How AWS for Higher Education Drives Digital Transformation

Almost every higher education institution knows they need to migrate to the Cloud but it's not as simple as clicking a button and everything magically migrates; AWS for Higher Education can change that. It takes strategy, expertise, and resources to modernize current systems for students and staff.

During the pandemic, colleges and universities adapted to the stay-at-home environment with more online classes. But, as things returned to normal, digital acceleration slowed. Now is the time to learn how to drive digital transformation with AWS for Higher Education. Gain a competitive advantage and save money by using AWS and working with a trusted partner like ERPA.

The Current State of Higher Education

A Workday Global Study surveyed 1,150 senior executives across different sectors, including higher education. They found that “only 5% of higher education leaders say that at least half of their daily operations are digitized.”

People today expect their educational and employment experiences to be the same as life. We have powerful computers in the palm of our hands. We'll find a different path if we have to work too hard for basic things.

So where does that leave higher ed?

The industry is ripe with opportunities to create a competitive advantage. It's time to toss out data systems and infrastructure older than most faculty and modernize higher education with AWS.

When Should Higher Education Institutions Switch to AWS?

Some of the bigger questions that higher education asks are:

• Which cloud service provider is best — AWS, Oracle Cloud, or Microsoft Azure?
• When should a higher education institution migrate to the Cloud?
• How much is it going to cost?

We believe AWS for Higher Education is the answer. It provides the security, compliance, reliability, and scalability needed for higher education to succeed.

Higher education institutions can improve efficiencies, save money in the long-term, and modernize their tech stack. But when is the right time to make the switch? When should a college or university migrate? As soon as they can do so strategically.

To create a digital transformation strategy, you need data. To gather, organize, and analyze data effectively, you need a cohesive system.

In the same survey with Workday, it was found that:

“higher education leaders appear to be less able to meet business demands, with a mere 14% confident in their speed among planning, execution, and analysis cycles.”

And that's where an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner like ERPA enters the equation. For many colleges and universities, their data is siloed, impairing their agility in decision-making. ERPA seamlessly supports the transition to AWS by assessing where each higher education institution is in its Cloud journey.

With ERPA's AWS Cost Optimization Services, you have the right pricing model by matching demand with capacity to align with your budget. We then provide the support and resources you need to migrate to modernize quickly.

The Benefits of AWS Cloud Computing for Higher Education

You may already know that your institution needs to make the switch. Now it's time to figure out which cloud service provider to use and ensure legacy infrastructure, cloud services, data repositories, and an AWS Disaster Recovery Plan perform seamlessly together. AWS for Higher Education can work as smoothly as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). With AWS, you have many benefits, including:

Modernized Student Information Systems (SIS) and Administrative Operations

Save time and money with a Cloud Readiness Assessment, Cloud Architecture Design, and Cloud Migration Services to modernize Student Information Systems (SIS) and administrative operations, ensuring a consistent and secure learning and teaching environment for faculty and students.

Less Data Loss and Downtime, Faster and More Reliable Disaster Recovery

Find errors in minutes instead of hours and ensure reliable systems for the thousands of people in higher education facilities. Manual data backups take a lot of time, ERPA's Hosted Managed Services can minimize time spent on day-to-day operations.

Improved User Experience for Students and Faculty

AWS Cloud computing allows students and faculty to access applications and digital resources anytime anywhere. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) capabilities allow for improved equity, personalized communication, and a seamless teaching and learning environment.

Impressive Analytics to Drive Decision-making and Cut Unnecessary Spending

AWS allows higher education to optimize and analyze institutional data to make data-driven decisions. AWS provides sophisticated capabilities so schools can offer real-time streaming and seamlessly share data across all platforms for a more holistic view of a student's performance.

Less Time Spent Building and Maintaining Infrastructure

ERPA's Hosted Managed Services, Cost Optimization Services, and Optimization and Licensing Assessment (OLA) free up resources so you spend less time building and maintaining infrastructure and more time on education.

These are just some of the benefits of AWS for Higher Education, yet the potential goes on and on. Colleges and universities must migrate to the Cloud to stay relevant in today's fast-paced world.

Spend Less to Modernize More with AWS for Higher Education + ERPA

On-site hardware, maintenance, utilities, software expenses, and data storage add up quickly for colleges and universities.

With AWS for Higher Education, you can eliminate all of those expenses. You don't need to buy, own, or maintain data centers. Instead, you pay as you go on an as-needed basis for everything you need. Many industries use AWS to provide better customer experiences, store, manage, and analyze data effectively, and even build video games.

And the benefits of higher education are numerous. The above use cases are only a tiny sampling of what AWS can offer. AWS is the best regarding data security and compliance, reliability, and the performance needs required to run a higher education institution successfully.

Combining AWS and ERPA gives you speed and reduced migrating costs to modernize. Time is money, and money is money, and with AWS and ERPA together, you win on both accounts.

To learn more about ERPA's holistic approach to digital transformation in higher education, contact our team today!