The U.S. Army Cyber School OpenStack Use Case: Saving Millions and Making Changes for the Benefit of National Defense
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- OpenStack
- Ceph
- Blackboard LMS
Tech Stack
- OpenStack
- Ceph
- CI Pipeline
- Heat
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Cost Savings
- Digital Expertise
- Innovation Output
Technology Category
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Computing
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
Applicable Industries
- National Security & Defense
- Education
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
Use Cases
- Remote Collaboration
- Virtual Training
Services
- Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
The United States Army Cyber School (USACYS) is a critical institution responsible for training and educating soldiers to protect the interests of the United States and its allies. The school focuses on equipping soldiers with the necessary skills in computer science, electrical engineering, robotics, physics, and mathematics to effectively defend against cyber threats. USACYS plays a vital role in ensuring force readiness and national defense by providing cutting-edge education and training programs. The institution is committed to embracing innovation and change to stay ahead of evolving threats and maintain a high standard of education. With a focus on leveraging technology to enhance learning outcomes, USACYS aims to provide soldiers with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed in their missions. The school is part of a larger effort to modernize and improve the U.S. Army's capabilities in the digital age, ensuring that soldiers are prepared to face the challenges of modern warfare.
The Challenge
The U.S. Army Cyber School (USACYS) faced the challenge of training and educating soldiers in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. The need was to ensure that soldiers are well-prepared to defend national interests using advanced computer science, electrical engineering, robotics, physics, and mathematics. Initially, the infrastructure was limited, with only three borrowed servers connected via CAT6 cables. This setup was insufficient to meet the growing demands of a comprehensive and up-to-date training program. The challenge was to transition from this rudimentary setup to a more robust, scalable, and efficient system that could support a large number of users and provide a seamless learning experience. Additionally, there was a need to integrate various educational tools and platforms to ensure that the curriculum remained relevant and technically accurate while minimizing the time and effort required for content curation.
The Solution
To address the challenges faced by the U.S. Army Cyber School, a comprehensive solution was implemented using OpenStack, a cloud computing platform. The transition involved moving from a limited setup of three borrowed servers to a robust 2000-core cluster supported by a 4PB Ceph array. This new infrastructure is entirely code-driven, allowing for greater scalability and efficiency. The solution also included the integration of a continuous integration (CI) pipeline that connects the Blackboard LMS, Heat, and an asciidoc-based curriculum-as-code repository. This integration ensures that the student experience is always up-to-date, relevant, and technically accurate. By adopting a DevOps-oriented approach, the school was able to streamline content creation and curation, allowing instructors to focus on teaching and developing new content. The OpenStack solution not only improved courseware quality and student outcomes but also resulted in significant cost savings in platform total cost of ownership (TCO) expenses. This innovative approach has positioned USACYS years ahead of similar government education programs, enabling the school to continue embracing change and innovation for the benefit of national defense.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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