Overview
Established in 1863, Newington College is one of Sydney’s respected GPS schools, with a reputation for progressive education and strong community connections. The College delivers a comprehensive educational experience, preparing students for future success while maintaining their focus on diversity and inclusion.
Strategic Technology Crossroads
As Newington College continued their digital transformation journey, they found themselves at a critical technology crossroad. The school had successfully embraced cloud technologies by transitioning many workloads to Microsoft Azure, but their on-premises infrastructure presented mounting challenges that demanded attention.
“We were facing what many schools experience — ageing hardware that was approaching end-of-life, alongside escalating software licensing costs,” explains Grant Joslin, ICT Infrastructure Manager at Newington College. “The situation became more urgent when Broadcom acquired VMware and signalled significant changes to licensing models that would have substantially increased our operational costs.”
This set of circumstances was complicated by the College’s desire to simplify their technology environment. Managing multiple platforms created unnecessary complexity for the IT team, while legacy systems for essential services like security cameras and building management were becoming cybersecurity liabilities.
“Our goal was to streamline our technology landscape while enhancing security and maintaining cost efficiency,” says Joslin. “We needed a strategic partner who could help us align our on-premises infrastructure with our cloud direction, creating a cohesive technology ecosystem that would support our educational mission without breaking the budget.”
The College required a solution that would not only address immediate hardware and licensing concerns but would also position them for future growth and innovation in their educational technology offerings.
Finding the Perfect Fit
After carefully evaluating their options, Newington College partnered with NetStrategy to implement a transformative solution that would align perfectly with their strategic direction and address their immediate challenges.
“We considered staying with VMware, but several factors pushed us toward Azure Stack HCI (Azure Local),” explains Joslin. “It offered perfect alignment with our Microsoft ecosystem, consolidated our technology stack, and provided significant licensing benefits through Azure Hybrid Use Benefits.”
NetStrategy designed and deployed a comprehensive solution that bridged Newington’s cloud and on-premises environments, including:
- Handover and training for the IT team
- Detailed assessment of current workloads and dependencies
- Strategic migration planning for critical systems
- New Dell infrastructure optimised for Azure Local
- Orchestrated workload transitions during off-peak periods
Transformative Benefits
The migration to Azure Local delivered multiple advantages for Newington College:
Unified Technology Ecosystem: “We now have a single technology stack from the cloud to on-premises, simplifying management and reducing complexity,” says Joslin.
Cost Efficiency: The College achieved significant savings by eliminating VMware licensing costs while leveraging existing Microsoft investment.
Enhanced Security Posture: “We used this opportunity to modernise legacy applications that posed security risks, improving our overall cybersecurity posture,” explains Joslin.
Simplified Administration: The IT team now benefits from familiar Microsoft management tools and a consistent experience across cloud and on-premises environments.
Future-Ready Infrastructure: The solution provides a pathway for further workload optimisation between cloud and on-premises environments as needs evolve.
“NetStrategy understood our need to balance technical considerations with our strategic direction. Their experience with educational institutions made them an ideal partner for this migration,” says Joslin.
Partnering with NetStrategy
“What impressed us about NetStrategy was their understanding of the specific challenges faced by schools,” explains Joslin. “They weren’t just technical experts; they understood our operational constraints and the critical importance of minimising disruption to teaching and learning.”
The partnership began with a thorough assessment of Newington’s existing environment and clear identification of migration paths for each workload. NetStrategy’s consultative approach ensured the College’s IT team was fully informed throughout the process.
