Transforming iCEV’s Digital Education Platform

Background

iCEV, a comprehensive digital curriculum platform, provides educators with ready-to-use lesson plans, multimedia presentations, interactive coursework, and assessments, all aligned with industry standards. The platform supports Career and Technical Education (CTE) across various subject areas, equipping students with practical skills and certifications to enhance their readiness for the workforce. As iCEV experienced rapid growth and expanded its reach in the education sector, they sought to modernize their technology infrastructure, enhance scalability, and improve their user experience. To achieve these ambitious goals, iCEV partnered with IntelliTect, a software consultancy renowned for its expertise in the education sector and its ability to execute complex technological transformations.

Challenge

Despite its success, iCEV faced several challenges that needed to be addressed to sustain growth and improve operational efficiency. The primary website was built on legacy technology by a previous contractor, resulting in ongoing maintenance issues that impeded performance. Additionally, following a series of strategic acquisitions, iCEV needed to standardize the user interface (UI) and technology across its products to create a cohesive experience. Moving from an existing data center to Azure was also essential for enhanced scalability, efficiency, and reliability. Furthermore, iCEV required strategic expertise and additional development capacity to address their technology transformation while their internal team was in the process of growing.

Solution

IntelliTect implemented a series of strategic initiatives in collaboration with iCEV:

1. Technology Upgrades: IntelliTect facilitated the migration of iCEV’s website from a legacy .Net framework to the modern .Net 8, significantly improving performance, stability, and scalability.
2. Cloud Migration: iCEV’s infrastructure was migrated to Azure PaaS services, including Azure App Services and Azure SQL Database. This migration ensured better scalability and reduced operational costs, setting a solid foundation for future growth.
3. UI Standardization: IntelliTect worked closely with iCEV to harmonize the UI across different product offerings, thereby enhancing consistency and creating a more seamless user experience for both educators and students.
4. Team Support: To support iCEV’s internal development team, IntelliTect provided additional development capacity. Working alongside iCEV’s developers, IntelliTect helped replace outdated systems while maintaining continuity in legacy operations, ensuring there were no disruptions to existing users.
5. AI-Powered Alignment Tool: IntelliTect helped develop an AI assistant tool aligned with iCEV’s innovation goals, enabling iCEV to explore new technologies to enhance their educational offerings.
6. Azure DevOps Implementation: IntelliTect introduced Azure DevOps to streamline project management, standardize development practices, and incorporate agile methodologies, ultimately improving productivity and collaboration.
7. Rebuilding Technology Foundations: Rather than attempting to patch up a disorganized legacy system, IntelliTect opted to rebuild the infrastructure from the ground up, laying a strong technical foundation for future innovations.

Partnering with IntelliTect has been transformative for iCEV. Their expertise in modernizing our technology infrastructure and standardizing our user interface has significantly enhanced our platform’s performance and user experience. This collaboration has positioned us well for future growth and innovation in the education sector.”

— Steven Lubowicz, Chief Technology Officer, iCEV

Outcome

Through their partnership with IntelliTect, iCEV successfully navigated their challenges, positioning themselves for continued growth and innovation. The transition to .Net 8 and the migration to Azure were completed seamlessly, resulting in enhanced system reliability and scalability that aligned with iCEV’s broader business objectives. The standardized UI created a more intuitive platform, which improved the user experience for educators and learners alike.

IntelliTect’s mentorship and support played a key role in helping iCEV grow their internal development team, giving them the capacity to manage ongoing platform development. Despite some evolving requirements, IntelliTect provided structured development support, allowing iCEV to meet project milestones and remain within budget. The adoption of Azure DevOps and the migration to Azure infrastructure streamlined operations, empowering iCEV to focus more on growth and innovation rather than day-to-day technology management.

IntelliTect’s ongoing collaboration with iCEV’s CTO Steven Lubowicz and a board representative ensured that project scope, expectations, and budget were effectively managed throughout the transformation process. The combination of strategic expertise, technological upgrades, and a collaborative approach enabled iCEV to overcome significant roadblocks and set a clear technical direction for the future, positioning them for ongoing success in the rapidly evolving education sector.