Staffordshire University Staffordshire University Cloud Transformation Project Client Testimonial 2017 CoreAzure Limited. All rights reserved. This document is provided "as-is". Information and views expressed in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, are subject to change at any time and without prior notice. This document, and the information contained within it, is for informational purposes only. CoreAzure makes no warranties, express or implied. CoreAzure is a registered trademark in the United Kingdom. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Introduction Established in 1992, Staffordshire University is based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent. With almost 20,000 students and over 1,000 full-time staff, the University has a heritage of science learning and lays claim to their School of Computing being on of the first in the UK to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Computing. More recently, the University has become the first in the country to offer a specific Undergraduate degree in Cloud Computing. Industry: Higher Education Country: United Kingdom Number of Users: 20,000 CoreAzure have been instrumental in supporting Staffordshire University to its ambition of a truly digital transformation by migrating our organisation to Microsoft Azure Cloud. Margaret Monckton, Deputy Chief Executive, Staffordshire University Overview Following an end-to-end transformation of IT at Staffordshire University, they have become the first University in the UK to take a full migration to the Cloud. This is based on an IT platform in Microsoft Azure, integrating its core technologies including StorSimple, Azure Site Recovery, Office365, ExpressRoute and Skype for Business. Technology Environments: Microsoft Azure Platform StorSimple Operations Management Suite Office365 ExpressRoute Enterprise Mobility + Security Results: A resilient IT platform addressing previous concerns around security of legacy infrastructure Year 1 capital avoidance of 4m by moving from a CapEx to OpEx operating model A platform that strategically meets the growing needs of end-users and embraces new Microsoft technologies
The Challenge Staffordshire University had suffered from minimal investment in its core infrastructure that had resulted in its own IT provision operating over multiple, and significant single points of failure and risk. With a burning platform of Estate Rationalisation, and the decommissioning of its secondary Data Centre (DC), the concerns around capacity, back-up and disaster recovery escalated. The University was faced with a complete technology refresh, with an initial capital cost calculated at over 8.4m for the construction of 2 new onpremise DC s. The University s vision was simple. They needed to meet the challenges of delivering a flexible, dynamic, and cost effective IT service, whilst doing so sustainably with minimal risk, business disruption and satisfying the ever-growing demands of endusers. The Solution Staffordshire University had suffered from minimal investment in its core infrastructure that had resulted in its own IT provision operating over multiple, single points Following the delivery of a Cloud Readiness Assessment, CoreAzure demonstrated the The University s following aim areas was of simple. concern They around needed the to meet University s the challenges legacy of platform; delivering a flexible, dynamic, and cost effective IT service, whilst doing so sustainably with minimal risk, business disruption and satisfying No Disaster the ever-growing Recovery demands of end-users. Un-supported and ageing assets Poor commercial and financial visibility with a lack of understanding of TCO Disaggregation between faculty and IT Poor end-user experience The outcome was clear; improve systems management and monitoring processes and embrace the scalability and resiliency benefits of cloud computing by undertaking a full migration to Microsoft Azure. Across an 11-month project, there has been a full re-architecture and migration of 131 applications from on premise to Azure, providing business continuity and disaster recovery with Azure Site Recovery. While avoiding more than 4m in capital expenditure for year one alone, by moving to the Cloud rather than refreshing their legacy technology. As part of the Cloud Transformation Project, CoreAzure undertook a full and robust network upgrade across both campuses and connectivity to Azure via ExpressRoute. CoreAzure were successfully able to tailor implementation to prioritise migration and resilience of Key Line of Business applications in advance of Clearing in August and work around various other important dates in the Universities calendar.
Cost Avoidance Initially, the University had the intention of constructing two new on premise data centre s at a capital cost of 8.4m. To retain a considerable on premise IT estate requires ongoing maintenance, investment and management. Today, such an option is both costly and arguably unnecessary, distracting from both the core values of University and in contradiction to the strategic direction of IT across the Education Sector. The team at Staffordshire University were presented with the business case comprising of two options; Option A vs Option B Completion Capital Cost Date Option A Technology Refresh, construct 2 new on premise data centre s March 2018 8.4m Option B Cloud Transformation to Microsoft Azure March 2017 2m CapEx avoidance 6.4m By choosing Option B, we have helped Staffordshire University to develop a solution for full IT transformation and migration to Microsoft Azure with the capital avoidance of 6m, and the transition to a scalable operating model based on pay-as-you-go pricing. Building for the future Staffordshire University have avoided 8.2m of capital costs for two new data centre s, and will recognise the ongoing capital avoidance identified from licencing and maintenance savings. Furthermore, the University has inherited a strategically aligned, resilient and scalable platform to drive further improvements through the organisation, notably; Enhanced end-user experience Microsoft core technologies, Office365 and Skype for Business Empowered staff, trained on the Azure platform Financial clarity, an understanding of TCO Financial savings Reduced risk, disaster recovery and asset refresh Secure ExpressRoute connectivity to Azure Through CoreAzure s engagement with Staffordshire University, they have become Microsoft s first Beacon University, recognised as the organisation leading the way for cloud technologies within Higher Education. In addition to becoming the first UK University to fully migrate to the cloud, Staffordshire have also become the first to utilise direct and secure access to Azure through ExpressRoute connectivity over the Janet Network.
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