When education spans continents, network infrastructure becomes as critical as the coursework itself. Building academic and operational systems that provide every student access to a high-quality learning experience, regardless of geography, requires infrastructure that delivers consistency, reliability and performance at scale.
Founded in 1886, SABIS® began as a single school and has evolved into a global education network with an active presence in 21 countries across five continents. Serving students in both the private and public sectors, SABIS® schools implement the proven, proprietary SABIS® Educational System, which has been developed and refined for over 135 years. This structured academic model provides students with a top-quality education that prepares them to meet the challenges of a changing world. Delivering that experience at a global level places real demands on the systems behind learning and can directly affect learning outcomes and the student experience.
When peak demand meets the classroom
For SABIS®, academic and operational systems depend on something students rarely see but rely on every day: the network. “When students experience uninterrupted assessments, smooth access to learning platforms and secure communication channels, confidence in the digital model increases. And that performance translates directly into perceived institutional reliability,” says Raymond Khoury, Senior Manager of IT Infrastructure at SABIS®. That reliance becomes most apparent during periods of peak academic activity, when higher‑capacity connectivity is critical for reducing latency, preventing disruptions and supporting digital learning at scale. “When latency issues arise, performance doesn’t just dip—it stalls,” says Wissam Kosseifi, Senior Manager of IT Systems at SABIS®. He likens delays during digital exams to cascading flight cancellations, where a single disruption can ripple across the entire organization.
Legacy connectivity models made it difficult for SABIS®’s IT department to respond to the spikes in demand. Fixed bandwidth left little room to adapt, while global growth added complexity across regions that each had varying levels of network maturity. For SABIS®, the goal was clear: deliver consistent, high-performance digital learning without over‑provisioning or risking disruption.
A shift to on‑demand connectivity
To address these challenges, SABIS® adopted an on-demand Network‑as‑a‑Service (NaaS) model with Lumen, anchored at a Lumen data center in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The solution replaced a traditional 1‑gig fixed internet circuit with a 10‑gig NaaS UNI port, giving SABIS® the ability to scale bandwidth dynamically based on real‑time needs.
“The shift from a 1‑gig fixed internet to the 10‑gig NaaS UNI port was a game‑changer,” Kosseifi says. “The first thing you notice is how ‘snappy’ the communication becomes. Latency essentially disappears, leading to near‑instantaneous response times—especially during high‑stakes moments.”
With Lumen® Internet On‑Demand, the benefits of network flexibility extend beyond the ability to scale up during exam season, because SABIS® can also scale down during off-peak months when fewer students are using the network. By scaling resources precisely when needed, SABIS® enables uninterrupted, positive learning experiences and supports productivity across its global campuses, all without overspending on unused bandwidth.
“Education is seasonal by nature. When schools are out, our throughput demand naturally drops. The brilliance of this model is the granular control it gives us over that capacity. By scaling down during off-peak months, we achieve significant cost savings without sacrificing the ability to ramp back up within minutes when the new term or academic year begins,” says Kosseifi.
Making infrastructure invisible to learning
At SABIS®, educators can focus on teaching—not technology—and learning can proceed uninterrupted because of the network. Designed to operate consistently and reliably in the background, Khoury describes the goal as abstracting complexity away from the classroom. “In education, downtime is not an inconvenience; it is lost learning time. When infrastructure is seamless, educators focus entirely on pedagogy. Our goal is to make technology invisible, so learning becomes the only visible outcome,” he says.
The move to scalable, high‑availability connectivity strengthens SABIS®’s ability to deliver uniform performance across regions while maintaining centralized governance. Redundancy, proactive monitoring and capacity planning are embedded into the design, ensuring continuity even during periods of synchronized global usage.
Kosseifi emphasizes, “At SABIS®, we face unpredictable demands every day. On-demand connectivity is our secret weapon—it offsets those variables and allows us to scale rapidly. It’s not just about growth; it’s about having the power to respond to the unknown in real-time.”
Data, analytics and the path to AI
Supporting every learning experience at SABIS® is a data‑driven foundation. SABIS® processes millions of data records daily, and ensuring that data is timely, standardized and aligned across all schools enables corporate and regional teams to operate effectively.
“Our corporate and regional operations require timely, complete and accurate data from our entire network of schools,” says Sami Assi, Manager of Data Analytics at SABIS®. “Data readiness is essential for enabling teams to make informed decisions quickly.”
High-performance connectivity plays a critical role in that effort by supporting large‑scale data movement today and laying the groundwork for AI‑enabled learning in the future. As SABIS® explores AI models that deliver more personalized insights, on‑demand bandwidth helps ensure analytics and emerging workloads can scale without disrupting daily operations.
Building for what comes next
For SABIS®, flexible connectivity is a strategic enabler. It underpins the organization’s global vision for education, supporting instructional continuity today while providing a resilient foundation for long-term growth as digital learning continues to evolve.
“Moving to the NaaS model really took the weight off our shoulders,” Kosseifi says. “In the past, managing bandwidth and on-demand speeds was a constant challenge. Today, that control is in our hands. It’s incredibly empowering to know that as SABIS® grows, our network can expand within minutes to match that ambition.”
By combining disciplined infrastructure strategy with scalable, on‑demand networking, SABIS® is reinforcing its mission to deliver consistent, high‑quality education that will carry the organization and their students into the next decade. Kosseifi adds, “AI is transforming how we live and learn, and it requires serious 'horsepower' to run effectively. By building a scalable, high-speed network today, we are ready for the AI-driven world of tomorrow. Expansion is inevitable, and we have the infrastructure in place to lead that charge.”
To learn more about SABIS®’s transformation, read the full customer success story.
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