Why Keeping Your School Software Up to Date Matters More Than Ever

When schools think about upgrading technology, attention often turns to the physical equipment: laptops, interactive screens, servers, Wi-Fi and other devices.

But the software running behind that technology is just as important.

From protecting valuable school data to managing devices, supporting teachers and keeping pupils safe online, software plays an increasingly important role in the day-to-day operation of a school.

And just like hardware, software shouldn’t simply be installed and forgotten about.

What does “up to date” actually mean?

Keeping software up to date isn’t only about clicking “update” when a notification appears.

It means making sure your school is using supported, correctly licensed and appropriate software, that security updates are being applied, renewal dates are being monitored and the solutions you pay for still meet your school’s requirements.

The Department for Education’s digital and technology standards state that digital technology should be licensed and eligible for security updates. The guidance highlights several benefits of properly licensed software, including receiving security updates, bug fixes, upgrades and technical support.

The DfE also says that vulnerability fixes for operating systems, applications and firmware should be completed within 14 days where vulnerabilities are classed as high or critical risk.

That makes software management much more than an IT housekeeping job. It’s an important part of a school’s wider cyber security strategy.

The challenge for schools

Think about how many different systems a typical school now relies upon.

There may be software for classroom management, safeguarding, filtering, device management, productivity, email, cloud storage, backup, security and more.

Add Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, hundreds or even thousands of user accounts and devices, and suddenly keeping track of everything becomes a sizeable task.

The Government’s 2025/26 Cyber Security Breaches Survey highlights the challenge. While most education institutions reported controls in areas such as firewalls, secure configuration, access control and malware protection, patch management was less consistent. Only 45% of primary schools and 62% of secondary schools surveyed had a policy to apply software security updates within 14 days.

So, what can schools do?

Alongside keeping core systems patched and supported, it’s worth regularly reviewing the software already in place and asking a few simple questions:

Are we still using it? Is it fully up to date? Are we paying for licences we don’t need? Does it still meet our requirements? Is our data properly protected? And are there features available that we’re simply not using?

Two good examples of how modern software can support schools beyond its basic function are NetSupport and Redstor.

NetSupport: More than simply managing computers

NetSupport provides a range of tools designed specifically around managing technology and its use within education.

For example, NetSupport School is designed to help teachers manage technology-led lessons. Teachers can monitor student screens in real time, control internet and application usage, distribute resources, launch websites and applications, communicate with pupils and use surveys, tests and assessment tools to check understanding.

That means classroom management software isn’t simply about “watching screens”. Used effectively, it can help teachers make better use of the technology already available to them.

Features include:

• Real-time student screen monitoring
• Internet and application controls
• Locking or blanking student screens when attention is required
• Sending messages and instructions to pupils
• Launching websites and applications remotely
• Student surveys, questions and assessment tools
• Distributing lesson resources
• Student feedback tools
• Integration with platforms including Google Classroom

NetSupport’s technology also extends into wider IT management.

NetSupport DNA, for example, gives IT teams a centralised view of devices and technology across the school. It can automatically discover devices, provide detailed hardware and software inventories, monitor changes, manage software licences and help identify software with little or no usage.

That last point can be particularly useful when budgets are under pressure.

If a school is paying for software across hundreds of devices but only a small proportion is actively being used, having better visibility can help IT and finance teams make more informed decisions at renewal time.

NetSupport DNA can also record software suppliers, purchase information, invoice details and maintenance contracts, helping schools build a clearer picture of their software estate.

Keeping pupils safe is part of the picture too

Modern school software also has an important role to play in safeguarding.

NetSupport DNA combines IT management with safeguarding capabilities, allowing schools to manage their technology while gaining greater visibility over how devices are being used.

This matters because the DfE’s digital standards don’t treat safeguarding and cyber security as completely separate issues. Schools have responsibilities to keep children safe online as well as offline, with appropriate filtering, monitoring and cyber security measures forming part of that environment.

Technology alone can never replace good safeguarding policies, trained staff and appropriate procedures, but the right software can provide another important layer of visibility and control.

Redstor: What happens when something goes wrong?

Keeping systems secure is one side of the equation.

Being able to recover when something does go wrong is another.

Schools now hold huge quantities of important information digitally. Staff documents, pupil work, emails, OneDrive files, SharePoint sites, Teams conversations and teaching resources can all form part of the school’s everyday operation.

And storing information “in the cloud” doesn’t automatically remove the need for an independent backup strategy.

The DfE specifically warns schools to understand the backup arrangements provided by their cloud services. Its guidance notes that cloud providers may only retain backup data for a limited period and recommends identifying appropriate backup provision for each cloud solution.

This is where a solution such as Redstor comes in.

Protecting Microsoft 365

Redstor provides backup and recovery for Microsoft 365, including:

• Exchange
• OneDrive
• SharePoint
• Teams
• OneNote
• OneNote Class and Staff Notebooks

Rather than having to restore an entire environment to retrieve something small, Redstor provides granular recovery. That could mean recovering an individual email, file or other item rather than performing a much larger restoration.

For schools, this could be as simple as recovering an accidentally deleted document — or as serious as recovering important information following a cyber incident.

Redstor also offers InstantData™, which is designed to make critical information available quickly while the full restoration continues in the background.

The objective is simple: reduce the amount of time users are unable to access the information they need.

Using Google Workspace? That needs consideration too

Redstor isn’t limited to Microsoft environments.

Its Google Workspace protection covers Google Drive, Gmail, Contacts, Calendar and Google Classroom, with automated backups and granular recovery.

This is particularly relevant to schools that have increasingly moved teaching resources and collaboration into cloud-based platforms.

The important question isn’t simply:

“Is our data in the cloud?”

It’s:

“If something is accidentally deleted, corrupted or compromised, how quickly could we get it back?”

Backups and ransomware

Backup strategy also plays a major role in cyber resilience.

The DfE recommends that schools maintain at least three backup copies of important data across at least two separate devices, with at least one copy held off-site. Its guidance also specifically recommends immutable backups — backups that cannot be changed once created — to help protect against data loss and reduce the risks associated with malware and ransomware.

The National Cyber Security Centre similarly recommends that schools have a proper backup and restoration plan, keep backups segregated from the main school network and regularly practise restoring them.

Redstor’s approach includes off-site immutable backups, encryption and malware detection, providing another layer of protection between a school’s live environment and its recoverable data.

Importantly, a backup is only useful if it can actually be restored.

The DfE recommends that school backup plans are tested termly, as well as following significant changes to services, so schools know their recovery processes actually work before they’re needed in a real incident.

It’s not just about cyber attacks

Cyber security understandably receives a lot of attention, but data loss doesn’t always involve a sophisticated attacker.

Sometimes a member of staff deletes the wrong file.

A folder is overwritten.

An account is removed.

A device fails.

Someone discovers that an important document disappeared weeks ago.

Or a system simply doesn’t behave as expected.

A good software and backup strategy prepares for the everyday problems as well as the worst-case scenarios.

When did you last review your software?

This is perhaps the most important question.

Software can quietly become part of the furniture. A licence renews each year, the invoice gets paid and everyone carries on.

But renewal time is an ideal opportunity to review what you have.

Ask:

What software are we currently paying for?

When does each licence renew?

Are we using all of the licences we’re paying for?

Are we using the latest supported version?

Are there features included in our existing licence that staff aren’t using?

Does the solution still meet our school’s requirements?

Could another product provide better functionality or value?

Do our backup and recovery arrangements cover the cloud services we now rely upon?

Keeping an accurate record of renewal and expiry dates is good practice too. In fact, the DfE recommends recording licence expiry dates in a school’s contracts register and ensuring finance teams know when licences end so renewal costs can be planned for.

PWD can help you review what’s already in place

At PWD Supplies, we don’t believe reviewing software should automatically mean replacing it.

Sometimes the right answer is to renew exactly what you already have.

Sometimes it’s changing the number of licences.

Sometimes it’s making better use of functionality you’re already paying for.

And sometimes there may be a better alternative.

As part of our software and licensing offering, PWD can help schools review their existing solutions, understand renewal dates and explore products including NetSupport and Redstor.

So, even if your licences aren’t due for renewal yet, tell us what software you’re currently using and when it renews.

We’ll make a note of the date and can speak to you closer to renewal, giving you time to review your options, compare pricing and make an informed decision — rather than rushing through another automatic renewal.

When do you renew?

If you have software or licensing coming up for renewal — whether that’s in a few weeks or several months — speak to the PWD team.

Tell us what you use. Tell us when it renews. We’ll take it from there.

📞 0800 999 5683
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PWD Supplies — helping schools make smart technology choices, every step of the way.