In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), Grade 12 students take a final exam similar to the ACT. The results decide their university path and major.
Entering G12 is stressful, and students face pressure throughout the year, especially when waiting for their results. Since 2012, G12 results have been available online through student accounts.
Unfortunately, the website responsible for delivering results has failed every year due to errors and heavy traffic. When thousands of students access the site at the same time, it becomes slow or crashes for hours. Some influential families also try to access results illegally, adding to the issues. Although improvements were made, the errors continued.
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic made things even harder for students. With support from UNICEF, 1.5 million students received education from home, which helped G12 students continue learning. Fortunately, Avesta Group created a new system to deliver exam results without errors.
Avesta Group partnered with Microsoft to solve the problem using Microsoft Azure Services. Avesta Group fully funded the project to help the Ministry of Education ensure error-free result delivery.
Their support helped manage risks and provide a reliable solution. They explained that the issue required new technology, not temporary fixes.
Other groups tried using powerful servers for one year, even though high traffic only lasts a few days. This was expensive and still didn’t prevent overload.
The website is heavily used in a short time, and even small errors cause big problems. When something goes wrong, there is very little time to fix it.
DNS and CDN issues caused many errors, and strong cybersecurity was needed as people attempted to hack the site. The whole process required strong management and protection.
Avesta Group used Microsoft Azure to build a stable system. They created two sites and connected them through Azure Traffic Manager, a load balancer that distributes traffic across resources for better speed and availability.
Azure Traffic Manager; which is a load balancer and permits you to distribute traffic and tasks into multiple resources in an efficient way for being more available and responsive.
Avesta Group used the most efficient and cost‑effective type of cloud computing, Platform as a Service (PaaS), instead of the more complex and expensive Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). To avoid operating system issues, they used Azure SQL and Web App services rather than virtual servers.
The first site was built with a Web App that functions as a web server. With the Premium Service Plan, the server automatically scales during high traffic. Azure SQL Database and Azure Storage were used to store data. A second, larger site with the same structure was created and synced with the first, sharing the same database. A third backup site was also created for emergencies and contained the same data.
Any hacking attempts were blocked by Azure Firewall, while Azure Security Center provided alerts and guidance for security issues. The three-site structure is shown in diagram (A):
Diagram A: The Process of Azure Traffic Manager for The Three Sites
Avesta Group launched the G12 results website on August 12, 2020, completing the process in just 8 days. They tested the system and monitored both performance and user load in advance. Around 1,000 users were on the site thirty minutes before the results went live. Once published, about 90% of students received their results within the first 30 minutes. The website was continuously monitored to detect and fix any issues immediately.
The plan was highly successful. Even at peak traffic — reaching 500,000 users — the website remained stable with no server overload. All students received their results within the first hour, and traffic gradually decreased afterward. Avesta Group was pleased with the outcome, and students were satisfied as they experienced no problems during the process.
Avesta Group solved the Ministry of Education’s website challenges through modern technology and Microsoft Azure platforms. The Group continues to provide technological and business solutions for small and midsized organizations, using Azure services to handle various technical issues. Many challenges in the KRI can be effectively resolved through these new technological strategies.