Waingels College rapidly realises the value of additional Microsoft 365 cloud backup
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Case study
Waingels College rapidly realises
the value of additional Microsoft
365 cloud backup
Client: Waingels College, Reading.
Industry: Secondary Education
At Waingels College the first lockdown drove a huge expansion in its
use of cloud to support remote teaching and learning for 1400 stu-
dents. It needed additional backup – and installed it just in time.
When the pandemic drove education into the
cloud, risks of data loss in schools rose fast.
Waingels College is a co-educational secondary school serving 1400
students in Reading. Although it had begun using cloud, the first lockdown
drove a huge expansion as the number of users grew from 200 to more
than 1000.
“
We had to get Teams
working in a hurry
to enable remote
teaching – and it had
to be teacher- and
The school had started to use Microsoft 356 for staff but had no plans
to use Teams for teaching. IT manager Chris Jarred told us “We had to student-proof in case
get Teams working in a hurry to enable remote teaching – and it had to be
anyone accidentally
”
teacher- and student-proof in case anyone accidentally messed up.”
messed up.
Amtech recommended a simple backup solution for Microsoft 365
from Datto. It was needed within just three weeks to restore deleted
Chris Jarred
data which could have compromised exam grades.
IT Manager
Amtech Business Solutions - Waingels College Case Study - June 2021 amtech.uk.com
Cost-effective solution required to protect
against growing data risks
Use of cloud storage multiplied immediately and would continue to grow.
Chris knew that Microsoft offers very limited backup and that the risks of
data loss were rising.
The school needed a cost-effective solution to meet Department for
Education data retention standards. It must be able to restore data for at
least six months, even after Microsoft deletes an old account.
After seeking quotes, he took Amtech’s advice to adopt Datto’s SaaS
Protection for Microsoft 365, designed for simple, automated, and secure
backup for unlimited data.
“
Another provider
suggested a good
solution but when
Amtech proposed
Value for money and predictable bills the Datto option it
blew it out of the
Amtech already provides regular phone system support and IT planning
advice to the school. It offered a solution which it felt gave greatest value
water... If we’d gone
for money – not simply the cheapest cost per licence. with the first solution,
“Another provider suggested a good solution but when Amtech proposed the we would already be
Datto option it blew it out of the water.
paying far more than
”
“On the surface it was slightly more expensive but still came out top as there is we are now.
no upper size limit on the data. Most backup solutions charge by the terabyte.
The more you back up, the more you pay.
Chris Jarred
“Datto was a better fit. If we’d gone with the first solution, we would already IT Manager
be paying far more than we are now.”
The Datto solution will ensure the school avoids rising backup bills.
Its SharePoint already holds 5Tb of files and each member of staff has
5Gb of OneDrive storage plus an Exchange email. Teams was added to
enable lessons, conversations, and exchange of files and coursework –
but it brought a new issue.
“We pay per user under our Microsoft 365 education licence but the
SharePoints and Teams are unrestricted. We’ve already gone way beyond
what we originally thought we would put in the cloud.”
amtech.uk.com
“
Rapid restoration reduced risks
“Knowing that everything is backed up is essential. We purchased 140 licences
for staff One Drives and email, and it was a nice surprise to find that Teams We went into Datto
and SharePoint would be backed up also.”
and in just 10-15
Human error often causes cloud data losses. Just three weeks after the minutes all the data
backup solution was installed, a teacher deleted an entire Team of 12
students, including conversations and coursework. was back ... It was
”
Rapid restoration avoided several potential risks. Chris recalled: “We went really easy.”
into Datto and in just 10-15 minutes all the data was back – I was really happy
with it. It was really easy.” Chris Jarred
IT Manager
“If we were unable to restore the data, it could have created anxiety for
students and their parents, and bad press for the school. This year there are
no exams for years 11 and 13, and it could have been awkward if we could
not supply supporting coursework for teacher assessments.”
“ With Amtech it really
doesn’t feel like
you’re phoning up a
company for help,
it feels like phoning
a friend. They are
Teaching continuity guaranteed
always there for you.
”
Spring 2021 saw most students return to campus. Cloud remains a huge
aid to support remaining isolating pupils during the ongoing pandemic, Chris Jarred
students off sick or with long-term physical or health problems. The IT Manager
school can continue to teach – and ‘snow days’ are a thing of the past.
The school will continue to refresh its IT as systems age. Chris is one of a
team of just two IT professionals on site, so they need external support.
Chris concluded by saying: “The relationship with Amtech is great. We’re
on first name terms with all their engineers and the owner Dave will help
whenever needed.
“We absolutely trust what they tell us. Sooner or later someone at most
companies put a foot wrong, but Amtech service seems genuinely faultless.
We’ve never had any issue with them.
“With Amtech it really doesn’t feel like you’re phoning up a company for help,
it feels like phoning a friend. They are always there for you.”
Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, One Drive and Exchange Server are trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation.
0330 6600 538
amtech.uk.com
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