STORIES & SOLUTIONS FOR THE MODERN BUSINESS USER

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.

Back-to-school season is here and while students are thinking of classes and what they'll be learning in the coming year, business leaders are seeking education on digital transformation and how to improve operations in their institutions. Whether deploying new financials software or modernizing legacy systems to the cloud to take advantage of advanced functionality, proper planning is the crux of a successful cloud deployment.

Picture this: your institution has selected Workday for its digital transformation, and your team has spent months readying for the deployment. This is an exciting time for many higher education institutions, but it can be nerve-wracking to transition to go-live. For many institutions, few projects impact every campus and organizational unit more than a digital transformation project. The road to go-live is well worth it, and benefits are realized as your institution moves to production. Here’s what you can expect as your institution crosses into modernization with Workday.

Education is changing radically. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant shift in the way students, faculty, and staff interacted, and exacerbated trends that were already gaining momentum. With the transition to remote work and distance learning, and rising expectations for streamlined processes, institutions have had to find new ways to engage students, and reach them where they are, in the moments that matter most.

Private and public higher education institutions have faced rapid, continuous change over the last 18 months. Many academic institutions put project plans on hold and are now facing increased urgency to move to the cloud. Institutions seeking to execute on digital transformation plans need to assess their data, business processes, appetite for change, and strategic goals to determine proper timing, activities, and communication for transformation projects, the largest of which is not the actual technology, but the change to how work gets done.

It would be an understatement to say our lives have been changed by the pandemic. More family time, the ability to connect via technology, and the happiness of dogs everywhere, have been silver linings in an extremely difficult year. On the professional side, many of us have worked through the hiccups of remote work and are maybe starting to prefer it when compared to going to the office every day.

With the rapid shift to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, institutions have faced the challenge of reaching students outside the traditional campus setting. Students and faculty have had to adapt to remote work, remote teaching, and remote learning, with institutions needing to come up with unique ways to reach students where there is a technology divide.

Faced with COVID-19, higher education institutions have had to do things differently. With virtual learning, staff working remotely, and many colleges and universities using outdated systems, all eyes are on digital transformation. Institutions that have made the switch to modern, cloud-based systems have provided an easier transition in a COVID-19 world, by connecting students, faculty, and staff while they are no longer on campus.

With the development of COVID-19, higher education institutions have had to be nimble and develop contingency plans to continue semesters online. Throughout the higher education landscape, the educational experience has shifted to distance-learning, and with that, are facing new challenges. Historically, higher education has relied on in-person teaching scenarios, with face-to-face interactions both in and out of the classroom. Orders to stay at home puts greater pressure on technology, and how to use it effectively to continue learning.