Background
The college runs cloud computing and DevOps courses. Its on-premises labs needed regular hardware refreshes, were only open during college hours and took weeks to prepare for each new course.
The challenge
- High capital cost from frequent hardware refreshes
- Labs were open only from 9 AM to 5 PM, which limited practice time
- Setting up software for each course took several weeks
Our solution
Serverstock designed a virtual lab environment using Azure Lab Services.
- Browser-based lab machines that students can start whenever they need them
- Automatic shutdown policies so machines do not run, and cost money, when idle
- Course templates that faculty prepare once with the exact tools each course needs
The outcome
Students can now practise outside college hours, and course environments that once took weeks to prepare are ready around ten times faster.
