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December 10, 2021

Singaporean tech university prepares for the future with digitally connected smart campus

For 30 years, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore has embraced innovation in its way of working. The global university’s 2025 vision includes equipping its Smart Campus with cloud-first technology and agile infrastructure. As a pivotal step in cloud enablement, NTU Singapore rolled out Microsoft 365 which includes Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Phone System in 2019, enabling hybrid learning and remote work. With a successful user-empowered change management program, the digitally connected university is now poised to launch even more ambitious solutions.

Nanyang Technological University Singapore

Home to leading research centers, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is one of the two largest public universities in the city-state. Its roots as a technological-based educational institution make innovation a part of the university’s DNA. Featuring a 200-hectare digitally-connected Smart Campus, NTU Singapore develops and tests advanced technologies and uses technology to enhance student learning. The university grounds is a living lab of digital experiments—from running an autonomous electric bus to testing drones for Singapore’s airspace. 

At the heart of NTU Singapore is its digitally connected community. Students, faculty, researchers, and administrators have long adopted a digital-first mindset that is befitting a tech educator. NTU Singapore embraced online collaboration and communications early, adopting Microsoft 365 as part of its digital transformation in 2019. The move is not just about adoption for technology’s sake. “We aim to make our workforce more productive and agile,” shares Alvin Ong, Chief Information Officer at NTU Singapore. “We want to offer services to students and departments that help us become a smart connected university.”

Future-proofing for continued productivity

Microsoft Teams has become NTU Singapore’s communication hub, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. “In 2019, we deployed Microsoft 365 to enable productivity on an intelligent and secured cloud,” begins Benjamin Lim, Deputy Director, InfoComm Infrastructure at NTU Singapore is getting buy-in from end-users. “As it turns out, M365 became indispensable during the COVID-19 circuit breaker season.” With all forms of face-to-face activities restricted, the university shifted immediately to remote learning through Microsoft Teams-hosted virtual meetings and online lessons. Collaboration continued seamlessly as employees worked in the safety of their homes. 

Even with remote work, security is not compromised. Microsoft Teams enables the use of built-in enterprise-grade security features such as multi-factor authentication, single sign-on and data encryption. “As with any other large institution, secure connection is always on top of our priority list and Microsoft Teams provides us that.” Christopher Lek, Director, Cyber Security at NTU Singapore added. 

A landline connected to mobile

One key feature NTU Singapore found exceptionally helpful was Microsoft Teams Phone Systems, which links the local landline to a Microsoft Teams account. Office numbers get routed to Microsoft Teams, allowing employees to pick up desk calls from anywhere. “It’s way better than simple call forwarding,” explains Lim. “We can take office calls on our Microsoft Teams app on mobile. We’re able to bridge and transfer calls from our landlines to people in our active Teams online directory. It’s quite convenient.” 

Microsoft Teams Phone System allowed NTU Singapore to get rid of the existing physical phone infrastructure without having to change any of its telephone numbers. This amounted to savings in equipment and maintenance. Because calls can be routed to anywhere in the globe, international call charges were eliminated as well. 

Adopting change by empowering users

One of the challenges in rolling out new technology across a large organization such as NTU Singapore is getting buy-in from end-users. “We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach,” Lim explains. “We have so many departments that have different ways of working. We need a flexible solution that can be adapted to diverse needs.” Lim cites the university’s wide spectrum of end-users; on one end are tech-savvy professors who can program software. On the other end are administrators who need assistance in using new technology. NTU Singapore needed to consider each kind of user when choosing digital solutions. 

“Microsoft provides a pretty robust, scalable infrastructure platform that is able to cater to the two different types of users we have,” shares Lim. “It also helps that most of our users grew up with Microsoft. They’re familiar with some of the tools so adoption is easier.” 

In addition to out-of-the-box solutions like Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365 also provides users with the effective and easy to learn low-code, no-code development platform with Microsoft Power Platform. “We create apps that help us to solve our current problems and improve our work productivity significantly,” Yang Xin, Senior Assistant Manager, at NTU School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE).

“Giving users a choice is good,” Lim says. “It empowers users to change.” Lim calls this flight path planning; NTU Singapore allowed people to choose their own flights to get to the final destination of a digitally connected university. “This is how we rolled out our digital transformation plan, using a gentle approach,” Lim adds. “We let people choose, give them time, and eventually bring them into the fold.”

Transforming the education ecosystem

The global university plans to continue partnering with Microsoft in pushing the envelope in innovation. “Microsoft is always working to do things better,” Lim observes. “Sometimes I would think, ‘I wish they had that.’ The next thing I know, they have it. Then they go for the next innovation. That’s what Microsoft is like, always moving forward.”

As for the university moving forward, CIO Alvin Ong shares that the next focus is cloud computing for data management and planning. “We’re soon rolling out our new cloud-based student management system built on Microsoft Azure,” says Ong. “We’re preparing to extend our leverage of cloud capabilities through chatbots and AI. We’re doing these things to transform our education ecosystem. We believe technology can help our students achieve successful careers and make a positive impact in the world.”

“We work with partners like Microsoft to help us achieve our ambitious agenda in our NTU Singapore 2025 vision,” Ong concludes.

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