The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has decided to outsource its online presence, which it claims is the first deal of its kinds in the UK. Under the terms of the new contract, iomart Hosting will maintain a hardware platform that supports LSE’s website on secure servers located away from LSE’s London campus.

Stephen Emmott, head of web services in LSE’s communications department said: “Like most universities we have managed and hosted our institutional website on-site. In recent years we -including our colleagues in LSE’s IT Services- have come to the view that the level of service we require, particularly 24/7/365 availability, requires the services of an external supplier. We need to ensure that if there were any on-site problems, for instance with power, it wouldn’t affect the use of our website. It’s a good example of how the boundaries between academic institutions and the commercial sector can be developed into mutually beneficial relationships.”

The decision by LSE to outsource its web hosting has been made in hope of improved reliability and functionality, whilst increasing the scope and depth of information it can offer to both students and the wider population.