Pandemic pivot from physical to online tests

Our client, which provides educational testing and assessment services, faced an existential threat with the pandemic-era lockdowns and social distancing
requirements. The testing centers it operated at physical locations were unable to open, leaving thousands of students worldwide in a state of uncertainty. 
Our client had to switch from in-person testing centers to a digital-first or online
testing solution almost overnight. To achieve that, it had to migrate rapidly from legacy systems to the cloud. It also needed to ensure the sanctity and accuracy of its tests while delivering a seamless digital experience to its customers. Other challenges included the ability to dynamically scale up or scale down capacity in response to demand, maintain acceptable service levels, and enable thousands of
expert test raters’ to access and evaluate tests.

Iris Software stepped in to facilitate a strategic digital pivot in the business model to secure the company’s future. Modernization efforts that were underway at the company even before the pandemic were accelerated as a digital upgrade became imperative. We shifted the data stored on legacy infrastructure was to the cloud. Our team developed a new testing interface that would work overnight across devices, geographies, and different internet connections. Switching the testing operations to the cloud with scalable capacity could help manage the surge in the number of users for the tests Iris also deployed automation and AI tools to deliver superior experiences for test raters. Those who faced challenges while attempting to grade tests were provided with an always-on AI-based solution to automate the troubleshooting and ticketing process.

The client now has scalable, digital-first testing capabilities to meet all its testing requirements.

• Cloud-based testing ensures that students, evaluators, and employees have access on-demand.
• The remote testing options are accurate, secure and safe from external threats.
• A strong focus on automation and user experience has allowed for optimized online offerings.
• Surges in demand for tests can be met rapidly and at scale with minimal intervention.
• Thanks to the always-on cloud offerings, service levels are easily maintained.
• The successful digital pivot has led to strong interest in a hybrid operating model to safeguard the business from threats in the future.