IT Relocation Built for Universities, Colleges & School Boards
Educational institutions manage IT environments that serve thousands of students, faculty, and staff simultaneously and operate on academic calendars that leave narrow windows for infrastructure work. CrownTECH® has been executing education sector IT relocations across Canada since 1998, always scheduled around your academic year.
Education Sector
Ever
Academic Calendar
Stabilization Support
You Have Three Move Windows Per Year. We Know All Three.
Academic Calendar Scheduling is Non-Negotiable
CrownTECH® plans every education sector move around your specific institutional calendar.Education IT Environments Are Not Like Corporate Offices
A university or college campus IT environment serves thousands of concurrent users across dozens of departments, faculties, research groups, and administrative units, each with different systems, different data sensitivities, and different operational requirements. A school board manages hundreds of sites from a central administrative office with strict provincial data governance obligations.
These organizations operate under FIPPA and MFIPPA privacy obligations governing student personal information, academic records, and employee data. Any IT relocation that disrupts the Student Information System, the Learning Management System, or the research computing infrastructure does not just inconvenience staff, it affects thousands of students and active research programs.
Since 1998, CrownTECH® has executed IT relocations for universities, colleges, and school board administrative offices across Ontario and Canada, always scheduled around the academic calendar, always with full FIPPA-aware documentation, and always with a complete understanding of the difference between a student information server and a general office workstation.
Every Type of Educational Institution. Every Scale.
CrownTECH® has executed IT relocations for educational institutions at every level of Canada's education system, from central school board offices to research-intensive universities.
Universities
Universities that do a lot of research and have complicated IT systems that cover administrative offices, faculty departments, research computing clusters, and student-facing systems that serve tens of thousands of users.
Colleges & Polytechnics
Ontario colleges and polytechnic institutions with applied research programs, trades and technology labs, and administrative infrastructure are subject to FIPPA privacy obligations for student records.
School Boards
District school board administrative offices manage IT infrastructure and student data for hundreds of schools across large geographic areas, subject to MFIPPA and strict Ontario student privacy obligations.
Research Institutes
Independent and university-affiliated research institutes with specialized computing infrastructure, active grants, ethics board obligations, and sensitive research data requiring careful physical handling.
Library & Information Services
University and public library systems with digital archive servers, ILS platforms (Ex Libris, SirsiDynix), and large-scale storage infrastructure requiring careful sequencing during relocation.
Educational Administrative Offices
Ontario Ministry of Education offices, Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), and other education sector administrative bodies with government-equivalent data handling requirements.
Every System That Students and Faculty Depend On Sequenced and Verified.
Education IT environments contain systems that directly affect student outcomes, active research programs, and institutional compliance obligations. CrownTECH® sequences every system's restart around SIS availability because nothing else matters until students can access their records.
Student & Academic Systems
Priority: First Up- Student Information Systems (Banner, PeopleSoft, Colleague, PowerSchool)
- Learning Management Systems (D2L Brightspace, Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard)
- Student portal and self-service infrastructure
- OSAP and financial aid processing systems
- Registration, enrollment, and timetabling platforms
Research & Library Infrastructure
Grant-Funded & Regulated- High-performance computing (HPC) clusters and research servers
- Integrated Library Systems (Ex Libris Alma, SirsiDynix Symphony)
- Research data repositories and digital preservation systems
- Ethics board and grant management platforms
- Lab-specific instrumentation and data acquisition systems
Campus Infrastructure & Admin
Foundation & Operations- Campus network core, ORION connectivity, and inter-building links
- eduroam Wi-Fi infrastructure and network access control
- Identity management, LDAP/AD, and single sign-on
- HR, payroll, and finance platforms (Oracle, SAP, Workday)
- Physical access control and building management integration
Planning an Education Sector IT Relocation?
Academic calendar scheduling. Student data protection. SIS continuity. Full FIPPA documentation. The earlier we engage, the better we can plan around your academic year.
Get a Free AssessmentFour Phases: Academic Calendar-First, Every Time.
Academic Calendar & System Scoping
Before cataloguing a single asset, CrownTECH® engages your IT leadership, Registrar's office, and facilities team to map the academic calendar, identify blackout periods, and confirm the precise move window. We document every system's role, its student-facing dependencies, and its FIPPA classification so the entire move plan is built around academic continuity from the start.
- The academic calendar reviewed exam periods, enrollment deadlines, and semester starts marked as blackouts
- SIS, LMS, and research system dependencies mapped with your IT and Registrar teams
- FIPPA/MFIPPA data classification completed for all student-data-bearing assets
- Move window confirmed for May, summer, or December break, typically
- Research computing dependencies were identified and reviewed with research services
- Institutional procurement and approvals process confirmed with purchasing
Asset Documentation & Student Data Classification
Every server, workstation, storage device, and network component is photographed, tagged, and classified according to the data it holds. Student-record-bearing systems are segregated and assigned dedicated chain-of-custody documentation separate from general administrative equipment. Before the execution starts, your IT director and privacy officer will get a full asset manifest.
- Full photographic and inventory documentation of every asset
- Student-data-bearing systems classified under FIPPA/MFIPPA categories
- SIS and student record servers are assigned dedicated chain-of-custody tags
- Research data systems are identified and handled under separate protocols
- System interdependency map approved by the IT director and Registrar
- Pre-move asset manifest delivered to the privacy officer before execution
Secure Execution During Academic Break Window
Execution is set to happen only during the confirmed academic break window, not during the active term, exam periods, or peak enrollment or registration times. Systems that hold student data travel in special, lockable, tamper-evident boxes. The chain of custody is always in place, and your IT director is kept up to date on the transfer in real time.
- 100% execution within confirmed academic break, no active-term disruption
- Student data systems in dedicated, locked, tamper-evident containers
- No third-party transport for FIPPA-classified student record systems
- Continuous chain of custody, no unmonitored interim storage
- Dual sign-off at disconnection and destination for student-data assets
- Real-time status updates to the IT director and privacy officer throughout
SIS-First Recommissioning & Semester-Ready Verification
The systems were put back into service in a strict order: first the campus network core, then the SIS and student portal, then the LMS, then the research systems, and finally the administrative workstations. Before the move window ends, you, your IT team and the Registrar finish the verification process. This makes sure that students can get to their records, staff can get to course materials, and the school is ready for the following semester.
- Campus network core and ORION connectivity were deployed and tested first
- SIS brought online, and student record access verified. Registrar confirms
- LMS-verified faculty can access course materials and student submissions
- Student portal and self-service systems tested end-to-end
- The research services team checked the research computing systems.
- Full FIPPA-supporting post-move documentation delivered to the privacy officer
Every Obligation Your Institution Carries, We Account for It.
Educational institutions have to follow a lot of different rules about privacy and compliance when it comes to student data, research records, and employee information. CrownTECH® includes these in every step of the move strategy.
Ontario universities are subject to FIPPA, which controls how personal information is collected, used, shared, and kept safe, including student academic records, employee files, and research data. Physical IT relocations that expose or create gaps in the protection of this information constitute a privacy breach.
CrownTECH sorts all student and personal information-bearing assets into FIPPA categories before scoping, uses chain-of-custody controls during the relocation, and gives your Privacy Officer paperwork that proves FIPPA-compliant management.
MFIPPA applies to Ontario school boards and colleges. It sets rules for how to handle personal information about students, staff records, and institutional data that are similar to those in FIPPA at the university level.
CrownTECH® applies the same FIPPA-standard chain-of-custody and documentation protocols to school board and college IT moves, supporting your institution's compliance obligations to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.
Universities and institutions that deal with OSAP applications and data from the National Student Loans Service Centre have to follow certain rules to preserve financial assistance information. Systems processing OSAP data require particular care during physical relocation.
During scoping, CrownTECH® finds OSAP-processing systems and puts in place special chain-of-custody restrictions. This makes sure that financial assistance data is never treated like regular office equipment during the move.
Universities that do federally supported research using NSERC, SSHRC, or CIHR funding must follow the Tri-Council's data management rules and ethics board rules, which include making sure that research data systems are physically safe.
CrownTECH® works with your research services team to identify grant-funded and ethics-board-regulated systems, applying separate handling protocols and delivering documentation that supports your research data management obligations.
PIPEDA rules are similar to FIPPA/MFIPPA rules for schools that gather personal information for non-academic objectives such as alumni relations, donor management, and participation in continuing education programs.
CrownTECH® applies FIPPA-standard processing to all systems that hold personal information, making sure that PIPEDA standards are met no matter who the data belongs to, whether it's students, employees, graduates, or donors.
Ontario educational institutions must ensure that the IT infrastructure supporting accessible learning technology screen readers, captioning systems, and assistive technology workstations is restored to full operation as a priority following any IT relocation.
CrownTECH® flags all accessible technology infrastructure during scoping and includes it in the priority restart sequence, ensuring AODA-supported systems are verified operational before any other end-user workstations are signed off.
What Education Institutions Actually Need From an IT Mover
A general IT mover has no concept of academic calendars, SIS dependencies, or FIPPA obligations. Here is what separates an education sector specialist.
| Capability | CrownTECH® | General IT Mover |
|---|---|---|
| Planning the academic calendar move window | ✓ Confirmed against exam and semester schedule | ✗ Scheduled by availability only |
| SIS/LMS priority restart order | ✓ Student access verified before semester resumes | ✗ Powered on in physical order |
| Handling of student data under FIPPA and MFIPPA | ✓ Chain-of-custody on all student-data assets | ✗ No privacy framework awareness |
| Knowledge of research computing infrastructure | ✓ HPC clusters and lab systems handled separately | ✗ No research environment experience |
| Knowledge of campus network architecture | ✓ ORION, eduroam, inter-building links understood | ✗ Treated as a standard office network |
| Restoration of accessible technology priority | ✓ AODA-supported systems in priority restart sequence | ✗ Not considered |
| Privacy officer paperwork set | ✓ FIPPA-supporting records delivered post-move | ✗ Not provided |
| Quote with a set price after site visit | ✓ No surprises for institutional procurement | ✗ Hourly rates |
Reporting for Every Stakeholder at Your Institution
Education sector IT moves involve multiple institutional stakeholders with distinct information needs. CrownTECH® delivers role-specific documentation to each.
Technical Verification Report
A log of the system restart sequence, a check of the campus network, confirmation of access to the SIS and LMS, a status check on the research system, and a list of any outstanding items with a schedule for their resolution.
FIPPA / MFIPPA Documentation
Full chain-of-custody records for all student-data-bearing assets, a FIPPA classification manifest, proof of data treatment, and IPC-supporting paperwork must be sent before the semester starts again.
Student Systems Report
Before the deadlines for students, all of the following were confirmed: SIS availability, student portal access, enrollment and registration system status, and OSAP processing system sign-off.
Asset & Equipment Report
thorough equipment list with details of the condition of the items pre/post-move, decommissioning paperwork for the area that was vacated, and a thorough asset tracking log for institutional inventory and insurance purposes.
Frequently Asked Questions - Education IT Relocation
Questions IT directors, privacy officers, and Registrars ask before every education sector engagement.
Planning an Education Sector IT Relocation?
Academic calendar scheduling. Student data protection. SIS continuity. FIPPA documentation. CrownTECH® since 1998.