Case Study: Royal Holloway, University of London achieves scalable, cloud‑first student services with Ellucian Banner

Cloud system sets the gear for growth

Royal Holloway, University of London, a top‑25 UK institution with about 10,500 students, faced a need to futureproof its core systems, support planned growth and enhance student wellbeing as learners became more digitally and mobile‑focused. Having run Ellucian Banner on‑premise since 2004, the university required a scalable solution that would adapt to changing student behaviours and reduce the maintenance burden of legacy customisations.

Ellucian migrated Banner to the cloud (with AWS as the infrastructure partner), completing the move in seven months (March–October 2018) and running a four‑day, 24/7 cutover to minimise disruption. Working in paired teams with Royal Holloway, Ellucian delivered a cloud‑first platform that made upgrades (including Banner 9) far easier, cut in‑house developments from roughly 1,400 to about 600, and provided a scalable, cost‑stable foundation for further self‑service and student‑centric enhancements — all delivered on time and on budget.

Royal Holloway, University of London

Robert Westcott

Chief Information Officer