University of Central Florida
UCF IT will follow a cloud first methodology for all new IT services and solutions.
Existing services and applications will be evaluated for migration to cloud services when any of the following factors apply:
- Aging hardware
- Unsupported application version
- Major upgrade or migration
- Maintenance renewal
- Increasing cost
While we will prioritize cloud solutions over traditional infrastructure, “cloud first” does not mean “cloud always”. Current requirements or constraints will dictate when the cloud makes sense. Our goal is to align with strategic objectives but not introduce unnecessary risk. When needed, we will utilize our off-site private cloud resources for those services where public cloud doesn’t make sense or add value. We will limit on-campus infrastructure to only what’s absolutely necessary based on very specific use cases.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) will be the cloud model of choice whenever possible. We will seek to streamline all custom-designed solutions using our trusted cloud provider Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offerings where available and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) when needed.
This strategy will enable us to make the most efficient use of UCF IT resources by reducing complex solutions, shifting more risk to our vendors, and taking advantage of their expertise and specialization. As a result, we can offer a better solution to our customers.