The staff of London’s King’s College is utilising Microsoft technology to collate data for analysis throughout the university.
Azure, Microsoft’s cloud based platform, will host a data lake of facts and figures regarding teaching spaces, students and their courses along with inter-departmental finance and research files for King’s.
An impressive collection of data available at all times
With its teaching reaching over 30,000 individuals every year, King’s College processes and retains vast quantities of data. By storing this information in a single location, the 7,000 plus university staff will be enabled rapid access to resources such as teaching spaces and funding for research. Offers of placement sent to students can also be followed and their enrolment and settling in period can be facilitated on joining the university, among a variety of other benefits.
Associate Director (Student Data and Analytics) at King’s College, Matt Gordon, stated:
“By using Azure, data from Student Records, Admissions, Finance, Research Management, Timetabling and Estate Management has been successfully collated and integrated, which previously was not possible. Traditionally, working with these data sets required our analysts to be familiar with multiple programming languages and to spend large amounts of time gaining access. Previously, more than 80% of their time was spent on routine extractions and integration of the same data and from the same the systems.”
To make the transition to the Azure platform, King’s College selected the data analytics consultancy Adatis, a trusted partner of Microsoft, for assistance and to convey bespoke skills to its staff.
Co-owner and Director for Adatis, Martin Philpott commented:
“Adatis is very proud to be partnering with such a progressive establishment in the higher education sector. King’s is one of the world’s most respected educational and researched focused universities. This data amalgamation project will only help to solidify their advanced understanding of the rapidly moving data space, setting them up as a leading university well into the future.”
Making the best use of time and resources
Previous to King’s College implementing Azure, the SQL Server for management of the database and the Power BI tool for aiding data visualisation, the staff were struggling with a shortage of data and a low level of automation. With four different campuses across London, the university’s information was stored in a multitude of systems located in different departments. This made answering requests for specific data a lengthy process that was near impossible.
By making use of Microsoft data solutions, King’s College users and analysts will no longer waste valuable time gathering information but instead put it to better use in analysis and creating insightful reports. Such information obtained and scrutinised can be utilised to support and advance strategic choices for the betterment of the university and its students.
If your company currently takes advantage of Microsoft technology to manage and store data you can contact our team at WM Reply with any questions or concerns that come up. As specialists in using Microsoft solutions to enhance business processes we’re uniquely placed to assist you.