OceanBrowser's mission is to offer institutions a bespoke solution, providing features and experiences that traditional learning management systems (LMS) often lack. With a growing customer base and an evolving product, OceanBrowser needed a database solution that would scale with its platform while simplifying infrastructure management.

Challenges

Managing its open-source Apache Cassandra® database became a significant challenge as OceanBrowser scaled its operations. The company required a solution that would reduce the complexities of infrastructure management while ensuring high reliability and scalability. As OB3’s database is mission-critical to its clients, so OceanBrowser sought to partner with a managed database service that offered strong support, scalability, and advanced monitoring.

The co-founders wanted a solution that would enable them to enjoy Cassandra’s benefits without the overhead.

Solution

OceanBrowser transitioned to Astra DB to address scaling and infrastructure challenges. Astra DB provided a serverless, fully managed database solution that offered the scalability, resilience, and support they needed to simplify their operations.

OceanBrowser’s OB3 platform was deployed on Microsoft Azure, a cloud provider widely used across higher education institutions in Australia and New Zealand. The company chose Azure for its compatibility with enterprise customers and ability to run OB3 efficiently. OceanBrowser needed a database solution that could integrate smoothly with Azure to provide low-latency, reliable performance for their educational customers.

The integration of Astra DB with Azure enabled OceanBrowser to continue running OB3 on a platform familiar to their clients, ensuring seamless operation within their existing cloud environment.

"We chose DataStax Astra DB because we had been using the open-source Cassandra database for many years, and DataStax is the core developer of Cassandra," said Rodney Tamblyn, Co-founder of OceanBrowser. “It was a natural progression for us to move from Cassandra to Astra. The desire to move to a managed database solution—where we would have access to support, monitoring, reporting, and scalability without managing infrastructure ourselves—was key."

Thanks to DataStax’s technical support, the migration was smooth. With comprehensive support from DataStax, OceanBrowser successfully migrated their production systems without significant disruptions, allowing them to focus on product development.

Results

By transitioning to Astra DB, OceanBrowser experienced several key benefits. The company was able to simplify its technology stack, reduce operational risks, and ensure the reliability of its platform. Astra DB’s serverless architecture enabled them to scale their operations effortlessly without additional infrastructure management.

OceanBrowser's move also enhanced business continuity and risk management. By partnering with DataStax, they could access critical tools such as monitoring, backups, and replication without having to configure these features themselves. This enabled them to focus on improving their platform’s user experience and driving innovation.

"OB3 is focused on bringing content and collaboration together to enhance student engagement,” added Dr. Gloria Gomez, Co-founder of OceanBrowser. “With Astra DB, OceanBrowser can ensure their platform remains reliable and scalable while allowing them to dedicate more time to refining our product’s impact on learning.”

OceanBrowser’s decision to migrate to Astra DB has simplified operations, reduced risks, and improved the overall reliability of its platform. Astra DB’s fully managed, serverless architecture has enabled the company to focus on innovation and customer engagement, allowing OB3 to continue supporting asynchronous learning for students across Australia and New Zealand.