Why managed services are becoming essential for resilience in UK universities

The workforce to help overcome compliance requirements and financial pressures

Organisations of all shapes and sizes face increasing pressures on the collection and use of data. Regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)set clear expectations for how personal data must be processed and protected which brings ongoing responsibilities for governance and transparency. Cyber resilience by design is now an operational necessity as threats grow in frequency and sophistication. The rapid emergence of AI and the expanding range of possible uses for data increase the demand for robust infrastructure and strong data governance. Together these forces place significant new pressures on IT functions to deliver more with the same, or fewer, resources.

Universities are no different. Universities are not immune to these headwinds.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and the Office for Students (OfS) set out the frameworks institutions must meet through accurate reporting and reliable evidence of quality and financial sustainability. Universities themselves want to do more with their data to improve student experience and drive revenue but often lack the capacity and platforms to do so. All of this takes place against a backdrop of constant cyber threat and resource constraints. Outdated systems and overstretched teams increase institutional risk.

In this environment managed services provide a practical route to securing the capability and resilience needed to deliver change. By reducing technical debt and improving operational stability managed services free up internal teams to focus on transformation over firefighting.

The pressure on university IT and data teams is intensifying

Universities are now expected to demonstrate more timely and accurate reporting, improve the reliability of statutory returns and provide stronger evidence of decision making and student outcomes. HESA’s transformation of in year data collection and OfS requirements for financial sustainability and quality have made these expectations more urgent than ever.

Internally however many institutions still rely on fragmented systems and manual reporting. Documents from across the sector highlight inconsistent definitions, duplicated datasets and dependence on small overstretched BI and IT teams.

At the same time new responsibilities continue to emerge:

Early identification of students at risk and better insight for targeted interventions
Preparing for responsible AI adoption which requires fairness, transparency and robust governance models
Improving organisational resilience in the face of rising cyber risk and constrained budgets

This growing demand cannot always be met through internal capacity alone.

Why managed services now make strategic sense

A growing number of universities are turning to managed services as a way to stabilise operations, reduce risk and accelerate modernisation.

Reducing technical debt and modernising securely

Complex estates and legacy systems slow progress and increase risk. Cloud migration and consolidation improve stability and lay the foundations for long term digital strategy and AI readiness.

Improving service reliability without adding internal load

Recruitment challenges and budgetary pressures mean many IT and data teams cannot scale to support transformation. Against this backdrop, managed services provide predictable support models and resilient day to day operations while enabling internal specialists to focus on strategic work.

Raising standards in data governance and cyber resilience

As interest in AI grows universities recognise the need for stronger governance and secure platforms. Managed services support consistent standards across infrastructure and data platforms whilst reducing the risks associated with legacy systems.

What we will be discussing at UCISA 2026

At UCISA this year, one of our focusses will be on how managed services can help universities:

• Reduce operational pressure on stretched teams during financially challenging periods

• Modernise and migrate to secure cloud infrastructure that supports resilience and growth

• Strengthen data maturity through better governance and platform readiness

• Build safe and responsible AI capability based on trusted and high-quality data

If your university is planning transformation or facing operational strain we would be very happy to talk. You can find us on stand 57/58 at UCISA 2026 or you can book a one to one using the link below.

If you’re attending UCISA and would like to talk through your institution’s data and AI journey, you can prebook time with our team here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0rBg6z0

To find out more about our work in the education sector: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0rBgPP0