On ‘cloud’: Transforming UAE education industry’s DNA

RITIKA SHARMA / AJMAN

From hospitality to construction and from fashion to tourism and now education — there is no industry that is untouched by the advancements that technology imparts.
Being a pioneer in embracing new tech trends, UAE has shown the world how quick and wise adoption of technology makes a difference in all spheres of life. The country has now taken up the challenge of creating a tech-driven education system where learning becomes an integral part of student’s life and is not confined to only four walls of their schools or
colleges.
One such appreciable step has been taken by the Ajman University of Science and Technology (AUST), which has moved to the cloud computing in a bid to create better learning
experience for its students. It has been made possible in the varsity by adopting cutting-edge Microsoft Azure and Office 365 softwares. These are enabling the students and staff of the university to collaborate effectively while reducing the overall IT costs.
AUST, an academic institution that provides over 40 accredited programmes across UAE, has recently adopted Microsoft Azure and Office 365 to improve its overall operational efficiency.
“Ajman university of Science and Technology is committed to ensure our students and staff are equipped with the latest technology”, said Inas Abou Sharkh, IT Manager, AUST.
“The adoption of Azure and Office 365 has brought invaluable benefits to our institution contributing to a smoother workflow within the
university.
Students and faculty are now empowered with these tools to
explore the endless possibilities of innovation in education.”
The decision was made in line with the university’s aim of providing high level training and skills to its
students, by offering them guaranteed 24/7 cloud services to enable high resiliency and availability for performing academic tasks.
Succeeding in its mission to impart lifelong learning by the development of critical thinking skills, AUST has ensured delivery of secured web services through very cost effective means.
Here cloud technology is
enabling the students as well as staff to collaborate effectively, allowing them to access, edit and share crucial data to complete critical tasks in real-time.
It further reduces the need for hardware maintenance, thus enabling the IT staff to focus on other core areas of the institution.
Haider Salloum, SMB Director, from Microsoft Gulf, said, “As we move into the digital era, both businesses and academic institutions feel the need to transform and embrace emerging trends that can help them achieve more.”
“The collaboration between AUST and Microsoft underlines the capability of our cloud solutions in modernizing academic institutions enabling more personalized education for students, as well as increasing agility, flexibility and cost efficiency for enhanced business productivity,” pointed out Salloum.
Cloud solutions could be successfully used to address various needs that range from simple classroom activities, administrative tasks, student data management, coursework materials and even e-learning.
It helps educational institutes to solely focus their energies on creating more collaborative and innovative knowledge environments, leaving their IT requirements in the hands of industry experts.