A good education starts with a powerful infrastructure

Always-on learning

Imagine thousands of students across nearly 50 countries studying online, full-time, 24/7. They expect seamless access, security, and speed. Every piece of data is important. Every experience vital to their education.

Welcome to DOBA University of Applied Sciences (DOBA UAS) in Slovenia, which relies on a robust, secure, and efficient IT infrastructure powered by NetApp.

About

DOBA has been a pioneer in online education since 2003. Based in Maribor, it’s the largest private online education provider in Southeast Europe, catering to students from 46 countries. It offers study programs in three languages from undergraduate to doctorate levels.

With its entire study process delivered digitally through a learning management system, DOBA’s IT infrastructure isn't just important — it's mission critical.

“Digital reliability and system availability are absolutely mission critical,” said Matjaž Potočnik, Head of IT at DOBA UAS. “Unlike traditional institutions, our entire study process takes place online, which means that even short service interruptions can directly impact thousands of students and lecturers.”

Challenges

Scaling performance for global online learning

As DOBA continued to expand its international presence and support a growing number of online students, ensuring consistently high performance and availability across its digital learning environment became a top priority. With thousands of users accessing systems simultaneously across different time zones, the institution required an infrastructure capable of delivering fast, reliable, and uninterrupted access to critical services at scale. This called for a forward-looking approach to performance optimization and capacity planning.

Strengthening resilience in a changing threat landscape

At the same time, the cybersecurity landscape was rapidly evolving, with increasing pressure on educational institutions to protect sensitive data and ensure uninterrupted operations. For DOBA, maintaining trust and safeguarding its digital learning environment meant taking a proactive approach to resilience and risk management.

“Cybersecurity is one of the most important areas of our operations, as a major cyber incident could significantly impact the reputation of our institution,” said Potočnik. “From a risk perspective, data theft has become very common, which represents an additional threat — not only causing technical damage but also substantial financial consequences, particularly due to potential GDPR violations.”

The challenge was clear: to elevate performance, scalability, and security simultaneously — without compromising the seamless user experience that students and staff rely on every day.

Solution

Modernizing the foundation

DOBA's solution came in two strategic phases, both built on NetApp technology.

In phase one, the institution implemented a comprehensive server and network infrastructure renewal, anchored by NetApp storage systems including AFF all-flash storage and FAS hybrid storage. This addressed immediate performance and capacity needs while laying the groundwork for future security enhancements.

The flash system helped to significantly speed up snapshot operations by reducing latency and increasing IOPS compared to HDDs.

Building cyber resilience

Phase two focused squarely on security. NetApp ONTAP offers immutable data copies, advanced data mirroring, and robust protection mechanisms — DOBA saw an opportunity to dramatically strengthen its defenses.

Working with their systems integrator ORG.TEND, DOBA implemented the full suite of NetApp security solutions. They acquired an additional storage array, installed it in an external secure data center, and established data mirroring between locations. The result? An immutable copy of critical data and a fully replicated IT system at a remote location.

Also, to ensure even more comprehensive protection, DOBA implemented:

• Advanced extended detection and response (XDR) solutions
• Continuous system monitoring through a SOC
• Mechanisms for detecting unusual activities
• Regular cybersecurity training for employees and students

By combining these approaches, DOBA is building a multilayered protection model that enables a high level of security, rapid response capability, and a resilient infrastructure prepared for modern security challenges.

The hybrid architecture

DOBA's hybrid environment seamlessly connects on-premises infrastructure with cloud services. The local data center hosts critical services including Active Directory, file servers, DNS, SQL servers, and the Student Information System (SIS). The school’s portal serves as the main entry point for students and lecturers to access grades, schedules, and study tools.

“All systems — both those in the local data center and those in the cloud — are integrated through numerous connections and automated processes,” Potočnik said. “This ensures that our environment operates as one cohesive system, which is essential for uninterrupted study processes and a high-quality user experience.”

Results

Quantifiable performance gains

The technical improvements speak for themselves:

• 40% faster backup execution.
• 30% reduction in backup size through efficient compression and deduplication.
• 30% lower system load during backup and recovery processes.
• 20% higher network throughput and faster data transfers.

Transformative business impact

Beyond the numbers, DOBA achieved something more valuable: peace of mind.

“We estimate that we can restore the entire system back to normal operation in less than two hours — even in the case of a ransomware attack — and with minimal data loss,” said Potočnik. “This represents an extremely important advancement for our organization.”

The business benefits cascade throughout the institution:

• Increased satisfaction among students, lecturers, and employees.
• Reduced likelihood of service interruptions.
• Lower operational costs due to simplified maintenance and faster issue resolution.
• Reduced licensing costs and better utilization of existing systems.
• An environment that supports further development and adoption of new technologies like AI.
• Improved system performance through better optimization, resulting in faster response times and more efficient processes.

Why NetApp?

DOBA evaluated solutions from other vendors, but NetApp stood out for three reasons:

1. Reputation and references: NetApp’s global presence and track record with major technology enterprises provided confidence in long-term stability and support.
2. ONTAP consistency: The unified operating system across all devices simplified management and ensured regular access to new functionalities.
3. Exceptional support: Both through local partner ORG.TEND and directly through NetApp, DOBA receives responsive, professional support that enables quick resolution of challenges.

What's next

Continuous improvement

DOBA views this transformation as a foundation for continuous evolution. The institution is particularly focused on artificial intelligence applications across business processes, administrative automation, and cybersecurity incident detection.

“We see significant opportunities in the field of artificial intelligence,” said Potočnik. “We will implement every new solution that demonstrates clear benefits and added value — both from a technical and business perspective.”

DOBA UAS’s journey with NetApp demonstrates how modern data infrastructure can transform both technical operations and business outcomes. By addressing performance constraints first, then building comprehensive cyber resilience on that foundation, DOBA created an environment that’s faster, more secure, and ready for the future.

“With the implementation of the project, all our expectations and requirements were fully met,” Potočnik said. “Everything operates stably, reliably, and in line with the planned architecture. This gives us additional confidence in the technology and confirms that choosing NetApp was the right decision.”