Senac RJ’s migration to Microsoft Azure boosts security and enhances educational innovation

For nearly 80 years, Brazil’s Senac RJ has been a driving force in preparing Rio de Janeiro’s workforce for success, shaping careers in commerce, services, and tourism. 

With 40 operational units throughout the state of Rio de Janeiro, Senac RJ welcomes 90,000 students yearly. Half of these students benefit from the Senac Gratuity Program (PSG), which offers free professional courses to help low-income individuals enter the job market.

Since becoming a UN Global Compact signatory in 2023, Senac RJ has provided accessible, high-quality education to meet the needs of Rio de Janeiro’s workforce. Senac RJ partners with local government programs to advance digital inclusion and drive economic growth through impactful initiatives. For example, Mulheres.Tech empowers women in vulnerable situations with digital skills, and Programadores Cariocas offers technology training to low-income youth. The Senac Rio Summit connects public school students and the community with insights from industry leaders like Microsoft, Google, and TikTok. Together, these efforts promote digital empowerment and sustainable economic growth in the region. 

Tackling aging IT systems and security risks with Microsoft Azure  

Challenged with aging IT systems, energy inefficiencies, and growing demands for innovation, Senac RJ embarked on a transformative journey to modernize its operations and educational offerings by embracing a cloud-based solution. An internal audit revealed security vulnerabilities, emphasizing the urgent need to enhance cybersecurity. Lengthy procurement cycles and extensive documentation requirements further delayed the implementation of much-needed solutions. 

“Our biggest challenge was to guarantee security and business continuity,” says Betsy Rabello Ferreira, IT Executive for Senac RJ. “This migration not only solved those pains but also unlocked new possibilities for us.” 

To address these challenges, Senac RJ replaced all its end-of-life data center equipment at once, choosing to migrate to the cloud and align with its IT department’s expertise in VMware virtual machines. Senac RJ selected Microsoft Azure VMware Solution to migrate all workloads to the cloud, leveraging tools like Azure Virtual Desktop and Azure Arc to modernize operations and support hybrid learning. 

The transition consolidated 38 site-based data centers into the cloud using Azure VMware Solution. This transition enabled Senac RJ to retire over 50 physical servers, centralize 300 TB of storage, and optimize more than 120 logical servers. 

Microsoft Azure provided scalability, enhanced reliability, and robust security features that enabled hybrid learning environments. In a first experience made possible by Azure Virtual Desktop, students could attend classes in-person or remotely without any disruption to their learning experience. Azure Virtual Desktop offered access to high-performance virtual machines, empowering students to complete resource-intensive tasks like video editing from any location, while supporting diverse devices and geographic locations for maximum inclusivity. Azure Arc simplified infrastructure management and centralized security oversight, enabling Senac RJ’s IT team to efficiently monitor resources and respond to threats. 

The Azure VMware Solution enables organizations like Senac RJ to seamlessly migrate and modernize VMware workloads. Built on Azure’s secure, scalable infrastructure, Azure VMware Solution integrates familiar VMware tools like vSphere and NSX-T to streamline the transition to the cloud. By replicating existing workloads without the need for extensive reconfiguration, Azure VMware Solution's “lift-and-shift” approach minimizes operational disruption and unlocks opportunities for innovation. 

“This strategy allowed us to modernize our infrastructure, ensuring availability to our business, since it was not necessary to change any configuration (hostname, IP address, etc.) in our servers,” says Luckas Fernandes, Microsoft Specialist at Senac RJ. “Due to this modus operandi, we were able to move more than 80 TB of 240 servers without any impact to our operation.”

Azure VMware Solution integrates with over 200 Azure services, including AI and analytics tools, to drive innovation. This integration boosts performance and reduces costs with Azure Hybrid Benefits and Reserved Instances, providing tangible value to businesses. With its scalability, Azure VMware Solution enables organizations to expand their capacity on-demand, ensuring they can meet growing needs. At the same time, robust enterprise-grade security tools such as Microsoft Defender and Azure Sentinel safeguard critical assets, delivering a secure foundation for innovation.

By combining the strengths of VMware and Azure, Azure VMware Solution simplifies complex migrations, supports operational continuity, and future-proofs IT operations. This enables organizations like Senac RJ to enhance efficiency and drive innovation. 

Enriching student experiences with seamless learning anywhere 

Senac RJ’s digital transformation is introducing hybrid classrooms, giving students the flexibility to learn remotely or in person without missing valuable opportunities. Virtualization technology ensure that students can continue learning despite health challenges or work commitments. 

Using Azure Virtual Desktop, the organization delivered high-performance virtual machines capable of handling demanding tasks like rendering movies. This technology enhanced course delivery, accelerated service deployment, and transformed learning with richer course content and seamless collaboration.  

“With virtualization, we could run a class anywhere, with any device,” says Alessandra Nogueira, Course Technical Lead at Senac RJ. “Students didn’t lose knowledge if they couldn’t attend physically. The hybrid classrooms allowed students to engage even if they were at home or work. They could interact with teachers and peers seamlessly, share their screens, and access recorded materials. It felt like one group, regardless of location.” 

The ability to adopt the hybrid classroom model at scale quickly became Senac RJ’s flagship achievement. In classes where the resource was used, students could effortlessly switch between in-person and remote learning. Recorded lectures allowed them to review course content and materials at their convenience, further enhancing flexibility. 

For many students, particularly those balancing work or personal challenges, remote learning is essential to completing their courses. This hybrid model, powered by Azure Virtual Desktop, makes education accessible to these students, enabling them to succeed and expand access to education.

“The best part is that students didn’t miss anything, even when not physically present,” says Nogueira. “They felt fully involved in the learning process.” 

Strengthening security while streamlining operations 

Security was a top priority during Senac RJ’s migration to Azure VMware Solution. The move provided robust encryption for data at rest and in transit. By implementing Azure Arc, the organization extended Azure’s security capabilities to their VMware environment. This allowed for centralized patch management and automated updates across more than 240 Windows and Linux servers, streamlining operations, reducing vulnerabilities, and enhancing the security of the production environment. 

Azure Arc’s centralized management improved risk mitigation and ensured business continuity. Automating routine security tasks allowed Senac RJ’s IT team to focus on driving innovation and achieving strategic goals. 

“Security was a major concern,” says Fernando Carvalho, Infrastructure and Security Lead for Senac RJ. “By moving to Azure, it became much easier to achieve our security goals compared to the on-premises environment.”  

Enhancing education, boosting efficiency, and serving as a model for innovation 

With Microsoft’s support, Senac RJ implemented a seamless migration to Azure, avoiding downtime and ensuring continuity. The IT team adopted a phased approach to maintain operations while shifting their focus from maintenance to innovation. This transition enhanced educational offerings, improved operational efficiency, and strengthened disaster recovery capabilities. Azure’s scalability added even greater resilience to their operations. 

As a leader in professional education, Senac RJ envisions staying ahead of a constantly evolving market, with technology as a driving force. By adopting Azure VMware Solution, the institution modernized its data center, seamlessly connected VMware workloads to Azure native services, and unlocked new opportunities for innovation. This transformation has positioned Senac RJ as a model for digital transformation in Brazil, inspiring other institutions to follow their lead. 

“We are the first Senac in Brazil to accomplish this kind of migration, taking all our workloads to Azure,” says Carvalho, Infrastructure and Security Lead for Senac RJ. “This has positioned us as a reference for other states and institutions.”  

This migration restructured Senac RJ’s architecture to meet market standards, improving communication between resources and adopting zone-redundant storage for greater data resiliency. Azure Virtual Desktop elevated their offerings, providing high-performance computing resources for students. Feedback from internal customers highlighted significant efficiency gains, including a 40% reduction in automated job processing times after migrating workloads to VMware servers with all-flash storage.  

Building on these successes, Senac RJ plans to integrate AI tools like Microsoft Copilot to enhance teaching methods, boost student engagement, and streamline administrative processes. Azure’s scalability will also support their expansion into high school education, reaching a younger demographic and further extending their impact.  

“This migration means more than just a data center move—it’s about discovering a whole new world in education,” says Ferreira.  “It gave my team new knowledge and skills in Microsoft’s environment. It was a win for everyone—students, the IT team, educators, and employees. Now, we can talk more with our clients and focus on offering innovative solutions.”