Cloud Modernization for Canvas Learning Management System

Business Objective

Canvas, a premier learning management system serving 25 million students worldwide, sought to modernize its deployment infrastructure to support rapid global expansion.

The objective was to transition from a custom legacy tool to a Kubernetes-native environment capable of managing massive traffic surges. Key goals included reducing the high costs of underutilized compute resources and establishing a GitOps-driven framework for automated, repeatable, and cost-efficient scaling.

 

The Solution

OLSYS engineered a containerized orchestration platform on AWS EKS, replacing manual deployment cycles with automated GitOps workflows.

By migrating from single-instance deployments to regional shared clusters, we eliminated resource fragmentation and implemented a unified Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) framework.

Key elements:

• Kubernetes-Native Orchestration: Replaced legacy tools with a modern container platform to accelerate feature release cycles.
• GitOps Implementation: Established version-controlled, auditable infrastructure changes to ensure compliance and eliminate manual errors.
• Shared EKS Compute: Implemented regional shared clusters to maximize resource density and minimize idle capacity.
• Infrastructure Automation: Leveraged Terraform to enable repeatable, automated provisioning across all global environments.
• User-centric Dashboard: Replaced complex command-line operations with an intuitive interface to empower development teams.

The Impact

The modernization allows Canvas to support its global user base with a significantly leaner operational footprint.

By automating the deployment lifecycle and optimizing resource allocation, Canvas has fostered a high-velocity engineering culture while drastically reducing the infrastructure overhead typically associated with global-scale EdTech platforms.

Results:

• Reduced Operational Costs: Automated provisioning and shared infrastructure eliminated systemic resource waste.
• Zero Idle Compute Waste: Optimized EKS clusters replaced the expensive single-container-per-EC2 model, drastically lowering AWS spend.
• Hardened Reliability: GitOps-enabled workflows provided a fully auditable and stable infrastructure, strengthening business continuity and compliance.