StarRez Cloud Migration

In 2023-24, the University of Toronto’s Housing Services achieved a major operational milestone by migrating its residence management system, StarRez, from on-premises servers to the StarRez Cloud. This project involved extensive cross-departmental coordination, enhancing the Housing team’s operational resilience and efficiency, and aligning with the strategic goals of improving organizational effectiveness across the University. The Cloud system went live in October 2024.

The migration required Housing Services to work closely with ITS/EASI, Student Life IT, the TCard Office and the ROSI team to redevelop and rigorously test 10 custom integrations essential for maintaining data flow between StarRez and other university systems. These integrations — such as photo updates from TCard, demographic import from ROSI to StarRez and financial exports from StarRez to ROSI/ACORN — ensured that critical functions would operate smoothly within the new cloud environment.

Throughout the project, teams employed innovative data handling strategies, including Azure Data Factory and the StarRez REST API, to overcome performance challenges associated with the migration.

The move to StarRez Cloud brings benefits that extend well beyond reliability. The University will now benefit from a cloud-based system that ensures 99.9% uptime, automated backups and PCI DSS compliance. The platform also introduces enhanced accessibility features, such as improved navigation and user interface customization, which contribute to a more inclusive experience for staff and student users alike. Notably, the integration with UTORid single sign-on has simplified access and security protocols.

This project reflects the University’s commitment to operational excellence and student-centric service enhancements, serving as a model for future cloud transitions within Student Life and beyond. The success of this migration highlights the potential of cloud technologies to drive efficiency while reducing administrative burdens, making it a significant step toward a more connected and resilient University community.