Austin Independent School District (AISD) has been named a 2025 AWS Champions Award winner for its transformative journey to the cloud. This has been a multi-year initiative that began in 2017 and continues to evolve with a focus on cost efficiency, system resiliency, and data-driven innovation. Through its strategic partnership with AWS, AISD has not only modernized its infrastructure but is now unlocking the power of advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to support smarter decision-making and improve educational outcomes.

Project Overview
AISD’s cloud migration journey began with a clear mission: reduce operational costs, decommission outdated on-site data centers, improve cybersecurity, and create a more resilient IT infrastructure. With core services now hosted on AWS technologies, AISD has drastically reduced its physical IT footprint and enhanced reliability across district systems.

Building on this foundation, the district is now piloting Amazon QuickSight to replace legacy reporting tools with a modern, scalable analytics platform. Additionally, AISD is exploring Amazon Q for AI-powered report generation, empowering staff with faster, more intuitive access to insights that inform district-wide decisions.

Challenges Addressed: Rising Costs and Outdated Capabilities
AISD faced critical challenges that prompted this transformation:

• High operational costs from aging on-prem data centers 
• Limited reporting capabilities and a legacy system that couldn’t scale with evolving needs 
• Technological gaps in supporting AI and predictive analytics 
• Need for greater resilience, particularly during unexpected events or crises 

These challenges were starkly highlighted during the 2021 Texas power crisis, where AWS infrastructure ensured continuity while AISD’s on-prem systems failed. This reinforced the district’s commitment to a robust, cloud-based future.

Results: Cost Savings, Resilience, and Operational Efficiency
AISD’s cloud adoption and modernization efforts have produced substantial outcomes:

• Hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual savings from closing data centers 
• 30 to 40% reduction in IT infrastructure replacement costs 
• Stronger cybersecurity posture and improved uptime, ensuring reliable access to systems and learning tools 
• Improved operational resilience in emergencies and power outages 
• Projected time savings through AI-enhanced tools like Amazon Q and faster reporting workflows via QuickSight 

These wins free up district resources and personnel to focus more directly on instructional support, student engagement, and community service.

A District-Wide Commitment to Continuous Innovation
Austin ISD’s cloud transformation journey demonstrates how a large urban school district can thoughtfully modernize legacy systems, enhance resilience, and position itself at the forefront of AI and analytics innovation. Its sustained commitment to leveraging cloud technologies continues to deliver tangible benefits for students, educators, and administrators alike.