Regional educational institutions manage a growing landscape of applications: from student information systems and learning platforms to access control and library systems. Historically, the connections between these systems grow alongside the organisation, with each supplier building its own connection. The result is a network of custom solutions that no one fully oversees.
This is the situation that a regional training centre in the Netherlands recognised and decided to address structurally. Together with ctrl integrations a central integration platform was implemented that houses all connections related to student information.
The initial situation
The institution provides secondary vocational education (MBO) for thousands of students, spread across multiple locations and educational sectors. The application landscape includes systems for student registration, identity management, email, learning platforms, access control, and library management.
The connections between these systems had grown organically: each system had a separate connection, often built and managed by the supplier of that system. Internally, little was documented about how these connections worked, what data was exchanged, and who was responsible for maintenance. The integrations ran on old, partially unsupported technology. Implementing changes was slow, costly, and dependent on multiple external parties at the same time.
The problems this caused were concrete:
- Duplicate entry: changes in the student system had to be manually entered into multiple applications
- Error-proneness: without central validation, inconsistencies arose between systems
- No central insight: in the event of a failure, it was unclear where the fault lay
- Scalability: each new application required a new point-to-point connection
The objective
The institution formulated three concrete objectives for the new integration platform:
- Realise time savings by fully automating data flows between systems
- Prevent errors through central validation and standardised data processing
- Lay a future-proof foundation for all current and future connections
A clear prerequisite was that the internal management burden had to be minimal. The IT department wanted to focus on educational IT, not on the maintenance of integrations.
The solution: ctrl integration as a Service
After a negotiated tendering procedure, ctrl Integration as a Service from Shift Consultancy was chosen. The core of the choice: a fully managed solution where the institution does not need to develop or maintain its own integration expertise.
The ctrl integration platform (based on Lobster technology) acts as a central hub. Eduarte, the student information system, is the source system. Changes, registrations, modifications, and deregistrations are automatically processed and distributed to all connected target systems from Eduarte.
Technical landscape
The systems listed below are included in the integration chain:
|
System |
Role |
|
Student information system |
Source system (SIS) |
|
Identity and access management |
Target system |
|
Email provisioning for students |
Target system |
|
Learning Management System (LMS) |
Target system |
|
Access control and card management |
Target system |
|
Supplementary student information system |
Target system |
|
Library system (loan management) |
Target system |
|
Intake of new students |
Registration system |
|
Central hub for all data flows |
Integration platform |
|
8 Connections in phase 1 |
99.9% Uptime SLA guaranteed |
24/7 Monitoring proactive |
4 years Contract duration with extension options |
How does the platform work?
The integration chain works according to a fixed pattern:
1. Intake via the registration system
New students register via the portal and are redirected to the student information system. This registers and manages all student data and is the only source system for the downstream connections.
2. Central processing via ctrl integrations
With every change in the student information system, whether it is a new registration, a change of course, or a deregistration, the platform detects the change and starts processing. Transformations, validations, and business rules are applied centrally.
3. Distribution to target systems
The platform distributes the processed data to all connected systems: creating and managing accounts in Azure AD, e-mail provisioning via Exchange Online, placement in the correct course hierarchy, card management, synchronisation to the LMS and registration of borrowing rights in the library system.
4. Feedback mechanism
The platform supports bidirectional communication. Status information and error messages are automatically fed back for proactive error handling, without manual intervention.
Every student goes through an automated chain upon registration: from application to a working email account, LMS access, library card and access badge, without manual input from the IT department.
What does it deliver?
The implementation of the central integration platform has direct impact on multiple layers of the organisation:
Operational efficiency
Processes that previously required manual steps are now fully automated. Employees no longer need to enter the same data into multiple systems.
Data quality
Since Eduarte is the only source system and all other systems are fed through the platform, data consistency is ensured. Central validation rules prevent invalid or incomplete data from reaching the target systems.
Manageability
The IT department has central visibility into all data flows through the ctrl integration platform. In the event of a failure, it is immediately clear where the problem lies, without reliance on multiple suppliers.
Scalability
The architecture is designed for expansion. New systems can be connected without altering the existing links. Future expansions to HR systems and procurement processes are already planned as optional modules.