Challenge.

OCRE (Open Clouds for Research Environments) provides the European research community with easy and efficient access to cloud-based services – in 39 countries and for over 1,000 institutions. RWTH Aachen University is playing a pioneering role in this: it wants to expand its use of the cloud and is thus becoming a pilot operation for OCRE. What is really important here? The two cloud platforms Microsoft Azure and IONOS Cloud should be available directly through OCRE – with procurement and billing from a single source. This requires standardised onboarding, service modules and billing/controlling tailored to the institutions. The goal? An immediately usable foundation that integrates innovations such as AI and machine learning and serves as a model for other universities.

As a pilot company for OCRE, it was important for us to be able to use cloud technologies quickly and easily. With Microsoft Azure and IONOS Cloud, we can now do this confidently and flexibly. Whether it's training environments, development projects or AI applications, we can get started right away, knowing that processing and billing will work reliably. Bechtle is an important partner for us in this regard, and we couldn't do it without them.

Denise Dittrich, Head of RWTH Cloud Coordination, IT Centre RWTH Aachen University

Solution.

OCRE provides the framework, Bechtle implements it: two cloud providers, uniform processing and ready-to-use services for RWTH Aachen University. This is possible because Bechtle was awarded the contract for two providers, Microsoft Azure and IONOS Cloud, in the Europe-wide OCRE tender. This makes Bechtle the only partner that is allowed to provide two platforms in parallel in the 13 countries it has won. For RWTH, this means maximum flexibility: two cloud services, one contract and all procurement from a single source.

To enable RWTH to expand the use of cloud solutions from eight to up to 200 institutes, Bechtle worked with the RWTH IT Centre to develop perfectly coordinated, standardised onboarding processes, clearly defined service modules and a transparent billing system down to institute level. This allows each institute to get started quickly, receive tailor-made services and remain flexible in its use of cloud providers. The fields of application? They are wide-ranging: they include training environments for IT specialists, development infrastructures for research projects, web hosting and AI services such as RWTHgpt. Behind the scenes, Bechtle takes care of the technical implementation, transparent billing and ongoing support. This creates a stable foundation that confidently guides RWTH into the cloud and at the same time serves as a model for the more than 1,000 research and teaching institutes in Germany and Europe that want to use cloud-based services via OCRE.

Business benefits.

  • Best prices ensure affordable access to cloud resources for all institutions.
  • Direct access to Microsoft Azure and IONOSCloud – without further tenders.
  • More choice through a service catalogue that integrates additional providers.
  • Quick Start enables institutions to immediately utilise cloud solutions.
  • High flexibility through Infrastructure-as-a-Service with scalable resources.
  • Ease of use makes the transition to the cloud stress-free and transparent.
  • Wide range of applications, from education and research to AI applications.
  • Clear billing ensures traceability down to the branch level.
  • European reach strengthens RWTH as part of a network of 39 countries.