of building and maintaining their own high-performance computing clusters, academic institutions can rent or subscribe to cloud services like AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud, which offer powerful computing resources optimized for research. These platforms provide the scalability, speed, and flexibility needed for advanced research tasks, such as data modeling, simulations, and machine learning experiments.
Access to Specialized Tools and Platforms: Outsourcing R&D to specialized providers often grants academic institutions access to advanced research tools and platforms that might otherwise be cost-prohibitive. For example, cloud providers offer machine learning frameworks, data analytics tools, and scientific computing platforms that are optimized for large-scale research projects. Academic institutions can also collaborate with organizations that offer niche expertise in specific fields, such as bioinformatics, computational physics, or artificial intelligence.
Flexible and Scalable Resources: Outsourcing R&D infrastructure means that academic institutions can scale computing resources up or down based on the demands of specific research projects. Whether conducting intensive data analysis or running large-scale simulations, academic institutions can instantly access the computing power they need without having to invest in permanent infrastructure. This flexibility helps reduce costs while ensuring that research teams always have the resources required to meet project demands.
BENEFITS
Cost Efficiency: By outsourcing R&D infrastructure, academic institutions can avoid the high capital costs associated with building and maintaining specialized research environments. Cloud services and external research partnerships often operate on a pay-as-you-go model, allowing academic institutions to pay only for the computing resources and services they actually use. This significantly reduces upfront investments and ongoing maintenance costs associated with owning high-performance computing systems.
Access to Cutting-Edge Technology: Outsourcing R&D provides academic institutions with access to the latest advancements in research technology and computing infrastructure without the need to manage these systems internally. Cloud platforms continuously update their infrastructure to provide the most advanced tools, ensuring that academic institutions can leverage the latest technologies, such as quantum computing, machine learning frameworks, and artificial intelligence algorithms, without heavy internal investment.
Scalability and Flexibility: Research projects often experience fluctuating computing demands, with periods of intense data analysis or large-scale simulations. Outsourcing R&D infrastructure allows academic institutions to scale their computing resources according to the size and scope of each project. They can ramp up resources during peak usage and scale down when projects are completed, ensuring they only pay for the resources they need.
Focus on Core Research: By outsourcing the technical infrastructure management, academic institutions can focus more on their core research activities, such as developing new theories, conducting experiments, and analyzing data. The burden of maintaining specialized IT environments, managing server hardware, and optimizing computational resources is shifted to external providers, allowing faculty and researchers to concentrate on advancing knowledge in their fields.
Collaboration and Expertise: Outsourcing R&D infrastructure often involves collaboration with external research organizations or cloud service providers, which can bring additional expertise and resources to a project. This collaboration can lead to new insights, cross-disciplinary partnerships, and access to specialized knowledge that would otherwise be unavailable to the academic institution.
EXAMPLE
A large academic institution with a prominent biomedical research department is working on a project to analyze large genetic datasets using machine learning models. The research requires significant computational power for tasks such as running simulations and processing terabytes of data. Rather than investing in the development of a custom high-performance computing (HPC) cluster, the academic institution partners with a cloud service provider like AWS, which offers specialized tools for bioinformatics, machine learning, and data storage.
Through this partnership, the academic institution gains access to powerful, scalable computing resources without having to manage the infrastructure internally. Researchers can run complex algorithms and simulations using the cloud platform’s machine learning models, speeding up their analysis and reducing costs. The academic institution only pays for the computing resources it uses, allowing it to allocate its budget more efficiently. Moreover, the research team benefits from the cloud provider’s constant updates and access to cutting-edge technologies, helping them remain at the forefront of biomedical research without needing to maintain the hardware themselves.
Additionally, by partnering with Edge’s cloud-based research platforms, the academic institution can easily collaborate with other institutions and researchers worldwide, sharing data and insights in real-time, further enhancing the scope and impact of their research.
Higher education institutions can participate in shared-cost models, where multiple institutions pool their resources to collectively pay for IT infrastructure, services, or support. This allows each participating institution to benefit from enterprise-level services and technology at a fraction of the cost they would incur individually. For instance, academic institutions could share the cost of high-end data storage, cybersecurity infrastructure, or cloud services, spreading the expenses across a network of institutions. Shared cost models can also extend to staffing and specialized technical roles, where smaller schools gain access to high-level expertise by collaborating with larger institutions or third-party providers.
HOW IT WORKS
Pooling Resources Across Institutions: In a shared-cost model, multiple academic institutions and colleges collaborate to share the costs of IT infrastructure, services, and specialized support. Institutions that might otherwise struggle to afford enterprise-level technologies can combine their budgets to access advanced systems and services, such as high-end data storage, cybersecurity infrastructure, or cloud computing resources. This approach allows them to benefit from economies of scale while maintaining control over their individual operations.
Shared IT Services and Infrastructure: Rather than each institution purchasing and maintaining its own IT systems, participating schools collectively invest in and share access to high-quality infrastructure. For example, a group of academic institutions may collectively fund a centralized cloud service for data storage or a shared cybersecurity platform to protect all members’ networks. They could also pool resources to access expensive software or subscription-based services, ensuring that all schools, regardless of size or budget, can benefit from the same tools.
Collaborative Staffing and Expertise: Shared-cost models can also extend to staffing, allowing smaller institutions to benefit from specialized technical expertise they might not otherwise be able to afford. For instance, a consortium of smaller colleges may partner with a larger academic institution to share the costs of hiring high-level professionals, such as data scientists, cybersecurity experts, or system architects. These experts would be responsible for managing shared services or providing consulting to all participating institutions, giving smaller schools access to top-tier talent at a fraction of the cost.
Flexible and Scalable Solutions: Shared-cost models allow institutions to scale their shared services based on demand. If a particular service, such as cybersecurity, requires additional resources due to an increased number of cyber threats, the cost can be adjusted across the participating institutions. Likewise, if an institution needs additional storage or computing resources for a specific research project, the shared infrastructure can scale to meet those demands, with costs divided proportionally among the group.
BENEFITS
Cost Efficiency: Shared-cost models significantly reduce the financial burden on individual institutions. By pooling resources, academic institutions and colleges can access enterprise-level technology and services at a fraction of the cost they would incur if they had to purchase and maintain these resources on their own. This cost-sharing approach ensures that even smaller or budget-constrained schools can access high-end solutions that would typically be beyond their reach.
Access to High-Quality Infrastructure: Smaller institutions can benefit from the same high-end infrastructure, security, and IT services as larger academic institutions. This includes advanced cloud computing, cybersecurity protections, and data storage solutions that would typically require significant investments in hardware, software, and staffing. Shared-cost models democratize access to technology and resources, leveling the playing field between institutions of different sizes.
Access to Specialized Expertise: Through shared-cost models, smaller academic institutions and colleges can access highly specialized technical expertise that they may not have the budget or need to support in-house. By pooling resources with other institutions, they can afford to employ full-time professionals in areas such as cybersecurity, cloud architecture, or data science—expertise that is critical for keeping up with evolving technologies and protecting sensitive data.
Scalability and Flexibility: The shared-cost model is inherently flexible. As the needs of participating institutions grow or change, they can adjust the scale of the shared infrastructure or services to accommodate new demands. For example, a consortium of academic institutions that grows its online course offerings may decide to increase its shared cloud storage capacity or security coverage, spreading the costs of scaling across multiple schools.
Fostering Collaboration: Shared-cost models create a collaborative environment where institutions can work together to solve common IT challenges. Through these partnerships, academic institutions can share best practices, learn from each other’s experiences, and potentially collaborate on joint research initiatives. This networked approach can lead to innovation and new opportunities for all members.
EXAMPLE
A group of small liberal arts colleges in a regional consortium decide to pool their resources to share the costs of a high-end cybersecurity infrastructure. Individually, each institution could not afford the level of protection needed to safeguard their student data and research. However, by collaborating and dividing the costs, they are able to invest in an advanced firewall system, intrusion detection tools, and threat intelligence services managed by a third-party cybersecurity firm.
In addition to the shared cybersecurity services, the consortium also works together to hire a cloud architect to design and manage a centralized data storage solution that all participating schools can use. This allows each college to store and access large datasets without investing in expensive on-premise servers or cloud solutions on their own. Furthermore, one of the larger academic institutions in the consortium offers its faculty and staff access to its dedicated data scientists to help with advanced research projects. Smaller colleges, which would otherwise not be able to afford such expertise, can now access the knowledge and resources they need to advance their research capabilities.
By sharing the costs of these services and staffing, the colleges reduce their individual expenses while improving their IT infrastructure and security, ultimately offering a better educational experience for their students and faculty.
Institutions can leverage their existing infrastructure, such as a shared or in-place wide-area network (WAN) optical fiber, to create efficiencies and reduce costs. Many academic institutions and colleges already have extensive fiber optic networks connecting campuses and facilities, which can be used to support virtual IT solutions. Instead of investing in redundant infrastructure, institutions can tap into this existing fiber backbone to deliver cloud services, remote IT support, and distributed computing. This approach capitalizes on the scale of the network already in place, ensuring that investments in technology infrastructure are maximized and reducing the need for costly new systems.
HOW IT WORKS
Leveraging Existing Infrastructure: Academic institutions and colleges that already have extensive fiber optic networks connecting their campuses, research centers, and other facilities can maximize the value of these existing assets. Instead of investing in new, separate infrastructure for virtual IT solutions (such as cloud services or distributed computing), institutions can use their existing fiber backbone to deliver these services. The fiber optic network provides high-speed, high-bandwidth connectivity that can support data-heavy operations, such as cloud computing, remote IT support, and large-scale data processing, without needing to build redundant systems.
Connecting Distributed Resources: With a shared or in-place wide-area network (WAN) based on fiber optics, academic institutions can connect multiple campuses, satellite locations, or research facilities into a single unified infrastructure. This allows institutions to deploy virtual IT services across a wide geographic area, such as cloud-based applications, centralized data storage, or remote technical support, with minimal latency and optimal performance.
Maximizing Utilization of Existing Capacity: Instead of building separate, isolated networks for specific IT functions, institutions can consolidate services on their existing fiber networks, which are already equipped to handle large data transfers. For example, a academic institution might use its fiber backbone to deliver distributed computing capabilities, allowing researchers across different campuses to access centralized high-performance computing (HPC) resources. This approach eliminates the need for duplicative investments in physical infrastructure, ensuring that the existing network is fully utilized and cost-effective.
Supporting Virtual IT Solutions: Fiber optic networks are particularly well-suited for supporting virtual IT solutions, such as cloud-based applications, remote data storage, and remote IT support services. Institutions can use their fiber networks to create a high-speed, reliable connection to cloud providers or to operate their own centralized IT infrastructure, reducing the need for extensive on-site hardware and creating efficiencies across their campuses.
BENEFITS
Cost Efficiency: By utilizing existing fiber optic infrastructure, academic institutions can avoid the significant capital expenditures associated with building new, redundant networks or data centers. This can lead to substantial cost savings, as institutions can redirect funds that would have gone toward new infrastructure into other strategic initiatives, such as research programs, academic resources, or student services.
Optimized Resource Utilization: Fiber optic networks already provide high-speed, high-capacity connections between different parts of the institution. By integrating virtual IT services into this infrastructure, academic institutions can maximize the utilization of their existing resources. This ensures that the full potential of their network is realized, reducing the need for over-investment in new systems and allowing the institution to operate more efficiently.
Scalability and Flexibility: Fiber optic networks offer scalability and flexibility, enabling academic institutions to scale their IT services up or down based on demand. Whether expanding cloud storage, deploying more virtual workstations, or supporting remote IT support for a growing student body, academic institutions can easily adjust their use of the network to meet evolving needs. The scalability of fiber optic infrastructure makes it possible to support new technology solutions as they arise, without requiring major new investments in physical infrastructure.
Improved Performance and Reliability: Fiber optic networks are known for their high bandwidth and low latency, which ensures fast and reliable connectivity for virtual IT services. Whether accessing cloud applications, participating in online classes, or conducting large-scale research projects that require high-performance computing, the quality and speed of fiber-optic connections ensure that users have a seamless experience. This high-performance capability is essential for supporting sophisticated IT solutions like remote data storage, distributed computing, and real-time collaboration tools.
Future-Proofing IT Infrastructure: As academic institutions look to implement more advanced technologies, such as AI, big data analytics, or machine learning, leveraging an existing fiber network can help future-proof their IT infrastructure. Fiber optic networks have the capacity to support increasingly data-intensive applications, allowing institutions to adopt new technologies without the need to constantly overhaul their physical infrastructure.
EXAMPLE
A large public academic institution with multiple campuses across a city has already invested heavily in a fiber optic wide-area network (WAN) that connects all of its facilities. Rather than building new, costly infrastructure to support virtual IT services, the academic institution decides to maximize its existing fiber network by utilizing it to deploy cloud-based applications and distributed computing resources across its campuses.
The academic institution integrates high-performance computing (HPC) resources at a centralized location and uses the fiber optic network to provide researchers at different campuses with seamless access to these powerful computing systems. This eliminates the need for each campus to maintain its own computing clusters, saving the academic institution both in hardware costs and ongoing maintenance expenses.
Additionally, the academic institution uses its fiber backbone to provide remote IT support services to students and faculty. By connecting remote helpdesk agents to the network, the academic institution can offer faster troubleshooting and support, without requiring on-site visits or additional resources. With this approach, the academic institution maximizes the utility of its existing fiber infrastructure, avoids redundancy, and creates an efficient, scalable IT ecosystem that can grow as the institution’s needs evolve.
This strategy not only saves costs but also ensures that the academic institution can easily scale its IT services in the future as new demands arise, all while maintaining a high level of performance and reliability for its users.
Higher education institutions, particularly those in close geographic proximity or within certain academic networks, can pool their purchasing power to negotiate better deals on hardware, software, and IT services. For example, academic institutions can collectively buy software licenses, cloud services, or even hardware such as servers, data storage, and network equipment. By collaborating on procurements, institutions can secure volume discounts, shared services agreements, or bundled pricing that reduces individual costs and provides access to higher-end solutions that might otherwise be unaffordable.
HOW IT WORKS
Pooling Purchasing Power: In a cooperative purchasing model, multiple academic institutions or colleges collaborate to buy hardware, software, or IT services in bulk. By aggregating their purchasing needs, these institutions can leverage their collective buying power to negotiate better deals from vendors. This can apply to software licenses, cloud services, network infrastructure, servers, data storage, and other essential IT resources.
Joint Procurement Agreements: Rather than each institution purchasing IT resources independently, they join forces to negotiate shared contracts with suppliers or service providers. This could involve agreeing on bulk software licenses, securing discounted rates for cloud storage, or buying servers and networking equipment at reduced prices through bundled offers. By committing to larger-volume purchases, institutions can access high-end technology at a fraction of the cost.
Shared Service Models: In addition to negotiating better deals on equipment and software, institutions can enter into shared service agreements. For example, several academic institutions in close geographic proximity might collaborate on maintaining shared data centers or network infrastructure, pooling their resources to fund these services while benefiting from the high-quality, enterprise-level capabilities they wouldn’t typically afford on their own.
Standardized Solutions Across Institutions: Cooperative purchasing can also streamline technology adoption by standardizing solutions across multiple institutions. For instance, a group of academic institutions might decide to adopt the same cloud provider or enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, allowing for shared training, better interoperability, and easier support management. This creates operational efficiencies while also providing a unified approach to technology that simplifies implementation and maintenance.
BENEFITS
Cost Savings: The primary benefit of cooperative purchasing is the significant reduction in costs. By pooling their purchasing power, academic institutions can access volume discounts, shared service agreements, and bundled pricing. This can reduce the overall cost of IT infrastructure, software licenses, and services, allowing each institution to stretch its budget further while acquiring more advanced technologies.
Access to Enterprise-Level Solutions: Smaller institutions that may not have the budget to purchase expensive hardware, cloud services, or specialized software on their own can gain access to these tools through cooperative purchasing. By participating in joint procurement, they can benefit from enterprise-level solutions like high-capacity data storage, cutting-edge cybersecurity tools, and large-scale cloud platforms, which would otherwise be out of reach.
Increased Negotiating Leverage: By collaborating with other institutions, academic institutions can negotiate more favorable terms with vendors. Vendors are often willing to offer better pricing, extended warranties, or enhanced support in exchange for securing larger contracts, which can be split across multiple schools. This negotiating power increases as more institutions participate in the purchasing group.
Efficiency and Streamlined Procurement: Cooperative purchasing models streamline the procurement process by reducing the administrative burden. Instead of each institution separately managing procurement contracts, a collective agreement can be made, simplifying the process for all parties. Shared procurement agreements may also include standardized terms for service level agreements (SLAs) and support, making it easier for institutions to manage their technology needs.
Fostering Collaboration and Best Practices: Beyond cost savings, cooperative purchasing fosters collaboration between institutions. As schools share procurement strategies and technology solutions, they can also exchange knowledge and best practices for using these tools effectively. This collaborative approach can lead to better adoption of new technologies, improved system integrations, and stronger relationships among institutions.
EXAMPLE
A group of mid-sized academic institutions Edge members decides to collaborate on purchasing software licenses for a new learning management system (LMS) and cloud-based storage solutions. Individually, each school faces high costs for these technologies, which would strain their budgets. However, by pooling their purchasing power, the consortium can negotiate a bulk discount on LMS licenses and a shared cloud storage contract with a major provider, reducing the cost by nearly 40%.
In addition to the software and storage solutions, the consortium also decides to purchase a set of enterprise-level servers and networking equipment through a cooperative deal with a hardware vendor. The reduced pricing on the hardware allows the group to set up shared data centers, which will host not only their own resources but also services like remote IT support and backup storage for each member institution.
As part of the agreement, the schools also establish standardized processes for onboarding and training staff on the new technologies. The shared knowledge and training resources help all institutions integrate the new LMS and storage solutions quickly and effectively, minimizing disruption and improving the user experience for both faculty and students.
This collaborative approach not only saves the participating academic institutions money but also allows them to access enterprise-level solutions that would have been too expensive to purchase individually. It also enables them to share IT best practices, improve operational efficiencies, and ensure a more consistent technology experience across all campuses.
A growing trend in the virtual IT model is the use of “as-a-Service” solutions, such as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). By leveraging these offerings, institutions can access powerful tools and services without the upfront costs or complexity of managing them in-house. For example, academic institutions can procure software platforms for learning management, student information systems, or research tools as a service, reducing the need for internal development, maintenance, and support. Similarly, IaaS offerings like virtual servers or data storage platforms allow institutions to scale their infrastructure on-demand, paying only for what they use. By joining procurement cooperatives, academic institutions can negotiate better pricing for these as-a-service solutions.
Procurement cooperatives allow institutions to aggregate their needs across multiple entities, achieving volume pricing for software, platforms, and infrastructure that they may not be able to secure individually. This strategy not only reduces costs but also enables access to enterprise-level technology without the associated complexity of managing hardware, software updates, and security concerns internally.
HOW IT WORKS
Leveraging “As-a-Service” Solutions: Institutions are increasingly adopting “as-a-Service” (aaS) offerings—such as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)—to access powerful IT tools and platforms without the burden of managing them internally. These cloud-based solutions allow academic institutions to subscribe to software, platforms, or infrastructure on-demand, eliminating the need for large upfront investments, ongoing maintenance, and internal support staff.
SaaS: Academic institutions can procure software applications such as learning management systems (LMS), student information systems (SIS), or research collaboration tools directly from cloud providers. These services are updated automatically, reducing the institution’s workload and ensuring access to the latest features without worrying about infrastructure or software patches.
PaaS: Academic institutions can use cloud platforms to develop and deploy applications without the need to manage underlying hardware or software. PaaS offerings provide the tools and frameworks needed for custom development, such as database management systems, programming environments, and hosting platforms, which are maintained and updated by the service provider.
IaaS: Institutions can rent virtualized computing resources (e.g., virtual machines, data storage, and network infrastructure) on-demand. This allows them to scale infrastructure up or down based on current needs, paying only for what is used. For example, a academic institution conducting a large research project may scale up storage and computing power temporarily, then scale down once the project concludes.
Procurement Cooperatives: Academic institutions can participate in procurement cooperatives such as EdgeMarket to aggregate their collective needs for these as-a-Service solutions. By joining together with other institutions, they can negotiate better pricing, secure volume discounts, and access bundled offerings that would be difficult to obtain individually. Through cooperative procurement, institutions can pool their software and infrastructure demands, allowing them to benefit from economies of scale.
Eliminating the Need for In-House Management: One of the key advantages of “as-a-Service” solutions is that the service provider manages the hardware, software updates, and security concerns. Academic institutions can focus on utilizing the services rather than worrying about their maintenance. For example, with SaaS for student management, the cloud provider handles updates, security patches, and compliance, while the academic institution benefits from the service’s functionality.
BENEFITS
Cost Savings: “As-a-Service” models reduce the upfront capital costs of purchasing software, hardware, and platforms. Institutions only pay for what they use, which means they can avoid large investments in infrastructure and scale their IT resources according to demand. When combined with procurement cooperatives, academic institutions can further reduce costs by securing volume pricing, ensuring that they pay less for the same services.
Access to Enterprise-Level Technology: Smaller institutions or those with limited budgets can access powerful, enterprise-level software, platforms, and infrastructure without the need for substantial investments in on-premise solutions. By subscribing to SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS, academic institutions gain access to cutting-edge technologies such as data analytics platforms, advanced security tools, and machine learning frameworks that might otherwise be out of reach.
Scalability and Flexibility: “As-a-Service” offerings provide institutions with the ability to scale their IT resources as needed. Whether for a specific research project, peak enrollment periods, or expanding online course offerings, academic institutions can quickly adjust their service levels. For instance, IaaS allows for on-demand provisioning of virtual servers or storage, which can be scaled up during busy periods and scaled down when demand decreases.
Reduced Complexity and Maintenance: Managing IT infrastructure, software updates, and security can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. By shifting to as-a-Service models, academic institutions can offload these responsibilities to service providers. The cloud provider takes care of patching, upgrading, and securing the software, allowing the institution’s IT staff to focus on more strategic initiatives, such as supporting faculty and students or advancing research.
Faster Time to Implementation: Cloud-based solutions are typically quicker to implement than traditional on-premise systems. Academic institutions can quickly deploy SaaS for administrative tasks, PaaS for custom application development, or IaaS for infrastructure, without the need for long installation times or complex configurations. This speed allows institutions to respond more rapidly to evolving needs and opportunities.
EXAMPLE
A mid-sized academic institution wants to implement a new student information system (SIS) but is concerned about the costs and complexity of managing the system internally. Instead of purchasing expensive on-premise software and building the necessary infrastructure, the academic institution decides to adopt a SaaS-based SIS. This allows them to access the system immediately without the need for installing or maintaining hardware, while ensuring the software is always up to date with the latest features and compliance standards.
Additionally, the academic institution joins the Edge procurement cooperative that includes other academic institutions in its area. Through this cooperative, the academic institution is able to secure a volume discount on the SaaS subscription, typically reducing the annual cost by 25%. The Edge procurement cooperative also negotiates bundled services with a cloud provider for additional PaaS offerings, allowing the academic institution to develop and deploy custom applications for faculty and research teams without the need to manage its own development environment.
On the infrastructure side, the academic institution uses an IaaS provider to rent virtual servers and storage for hosting its website, databases, and research data. This provides the academic institution with the flexibility to scale up its infrastructure during periods of heavy research activity or during new course launches. When the demand for infrastructure subsides, the academic institution scales down its services, ensuring that it only pays for the resources it uses.
By combining SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS, and leveraging cooperative purchasing, the academic institution gains access to high-end IT solutions, reduces its upfront capital expenditure, and offloads the complexity of management and maintenance to trusted service providers. This enables the institution to focus more on its core mission of teaching, learning, and research while benefiting from enterprise-level technologies at an affordable cost.
Refers to the practice of supplementing an institution’s internal workforce with external professionals or specialized contractors for a temporary period. For academic institutions and colleges adopting Virtual IT, staff augmentation allows them to scale their IT capacity and capabilities without incurring the overhead costs of hiring full-time, permanent staff.
HOW IT WORKS
Specialized Expertise on Demand: Higher education institutions may need highly skilled IT professionals (e.g., cybersecurity experts, cloud architects, data scientists, etc.) but may not justify the cost of maintaining a permanent team for every specialized area. Through staff augmentation, academic institutions can access specific expertise when needed, such as for a new technology implementation or a cybersecurity audit.
Flexible Workforce Management: By bringing in external staff on a temporary or project basis, institutions can adapt to fluctuating needs without the long-term commitment and costs associated with hiring permanent employees.
Cost-Effective Scaling: Staff augmentation can help manage fluctuating workloads, especially during periods of peak demand, like new semester launches, system upgrades, or faculty transitions. This flexibility ensures the institution only pays for the expertise and support it needs when it needs it.
BENEFITS
Cost Control: Institutions only pay for the skills and time needed, avoiding the fixed costs of permanent salaries, benefits, and long-term commitments.
Rapid Response: Staff can be brought in quickly, filling gaps or supporting urgent projects like software rollouts, data migration, or infrastructure upgrades.
Access to Global Talent: Institutions can source specialized professionals from around the world, which is particularly beneficial when local talent pools may be limited or too expensive.
EXAMPLE
A small liberal arts college might not have a full-time network engineer but could bring in an external consultant to oversee its networking upgrades or ensure compliance with new data privacy laws. This allows them to avoid the costs associated with hiring a permanent staff member while still benefiting from top-tier expertise.
Co-location Space and Storage: Refers to the practice of outsourcing the physical infrastructure required for data storage, computing, and networking to a third-party provider. Instead of maintaining large data centers on campus, academic institutions and colleges can rent space in a co-location facility, where their hardware is housed alongside other clients’ equipment. This approach ensures robust infrastructure, high reliability, and scalability without the substantial upfront costs.
Academic institutions can place their servers, storage systems, and networking equipment in a co-location facility, where providers offer high-performance infrastructure like power supply, cooling, security, and network bandwidth. The academic institution maintains control over its equipment and software but doesn’t have to manage the physical environment.
HOW IT WORKS
Scalable Storage Solutions: Institutions can scale their storage needs up or down as required. For example, they can add additional servers or storage arrays during peak data usage times (e.g., during admissions or research project cycles), but without the capital expenditure required for on-site infrastructure.
Off-site Disaster Recovery: Co-location facilities often offer disaster recovery and backup services, ensuring that critical data is stored safely and can be quickly restored in the event of a disruption. This reduces the need for costly redundant systems on campus and improves data security.
BENEFITS
Cost Savings: Co-location facilities provide economies of scale that can make high-quality data center services more affordable for smaller institutions. They eliminate the need for expensive capital investment in on-campus data centers and reduce ongoing operational costs like power, cooling, and staffing.
Reliability & Redundancy: Co-location facilities typically offer high levels of redundancy in terms of power, network connectivity, and cooling. This ensures that critical IT systems remain up and running even in the event of local disruptions or hardware failures.
Security & Compliance: Co-location providers invest heavily in security, with 24/7 monitoring, biometric access controls, fire suppression systems, and strict compliance with regulations (e.g., FERPA, HIPAA). This is especially important for academic institutions handling sensitive student and research data.
EXAMPLE
A small to mid-sized academic institution might use a co-location facility to store and back up large research datasets and host its virtual learning environment (VLE). By using an off-campus data center, they can reduce the financial burden of maintaining an on-campus facility while benefiting from advanced security, uptime guarantees, and scalability. This approach allows the academic institution to focus on its core educational and research missions without worrying about managing physical infrastructure.
In Summary
Why Consider Edge’s Virtual IT Solutions and Services?
Cost Savings: The most compelling argument for outsourcing IT functions is financial. By offloading certain services to third-party providers, institutions can reduce their overall IT expenses, including salaries, benefits, and the costs associated with maintaining on-site hardware and software. Outsourcing eliminates the need for large capital expenditures in IT infrastructure and the operational overhead required to support it.
Access to Expertise: IT outsourcing providers often specialize in specific technology areas, ensuring that institutions have access to highly skilled professionals who are up-to-date with the latest developments in technology. Outsourcing also allows schools to quickly adapt to new technologies and innovations without having to hire and train internal staff to keep pace.
Scalability and Flexibility: Virtual IT solutions offer a level of scalability that is hard to achieve with in-house teams. As a academic institution’s needs change — whether due to fluctuating student enrollment, new academic programs, or shifts in research priorities — IT services can be scaled up or down efficiently. Cloud solutions, for instance, provide on-demand resources, allowing academic institutions to adjust their infrastructure based on usage, without needing to invest in unused capacity.
Improved Focus on Core Mission: By outsourcing IT functions, higher education leaders can focus more on their institution’s core mission — teaching, research, and student services — rather than diverting attention to the complexities of maintaining a high-functioning IT department. Virtual IT helps ensure that technology systems run smoothly, so faculty and staff can focus on their primary responsibilities.
Enhanced Security and Reliability: Many third-party IT providers offer robust security measures and compliance with industry standards that might be challenging for individual institutions to maintain on their own. With the increasing threats of cyberattacks and data breaches, outsourcing to a specialized provider can ensure that academic institutions have access to the latest security technologies and practices.
Global Collaboration and Innovation: Outsourcing IT functions can also enhance collaboration by tapping into a global pool of talent. Academic institutions can engage in international research partnerships or offer virtual courses and services more easily, as their IT infrastructure can support global engagement.
Conclusion
In the face of significant financial challenges, higher education institutions must adopt innovative strategies to ensure their sustainability and continued success. Virtual IT solutions offer a promising pathway for institutions to reduce operational costs, improve flexibility, and enhance technological capabilities, all while reallocating resources toward their core educational mission. By outsourcing key IT functions—such as infrastructure management, cybersecurity, and support services—institutions can not only achieve substantial cost savings but also gain access to specialized expertise, improved scalability, and enhanced security, which are increasingly critical in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape.
As the financial pressures on colleges and universities continue to mount, the adoption of Virtual IT solutions presents an opportunity to meet these challenges head-on. Cloud-based platforms, outsourcing IT services, and adopting virtualized infrastructures allow institutions to remain agile, competitive, and responsive to the changing needs of students, faculty, and the broader educational ecosystem. Moreover, these strategies enable institutions to focus on their primary goals—delivering high-quality education, fostering research, and supporting student success—while entrusting their technology needs to expert providers.
Ultimately, Virtual IT offers higher education institutions a way to embrace technological advancements without the prohibitive costs associated with maintaining large in-house IT departments. By leveraging these solutions, institutions can ensure they remain financially viable and continue to fulfill their mission in an increasingly complex and competitive higher education environment. The strategic integration of Virtual IT can be a key enabler in transforming challenges into opportunities, allowing colleges and universities to thrive in the years to come.
About Edge
Edge serves as a member-owned, nonprofit provider of high performance optical fiber networking and internetworking, Internet2, and a vast array of best-in-class technology solutions for cybersecurity, educational technologies, cloud computing, and professional managed services. Edge provides these solutions to colleges and universities, K-12 school districts, government entities, hospital networks and nonprofit business entities as part of a membership-based consortium. Edge’s membership spans the northeast, along with a growing list of EdgeMarket participants nationwide. Edge’s common good mission ensures success by empowering members for digital transformation with affordable, reliable and thought-leading purpose-built, advanced connectivity, technologies and services.
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