Technology Assessment for Higher Education
A lot of people have been left “IT-exhausted” after the last two years, as they worked hard to adapt constantly during the pandemic. CampusWorks brings new energy to your IT department, technology operations — and your day — by helping you not only prepare for but predict future challenges.
By its very nature, technology is agnostic and objective. But “technology” doesn’t make big decisions, understand goals, or set budgets. People do. And, sometimes, people need help from experts who can objectively guide them through the maze of solutions to find the right fit, in addition to uncovering gaps in service delivery models. Replacing major systems, maintaining existing systems, building modern integrations, and evaluating the user experience are major decisions that need major attention. Thinking of moving to the cloud, for instance, has an immense upside, but it also requires considerable forethought. We don’t take any of it — your budgets, people, current systems‚ and especially your time — lightly. If it’s been a while since you tuned up your tech, give us a call, and let us help get your campus back to happy.
Sustainable Models for Long-Term Growth
From budget to buy-in, we create sustainable models that scale over time, meet student needs, and deliver value aligned to cost for your campus.
CampusWorks assessments help you make the grade. Parents, students, faculty, and staff are looking for an A+ experience, and that includes taking the daily frustrations out of student information systems (SIS), human capital management (HCM), and financial systems. Together, these comprise enterprise resource planning (ERP), which involve the keep-or-replace, make-or-break decisions that affect how your campus works.
We help you build, integrate, and maintain the systems that keep you open for learning — and for business — whether that means moving to the cloud or staying on premises.
Understanding the Objectives of Technology Assessment
Every project starts with defining goals, even as life is full of goal-defining moments. (Starting and graduating from a college or university come to mind as two of the most powerful goals a person can have!) In terms of a technology assessment, it all starts with looking carefully at the strategic plan and institutional growth goals an institution has identified. We then leverage our knowledge of leading institutions of similar type and size and the models they’re using to get there to provide senior executives with an objective and comprehensive view of an institution’s technology environment. CampusWorks has helped hundreds of institutions across the nation over more than 25 years. Our specialists include leaders with decades of experience in every tech environment. Using that past experience sets you up for the future and makes our “campus” — and yours — work.
Triple Threat: A tech assessment that looks at three distinct areas and asks distinct questions:
- Management. Let’s talk, ask questions and find answers. Is your current team business driven? Do they have clear goals? Is their work and prioritization aligned to the strategic plan? Do they embrace the challenges the institution is facing, and are they working in a culture that empowers them to innovate creative solutions? We then assess issues of governance, decision-making, and the technical support model and make recommendations on staffing optimization, funding requirements, centralized vs. decentralized models, and more. The result is clarity of purpose and peace of mind.
- Technology. More questions lead to more answers. Is the institution effectively maintaining and utilizing its ERP system and surrounding technology? Are there clear guidelines for assessing user needs, new solutions, the integration, maintenance, and outcomes of additional systems? Is there good support (and are there models) for the deployment of those solutions? Are there strong data standards and definitions? Is reporting where it needs to be? Are the tools in place to provide the actionable decision data in offices around the campus? CampusWorks reviews overall data platforms, infrastructure, and service delivery functions as part of your assessment.
- Operations. And, finally, when it comes to operations, is the process within and around technology working effectively? How are projects reviewed, prioritized, approved, and managed? Are outcomes promised actually delivered by the internal teams and by the vendors that were engaged? Is the institution managing risk and security effectively? Do users feel heard and supported? Are user requests and system incidents being monitored — and anticipated?
Where to from there? Our assessment includes a final presentation to the institution’s leadership team. This is normally a four- to eight-week process — and the majority can be done remotely. At the end of the day, you’ll know where you stand and what next steps you need to take to ensure your technology fully supports the institution’s mission.
These types of questions help us determine what you need to get up to speed. When it comes to asking if your campus will reach full potential … consider that question asked — and answered with a resounding yes! — by CampusWorks.
