With a student body of over 21,000 and a workforce of 12,000, ETH Zurich recognises the critical importance of maintaining a modern and robust digital infrastructure. In pursuit of a stronger digital foundation, the university has selected Ardoq as its partner.
Ardoq, known for its in-demand digital business management solution, has been experiencing rapid growth. The company has solidified its position as a leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Architecture (EA) and is revolutionising traditional EA by bridging the gap between architects and decision-makers across organisational levels. While serving large enterprises across various industries, Ardoq has gained significant traction in the education sector, counting prestigious institutions like The University of British Columbia and the University of St. Andrews among its clients. Now, ETH Zurich, a top-ranking university in Switzerland, joins this prestigious list.
Christoffer Rou, Lead Account Executive at Ardoq, expresses his pleasure at this partnership, saying, “I am very pleased to announce that ETH Zurich chose Ardoq as their partner on the transformation journey. I am proud of all our customers, but it is impossible not to get inspired by the work and outcomes at ETH Zurich. Their high level of engagement and knowledge obviously run through the whole organisation, from teaching and research to IT and Architecture.”
ETH Zurich is renowned globally for its excellence in science and technology education and its rich history of research and innovation. With a mission to serve society’s interests, the university not only prepares students for a world of constant change but also actively contributes to shaping the future. Technology underpins nearly all aspects of their operations, influencing communication, work, information gathering and analysis, knowledge sharing, operations management, and connectivity.
Paul Signer, Service Architect at ETH Zurich, explains, “Technology is a part in almost everything we do: how we communicate, how we work, how we gather information, how we analyse information, how we share knowledge, how we run operations, how we connect. And at our department, we need to have control of what services, applications and integrations are in play at any given moment.”
ETH Zurich’s IT Services department plays a pivotal role in supporting teaching, research, and administration by delivering information and communication technology services, maintaining comprehensive infrastructures, information systems, and applications. To modernise their architecture, the department has chosen Ardoq as its preferred solution. Ardoq is a platform for digital business management designed to facilitate automation, collaboration, information crowdsourcing, and the enhancement of agile and informed decision-making.
“Our goal is not to guard the information, but to share it and to leverage it for strategy execution. Ardoq is a challenger in its field, and our mutual dedication to innovation and transformation is a good starting point. They have a proven track record from working with large enterprises, the platform is flexible and user friendly and we see that our digital management efforts can grow alongside the product opportunities.” Signer explains.
In enterprise architecture, maintaining an overview of the technology landscape is crucial. ETH Zurich’s IT Services department is building a solid digital foundation for the university by linking hundreds of business applications to their corresponding business capabilities and functions. This heightened control, coupled with valuable insights, will not only reduce risks and eliminate unnecessary costs but also enable more efficient day-to-day IT operations. Ultimately, this initiative aims to provide better services to students and university staff.
“We know that the technology landscape at ETH Zurich will only grow further going forward. The work we are doing today will make it easier for us to adapt to new technologies tomorrow, and that will benefit both the people at the university and their work. This initiative definitely demands a lot at the start in terms of correct documentation, but it is definitely an investment for the future of ETH Zurich.” Signer concludes.
Ardoq’s Christoffer Rou is deeply impressed by ETH Zurich’s approach. “Paul and his team conducted a thorough process prior to choosing the Ardoq platform. All the way they demonstrated great knowledge about what architecture and its challenges and opportunities is all about. At Ardoq we believe that it is never really just about application portfolio management and rationalisation for example, but how it enables better decision making processes and strategy execution. ETH Zurich definitely has the right mindset, so I am really looking forward to following them on their transformation journey ahead.”
