In Austin, the ‘Power of Three’ in the AWS Cloud

To communicate the impact ofthe Austin Independent School District’s (AISD’s) multi-year migration to the cloud and modernapplications, Oscar Rodriguez relies on an internet-friendly tool: the hashtag. Using #powerofthree, he highlights the district’s three essential technology goals: simple, standard, and secure. “We’re simplifying our ecosystem of enterprise architecture, standardizing how K-12 systems are delivered, and ensuring security,” says Rodriguez, the district’s chief technology officer.

Behind the simple slogan is a complex move from aging in-house hardware and software. It’s a transition driven by fiscal realities and the need for information that will allow educators to innovate and support the district’s core mission: teaching and learning.

“We’re moving away from an ecosystem of self-programmed and highly customized applications and toward a software-as-a-service (SaaS) environment that will allow us to better understand the truth of what’s happening in our district,” Rodriguez says. “That’s critical to drive the promise of a great public education.”