Envisian expertise has been recognised, recently, by the Council of Australian University Directors of Information Technology (CAUDIT). This places us in an excellent position to help universities and research organisations plan the next steps in the evolution of their information technology – be it Cloud or on-premises solutions – and to provide the engineering and architecture knowledge to resolve technology challenges.

Our experience in the tertiary sector tells us that educational institutions appreciate an independent intermediary and consultant, to help navigate the sea of IT vendor and solution options, when moving to a Cloud environment. Of particular benefit are our Cloud Readiness Assessment, which reviews a University’s people, processes and technology and our Workload Placement Tool, which tests each application or workload to determine where it fits best – public/private Cloud, hybrid or on-premises platform. The mistake many organisations and educational institutions, alike, make is to move to Cloud too quickly, driven by marketing hype or enthusiastic belief in the potential business benefits, rather than taking the time for considered and informed analysis prior to investment. Our rigorous methods help Universities to better plan their moves, not only to deliver an improved flow of information, but also to reduce costs.

In November, 2015 we’ll be running a Webinar called “Investigating Cloud” for CAUDIT members. We’ll explore what Cloud means for universities and research organisations and outline the basic steps that need to be considered before embarking on a Cloud journey. We’ll identify where Cloud is most likely to be effective and discuss the organisational changes needed to embrace it.

Earlier this year, Envisian qualified for the Australian Government Cloud Services Panel, as a recognised provider of Cloud assessment and migration services. It’s a terrific acknowledgement of the contribution smaller, agile, future-focused operators can bring to the table and a great endorsement of our expertise in the cloud space.