Member Article

College turns to cloud to cut costs

A PARTNERSHIP with Gateshead-based IT specialist ITPS has seen Seaton Burn College save 30% on its IT costs and get 20 times more performance from its IT infrastructure after moving to a cloud computing model.

ITPS won the tender when the college went out to the market to find an IT partner to help it transform an ageing IT infrastructure into a future-proof platform capable of supporting its 600 students and staff.

Experts from ITPS spent 12 months working with the college’s IT team to review and upgrade software and systems. The college now has its ICT split between its own premises and ITPS’s £4m data centre in Chester le Street, using a private network connected through cloud technology.

The new ultra-fast, high security connections deliver anytime, anywhere IT access to students and staff when they are on and off site, and users no longer have to wait for long periods to login to the network, connect to the internet or download large files.

Chris Nellist, information and administration manager at Seaton Burn College, said: “This project has provided Seaton Burn students and staff with a network that would not look out of place in a corporate environment.

“Our original goal was for a fast and resilient network that is flexible to ever-changing technological and curriculum demands, and ITPS has helped us deliver this and more, exceeding all our expectations.

“Before working with ITPS we were struggling with issues including poor connectivity and slow speeds. When they showed us what was possible by moving to cloud technology we were blown away by the efficiency and cost benefits.

“Technology is now an essential teaching tool and traditionally accounted for a large part of our budget. We are now saving a considerable amount of money that has in effect paid for a new infrastructure that gives staff and students fast and efficient access to systems and data wherever they are working.

“Exceptional account management and technical skills are what make ITPS unique from other suppliers. They are continually engaged and willing to tackle any obstacles head-on with well-thought-out strategies and discussion.

“Migration to the cloud and moving from the safety of a managed environment with our previous providers was a big step change for us, but ITPS’s ethos of putting the customer first, combined with their clearly demonstrable expertise, has helped our transition to be the best decision we could have possibly made.

“I cannot praise the technical staff and our account director David Bradbury enough for their assistance on the whole project.”

The new infrastructure gives the college’s IT staff full control over the network, and includes benefits such as roaming profiles, where users login once and then move around the college premises hopping seamlessly on and off the network, thanks to strategically-placed wireless network points. It also allows new students to easily bring portfolios across from previous schools when they join the college.

David Bradbury, account director at ITPS, commented: “We are pleased to have helped the college invest in smarter, more efficient technology. The new solution has given them greater flexibility and control, at a fraction of the previous cost.

“Moving to cloud can appear to be a big step and a daunting prospect, and the time we spent talking the college through their options helped them to make the right decision. It was a complex project with a tight timescale for delivery, and by working together we have been able to create a best practice model for an education environment.

“The new cloud framework has also given the college greater autonomy and control over its management information system, which is a big sticking point for schools and colleges who are hosted by their local education authority.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by ITPS Ltd .