AWS Cloud Migration
Over the past decade, GW IT has implemented Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions and worked with campus partners to steadily migrate services to the cloud. In Spring of 2024 we announced an initiative to expand this work and accelerate to the cloud, and have partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to deliver a frictionless experience to the GW community through scalable, secure, and compliant cloud services.
Leveraging the cloud will transform the digital experience, and enable us to continue to meet the evolving needs of the GW community. This strategic shift allows us to optimize the budget and reduce unexpected costs, amidst rising costs associated with maintaining an on-site data center. Accelerating to the cloud supports our commitment to modernize and simplify services, and is a significant step towards improving operations and services for the university.
Timeline
Campus partners will be asked to test applications prior to go live, and any service disruptions and impacts will be communicated as information becomes available.
- Phase 1: Discovery & Wave Planning (Complete April 2024): In this phase, we identified applications that were in-scope for migration to the AWS cloud and prioritized them into a migration plan.
- Phase 2: Infrastructure Implementation (Current Phase: June - October 2024 ): Establish cloud infrastructure in AWS and prepare for migrations.
- Phase 3: Wave Migrations (Fall 2024 - TBD): Migrate applications from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud using the Migration Wave plan drafted in Phase 1. GW IT will coordinate with individual departments for testing and to schedule for the transition of their services in Phase 3.
What's changing?
The location of some campus services and applications will be migrated from GW data centers to the cloud. As we prepare for these migrations, GW IT will engage with our campus partners to test services and build a schedule for the transition. We're committed to providing support and tailored assistance to facilitate seamless transitions with minimal disruptions.
The growth and enhancements that are possible once the migrations are complete will make the challenges worthwhile. Collaboration is key to the success of this initiative, and together, we can enjoy the advantages of moving to the cloud.
Benefits of migrating to the cloud
“The Cloud” refers to internet-based IT resources managed by third-party service providers. Cloud resources enable institutions to access a fully developed IT infrastructure as a web-based service, while reducing the need for physical infrastructure. Transitioning to cloud-based services increases flexibility, allowing institutions to swiftly adapt to the evolving needs of the community, support teaching and learning, and fuel cutting-edge research.
- Agility & Scalability: Rapidly deploy applications to adapt to the university's changing needs, and optimize resources to meet demands.
- Availability & Security: Ensure uninterrupted services and robust security with automatic data backups.
- Cost & Resource Optimization: Predict infrastructure budgets and maximize team capacity by minimizing IT costs.
- Accessibility & Collaboration: Enable access from anywhere, promoting remote learning and research collaboration
- Sustainability: Reduce carbon footprint by prioritizing innovation over infrastructure maintenance.
Campus Engagement
The George Washington University’s (GW) Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE) is an entity that provides cloud governance to drive business outcomes, is the center of a cloud community of practice, offers cloud brokerage capabilities, and leads the transformation activities that are necessary for a successful cloud journey.
The CCoE is empowered to set the strategy and make cloud decisions for the organization.
Vision
To enable organizational agility, sustainability, and efficiency in fulfilling the university’s mission to educate individuals and to conduct scholarly research through the adoption and scaling of cloud technology.
Mission
The mission of the GW’s Cloud Center of Excellence is to promote cloud adoption, ensure governance and compliance, drive cost optimization, foster innovation, and provide expertise and support that will achieve frictionless outcomes for faculty, students, and staff.
Questions & Feedback
If you have questions or feedback about this change, please share them with us by submitting the Technology Feedback form, and a member of the project team will be in contact with you.