5 Reasons to Evaluate Higher Ed SaaS ERP

Why Cost Savings Shouldn’t

Lead the Discussion about

Cloud-based ERP on Campus

Cloud computing is disrupting

higher education technology.

And higher ed’s core

administrative applications are

evolving with SaaS offerings.

Why should institutions consider

SaaS for their core financials,

human resources and student

systems?

There are 5 compelling reasons.

And 1 reason not to.

(More on that later.)

Let’s explore each reason,

WHY IT MATTERS to your

institution,

And the BOTTOM LINE you need

to know.

Compelling reason #1:

Customizations

Your institution has

CUSTOMIZED your

current commercial ERP

beyond recognition.

Custo

miz

ations

WHY this matters…

Your operational costs have

INCREASED.

WHY this matters…

You realize enhancements at a

SLOWER RATE.

WHY this matters…

In an effort to be more responsive to

user needs, you’ve created a more

INFLEXIBLE system.

The BOTTOM LINE is…

If you’ve heavily customized, you’ve taken

on MORE RISK. So the key reasons you

may have invested in ERP to begin with

(efficiency, adaptability, driven by best

practice) are now COMPROMISED by

modifications and customizations.

Compelling reason #2:

User Expectations

Your students, faculty and

staff have

SOPHISTICATED

EXPECTATIONS, but their

experience with your

current system is anything

but.

User

Expecta

tions

WHY this matters…

The “CONSUMERIZATION OF IT” on

campus is led by students…and they

want an ‘Amazon-like’ experience from

the systems they use – including your

student information system.

WHY this matters…

BYOD (bring your own device) has

evolved into BYOE (bring your own

everything).

WHY this matters…

Nearly 50% of faculty and staff are

provisioning their own CLOUD-BASED

SERVICES.

The BOTTOM LINE is…

Campus users want technology that

behaves like the apps they use in everyday

life. Are your administrative systems as

INTUITIVE, RESPONSIVE and EASY TO

USE?

Compelling reason #3:

Major Upgrades

Your institution has just

survived – or you are

currently facing – a MAJOR

SYSTEMS UPGRADE.

Majo

r U

pgra

des

WHY this matters…

Commercial ERP applications typically

release major upgrades EVERY 2-3

YEARS.

WHY this matters…

Many institutions will opt to upgrade

when it makes sense for them, often

PROLONGING THE DECISION to

implement an upgrade.

WHY this matters…

Planning, staffing, testing and training

required for a major upgrade are

extensive, sometimes requiring A YEAR

OR LONGER.

The BOTTOM LINE is…

The scale and scope of a major ERP

upgrade can EQUATE TO A NEW

IMPLEMENTATION in terms of time,

complexity and campus resources.

Compelling reason #4:

Data-Driven Decision Making

DATA-DRIVEN DECISION

MAKING is an institutional

priority, but you don’t have

the tools to make it happen.

Da

ta-D

riven

De

cis

ion

Ma

kin

g

WHY this matters…

You need to better understand student

demographics and behaviors to IMPACT

STUDENT OUTCOMES.

WHY this matters…

FEDERAL and STATE MANDATES are

calling for institutions to demonstrate

their effectiveness and efficiency.

WHY this matters…

With better insights you can IMPROVE

SERVICES to students, faculty and

staff.

The BOTTOM LINE is…

You need the right tools and the right

resources to make effective and actionable

use of institutional data to ACHIEVE

STRATEGIC GOALS.

Compelling reason #5:

Technology Advances

ADVANCES IN

TECHNOLOGY are

redefining the commercial

ERP market in higher

education.

Technolo

gy A

dvances

WHY this matters…

As institutions try to do more with less,

SaaS systems can empower empower

staff to be more STRATEGICALLY

FOCUSED on institutional priorities.

WHY this matters…

Newer technologies bring newer

opportunities to campuses – to

STREAMLINE OPERATIONS and to

deliver better services to students,

faculty and staff.

WHY this matters…

As investments in cloud-based solutions

grow, the traditional ‘ON-PREMISES’

ERP WILL GROW STATIC from a

functionality perspective.*

*Source: Predicts 2014: The Rise of the Postmodern ERP…

The BOTTOM LINE is…

While the adoption rate for SaaS and cloud-

based ERP in higher ed isn’t radical, THE

SHIFT IS HAPPENING. Over the next

several years, on-premises ERP will be

succeeded by the “Postmodern ERP”. Will

your institution be strategically ready to

make this move?

Wait…What about cost savings

and ROI?

Isn’t SaaS ERP less expensive?

Not necessarily.

Let’s explore why ROI and cost

savings shouldn’t be the only

reason you evaluate cloud-based

ERP.

Let’s explore this…

Calculating total cost of ownership

(TCO) goes beyond licensing and

maintenance vs. subscription costs…

Let’s explore this…

Other ‘HIDDEN COSTS’ such as

increased integration needs to string

together on-campus and cloud solutions

for a seamless environment can drive

your overall investment up.

Let’s explore this…

Return on Investment (ROI) for

administrative applications can be very

DIFFICULT TO QUANTIFY in higher

education.

Let’s explore this…

You’ll need buy-in from academic,

functional and technology staff to make

a successful transition to a cloud-based

ERP…so the BENEFITS TO CAMPUS

should lead the discussion – not cost

savings.

The BOTTOM LINE is…

Cloud-based ERP represents a HUGE

CULTURAL CHANGE for your institution –

so there must be other drivers to justify

considering a chance, with cost savings

being the least important.

So why should you at least

consider SaaS ERP?

Let’s recap the 5 reasons.

5 R

ea

so

ns to

Loo

k a

t S

aaS

ER

P If you’ve heavily customized, you’ve taken on MORE

RISK.

Campus users want systems that are INTUITIVE,

RESPONSIVE and EASY TO USE.

The scale and scope of a major ERP upgrade can

EQUATE TO A NEW IMPLEMENTATION.

You need the right tools to make EFFECTIVE AND ACTIONABLE USE of institutional data.

Your institution needs to be strategically ready to adapt to the ‘POSTMODERN ERP’.

Are you ready to explore

SaaS ERP?

We can help you understand the

market and evaluate your

options…all from an

INDEPENDENT perspective.

Enterprise

Solutions

Consulting

Project &

Change

Management

Student

Success

Strategies

Visit us online

www.collegiateproject.com

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@IndependentCPS