Why Today’s Infrastructure Decisions Will Shape Tomorrow’s Agility

Across UK higher education, institutions face mounting pressures: regulatory scrutiny, operational complexity, and rising student expectations. Legacy on-premise infrastructure is increasingly a barrier to agility. In this blog, we explore why infrastructure choices matter and how the University of Exeter’s move to Tribal Cloud transformed its operations.

The Challenge of On-Premise

“Complexity is no longer just inconvenient—it’s risky.”

On-premise systems demand constant maintenance, from patching and upgrades to security fixes. For the University of Exeter, this meant IT teams were split between business-as-usual tasks and strategic projects, limiting their ability to innovate.

The Move to Cloud

Mike Westwood, Assistant Director of IT at Exeter, recalls the shift:

• Before Cloud: Teams spent significant time on operational tasks—patching, upgrades, and troubleshooting.
• After Cloud: Tribal now handles infrastructure management, freeing Exeter’s IT team to focus on enhancements and student experience.

“We’ve gone from firefighting to innovating.”

Operational Resilience

Peak periods like clearing used to be stressful. On-premise limitations meant queuing systems for applications. Cloud changed that:

“With auto-scaling and high availability, we removed the queuing system—students can apply instantly.”

Tribal works proactively with customers to plan for busy times, ensuring performance and reliability.

Unlocking Strategic Projects

Moving to the cloud gave the University of Exeter breathing space to tackle major initiatives:

• Recruitment and admissions process improvements
• Student well-being enhancements
• System optimisation programmes

“We can now take a helicopter view and deliver the best experience for students.”

Security and Peace of Mind

Cybersecurity is a growing concern. Tribal’s dedicated security team monitors environments 24/7, applying critical patches automatically:

“It’s a great feeling to come in and see an email saying it was fixed overnight.”

This proactive approach eliminates the burden of emergency fixes and reduces risk.

The Bigger Picture

The University of Exeter’s move to Tribal Cloud didn’t just improve resilience—it elevated I.T.’s role across the institution. Freed from infrastructure management, the team can now drive transformation and support strategic goals.

Key Takeaways

• On-premise infrastructure creates risk and inefficiency.
• Cloud migration frees IT teams for strategic projects and innovation.
• Tribal Cloud delivers auto-scaling, resilience, and proactive security.
• Institutions gain peace of mind and improved student experience.
• Infrastructure decisions today define agility for tomorrow.

Watch the whole conversation with the University of Exeter >>>

Read the Whitepaper >>>