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EDUCause IT Issues 2021: The ‘Transform’ Scenario

by | Jan 7, 2021

EDUCause IT Issues 2021: The ‘Transform’ Scenario

The EDUCause report on the most pressing IT issues for higher ed next year, Top IT Issues, 2021: Emerging from the Pandemic, presents readers with the three scenarios facing most higher ed institutions right now: Restore, Evolve, and Transform. Today, as part of our ongoing series on the report, we’re focusing on the third scenario, Transform.

The institutions that fall into the Transform scenario aren’t just surviving or adapting to a new normal—they’re using it as a springboard to launch ambitious cultural and technological changes within their organizations. These institutions are embracing the opportunities that come along with change and uncertainty. And they’re doing it by focusing on changing their institutional culture to meet today’s challenges, as well as creating a sound technology infrastructure that can support their current goals and any unexpected changes in years to come. They still have an eye on cost management and recruitment during these financially uncertain times, but this focus is in the context of the digital transformation, rather than an existential crisis.

According to the report, the top 5 IT issues prioritized by institutions in the Transform scenario are:

-Institutional Culture

-Technology Alignment

-Technology Strategy

-Enrollment and Recruitment

-Cost Management

N2N’s Illuminate platform is the perfect tool for higher ed institutions looking at the Transform scenario. Their emphasis on identifying and applying sustainable strategies and innovations, along with ensuring their enterprise architecture can handle change, means they’re looking for exactly the solution Illuminate provides. 

For one, Illuminate allows institutions to easily and quickly integrate all the applications, tools, and databases they use on campus. Instead of a haphazard tech infrastructure supported by a precarious balance of IT resources and developers, institutions that use Illuminate can integrate all their tools at the functional business level and achieve a holistic, flexible tech infrastructure as a foundation for growth and change. Even better, Illuminate does it all while remaining affordable for a wide variety of institutions, helping reduce unnecessary IT costs while streamlining the process for adding new tech. 

This also contributes positively to the number one goal of institutions in the Transform scenario—cultural transformation. A campus that requires custom integrations to be built and maintained for each new addition to their hodge-podge of apps, databases, and legacy systems is simply not going to be flexible enough to enact transformational change. A craftsman is only as good as his tools, and this principle holds on a larger scale. If your institution is attempting truly transformational change, then you need a platform like Illuminate that can actually help facilitate the transformation. Illuminate removes the need for custom integrations and their ongoing maintenance, making real change attainable.  

Transformation also requires an underlying foundation of data to inform its direction, in order for it to be effective and lasting. Illuminate makes data integration simple and fast, which means your institution can access and use the data you need in these uncertain times. 

If your institution is facing the Transform scenario, contact us at 1(888) 651-3309 today! We’ll be happy to talk you through the benefits of Illuminate for your campus.


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