Kortext wanted to build AI capabilities into Kortext Fusion, its unified data platform for universities.
Kortext adopted Microsoft Fabric and Azure AI Foundry, leveraging the power of data and Generative AI.
Using Microsoft Fabric and Azure AI Foundry to deliver fusion is driving insights and student engagement for universities, enabling them to harness AI safely across the institution.
“We’re enabling university leaders to dive deep into multiple sources of data and understand student engagement, experience, and outcomes. The fundamental elements for this are Microsoft Fabric and Azure AI Foundry.”
Robin Gibson, Director of External Affairs, Kortext
Kortext and Microsoft are reshaping higher education with Kortext fusion, a unified data platform that accelerates digital transformation for universities using the power of content, data, and AI. With its cost saving accelerating model, the application layer on fusion redefines how institutions make decisions and support user experience, harnessing data from multiple touchpoints to drive value for leaders, academics, librarians, and students.
This ground-breaking innovation is built on Microsoft Fabric and Azure AI Foundry leveraging a partnership with Microsoft that stretches back to 2013. Together, Kortext and Microsoft are delivering positive change for the higher education sector, enabling thousands of universities worldwide to transform and achieve better outcomes for their users.
Digital transformation can be a challenge for universities with cost, resources, and legacy systems all presenting barriers to change. In the UK, for example, an estimated four in 10 universities are facing financial challenges.
“We built fusion to join up data feeds and enhance the student experience,” highlights Robin Gibson, Director of External Affairs at Kortext. “Before, universities had to purchase multiple solutions, leading to inefficiencies, high costs, and technical debt. With the applications built on fusion, students and academics can access content and data in one place, streamlining and simplifying the learning experience.”
With fusion as the base layer, universities can eradicate data silos, pulling data from across the institution to use with Kortext’s product range—such as study or stream—to drive data-driven insights and support different user experiences. Moreover, they can integrate their own applications, safe in the knowledge that fusion is a secure platform. As fusion is delivered at scale, on a “buy not build” model, this also eliminates the high costs associated with building an in-house solution, enabling universities to embrace a cost-effective, OpEx approach.
In addition, AI is disrupting the higher education sector, with 92% of students now using AI to support their studies. Whilst this presents multiple opportunities for universities, it also raises fears around bias, equity, security, and unvetted content.
“Too often, students use AI that detracts from the learning experience and universities are right to be concerned,” says Robin Gibson. “Some of these AI tools hallucinate, providing inaccurate information. There are also big issues around equitable access—not everyone can afford a subscription.”
These challenges motivated Kortext to build Kortext fusion, enabling university technologists to embrace AI safely at their institutions, through bespoke user applications on a single, unified platform.
“We’re building solutions that deliver a better, more personalised learning experience for students, helping them to develop skills for their future lives and careers. In partnership, Microsoft and Kortext are delivering this together, reshaping higher education to enhance the student experience.”
Robin Gibson, Director of External Affairs, Kortext
"We’re enabling university leaders to dive deep into multiple sources of data and understand student engagement, experience, and outcomes. The fundamental elements for this are Microsoft Fabric and Azure AI Foundry,” says Robin Gibson.
Kortext fusion is built on Microsoft Fabric and Azure AI Foundry, two cutting-edge solutions that support generative AI innovation, with seamless integration into Microsoft Azure.
Microsoft Fabric is the foundation for fusion, offering a single space for collecting and analysing data from multiple touchpoints across a university. As Fabric sits within Azure, this data can be fed into Azure AI’s LLMs for training, delivering AI-powered insights for the end user.
“We wanted to integrate Large Language Learning Models (LLMs) into fusion,” says Andrew Bates, Chief Product Officer at Kortext. “With AI evolving quickly, we didn’t want to be locked into one kind of LLM—and that’s the same mindset as Microsoft. This encouraged us to adopt Azure AI Foundry.”
Azure AI Foundry gives Kortext access to a range of different LLMs, optimised for specific tasks. As part of Microsoft’s Ethical AI Commitment, the solution also includes bias detection tools, ensuring responsible AI and alignment with Kortext’s mission to ensure safe AI use within universities.
“We’re building solutions that deliver a better, more personalised learning experience for students, helping them to develop skills for their future lives and careers,” says Robin Gibson. “In partnership, Microsoft and Kortext are delivering this together, reshaping higher education to enhance the student experience.”
This approach has been positively received by PJ Hemmaway, CIO at The University of Manchester, who commented on fusion in a recent HEPI blog: “This technology could also help me accelerate my digital-first strategy, being a foundation to support flexible and inclusive education with equitable access for all."
Kortext is a leading Microsoft ISV Solution Partner specialising in higher education, having forged a 10-year partnership with Microsoft based on trust and innovation. The two companies have a powerful synergy, blending Kortext’s deep expertise and reputation in the higher education field with Microsoft’s pioneering AI technology.
Seeking to bring Kortext fusion to market successfully, Kortext leveraged this partnership and joined the Microsoft Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Program. Designed for software vendors, the ISV Program offers tools, support, and access to Microsoft’s commercial marketplaces, enabling Kortext to understand the technology, collaborate with engineers, and market fusion to a global audience.
“Being an ISV Partner enables us to launch our solutions into Azure Marketplace and benefit from global reach,” explains Robin Gibson. “We’ve fully embraced the Marketplace as a route to market and commercial extension of our business. Placing our products alongside the Microsoft brand sends a powerful message of trust, which is hugely important in the higher education sector.”
Increased insights for universities
Working with the higher education sector, Kortext also requires technologies with robust security credentials. This makes Microsoft Fabric and Azure AI Foundry the clear choice, being compliant with global data regulations and built on the secure, enterprise-grade network infrastructure and hardware of Azure.
“Security is first and foremost in everything we do,” highlights Andrew Bates. “As we’re working with data in the higher education sector, we need to be mindful. Microsoft ticks all the boxes for us, offering out-of-the-box security controls and a best practice approach to data protection to ensure compliance.”
Together, Kortext and Microsoft are transforming higher education, bringing AI-powered solutions to market that deliver trusted content and valuable insights for university, students, academics, and leadership. At the heart of this partnership lies innovation—a desire to help institutions navigate the complex technological landscape and reach new frontiers using AI.
“As Microsoft continues to innovate in edtech, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to work together,” says Andrew Bates. “We want to collaborate around the evolution of AI content, how it's consumed by end users and how universities control access to trusted, vetted, adopted sources of information. These are interesting areas - and we're exploring them with Microsoft.”
Kortext plans to leverage this partnership again in the future, extending Kortext fusion’s AI capabilities further to deliver even more personalised experiences. With Microsoft, Kortext benefits from technological expertise and access to commercial marketplaces, as well as a partner with a clear understanding of AI and the unique needs of edtech.
Andrew Bates illustrates this. “Microsoft's vision around AI, investment into infrastructure and understanding of what companies like Kortext need to be successful has been really encouraging. I think Microsoft has been thoughtful about AI optionality, integrity, and the relationship between data and the relevancy of the context data provides in building user experiences with AI. The amount of innovation in the edtech space is unprecedented and the Microsoft strategy around dealing with unknowns is reassuring.”
Discover more about Kortext on LinkedIn or visit their website.
“As Microsoft continues to innovate in edtech, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to work together. We want to collaborate around the evolution of AI content, how it's consumed by end users and how universities control access to trusted, vetted, adopted sources of information. These are interesting areas - and we're exploring them with Microsoft.”
Andrew Bates, Chief Product Officer, Kortext
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