Cambridge University Press partners with RiverMeadow

Cambridge University Press partners with RiverMeadow to implement a comprehensive Cloud Migration Program.

RiverMeadow Managed Cloud Migration Service successfully moves Server Estate to Amazon Web Services, reducing project implementation timescales by 50%.

• 750 servers in two on-premise data centres were reviewed for suitability to be migrated to Amazon's AWS cloud service
• These were highly complex and very tightly coupled with other services
• RiverMeadow’s Managed Cloud Migration Service was chosen to manage the project Complex applications needed to migrated at tremendous speed and scale
• The project was successfully completed a year ahead of schedule, saving the business money in CAPEX, OPEX and people training

Digital Transformation for the Betterment of Education

Cambridge University Press ('The Press') is the world’s oldest publishing house and the second-largest university press in the world. Committed to disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence, The Press opted to move its IT infrastructure out of its on-premise datacenters to the cloud in order to embrace digital change for the betterment of education.

A Complex Migration Project

In May 2018 The Press embarked on a complex cloud migration project to re-host all of its servers onto Amazon Web Services (AWS) in order to reclaim valuable real-estate, remove legacy 'dormant' portfolio, reduce power and cooling costs and improve security. An initial discovery of the entire estate was carried out in order to identify any application cloud migration partner who could manage the entire project.

RiverMeadow: A Dedicated and Experienced Migration Team

Following a rigorous selection process headed up by Anthony Joyes, The Press's Head Strategy, RiverMeadow’s Managed Cloud Migration Service (MCMS) was chosen. The collaboration was born out of two initiatives: “Cambridge University Press needed to procure a professional, end-to-end service that could deliver a comprehensive level of support throughout the entire migration process”, states Anthony Joyes. “We were impressed by RiverMeadow’s fast, low cost, low risk cloud migration solution which leverage all of AWS’s native features.”

Applying AWS’s 6 R’s Principle

750 servers in two on-premise data centres were reviewed against the suitability for migration to AWS applying the 6 R’s principle. Those determined as suitable candidates to be moved were grouped in services and environments. Those not suitable for the cloud were consolidated and made ready to be placed in an alternative datacenter.

Change Processes: A Key Challenge

The challenge this presented for The Press was around change processes that are designed to ensure a level of reliability and stability and which don’t typically blend well with high agility and velocity. As a result, RiverMeadow would play a vital role in ensuring that all internal processes remained robust and consistent throughout the migration project. RiverMeadow’s MCMS was focused on CUP’s virtual server estate, the majority of which was highly complex and very tightly coupled with other services.

98% of Cutovers Made During Business Hours

As a 24/7 global organisation, it was essential to choose a cut-over methodology that did not impact the business performance. Because RiverMeadow's Platform replicates source workloads in the target cloud this allows for secure testing, pre-validation and synchronization prior to cutover. “RiverMeadow’s ability to test in non-production environments mitigated any risks of outages," explains Anthony Joyes. "It also enabled complex applications to be migrated at tremendous velocity and with a huge amount of surety." Ninety-eight percent of cut-overs were successfully made during business hours without any disruption to the business - a testament to RiverMeadow's robust and low-risk migration approach and Platform.

Exceptional Specialist Cloud Migration Support

Even though The Press had clearly defined what it's core process was going to be it would always require an element of flex. This was where RiverMeadow's Cloud Migration Experts excelled: “The support from RiverMeadow was exceptional. Approachable and skilled, their specific cloud migration expertise combined with a willingness to go that extra mile meant I could focus much more on my job and oversee the project with complete confidence" states Anthony Joyes.

50% Reduction in Time - Opex and Capex Savings

RiverMeadow successfully completed the migration project in six months, reducing the overall project timeframe down from the initial two year plan to just 12 months. This resulted in significant savings in OPEX, CAPEX and people training expenditure as well creating a whole raft of opportunities for improved digital services to the business.

Digital Transformation for the Betterment of Education

With the project now successfully completed, "Without a doubt, RiverMeadow has been pivotal in enabling us to rapidly migrate to the cloud with minimal impact on our day-to-day business operations," states Anthony Joyes. "Thanks to their deep technical knowledge and know-how we have transformed the business for the betterment of education.

Find Out More

If you’re looking to find ways to dramatically reduce the time, cost and risk of migrating databases to the cloud, contact one of our Cloud Migration experts here or schedule a demo to see our software in action.