STORIES & SOLUTIONS FOR THE MODERN BUSINESS USER

Higher ed has a greater share of older workers than other industries. The median age for higher education staff is 45, above the U.S. workforce average of 42. As baby boomers approach retirement age and exit the workforce in the coming decade, they will be followed by Generation X — a much smaller generation. At the same time, by 2030, it is expected that nearly one in five workers will be over the age of 65. As workers continue toward retirement, it can create challenges in the IT department as knowledge leaves the institution. For individuals who stay, it creates a training need for people to learn new systems and processes and adapt to change.

For many higher education institutions, a cloud implementation is the largest initiative undertaken in 20 years or longer. However, a successful transformation project is more than modernizing technology. Success is measured on the level of adoption and use of the new system and takes careful planning. Bringing human resources, financial, and student systems together impacts the entire institution, and as with any widespread change, developing a robust communication strategy is vital to project success.

In the nearly two years following Covid-19, higher education has undergone an unprecedented uptake in digital transformation. Many higher education institutions are long overdue for modernization, having used the same technology for 20 years or longer. The digital revolution is moving forward and whether willing or unwilling, higher ed leaders know they need to get onboard and adapt.

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law a year ago on March 11, 2021. The plan, which includes $350 billion dollars in emergency funding, is dedicated to mitigating pandemic impacts for state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments. While now a year old, there is still funding available and recipients still have until December 31, 2024, to assign funds and until December 31, 2026, to spend them.

For many institutions, it is time to undergo digital transformation. According to Educause, 38 percent of institutions are exploring digital transformation, and more have started a digital transformation project. Many digital transformation initiatives in higher ed are focused on the mission to improve student outcomes. Through transformation, institutions are able to adapt more quickly and enhance the employee and student experience.

The amount of data created every day is staggering. According to industry sources, more than 181 zettabytes of data will be created by 2025. However, despite the abundance of data, many higher education institutions struggle with extracting value from their data. Driving value requires a culture change and a solution to make data accessible. Democratizing data, or enabling access to data for everyone across the institution, creates barrier-free access so leaders can make data-driven, effective decisions.

Going live on Workday is a huge accomplishment for any organization. A cloud solution that seamlessly connects information and creates efficiencies is a game-changer and frees resources to focus on higher value activities. However, for many organizations, once the deployment partner is no longer part of the day-to-day processes, it can be challenging to know how to use Workday to its full potential. Engaging post-production support or an application management services (AMS) provider can help you deploy additional applications missed in the initial implementation or provide experienced resources to stabilize the transition for ongoing operations.

For many organizations, the decision to move to the cloud is both simple and difficult at the same time. On one hand, the benefits are clear: streamlined operations, fewer manual processes, and improved efficiency. However, the process to get there can be daunting due to the time, effort, complexity, and cost that goes into a cloud implementation. The trepidation is compounded for organizations that hold bad memories from getting to where they are now with their current system.
It’s important to not let the pain of past ERP implementations get in the way of your future with a cloud transformation. Below are ways to set yourself up for success when moving to the cloud.

The global pandemic led many institutions to evaluate student systems, reassessing if existing technology meets the growing expectations of students, faculty, and staff. Selecting a student system is no small task; success in the cloud requires a new approach to software selection. The decision has lasting impact on every campus and business unit inside the institution. As your school approaches transformation, here are some things to consider.

Technology has changed a lot in the last 20 years with beepers and palm pilots giving way to mobility and modern analytics. However, many higher education institutions are operating on legacy systems that are more than 20 years old, and often cobbling together several systems to achieve functionality they need. With an eye on better visibility, many institutions are considering technology modernization, including shifting student systems to the cloud. As institutions consider the options for moving to the cloud, here are three reasons to do it now.