With budgets under strain and ransomware threats on the rise, education IT leaders are being forced to rethink priorities. At this year’s CITC, Team CT witnessed these conversations first‑hand.
Across discussions with colleges and vendors, a clear picture emerged of a sector under pressure but also one evolving how it thinks about resilience, security, and value. Here are the 5 key themes that stood out most to us.
1️⃣ Budgets are tight and every decision counts.
If there was one phrase heard repeatedly, it was “doing more with less.” Core services are under increasing budget pressure and spending decisions are now driven by clear, measurable value rather than feature‑led investment.
As a result, colleges are rethinking cloud and infrastructure choices – prioritising resilience, security and flexibility for the budget available. Efficiency, consolidation and smarter protection are no longer optional; they’re central to future IT strategies.
2️⃣ Hardware lifecycles are being stretched.
Uncertainty around rising hardware costs is causing many institutions to rethink traditional refresh strategies. Rather than replacing infrastructure on standard lifecycles, colleges are increasingly extending support on existing platforms to manage spend and reduce upfront investment.
While this makes financial sense in the short term, it brings new challenges:
- Increased risk of failure
- Greater reliance on legacy systems
- Pressure on IT teams to keep ageing infrastructure stable and secure
3️⃣ Ransomware risk is rising fast.
Ransomware featured heavily in conversations at CITC, particularly the education sector’s ability to respond when – not if – an incident occurs. Institutions are becoming more aware that prevention alone is not enough; confidence in recovery is equally critical.
Concerns centred on data protection, recovery time and whether existing strategies would stand up under real‑world attack scenarios. This has pushed backup, recovery testing and incident readiness higher up the priority list, shifting the conversation from compliance to true operational resilience.
4️⃣ Expanded protection to meet adoption.
One clear constant across colleges was the widespread adoption of Veeam as a core data protection platform. While it’s a trusted solution, many institutions acknowledged that protection isn’t yet consistent across their environments. The challenge now is extending coverage across:
- On‑premises environments
- Cloud workloads
- Increasingly complex hybrid setups
As infrastructure becomes more distributed, there’s a growing need to ensure the same level of protection and recoverability across all platforms – not just within traditional on‑premises estates.
5️⃣ Resource constraints are driving change.
Limited internal resources and specialist knowledge gaps were another common theme. Managing modern, hybrid environments – while also addressing security, compliance, and resilience – can be challenging for overstretched IT teams.
As a result, demand for Managed Services is growing. Colleges are seeking partners who can provide expertise, reduce operational risk, and share responsibility for critical services, freeing internal teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than day‑to‑day maintenance.
Looking Ahead
CITC made one thing clear: the education sector is navigating a difficult balancing act. Budgets are tight, threats are growing, and infrastructure is more complex than ever. Colleges aren’t standing still – they’re adapting. By rethinking how they protect data, extend infrastructure, and leverage external expertise, many are laying the groundwork for a more resilient, sustainable future.
For Team CT, the conversations at CITC were a reminder that meaningful solutions don’t start with technology – they start with listening to the challenges institutions face every day.
Need support navigating these challenges?
Whether you’re reviewing infrastructure, strengthening recovery capabilities, or exploring managed services, our team is here to help.
Thank you!
A member of our team will be in touch shortly.
Uh Oh!
Something went wrong, please see errors below:
