Modernizing Enterprise Applications and Integrations for a Large Higher Education Institution

Business Context

A large Canadian post-secondary institution serving tens of thousands of learners required modernization of several mission-critical enterprise application workflows. These systems supported academic administration, learner services, and continuing education programs, and were tightly integrated with core student and workforce platforms.

The institution’s technology roadmap emphasized:

  • Secure, standards-based integrations
  • Reduced dependency on legacy point-to-point connections
  • Alignment with Microsoft cloud and identity services
  • Improved reliability and maintainability of enterprise workflows
  • Industry Higher Education
  • Region Canada
  • Engagement Type Enterprise Application Modernization & Integration

Challenge

Over time, the institution’s application ecosystem had grown increasingly complex:

  1. Multiple enterprise systems required real-time and batch integrations
  2. Legacy integrations were tightly coupled, difficult to modify, and costly to maintain
  3. Security, authentication, and access patterns needed modernization
  4. New workflows required faster delivery without disrupting core operations

The organization needed a partner capable of hands-on delivery, deep Microsoft integration knowledge, and the ability to operate within established governance and change-management processes.

Solution

atQor partnered with the institution’s enterprise applications team to modernize application workflows and integrations using Microsoft-aligned architecture patterns.

Key elements of the engagement included:

  1. Designing and delivering secure API-based integrations between enterprise systems
  2. Implementing Java-based integration services aligned with Microsoft identity and security standards
  3. Leveraging Microsoft Graph API for standardized access to enterprise data and services
  4. Supporting modernization of registration and transactional workflows through scalable, service-oriented architecture
  5. Ensuring all solutions aligned with internal security, compliance, and operational requirements

The work was delivered in close collaboration with internal teams, enabling knowledge transfer and long-term sustainability.

Outcomes: Faster, More Accurate Business Operations

Since deploying the Power Apps solution, the client has realized significant operational improvements:

  1. Human error reduced by over 90% in sample tracking and order updates
  2. Production errors reduced by over 70% through better specification visibility
  3. Order turnaround times shortened by ~30%, improving customer responsiveness
  4. Centralized digital sample library enables efficient reuse of historical data

Teams across marketing, production, and operations now collaborate using a single, governed data source—eliminating fragmentation and redundant work.

Key Capabilities Delivered

The engagement enabled the institution to:

  1. Decouple legacy systems using API-first integration patterns
  2. Improve reliability and traceability of enterprise workflows
  3. Strengthen security and authentication across application interactions
  4. Reduce operational risk by aligning integrations with Microsoft best practices
  5. Enable faster delivery of future enhancements without major rework

Outcomes & Impact

As a result of this engagement, the institution achieved:

  1. More resilient and maintainable enterprise integrations
  2. Reduced integration complexity and technical debt
  3. Improved alignment with Microsoft cloud and identity services
  4. Greater agility in supporting new academic and administrative initiatives
  5. A scalable foundation to support future analytics and automation initiatives

The success of this work established atQor as a trusted delivery partner for ongoing Microsoft-centric modernization initiatives across the institution.

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