Oxford Computer Group: the go-to identity partner for educational organizations worldwide
Oxford Computer Group are the Microsoft identity experts and, over the last ten years, we have provided consultancy solutions, support, and training to more than 200 educational organizations in the UK, Europe, and North America. From empowering academic institutions to maximize cloud investments, to ensuring that key legacy systems run smoothly and securely, we have unrivalled knowledge and expertise of the needs and challenges of the education sector.
Building Lasting Partnerships in Education
Our partnerships go beyond traditional consulting – we build enduring relationships. Many educational institutions have partnered with us for over a decade, relying on our expertise to advise, innovate, and deliver cost-effective solutions.
One of our long-standing partnerships began over ten years ago. Initially, we provided comprehensive MIM training. We then performed a smooth upgrade from FIM to MIM, and today, with our ‘all-you-can-eat’ fixed-price identity support package, the university’s Identity Team can focus on other critical projects knowing that their identity system is in expert hands.
Next year, we look forward to working with them as they migrate their MIM implementation to the cloud.
Oxford Computer Group was recommended to us by another university, and we have been very pleased with their timely support. They consistently resolve our issues quickly and within budget. We have worked closely with Mark Hancock and his expertise in MIM and handling our complex environment, which includes multiple student information systems, is unmatched. We highly recommend Oxford Computer Group’s services.
Aisling, Senior Technical Officer
It’s a similar story with Middlesex University. It all started with MIM training in 2012, various consulting engagements followed and now we support their MIM too. They really appreciated our fixed-price ‘all-you-can-eat’ model which provides monthly health checks, maintenance, rapid incident response, and minor changes providing them with predictable costs and peace of mind.
We were impressed with Oxford Computer Group’s expert and cost-effective management and optimization of our systems over the last year, such that we were more than happy to renew our support contract. Their proactive approach, including regular monthly health checks and timely patches, ensures our system remains secure and operates efficiently at all times. Their understanding of the needs of higher education organizations is impressive, and we highly recommend their services.
Bilal, IT Infrastructure Manager at Middlesex University
Identity support for education
Tailored Solutions for Education
With a deep knowledge of the education sector, Oxford Computer Group partners with institutions providing tailored solutions to fit educational timelines, budgets, and priorities. From assistance in maintaining your current environment to a comprehensive redesign and implementation, we can help.
Recently we were asked by a university, whose staff we have trained since 2012, to design and manage a full migration of their MIM system to new servers – a complex task due to the intricacies of their implementation. We completed the project on time and within budget, allowing them to maintain focus on day-to-day operations.
Over the past 10+ years, we’ve had many very successful engagements with Oxford Computer Group. Their excellent training courses have equipped our team with the expertise to manage our identity systems. Most recently, they migrated our Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) implementation to new servers flawlessly, on time and within budget. We were particularly impressed with the smooth transition and the minimal disruption to our operations. They really understand the challenges of the higher education world, and we thoroughly recommend them.
Andy, Product Engineer – Unified Communications / Ian, Product Engineer – Identity and Directories
Enhancing Student and Staff Experiences
Oxford Computer Group can help universities modernize digital experiences for students and staff.
For example, when a university wanted to expand online student learning through Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams, we conducted a series of workshops with key departments to understand their needs and clarify project goals. We developed a tailored high-level design with achievable work packages empowering their internal teams to effectively implement the solution.
Oxford Computer Group has supported our on-premises identity management system for years, ensuring it runs smoothly even during the critical period of annual student onboarding. More recently they have provided strategic advice and implementation expertise as we move functionality to the cloud, allowing us to take full advantage of our Microsoft 365 investments. We feel future-proofed whilst also having confidence in the stability and security of our legacy identity solution.
Identity management solutions and services for education
Seasonal Student Onboarding Assistance
Every academic year, educational institutions face the challenge of securely onboarding thousands of new students. We partner with institutions to provide seasonal support, serving as an extra pair of hands, to ensure a smooth onboarding experience for all students.
Having identity experts on hand to discuss things with and help us devise practical, workable solutions to problems as they arise is so great. It saves us so much time and money knowing we’re doing the right thing the first time. Normally it [student onboarding] is an absolute nightmare, but this year it’s been the best by far. Everything went smoothly and we learned a lot from it as well.
Neil, Infrastructure Systems Administrator
Project Collaboration
Many educational institutions like to collaborate with us on projects. For example, we worked with a prestigious institution, to enhance their students’ experience by implementing Microsoft Entra ID provisioning and secure single sign-on for SaaS apps. With multiple domains, students often had more than one account, so our solution streamlined synchronization, ensuring that each student had a single identity projected to the cloud. Their internal IT Teams are now focused on integrating their applications with the cloud.
Oxford Computer Group consolidated accounts from multiple on-premises directories to Microsoft Entra ID, successfully synchronising over 70,000 students and several thousand groups. This seamless transition enabled us to implement the Enquiry Management System and paved the way for future cloud initiatives.
Sohail, Applications Services Manager
Knowledge Transfer
With our roots in training and deep expertise, we believe in empowering the people we partner with to manage their own implementations. Many of our clients value the regular knowledge transfer sessions, equipping them with the knowledge and skills they need, while we remain available for more complex challenges.
Regular knowledge-transfer sessions during the process have allowed our staff to confidently manage and support the system going forward.
Embracing the Future
To help education institutions stay secure and scalable in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape – especially with increasing cybersecurity threats and the anticipated end of MIM support in 2029 – we are actively working with clients to plan and implement their transition to the cloud. Our goal is to ensure a smooth, future-proof, cost-effective, secure migration that addresses both current and long-term needs.
During the last 10 years, we have noticed a significant change in the number of cloud-based educational consulting projects.
Recently, Oxford Computer Group completed a comprehensive Identity Governance solution for a leading university. This hybrid solution combines Microsoft Entra ID’s cloud-based business logic, including Access Packages and Reviews, with its established Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) platform to fulfil their on-premises provisioning and management requirements.
The project has been delivered on time, within budget, and with minimal disruption. Their expertise in higher education makes them an invaluable resource.
Having been impressed with our ad-hoc MIM support, a large school group asked us to design and implement an identity management solution to replace MIM. The result was a seamless transition to cloud-based IAM that is robust (taking advantage of modern authentication protocols), efficient (with vastly faster sync times), effective, and easy to maintain (no longer needing to update on-premises applications). In addition, regular knowledge transfer sessions ensured the organization’s IT staff are now well-versed in the product, self-sufficient, and capable of supporting and making future changes.
Oxford Computer Group are our go-to partners for identity solutions, helping us to seamlessly migrate our Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) implementation to the cloud. The project was completed on time, within budget and without any disruption to our operations. Throughout, OCG experts worked closely with us, providing valuable advice and adapting to new requirements and strategic shifts as needed.
SoftwareIDM’s cloud-based IAM solution has been a lifesaver, fixing issues that we’ve struggled with for years. It has so much functionality and flexibility – even if we can’t perform something natively, we can easily write a PowerShell script within the product.
Oxford Computer Group’s deep understanding of the education sector’s unique challenges makes them an invaluable partner and we highly recommend their services to any organization looking to move their identity management to the cloud.
Tyler, Chief Systems Engineer / Jamie, Cybersecurity Engineer
Blue Valley School District
Why Oxford Computer Group?
We have a proven track record with academic institutions. From simplifying complex migrations and providing flexible support to ensuring secure, unified identities, we’re committed to helping institutions thrive in today’s digital landscape. Our deep expertise, coupled with long-term partnerships, has made us the trusted choice for identity management in education.
Whether you’re looking for expert advice, ongoing support, or a tailored identity governance strategy, we’re here to help. Contact us today to explore how we can help your institution thrive.
Discover more:
- Watch our webinar ‘Future-proofing identity management in education with Microsoft Entra’
- Request a MIM Migration Design Workshop. We evaluate your current setup and provide a tailored design specification report for your best migration path from MIM
- Explore our insightful articles
- Talk to us about how we can support your identity implementation so your team can focus on strategic projects
- Contact us to discuss your next steps