The Situation

Chatting about the school’s relationship with Lancom Technology is a comfortable place for Marketing & Operations Manager, Brett Shirreffs. “We’ve been with them for a significant amount of time, starting out as one of its launch customers,” he recalls. “Most of the engagement has been around day-to-day support, including some basic stuff early on. They’re effectively taken us through the age of on premises computing, and then into the cloud with Microsoft 365 and now more fully with the server.”

The decision to modernise, Shirreffs continues, came as a result of end of support pressures. “It’s been something in the back of the mind for years, so we always knew this day would come; effectively, the choice was made for us, and it made sense to put it into the Microsoft cloud.”

The solution

Languages International is perhaps a little unusual in that the school operates largely with traditional learning methods, as these are time-proven for effectiveness. “Pencils and paper, chalkboards, notepads – not the electronic ones. These tools work well in language education thanks to the link between writing with the hand and embedding knowledge.”

This, he confirms, means the organisation has no requirement for excessively complex technology; he credits Lancom as a partner which appreciates its business model and associated technology needs and therefore doesn’t attempt to solve problems than don’t exist. “We have no need for sophistication. The server was essentially hosting a database and a few other applications, and the rest of our environment is really Microsoft 365 and a couple of off the shelf financial applications.”

This also meant a straightforward project of moving the server into the Microsoft cloud with SharePoint hosting the database and other teaching resources, with Active Directory drummed into service for access and identity management.

One perspective Shirreffs draws attention to is the care taken in recreating the file structure and access paths to closely resemble those in the decommissioned server. “This familiarity has made it easier for staff to get used to working in the cloud; it reduces the change management element.”

A remaining project which Lancom is assisting with is easing the logon process for new students, many of whom face a language barrier.

The results

A problem-free experience in modernising its legacy server infrastructure was what Languages International expected and that is what it got, says Shirreffs. “There’s considerable value that derives from a longstanding relationship. Lancom understands what we do and the possibilities and limitations of what we have. This is important; it is easy to think one’s own situation is simpler than what is just because it’s the way it has always been. But when your managed services provider really knows your business, it means rapid time to value.”

Some of that value is in saying no, as much as it is saying yes. “Technology moves fast and can be enticing, so we sometimes have moments of enthusiasm where we think ‘this would be great’, then realise it is not actually suitable. Lancom’s been great in that respect. They’ve never forced anything on us, instead understanding and responding to our needs effectively.”

And that’s why an already lengthy partnership is set to continue.