The University of Canberra (UC) has reduced its IT infrastructure costs and optimised cloud computing expenses with the implementation of the Nutanix Cloud Platform.
Founded in 1967, UC has a rich history of pioneering research and innovation, focusing on delivering immersive student experiences with a commitment to strong employment outcomes. Home to leading research centres and institutes, including the Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics and the Health Research Institute, the university has more than 15,500 students, academics, researchers, and professional staff.
Its cloud and network architecture now incorporate various elements of the Nutanix Cloud Platform, with the latest implementation being the NCM Cost Governance solution.
Matt Carmichael, CIO of UC, highlighted the immediate impact of this tool, providing a unified view across Azure, AWS and Google Cloud, automatically alerting the IT team to potential cost increases.
He shared a significant instance where the NCM Cost Governance solution identified issues with Google Cloud backups, preventing unnecessary expenditure. These proactive measures have resulted in tangible cost savings for the university.
The adoption of Nutanix technology has also allowed UC to make substantial reductions in IT expenses and infrastructure needs.
“Using Nutanix to implement our private cloud was a major reason we were able to replace our disaster recovery (DR) datacentre with a micro data centre. This meant when we needed a new DR facility, it only required three racks of space, instead of the existing 24 – this led to upfront financial savings of around A$2 million, and ongoing savings in operational costs and energy usage,” he said.
Furthermore, the university achieved a 78 percent consolidation of server and storage assets, translating into an additional projected saving of more than A$1.5 million. As existing infrastructure reached the end of its lifecycle, workloads migrated to Nutanix, resulting in over 90 percent of the university’s core applications now running on the Nutanix Cloud Platform.
Carmichael noted the ease of management and support, citing seamless one-click upgrades and a significant reduction in datacenter footprint requirements. These operational and financial savings have enabled UC to invest in enhancing the student learning experience, with a particular focus on expanding teaching capacities in the areas of AI and deep learning.
The implementation of Nutanix End User Computing (EUC) has empowered students to access computing resources from anywhere, using standard laptops without the need for expensive terminals. This flexibility aligns with the strategic goals of the Faculty of Science and Technology, particularly in providing a flexible, remotely accessible teaching environment for AI and deep learning courses.
Postgraduate researchers at UC, engaged in projects at the Visual and Decision Analytics Lab (VIDEA) and the Australian Geospatial Health Lab (AGeoH-L), have also benefited from Nutanix’s scalable platform. The ability to scale up or down based on research cluster requirements ensures researchers have seamless access to the computing power they need.
The partnership between UC and Nutanix began in 2013 when the university sought to transform its legacy three-tier infrastructure.
Carmichael acknowledged the pivotal role of technology partner QIRX, an authorised Nutanix reseller, in facilitating the digital transformation journey.
“The next generation of innovators and world-changers are studying right now at University of Canberra. We’re only just beginning to understand the full potential of AI, and it’s the hands-on research underway in our nation’s capital that will shape the future of our nation,” said Aaron White, General Manager and Vice President of Nutanix APJ.
Photo: Jake Heinemann
Entelechy Asia 