Evolve and Education: Why Cloud Communication Beats On-Site Systems

Communication is the cornerstone of any school day. Whether it’s contacting parents, implementing hybrid or online learning, or coordinating between different campuses, being able to reach the right person at the right time is crucial to keep everything running and everyone safe. But too many schools are still relying on old, on-site phone systems that have been gathering dust in a cupboard for years. While they might have done the job a decade ago, today they are unreliable, expensive to maintain, and simply not built for how schools operate now.

And here’s the reality I often share with schools: What happens if your phone system goes down tomorrow? If the answer is, “We’d have to wait for an engineer,” that’s already too risky. Frankly, waiting days for help isn’t an option when protecting your staff and pupils depends on instant communication.

I’ve spent years working with schools and colleges across the UK, helping them modernise their communication systems. The challenge goes beyond the technology: it’s about resilience, safeguarding, and supporting the people who keep schools running. That’s exactly why more education providers are now moving to cloud-based communication.

In this article, I’ll take you through how Babble’s partnership with Evolve is helping schools replace outdated systems with smarter, safer, and more flexible solutions that keep staff connected and students protected — no matter what the day brings.

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What This Blog Covers:

• The Communication Challenges Schools Face Today
• The Case for Cloud Communication in Education 
• Empowering the People Who Shape the Next Generation
• Cloud vs On-Site: Which Is Really More Secure?
• Evolve: A Unified Platform Designed with Schools in Mind
• How to Move Your School from Legacy to Cloud Systems
• Babble and Evolve: Helping Educators Focus on What Matters Most

The Communication Challenges Schools Face Today

Despite the technology advancements made in the unified communications space, many schools continue to hold on to their legacy phone systems. I completely understand why, because it usually comes down to two things: cost and fear of disruption.

There’s this perception that keeping something on-site is cheaper, or that moving to the cloud will be complicated and disruptive. But in reality, it’s the opposite. Every time a handset fails, you call an engineer, or your PBX needs a patch or part replaced, you have to pay additional costs. These can quickly add up as your system becomes more and more outdated. Additionally, when something breaks, it can bring your entire system down for days.

Beyond frequent maintenance requirements and hidden costs, these systems are inflexible. For example, when the school office is closed or there’s a spike in calls (say, during drop-off chaos or a school closure), parents can’t get through. Staff get stressed, families get frustrated, and safeguarding response times suffer.

Put simply, a failing communication system is not just inconvenient – it has a domino effect on safety measures, parental trust and staff wellbeing. Your educators shouldn’t waste hours trying to work around a system that should just work, and the parents who are entrusting you with their children should always be able to reach you, especially when there is an emergency.

The Case for Cloud Communication in Education 

Honestly, if we were having this conversation a few years ago, I’d hesitate to migrate to the cloud too. Cloud systems weren’t as mature as they are today, and costs were higher. But that has changed: prices have come down, and reliability has gone up.

Moreover, the Department for Education is actively encouraging schools to strengthen their digital resilience, and cloud communication is a key part of that. Whether it’s a snow day, a safeguarding incident, or an unexpected closure, schools need systems that keep them securely and seamlessly connected.

That has made many of the schools I speak to stop and think, “Maybe now is the time.” They are realising that this isn’t about buying “nice-to-have” solutions — it’s about being ready for anything. What happens if the phone system or the internet goes down? Are you prepared for a lockdown scenario? What about cyber attacks?

These are all instances where our partnership with Evolve really makes a difference. Moving to the cloud goes beyond simply replacing phones: you’re effectively modernising how your entire school communicates.

Here’s how I usually explain cloud communication when I speak to schools:

• You move from unpredictable costs to predictable budgeting: Instead of random maintenance invoices and surprise engineer callouts, you pay a fixed monthly subscription. That makes financial planning far easier — especially when you’re forecasting three to five years ahead with tight budgets.
• You can reuse or phase in handsets: Migration doesn’t have to happen overnight. Many schools opt for a phased approach, and Babble caters for this with CAPEX & OPEX in mind, which allows you to spread costs over time. Some even reuse existing devices where possible, so there’s no huge upfront hit.
• You gain flexibility and continuity: With the Evolve platform, staff can take calls anywhere using the Webex app — at home, across multiple sites, or even during a school closure. If your main site loses power or internet, the system still runs in the background, and communication never stops.
• You have a system that can scale with your organisation: Whether you’re a single-site primary school or a growing multi-academy trust, adding new lines or users is fast and cost-effective and does not come with any hardware headaches.
• You build safeguarding right into your comms system: Call recording, logs, and audit trails mean you have evidence of conversations if needed. Not only does this give you visibility of what was said and when, but this capability also allows you to spot trends and improve response times. It’s worth noting here that this kind of data is becoming increasingly important for compliance as well.

Empowering the People Who Shape the Next Generation

At the end of the day, this isn’t about jumping on the latest tech trend. Cost and convenience aside, this is about helping the people who shape the next generation by giving them the right tools to do their jobs without unnecessary stress or roadblocks.

Cloud communication improves:

• Safeguarding: Every call is logged, auditable, and secure – which again demonstrates compliance and builds trust.
• Parental engagement: Parents can always get through — even on busy mornings and chaotic afternoons.
• Staff wellbeing: No more chasing voicemails or apologising for missed calls.
• Operational efficiency: Admin teams spend less time putting out fires and more time supporting learning.

I’ve seen this in action myself: schools that made the switch have told me their stress levels dropped almost overnight — not because the technology is flashy, but because it works, and seamlessly integrates with their learning and administrative systems.

Cloud vs On-Site: Which Is Really More Secure?

One of the first questions schools ask me is: “If we move to the cloud, aren’t we more at risk of a cyber attack?” This is more than a fair concern because cyber threats and school data breaches are on the rise and becoming more advanced as we speak. But the truth is, cloud systems are actually more secure than on-site ones.

Cloud providers like Evolve IP invest far more in cyber security than any individual school ever could:

• Data is encrypted and stored in secure UK data centres.
• Updates and security patches happen automatically.
• There’s no vulnerable server sitting in a dusty cupboard waiting to fail.

In other words, cloud systems reduce risk because they eliminate the vulnerabilities of outdated, unpatched on-site hardware. And because support is UK-based, if something ever needs attention, help is immediate — so you won’t be waiting for an engineer to eventually show up.

Evolve: A Unified Platform Designed with Schools in Mind

There are plenty of cloud communication platforms out there. But Evolve is different because it has been shaped around the real challenges schools face. This isn’t a generic VoIP solution: it’s a unified communication platform built with education in mind.

Here’s some of what you can expect:

• Safeguarding-first design: Built-in recording and audit features.
• Guaranteed uptime and reliability: You’re never left in the dark.
• Simple management: An intuitive dashboard that saves IT teams hours.
• DfE-compliant and UK-hosted: Designed for peace of mind.
• Education-focused support: You’re speaking to people who understand your world.

Evolve also scales perfectly with multi-academy trusts, where multiple sites need to stay connected under one consistent platform — without having to maintain separate systems at each campus.

Babble and Evolve: Helping Educators Focus on What Matters Most

The move to cloud communication doesn’t have to be as complicated or costly as it may seem. In fact, it’s one of the smartest investments a school can make. By acting now, you’re not just upgrading technology: you’re strengthening security and reducing risk, improving reliability, and saving money.

Remember, staying on an outdated system doesn’t just come with hardware issues, but introduces new risks. Every missed call, system failure, and delay in communication can impact your ability to safeguard, inform, and connect.

I’ve spent over a decade working with schools and colleges across the UK to help them build smarter, safer, more resilient communication systems. I’ve seen firsthand how the right tools make a real difference — not just to IT teams, but to teachers, parents, and students too.

If you’re ready to leave the uncertainty of on-site systems behind, now’s the time to get in touch with me and explore what cloud communication can do for your school.