Creighton University is a prominent institution in higher education. Recognizing the evolving needs of modern education, the university set out to enhance its digital learning environment and to offer flexible, accessible learning options for its students and faculty. Its users run a diverse range of applications, from basic productivity tools to demanding research software, and increasingly need to reach them from off campus as remote and hybrid learning models have grown.

Creighton University faced the challenge of adapting to a changing landscape in higher education, particularly the increased demand for remote and hybrid learning models. Students and faculty needed seamless access to educational resources and applications from anywhere, and the university had to deliver that access without compromising security or ease of use.

The applications in use ranged from basic productivity tools to complex research software, so any virtual desktop platform had to perform reliably and scale with demand as remote learning needs fluctuated. Users also should not need specialized hardware to take part in an immersive educational experience.

The university's virtual desktop journey with Frame had begun with an initial deployment on Azure, chosen for its flexibility. As its infrastructure strategy evolved, Creighton wanted a more cost-effective platform that aligned with that strategy, which meant the desktop service also had to be able to move between cloud environments without disruption.

Creighton University's approach had three main components. With Dizzion Flex, the university offers a flexible and scalable virtual desktop environment that lets students and faculty access their desktops and applications from any device, anywhere, ensuring continuity in learning and teaching.

The underlying infrastructure is provided by Nutanix, which delivers the performance, reliability and scalability needed to support the diverse and demanding applications used across the university. Together, Dizzion Flex and Nutanix provide easy access to resources with minimal latency, a combination that particularly benefits remote learners and faculty, who can engage in an immersive educational experience without specialized hardware.

The third element was the infrastructure transition itself. Creighton's deployment on Frame started on Azure, but in pursuit of more cost-effective solutions and to align with its evolving infrastructure strategy, the university later shifted to Nutanix's Acropolis Hypervisor (AHV). Dizzion notes that the move demonstrates Frame's ability to run multi-cloud and switch between cloud providers or infrastructures as an institution's needs and priorities change.

• Students and faculty can engage in educational activities from any location and any device
• Digital resources scale quickly to meet fluctuating remote learning demand
• Cloud-based delivery optimized IT expenditure while supporting the university's sustainability goals
• Sensitive student and faculty data protected in line with educational standards and regulations
• Desktop platform migrated from Azure to Nutanix AHV in pursuit of lower cost