Ellii is a leading educational technology company that transforms how English is taught and learned worldwide. Their comprehensive platform provides innovative tools and solutions specifically designed for ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers and students, making language learning more effective and accessible on a global scale.
The company is driven by a mission to create meaningful connections through technology-enhanced education. By developing software that genuinely improves teaching and learning outcomes, Ellii has established itself as a trusted partner for educators and learners around the world, facilitating human connections that transcend language barriers.
Summary - Ellii Chooses FusionAuth
Key Takeaways
- Enhanced EdTech Security: FusionAuth enables educational platforms to implement enterprise-grade authentication features like multi-factor authentication without diverting development resources from core learning tools
- Global Data Control: FusionAuth’s flexible hosting options allow EdTech companies to choose where customer data is stored, supporting compliance with international education data privacy requirements
- Seamless LMS Integration: FusionAuth’s comprehensive documentation and SSO capabilities enable rapid integration with Learning Management Systems and school directories, reducing time-to-market for educational partnerships
- Developer-Focused Partnership: FusionAuth’s exceptional developer support and tailored solutions approach allows EdTech teams to focus on innovation rather than authentication infrastructure maintenance
- Reliability: FusionAuth’s professional maintenance approach ensures educational platforms maintain 99.999% (on High Availability plans hosted through FusionAuth Cloud) updtime during critical learning periods, with clear communication and no service disruptions
- Scalable EdTech Growth: FusionAuth’s architecture supports global expansion and increased user loads without authentication bottlenecks, enabling educational platforms to scale efficiently across international markets
Definitions
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): A security method requiring users to provide multiple verification factors beyond just passwords, essential for protecting sensitive educational data and student information in EdTech platforms
- Learning Management System (LMS) Integration: The ability for authentication systems to connect seamlessly with educational platforms like Canvas, Blackboard, or Google Classroom, enabling single sign-on experiences for students and teachers
- Single Sign-On (SSO): A authentication method allowing users to access multiple educational applications with one set of credentials, crucial for reducing friction in classroom technology adoption and improving user experience
- Data Residency: The practice of storing and processing data within specific geographic boundaries, critical for EdTech companies to comply with international education privacy regulations like FERPA, COPPA, and GDPR
- Educational Technology (EdTech) Authentication: Specialized identity management designed for educational environments, addressing unique requirements like student privacy protection, teacher-student role management, and institutional compliance needs
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How does FusionAuth handle both B2B and B2C identity requirements for educational platforms?
A: FusionAuth’s flexible architecture supports both institutional B2B authentication (integrating with school systems and LMS platforms) and direct B2C authentication (individual teachers and students creating accounts). This dual capability allows EdTech companies like Ellii to serve both institutional customers and individual users through a single, unified authentication system.
Q: Can FusionAuth be deployed using Docker or Kubernetes for educational technology platforms?
A: Yes, FusionAuth supports containerized deployments through Docker and Kubernetes, making it ideal for EdTech platforms that need scalable, cloud-native infrastructure. This deployment flexibility allows educational technology companies to maintain consistent environments across development, staging, and production while supporting the high availability requirements of global learning platforms.
Q: How does FusionAuth’s single-tenant architecture enhance security for educational applications?
A: FusionAuth’s single-tenant architecture ensures that each educational institution’s data remains completely isolated, with no shared infrastructure between different schools or EdTech customers. This isolation is crucial for protecting sensitive student data and meeting strict educational privacy regulations like FERPA and COPPA that govern how student information must be handled and stored.
Q: How can developers integrate modern authentication protocols like OAuth2 and OIDC with educational systems?
A: FusionAuth provides comprehensive OAuth2 and OpenID Connect (OIDC) support specifically designed for educational environments. The platform includes detailed documentation for integrating with popular educational systems, pre-built connectors for major LMS platforms, and flexible configuration options that accommodate the diverse authentication requirements of different educational institutions and learning management systems.
Q: How does FusionAuth support regulatory compliance and privacy for educational technology companies?
A: FusionAuth addresses educational compliance through multiple layers: data residency controls allowing EdTech companies to choose where student data is stored, comprehensive audit logs for compliance reporting, FERPA-compliant data handling practices, and built-in privacy controls that help educational platforms meet COPPA requirements for protecting children’s online privacy in learning environments.
The Challenge
As an EdTech company serving teachers, students, and administrators globally, Ellii faced significant authentication challenges that were impacting their ability to scale and innovate:
Growing Security Requirements: The education technology landscape demands enterprise-grade security features, including multi-factor authentication, which would require substantial development resources to build and maintain in-house.
Integration Complexity: Ellii needed to integrate with various Learning Management Systems (LMS) and school systems, requiring flexible authentication methods to support diverse institutional requirements.
Resource Allocation: As a focused team, Ellii wanted to concentrate their development efforts on what they do best—building innovative educational tools—rather than spending time on authentication infrastructure.
Maintenance Burden: Their existing Ruby on Rails authentication solution via Devise was becoming increasingly complex to maintain as security requirements evolved and best practices changed rapidly.
For Ellii, the authentication system needed to:
- Provide advanced security features without extensive development overhead
- Support seamless integration with external educational systems
- Enable secure, intuitive access for diverse user types (teachers, students, administrators)
- Offer flexible deployment options to meet data residency requirements
- Scale reliably as their global user base continued to grow
Why FusionAuth?
After evaluating various authentication solutions, Ellii selected FusionAuth for several compelling reasons:
1. Enterprise-Grade Security Made Simple
FusionAuth provided the advanced security features Ellii needed—including multi-factor authentication—without requiring them to build and maintain complex security infrastructure in-house.
2. Outstanding Developer Experience
Eduardo Prauze, Ellii’s CTO, was particularly impressed with FusionAuth’s approach to developer support:
“Clear documentation and fantastic dev support. It really feels like we are partnering with a company which we can call for support when we need it, and that can help us build a solution tailored to our needs. This is not a one size fits all solution.”
3. Geographic Flexibility
FusionAuth’s multiple hosting options aligned perfectly with Ellii’s global operations:
“Different geographical options for hosting. We wanted to decide where our customer data would be stored and FusionAuth facilitated that.”
4. Easy Integration
The comprehensive documentation and intuitive design made integration straightforward:
“The documentation made it quick for our team to get up and running, reducing development time and frustration.”
5. Competitive Pricing
FusionAuth’s pricing model made it an attractive choice for a growing EdTech company focused on maximizing their development resources.
The Implementation
Ellii implemented FusionAuth as their comprehensive authentication provider, replacing their previous Devise-based solution. The implementation covered:
- User Registration and Management: Seamless onboarding for teachers, students, and administrators
- Secure Login Systems: Reliable authentication across all user types
- Password Management: Automated password reset functionality
- Single Sign-On (SSO): Critical for integration with educational institutions’ existing systems
- Multi-Factor Authentication: Enhanced security without development overhead
The migration process proved to be remarkably smooth, with Ellii’s existing user base transferred securely from their internal database to FusionAuth’s platform.
Results and Benefits
Seamless Migration Experience
“The migration of our user base from our own database to their platform was simple and secure, the integration was completed sooner than we expected, and we didn’t have any surprises during the process.”
Increased Team Productivity
By eliminating the need to build and maintain authentication infrastructure, Ellii’s development team could focus entirely on their core mission of creating innovative educational tools.
Zero-Downtime Maintenance
FusionAuth’s professional approach to system maintenance has eliminated authentication-related downtime:
“Maintenance windows requested by FusionAuth are clearly communicated, and require no downtime from our end.”
Reliable Partnership
Over two years of partnership, FusionAuth has consistently delivered:
“In these last two years, FusionAuth proved to be a reliable and professional team, which is a pleasure to work with.”
Enhanced Security Posture
Ellii now has access to enterprise-grade security features that would have required significant internal development resources, allowing them to meet the stringent security requirements of educational institutions.
Looking Forward
As Ellii continues to expand their global reach and develop new educational technologies, FusionAuth remains integral to their growth strategy. The partnership enables Ellii to:
- Maintain focus on educational innovation rather than authentication infrastructure
- Seamlessly integrate with new educational systems and platforms
- Provide secure, reliable access to users worldwide
- Scale their platform without authentication bottlenecks
Eduardo summarizes the partnership’s success:
“At first, we were concerned about integration complexity and whether FusionAuth could be as reliable as we needed. Now we know we made the right choice and we are really satisfied with this partnership.”
Key Benefits of FusionAuth for Ellii
- Security Without Overhead: Enterprise-grade features like MFA without internal development burden
- Excellent Developer Experience: Clear documentation and responsive support accelerated implementation
- Geographic Flexibility: Multiple hosting options supporting global data residency requirements
- Seamless Integration: Quick implementation that exceeded timeline expectations
- Reliable Operations: Two years of consistent performance with zero authentication-related downtime
- Professional Partnership: Direct access to knowledgeable support when needed
“What excites me the most about working at Ellii is the opportunity to use technology to transform how English is taught and learned worldwide. Seeing the impact of our solutions, and the human connections that are made possible because of it, motivates me and the entire team to keep innovating.” - Eduardo Prauze, CTO
To see how FusionAuth can help your platform focus on what matters most—your product—schedule a demo.
