Leveraging the Power of a Robust Cloud Platform to Accelerate WSU's Digital Future

From design through delivery, navigating the challenges of cultural and capability transformation

Western Sydney University (WSU) is leveraging a robust cloud platform to drive its digital transformation, aiming to establish a flexible, scalable infrastructure that meets the evolving demands of its academic, corporate, and research communities. This transformation encompasses the full project lifecycle—from strategic design to delivery—demanding not only technical advancements but also a shift in organizational culture and capabilities to fully embrace new digital possibilities. In this session, we explore how WSU’s IT and Digital Services (ITDS) is advancing the university’s digital agenda by enhancing service delivery, driving operational efficiency, and fostering a culture of continuous innovation.

ITDS manages critical IT systems across WSU's Learning & Teaching, Corporate, and Research areas, ensuring they stay current with the university’s needs. Starting in 2016, WSU began its cloud journey by migrating approximately 50% of its virtual servers to a Managed Private Cloud (MPC) environment, hosted and maintained by an external provider. Although this migration initially brought cost savings, the platform lacked the agility and full range of benefits offered by modern cloud services. A recent in-depth review prompted a strategic pivot to public cloud through an accelerated ‘lift and shift’ approach, followed by application modernization, creating a more scalable and efficient platform to support WSU’s digital future. This talk will discuss key insights from WSU’s cloud journey, focusing on aligning people, processes, and technology to create sustainable, impactful digital growth.