16.5. Case Study: Education Institution Leveraging Azure
In the realm of education, institutions are constantly seeking innovative ways to enhance the learning experience, streamline administrative operations, and provide robust platforms for research and collaboration. This case study delves into “EduTech University,” a hypothetical but representative educational institution, and its strategic move to Microsoft Azure to revolutionize its technological landscape.
Background and Initial Challenges
EduTech University, with a sprawling campus and several satellite locations, offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Before its shift to Azure, the university faced several challenges:
● Infrastructure Scalability: The inability to efficiently scale IT resources during peak enrollment periods led to system overloads and student dissatisfaction.
● Research Computing: Faculty and students required high-performance computing resources for research purposes, which the existing on-premises infrastructure could not provide cost-effectively.
● Collaboration Tools: The lack of integrated tools for collaboration impeded the university’s ability to offer a seamless remote learning and research environment.
● Operational Costs: High maintenance costs for on-premises data centers, along with energy consumption, were a financial burden.
Why Azure?
Microsoft Azure was chosen for its comprehensive set of services tailored to educational institutions, including Azure Dev Tools for Teaching, which provides free access to Microsoft software for educational purposes. Moreover, Azure’s scalability, security features, and commitment to compliance with education-related standards and regulations were critical factors in the decision.
Planning and Roadmap
The transition to Azure involved extensive planning. EduTech University conducted a thorough review of its IT portfolio and identified which services could be migrated directly, which needed to be refactored, and which required a complete redesign.
Strategy for Migration
A phased migration approach was selected:
● Moving Non-Essential Services: Services not directly related to the core educational functions, such as the university’s website and intranet, were moved first.
● Virtual Learning Environment (VLE): The VLE was transitioned next to leverage Azure’s scalability for handling dynamic loads.
● Administrative Systems: Student Information Systems (SIS) and other critical administrative tools were moved last, ensuring minimal disruption.
Implementation and Services
EduTech University capitalized on a suite of Azure services:
● Azure Virtual Machines: For hosting legacy applications and services with specific infrastructure requirements.
● Azure App Service: To deploy the university’s web applications and services with auto-scaling capabilities.
● Azure SQL Database: For running the databases behind the VLE and SIS with high availability and security.
● Azure Active Directory (Azure AD): To manage identities and access to resources, enabling Single Sign-On (SSO) across university services.
