Outsourcing Email and Data Storage: Implications and Opportunities

The provision of email and data storage to students within further and higher education institutions has long been a core part of many an institution's IT strategy. As the use of the internet and the web has expanded and grown, the free services now on offer to learners from a range of external providers often have a variety of features and capacity that institutional services cannot hope to match. As a result, many students are voting with their feet, ignoring their institutionally provided email address and using one of the many free services available. This briefing paper covers what it means to outsource email and data storage and the issues that institutions should consider if they wish to travel down this road.