The University of Warwick, a world-leading public research University responsible for over 29,000 students and staff, has partnered with leading digital and cloud innovator ANS, to modernise aspects of its internal IT infrastructure and supporting services to lay the foundations of an enhanced digital future.

The University has previously invested in a substantial physical on-premise infrastructure platform and while Warwick continued to thrive as an organisation throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the nature of workplace, research, and learning environments are all seismically shifting.

The need for far greater levels of flexibility, no-limits automated capacity, integrated security, and on-demand delivery to support staff engaged in Research and Professional Services roles is now paramount. In addition, seamless accessibility, improved digital communities and learning outcomes for students has meant that platform evolution is a necessity. Indeed, the wider Higher Education sector is broadly looking at the problem of how to redefine and reshape long-standing business models, culture, and modes of connectivity.

To address this, The University of Warwick are embarking on a comprehensive enterprise scale cloud-based infrastructure transformation programme. Initially focusing on stabilisation and foundation building, the University is undertaking a migration of aspects of its physical Infrastructure to Cloud, with objectives to improve security, efficiency, scalability, and sustainability whilst simultaneously lowering business risks and reducing the size and dependency on the existing localised infrastructure footprint. The modernisation of platforms will also act as a springboard for more innovative projects in future.

Through this programme, the University of Warwick is endeavouring to unlock increased value of its most important asset: its data. Developing and enhancing the core digital platform should ensure higher levels of research data connections, student insights and richer business information becoming available. With greater visibility and understanding comes the potential that the University’s strategic decisions and substantial Research value are built on the best possible available information.

Working with ANS as a partner has enabled the University to immediately access new levels of future-proofed professional digital skills, competencies, and capabilities, enabling a change in the University’s approach whilst complementing the knowledge and structures of the existing internal teams. As a powerful combination, the University and ANS will be engaged on ensuring that Warwick continues to be a world class Research and Learning centre, with focus on future innovation, ideas and imagination all being high priorities.