Race to the cloud: Transact IDX® simplifies cloud migration process for clients

Higher education institutions are headed for the clouds—the virtual clouds, that is. But what does it mean when a college "moves to the cloud?" Simply put, when an organization moves to the cloud, it means all data assets such as data files, workloads, IT resources, and applications are migrated to the cloud infrastructure from physical, on-site servers. Rather than having to buy more servers to support an increase in storage space or processing power, cloud-based solutions allow colleges to quickly deploy new technologies to a large audience with the push of a button. 

Experts at Transact Campus predict that all industries, including higher education, will transition to the cloud and use it as an opportunity to streamline their database management and finance systems. According to Gartner, "almost two-thirds (65.9%) of spending on application software will be directed toward cloud technologies in 2025, up from 57.7% in 2022." (Moore, 2022)

For years, many schools have sacrificed functionality because solutions providers have offered one-size-fits-all technologies. Cloud-based systems allow administrators to deploy a hybrid multi-vendor, best-of-breed ERP ecosystem. 

Top 6 advantages of moving to the cloud 

The pandemic accelerated the shift to the cloud, while also creating an expectation that both administrator and end-user experiences should be seamless, fast, and always available. This is likely an expectation here to stay. Compared to on-site data storage, the cloud offers clients several key benefits. Here are the top six advantages of cloud migration: 

1. Increased scalability and flexibility. Data memory or storage can be easily added or removed, allowing institutions to scale up or down quickly, depending on their requirements. Cloud-based infrastructures can be tailored to meet the needs of schools of all shapes and sizes. 
   
   
2. Cost savings. While cloud-based systems require an up-front investment and minimal regular maintenance fees, traditional, in-house infrastructures require costly hardware and software that is expensive to maintain.
   
   
3. Reduced burden on staff and administrators. Shifting to cloud services relieves administrators of the stress and financial responsibility of data management and data security concerns. IT experts manage these critical functions, allowing campus administrators to focus energy and resources on educating students and running their campuses. 
   
   
4. Enhanced security and compliance. Colleges and universities can be easy targets for cybercriminals due to the amount of student files, emails, and other communications. For this reason, schools should adopt measures to secure data and protect their staff and students. (Hurix, 2023) Data stored in the cloud is encrypted and stored in multiple locations, thereby reducing the risk of data breaches and other security threats. Additionally, cloud services are regularly updated with the latest security protocols for added security.
   
   
5. Improved reliability. Cloud storage is designed to offer maximum accessibility and availability, with little or no downtime. As a cloud user, you don’t need to rely on a single data server or data center.
   
   
6. Superior monitoring and analytics. Cloud storage offers built-in monitoring capabilities, giving you access to the most reliable data about your infrastructure and maintenance. Additionally, most cloud providers provide digital notifications about the state of your infrastructure, assets, or breakdown. 

Transact paves the way for higher ed institutions to move to the cloud 

Recently, Transact launched its first-ever cloud native transaction processing system, Transact IDX^®, with multiple features including Stored Value, Meal Plans, and Events and Privileges.

Transact IDX^® can quickly scale up or down computing resources as needed to allow higher education institutions to meet the changing demands of their student population. Furthermore, the cloud provides great benefits for transaction processing, such as improved reliability and fast sub two second response time. Transact’s IDX^® services are deployed in redundant regions, and tools such as Azure Traffic Manager and web application firewalls ensure that requests are securely routed to the fastest service available.

According to Kent Pawlak, Senior Director of Advanced Products at Transact, "When a transaction request is received, if the East region is experiencing heavy traffic or the West region is particularly busy, the request can be routed to the quickest location, ensuring that data is kept synchronized across all regions." Data synchronization across regions and the ability to scale services in response to heavy loads provide further advantages, and in the case of a data center failure, the system is still able to process requests.

Shifting to the cloud is easier than expected 

Moving to the cloud is easier than you think. "Our platforms provide a suite of services and features that are tailored to make the transition simpler and more efficient," said Pawlak. "Transact’s IDX^® system is built on a platform to ensure instant access to all the benefits expected from student and administrative users."

With IDX^®, Transact provides a powerful transaction processing engine that lifts the IT burden from the campus and places it into the cloud. Additionally, our platform is built on true cloud architecture, meaning that colleges can benefit from the scalability and flexibility of the cloud without the hassle of managing their own infrastructure.

"Our goal is to develop a product that is self-managed by the client. This can be achieved with cloud-based software, which has the advantage of providing new features and functionality much faster than traditional software. With cloud-based software, there is no need for institutions to tear down and reinstall; instead, the new features and functionality can be activated with the flip of a switch. Additionally, due to the cloud-based nature of the software, all the prep work is virtual, making the process much faster and more efficient," Pawlak said.

Using IDX^® can offer additional benefits such as:

• Setup that only takes a matter of hours and involves a few simple clicks of a mouse
• Highly available, auto scaling, and reliable services with disaster recovery
• Lifts the "IT burden" associated with on-premise technology
• Certified pipelines to handle background upgrades with no disruption

Colleges and universities are not all the same and require proper consideration when onboarding a new cloud solution.

Streamline your school’s processes with Transact IDX^® 

If your campus is considering taking the first step to cloud migration with Transact, the onboarding process begins with a sales conversation to discuss and create a statement of work. During this time, Transact will work to understand your school’s existing ecosystem and any related tasks that need to be installed. Next, we will hold a kick-off meeting to review your goals and objectives, existing infrastructure, and future projects. During this meeting, our experts will review IDX^®/customization and business requirements, as well as the usage of the platform. After the meeting, Transact will develop a plan and timeline for implementation and training. This will include a detailed training plan and access/go-live date. After this, your school will be ready to make the switch to the cloud with Transact.

At Transact, we’re looking forward to the future, and will continue to evolve and innovate, making the transition to the cloud easy and convenient. To learn more about Transact IDX^® and talk to our experts, click here. 

Guest blog contributor: 

Jordan McCall, Strategic Operations Analyst at Transact Campus