MidAmerica Nazarene University

About MidAmerica Nazarene University

MidAmerica Nazarene University is a liberal arts Christian university in Kansas offering over 40 majors in undergraduate and graduate degrees. It offers a bespoke educational experience for over 1,200 students, faculty, and staff. With a focus on fostering a caring atmosphere and delivering high-quality teaching, it aims to provide students with a distinctive and enriching educational journey.

Josh Grimm, Network and Systems Administrator at the University, is part of an 8-person team led by the IT Director. The team handles everything to do with the network, systems, and database administration, along with helpdesk duties. Their main focus as an IT team is optimizing the student experience.

The IT Challenge

MNU utilized two distinct legacy solutions for backup and disaster recovery (DR). These solutions were not only inefficient, manual, and time-consuming, but also lacked immutability and were very costly.

Josh did not have confidence in the security of the university’s data in the event of a disaster or an attack, especially given the need to comply with FERPA and GLBA regulations. MNU received a renewal quote with a 40% cost increase, prompting him to seek a more comprehensive backup and DR solution.

The Solution

Josh learned about Assured Data Protection through his trusted friend and advisor, Rob Didlake of DataEdge Solutions. “I consider Rob Didlake a really good friend and he’s been an absolutely fantastic vendor. I try to work with Rob and DataEdge wherever I can.” Rob assured him that Assured Data Protection could fulfill their compliance, backup, and disaster recovery requirements at a 50% lower cost than their previous supplier. Not only that, their backup and DR would be fully managed.

Josh attended one of Assured’s Save the Data events with his IT Director, and after witnessing Assured’s Rubrik-powered solutions, they were both convinced that this was the right solution for them. MidAmerica Nazarene University receives hands-on 24/7/365 support, with daily reports, and the ability to switch to a second site where all their data, IT, and operations can be up and running in the event of an outage, ransomware attack, or natural disaster.

On Managed Service Providers in general, Josh said:
“I will be the first to admit that early in this job, I was resistant to the idea of outsourcing anything because I felt overall that it was still my responsibility and I had to be in control of that. But after seeing how the world is evolving and being convinced of the managed service offered by Assured, I was confident in their ability to be able to manage our critical data.”

The Result

“I really don’t have to worry about backup or recovery. If there’s ever an issue, I get an email or a phone call so we can take a look and get it fixed. Since I don’t have to worry about it, I can give that assurance to the superiors, and they don’t have to worry about it. It just makes everybody happy. Assured’s attention to detail and customer service exceeded our expectations. It’s hands down one of the best solutions that I’ve come across. I can’t tell you how much it means to us as an organization that Assured is providing such an incredible product at an affordable price. And we’ll be with Assured forever, as long as they keep up this level of service.”

The Future

With Assured’s fully managed, enterprise-grade solution, MNU is set for long-term success. Eliminating manual backups and improved DR allows their team to focus on enhancing student and faculty experience.

Assured’s 24/7/365 support and daily reporting ensure compliance with FERPA and GLBA while keeping the university prepared for cyber threats or outages.

The partnership delivers cost savings and strategic value, enabling MNU to invest more in student success.