Classter helps schools and inspires local businesses to go global with its Azure-based education management platform

In 2015, Nikolaos Nikou decided to pursue his dream of creating a remote collaboration solution that could revolutionize global education. He founded Classter using Microsoft technologies with just a small team of engineers. However, things progressed slowly until the company received venture capital funding. 

“Kavala has only 50,000 people, and the concept of venture capital was unfamiliar to the locals. But as Classter grew, so did the town’s technology sector, attracting more IT companies and talent to the area. Microsoft noticed as well what we’re trying to achieve and decided to offer its support. We needed a fast, scalable solution to improve product development and business growth, so we built it on Azure due to its extensive security features,” recalls Nikolaos Nikou, CEO at Classter.

But attracting the schools to go digital wasn’t an easy mission for Classter for a variety of reasons.

“Schools often face the challenge of limited technology budgets and the need for many integrated systems. I wanted to see if we could create an easy software-as-a-service (SaaS) for schools to manage all operations,” says Nikou. “So, we also integrated it with Microsoft 365 to optimize the collaboration between teachers and students as well as the administrative teams.” 

More operational efficiency with digitization

With the help of Microsoft in development, Nikou’s team put together a fast and expandable solution. The Classter platform was deployed in multiple regions, but other challenges were encountered on the road.

“School owners were initially reluctant to move their data to the cloud, as they saw it as moving it outside their institutions. To convince them, we told them we use Azure—a renowned platform for safety and security,” says Nikou. 

With this transition to the cloud, schools could start relying less on paper and take advantage of digital solutions for communication, approval processes, medical data, security, academics, and payments. Nikou continues, “We don’t just offer a solution; we also educate and help schools digitalize their operations while reducing costs and increasing the happiness of their users.”

Empowered to offer a greater learning experience

Usage of the new ecosystem of solutions led to higher efficiency and measurable results. "Classter extensively leverages Azure tools such as Azure Monitor Insights for platform usage and Azure Push Notifications, as well as several other Azure microservices that allow us to reduce development time by 15 percent. With Azure DevOps, we automated the building, testing, and deployment of the platform implementation that led to faster development with improved code quality,” says Nikou. “Integrating our solution with Microsoft 365 increased our staff productivity by up to 20 percent, as collaboration and communication were simplified”.

The schools opened up to Classter after seeing how much their administrative and educational operations could be optimized. “The integration with Microsoft School Data Sync and Microsoft Teams Assignments has boosted student engagement and learning outcomes by 25 percent and reduced administrative time for IT departments by 50 percent,” says Nikou. ”The solution allows educators and staff to focus on improving student results further rather than on tedious tasks,” explains Nikou.

“Classter has not only inspired others but also created a base for other global tech initiatives in Kavala. As Classter grew, so did the town’s technology sector, attracting more IT companies and talent to the area.” says Nikou. Kavala is fortunate to have a technical university, which allowed the new IT companies to collaborate with trainees who eventually became integral members of the team. They built the companies from the ground up by utilizing local talent and investing in training and development programs.  On top of that, being situated in a small city next to the sea, employees can easily get to work and enjoy a laid-back lifestyle that is hard to find in other bustling tech hubs.

Even with all this progress, things are still evolving for Classter. ”We are looking to expand our operations, beginning with the United States and focusing on larger markets. We also plan to convert Classter into a marketplace for third-party solutions, allowing schools to have access to educational app and content quickly and cost-effectively through automation,” concludes Nikou.

Classter's story is a testament to the power of passion, perseverance, and innovation to change the world for the better.