Since infrastructural questions are dominated by a complex mix of technical factors, requirements, and options, decisions about infrastructure often are divorced from educational concerns and driven by technical matters and technology experts. In reality, infrastructure questions and decisions are coupled with educational needs, opportunities, and outcomes. Therefore, to achieve optimum educational results, each school or school system should base infrastructure decisions on an assessment of a mix of technical factors and educational needs and objectives. The results of such an assessment then must be compared to the costs and benefits of a variety of computer system configurations and infrastructure options. When carrying out an educational/infrastructure assessment, the following questions may need to be considered: 

• Educational goals – What educational goals will be accomplished by integrating technologies into the classroom? Different computer configurations will directly affect or decide how computers and the Internet can and will be used by teachers and students to enhance education.
• Professional development – Will the technologies be used to train teachers, for management, and to supplement classroom teaching? If so, teachers may need to be given special access to the technologies, with a mix of initial and ongoing training and support. If online professional development is planned, suitable Internet connectivity will need to be established, and time given for the teachers to learn the new facilities.
• Student-to-computer ratio – What target ratio of students per computer is your school/educational institution aiming for? How much computer and Internet access is to be offered, as well as frequency and duration of use for students in different disciplines will need to be considered.
• Students per classroom – What is the average number of students per classroom, and what is the expected growth of the school population over time? Classrooms already overburdened with large numbers of students will clearly be limited in terms of space for computers. For younger students in may be possible to have groups of students for each computer, but for older students more than two per computer is quite restrictive. Space between computers, as well as aisle space for which teachers to patrol must also be considered.
• Community use – Will the computer system be used by the local community during after school hours? Often the high costs of investing in technology are balanced with offering the facilities to the public at a small fee. If this is part of the school plan, then staff, security and configuration issues will need to be considered.
• Electrical system – What is the availability and quality of electrical output in the school and how is the wiring distributed throughout the building? Inconsistent, discontinuous voltage can be highly disruptive and even damaging to computers, yet many schools lack sufficient electricity supplies. Cables may not be the correct gauge to withstand the additional load of connecting computers to the school system, or made be made of aluminum, which oxidizes with time and can even become a fire hazard. To avoid having to install an entirely new supply system, many schools chose to install computers in labs to limit the amount of refurbishment necessary. Also, computers, especially those connected to a LAN, require a grounded electrical system, which is also less costly if applied only to one or two labs. Problems of inconsistent or interrupted voltage may be met by installing line stabilizers that make the voltage constant, and provide a 10-20 minute window, in case of power cuts, of electricity, so work can be saved, and computers safely closed down. All this can add to costs considerably. Some schools may choose solar power as an alternative power source, but equipment can be very expensive.
• Other physical conditions – What are the sizes and shapes of classrooms? What is the quality of natural/electrical lighting? What types of furniture is available? Are telephone lines present throughout the school?
• Physical security – How secure are the schools/rooms in which the technologies are to be installed? Security can be costly. Security plans must also consider a balance between protecting against theft, and allowing flexible and easy access. Fear of being blamed for damaging the computers, or for loss of equipment has been shown to restrict actual use of ICTs during class time.
• Technical support and management - What strategies will be developed to deal with support, maintenance, and management of computer systems? This concern has serious financial implications, and its importance can not be stressed enough, especially in terms of technical support.
• Movement of students throughout the school – What is the school routine? Do students tend to move around from class to class or stay in one room? This factor should be considered when deciding whether to set up labs, or to install computers within classrooms.
• Climate – temperature and air quality – Will rooms need to be air-conditioned or sealed against excessive dust? Technologies can generate a lot of heat. Lack of ventilation can make the study areas uncomfortable, and in extreme cases, even lead to computer malfunctioning. Open windows, however, can let in potentially damaging dust and be a security risk.
• Special needs or disabled students – Will special needs/disabled students need access to the computer systems? If so, ramp access should be provided for those in wheelchairs and special desks will be needed. For students with special needs, specialized software may need to be installed, such as new graphic/audio presentations to help the visually impaired read. Large lettered keyboard may be needed, or printers that can produce Braille. Recent advances show immense potential in educating these students, a potential that will not be realized unless these factors are considered from the beginning of the planning process.
• Funding resources – How much money is available to purchase and install the equipment, train teachers and staff, buy software, support, maintain and use the equipment? Is there a budget for ongoing maintenance, upgrading aging systems and technical support? Clearly, financial considerations are central when deciding which configuration is best. While funds to purchase/install equipment and initial training may come out of national/state budgets, funds for maintenance and running costs are usually expected to be provided by schools or local governments. It may be necessary then to devise special fund-raising schemes, such as offering the computers for commercial use after school hours, or soliciting the help of local businesses.
• Educators’ technology skills – Do the teachers know how to use computers, and even more importantly, do they know how to teach with them; how to integrate them into classroom learning? Teachers clearly play a pivotal role in maximizing the educational benefit of computer systems. In providing learning opportunities for teachers, configuration of computer facilities will need to be considered.
• Connecting computers together- Will the computers be installed as stand alone systems or linked together to form local area network (LAN)? While creating a LAN can have great educational benefits, its creation has financial and infrastructural effects that need to be taken into account.
• Internet connectivity – Will the computers be connected to the Internet? If so, what kind of connection is possible and affordable.

One of the most difficult challenges is balancing educational objectives with technical limitations and hard financial realities. Ultimately, the goal of assessing objectives, needs, conditions, and options is to determine the optimum configuration for integrating computers into education at a specific school.