Benchlab and the Future of Higher Education

Higher education is a constantly evolving sector, and academic institutions need accurate, up-to-date information to make informed strategic decisions. In this context, Benchlab has emerged as a leader in providing market analysis services for higher education. Their platform offers clear insights into market dynamics, helping institutions identify their position and opportunities in comparison to others. With a presence in Colombia, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina, and plans to expand into Peru and Spain, Benchlab faced initial challenges that required an innovative and effective solution to enhance the scalability, usability, and performance of their web app, as well as optimize data analysis.

Improving the WebApp and Power BI Performance

WebApp

At the start of the project, Benchlab was using a platform developed with a technology that, while effective in the past, needed an update to meet growing market demands. Multiple business rules and Power BI dashboards were directly integrated into the code, limiting the system's flexibility and scalability. WebForm, although functional, required specialized attention. Adding new clients or dashboards involved developer intervention, causing delays and increasing costs. Moreover, there was only a production environment, which posed availability and security challenges.

Power BI

The platform also faced performance challenges, as each interaction with the dashboards required processing multiple Excel files and applying business rules. This led to slower response times and high resource usage. The solution to improve performance—upgrading the instance type—came with additional costs, requiring careful resource management. Furthermore, the data files were hosted on SharePoint, which, while functional, raised security concerns due to a lack of control over unwanted updates.

Optimization, Scalability, and Revamping the Application

WebApp Improvements

To address these challenges, we focused on improving the user experience and adopted Flutter technology to enhance the interface, navigation, and overall appearance, designing a new implementation from the ground up. The security and internal architecture were modernized, simplifying the login process and allowing for scalability without modifying the source code. Additionally, we enabled single sessions to boost security and improve the user experience.

*The data in the images are for illustrative purposes only, they are not real.

Power BI Improvements

On the Power BI side, we introduced Azure Blob and Analysis Services. Azure Blob was used to host all dashboard files in the cloud, improving data security and access. Analysis Services allowed for the creation of optimized data models for each dashboard, building a single source of truth, reducing load times, and improving data security.

Improved Workflow

Finally, two separate work environments were established: Production and DEV/QA. This separation allowed developers to work more efficiently without risking the availability of production dashboards.

Camilo Rubio, Product and Operations Lead at Benchlab, commented on the improvements:

"They streamlined our work! The new web app gives us real control over the platform, without limitations on the number of reports or their renewals. And in Power BI, although it was a challenge to redesign the processes, it provided us with security, connectivity, and traceability, especially in update processes, and greatly improved report load times."

Jorge Eduardo Silvestre, Product and Operations Manager at Benchlab, added:

"We can confidently say that our decision to collaborate with Bitlogic for our web portal redesign was a huge success. From day one, we were impressed by their professional approach and commitment to deadlines. Thanks to their expertise, we now have a more intuitive and attractive interface that undoubtedly enhances user experience. But they didn’t stop there—our platform’s security has been significantly strengthened, providing peace of mind for our users and our team."

He also highlighted:

"The backend reengineering implemented by Bitlogic has provided us with unprecedented scalability, preparing Benchlab to meet future growth and demands. Equally important, migrating our reports to a more robust architecture showcases the technical depth of their team. In short, Bitlogic not only met but exceeded our expectations. They are a strategic partner any company would be lucky to have."

This project resulted in a significant transformation of Benchlab’s higher education market analysis platform. The improvements not only enhanced the platform's stability and scalability but also improved user experience and reduced operational costs.

If you’re interested in a similar project for your business or institution, feel free to reach out. Coffee’s on us! :)