Managed Infrastructure
Managed infrastructure built for education
Secure, UK-hosted managed infrastructure for education platforms, student services and specialist workloads — operated by a team that understands universities, colleges and schools.
- UK data-centre infrastructure
- OpenStack-based private cloud platform
- Managed hosting, monitoring and support
- Built for education workloads
- Cost-effective alternative to public cloud for suitable workloads
- Direct control over infrastructure and support
Operated by Education Host — the team behind Cloud Pulse, Student Web Host Manager and Cover Manager.
What is Education Host Managed Infrastructure?
Education Host Managed Infrastructure gives education organisations a supported hosting environment for the platforms and workloads they rely on — teaching platforms, student services, websites, internal systems and specialist applications.
Rather than handing you raw servers and leaving your team to manage everything, we provide the infrastructure together with the monitoring, backups, patching support and infrastructure planning needed to keep services running properly — with a support team that works only with the education sector.
It is the same infrastructure capability that runs Education Host's own platforms, offered as a managed service for the systems your institution already depends on.
Your workloads, our infrastructure, one managed service
Your education workloads
- Student platforms
- Teaching applications
- Web & course hosting
- Operational systems
Education Host Managed Infrastructure
OpenStack-based private cloud, hosted in a UK data centre
Run as a managed service
- 24/7 monitoring and alerting
- Backups and restore support
- Patching and maintenance
- Education-focused support
An alternative to defaulting everything to public cloud
Public cloud has its place, and some workloads genuinely belong there. But not every education system needs hyperscale public cloud — and for stable platforms, student services and hosted applications, it is not always the most cost-effective or practical route.
Education Host operates controlled infrastructure for education clients, giving us direct control over hosting, capacity, support and pricing. For many predictable education workloads, that means a simpler, clearer and more predictable service than running everything through a large public cloud provider — and we can help you decide what belongs where.
- More predictable hosting model for suitable workloads
- Direct support from the team managing the platform
- No unnecessary complexity for straightforward education systems
- Flexibility around education-specific requirements
- Competitive pricing for appropriate workloads
OpenStack-based infrastructure under our control
Education Host uses OpenStack-based infrastructure to run and manage virtual machines, platforms and services for education clients. Because we operate the platform ourselves, we can provision capacity, manage workloads and support specialist platforms directly — without relying entirely on large public cloud providers. It is the same foundation that supports Education Host platforms such as Cloud Pulse and Student Web Host Manager.
- OpenStack-based private cloud environment
- Virtual machines provisioned and managed for you
- Capacity planning around your academic year
- Managed workloads with direct operational control
- Proven with Education Host's own hosted platforms
UK data-centre hosting for education services
Education Host hosts and supports services from UK data-centre infrastructure, helping education organisations keep critical platforms close to home with a support team that understands the sector. Our managed hosting is delivered from a purpose-built, Tier III-aligned UK facility with resilient power, cooling and 24x7x365 monitoring — facility accreditations, including ISO 27001, are held by the data-centre operator, and Education Host provides the education-focused platform and support layer over the top.
See our accreditations- UK-based hosting on accredited data-centre infrastructure
- Monitored infrastructure with proactive alerting
- Backup and recovery planning
- Resilience and continuity designed into the service
- Education Host is Cyber Essentials certified
- Operates in line with UK GDPR
What we manage
A managed service around your infrastructure — not just space on a server.
Virtual machines & hosted applications
Provisioned, hosted and managed for your workloads.
Managed web & database hosting
Websites, databases and web applications, kept running and up to date.
Platform hosting
The infrastructure behind Education Host products and hosted services.
Monitoring & alerting
24/7 monitoring with proactive alerting on critical services.
Backups & restore support
Scheduled backups with tested restore support when you need it.
Patch & update support
Patching and maintenance handled in agreed windows.
SSL & DNS support
Certificates, DNS changes and secure access managed as part of the service.
Migration planning
Planned, low-disruption migrations from existing hosting.
Capacity planning
Capacity aligned to cohorts, terms and the academic calendar.
Security hardening guidance
Practical, education-aware guidance on securing hosted services.
Support & incident response
An education-focused team, with support measured in minutes.
Infrastructure for education workloads
Education Host understands academic calendars, student cohorts, teaching blocks, practical computing modules, school operations and support windows — and runs infrastructure around them.
Student platforms
Student-facing services and portals, hosted and supported.
Teaching & learning applications
The applications behind day-to-day teaching delivery.
Web hosting & course platforms
Institutional websites, course platforms and CMS hosting.
Browser-based lab platforms
The infrastructure class that powers platforms like Cloud Pulse.
School & college operational systems
Operational and administrative systems run as managed services.
Research & specialist project hosting
Managed servers for research and specialist academic projects.
Legacy system hosting & migration
A managed home for older systems, with planned migrations.
Managed WordPress & web applications
Secure, maintained WordPress and web application hosting.
Monitored, supported and built for continuity
Managed infrastructure is not just where a service runs. It is how it is monitored, backed up, patched, supported and recovered when something goes wrong — and who picks up the phone when it does.
- Monitoring and alerting across hosted services
- Backup and restore planning
- SSL, DNS and access support
- Patch support and agreed maintenance windows
- Incident response from an education-focused team
- Infrastructure designed around service continuity
The infrastructure behind Education Host platforms
The same infrastructure knowledge supports Cloud Pulse, Student Web Host Manager, Cover Manager and Education Host's wider hosting services. Education Host is not only building platforms for education — we are also running and supporting the infrastructure behind them.
Education Host supports institutions including
Education Host supports institutions across hosting, student platforms, education cloud services and managed infrastructure — including Arden University, Canterbury Christ Church University and Atlantic Technological University.
Institutions shown are Education Host customers across our wider platform and service portfolio.
Managed Infrastructure — frequently asked questions
Answers to common questions about Education Host's UK-hosted, OpenStack-based managed infrastructure for education.
- What is managed infrastructure for education?
- Managed infrastructure for education is hosting that comes with the operations included: Education Host provides the servers and private cloud environment plus the monitoring, backups, patching support and education-focused support needed to keep institutional platforms and student services running properly.
- How is Education Host different from generic hosting?
- Education Host works only with the education sector and operates its own OpenStack-based infrastructure platform. That means direct control over hosting, capacity, support and pricing — and a support team that understands academic calendars, cohorts and education workloads rather than generic tickets.
- Does Education Host use public cloud?
- Education Host can work with different hosting models where appropriate, but our managed infrastructure service is built around controlled infrastructure that we operate and support directly. This gives us more control over hosting, support and pricing for suitable education workloads.
- What is OpenStack?
- OpenStack is open-source cloud infrastructure software used to manage virtual machines, storage and networking. Education Host uses OpenStack-based infrastructure to provide flexible managed hosting and private cloud-style services for education workloads.
- Why not just use AWS, Azure or Google Cloud?
- Public cloud is useful for many workloads, but it is not always the simplest or most cost-effective option. For stable education platforms, student services and hosted applications, a managed infrastructure approach can provide clearer support, predictable costs and less complexity — and we can help you decide what belongs where.
- Is this suitable for universities, colleges and schools?
- Yes. Education Host manages infrastructure for organisations across the sector — from university teaching platforms and student services to college systems and school websites and operational tools.
- Can Education Host host our existing applications?
- Yes. Education Host can host existing websites, web applications, databases and institutional systems as managed services, including specialist and legacy applications that need a reliable, supported home.
- Can Education Host migrate existing services?
- Yes. Migrations are planned around your calendar and support windows to minimise disruption, with backup and rollback planning as part of the process.
- Does Education Host provide monitoring and backups?
- Yes. Managed infrastructure includes 24/7 monitoring with proactive alerting, scheduled backups and restore support, and patching within agreed maintenance windows.
- Can managed infrastructure support Cloud Pulse or Student Web Host Manager?
- Yes. The same infrastructure capability underpins Education Host's own platforms, including Cloud Pulse and Student Web Host Manager — running your workloads on infrastructure already proven with education platforms.
- Is the infrastructure UK-hosted?
- Yes. Education Host delivers managed hosting from accredited UK data-centre infrastructure — a purpose-built, Tier III-aligned facility — with facility accreditations including ISO 27001 held by the data-centre operator.
- How do we discuss requirements?
- Book a consultation and we'll talk through your platforms, workloads and support expectations — including what fits managed infrastructure well and what might belong elsewhere. Pricing is discussed as part of that conversation.
Talk to us about your infrastructure
Book a consultation to discuss the platforms and workloads your institution runs, what they need to keep running properly, and whether Education Host managed infrastructure is the right home for them.