How to Approach Higher Ed’s Hybrid Cloud Migration

A Strategic Approach Moves the Right Workloads at the Right Time

The public cloud could be a great option for colleges and universities, but many are not ready to take the plunge just yet. In many cases, institutions have been forced to move applications to the cloud because that’s the only way software manufacturers have offered their products. Collaboration, productivity and student information system software providers are increasingly moving to cloud-based application models.

In other instances, institutions seek to move specific workloads off-premises. For example, a university’s research department might want to move its large data sets to the cloud while central IT functions remain on premises.

READ MORE: Why some universities have moved research computing to the cloud.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to the cloud in higher ed. A cloud maturity assessment from CDW can help colleges and universities develop a roadmap to cloud adoption, determining whether a particular institution’s environment is ready for migration or if additional work is needed to get them there.

Assessments can help IT teams determine whether they have the proper security in place to support a cloud environment and the level of lift required to meet the institution’s goals. If it’s decided that it isn’t the right time for a move, repeat assessments on a regular basis can help institutions see the progress they’re making toward a shift to the cloud.

Determine the Cost Effectiveness of a Hybrid Cloud Environment

There’s a lot of debate about just how cost-effective a move to the cloud actually is. It’s true that reducing the number of on-premises data centers will dramatically lower maintenance costs, but because cloud providers make it so convenient to spin up new servers, it’s easy to let cloud spending get out of hand. By eliminating the need to purchase equipment, find space for it and install it, the cloud lets users expand their storage capabilities — while raising their cloud storage bills — with just a few clicks.

CDW Inscape helps colleges and universities monitor and manage their cloud resources to prevent unexpected spending and growth that exceeds their original budgets. This tool gives higher ed institutions the insights they need to make better decisions when it comes to the cloud, enabling them to meet their goals while staying within the boundaries of their spending limits. Inscape’s dashboard also helps IT teams manage multicloud environments and keep track of subscriptions, offering greater visibility into the entire cloud ecosystem.

A hybrid cloud strategy offers a number of benefits to higher education institutions, but IT managers wary of adopting a new architecture can tap into services and tools offered by a third party like CDW to keep them on track with an infrastructure strategy that best suits their needs.

This article is part of EdTech: Focus on Higher Education’s UniversITy blog series.