How Can Managed Services Support Higher Ed's Digital Transformation?

Managed services allows an institution to offload IT operations, freeing up resources for more strategic digital transformation initiatives.

<p>Just like commercial businesses, higher ed organizations must evolve and use technology more efficiently in order to improve operations and better address the needs of their customers—the students. But even as their reliance on IT grows, the resources to support an increasingly complex IT environment may not. In many colleges, IT resources are scarce and can be quickly overwhelmed with the day-to-day responsibilities of keeping mission-critical IT infrastructure up and running.</p>

<p>Here are some of the challenges facing higher ed IT organizations.</p>
<ul>
<li>IT teams need experts in an increasingly diverse field of of advanced technologies. The complexity of technologies used to support students, such as mobile, communications, cloud, analytics, and security, has created new requirements in more IT specialties than ever before.</li>
<li>It is difficult to attract and retain the specialized talent that higher ed needs. Staffing can prove to be financially prohibitive when the majority of these specialized resources are needed fractionally.</li>
<li>Innovation is now constant. With the prevalence of the cloud, new applications roll out regularly, creating new and ongoing challenges for IT teams.</li>
</ul>
<h3><span style="color: #10069f;"><strong>The Role of a Managed Services Provider</strong></span></h3>
<p>As they move forward with their digital transformations, many organizations are considering working with a managed services provider (MSP), as new elements of computing and integration require different skills. This is also true with higher ed institutions.</p>
<p>Innovation coupled with the need to support decentralized learning has resulted in a highly complex IT environment. Meanwhile, higher ed IT departments face budget cuts and struggle hiring staff in their highly competitive market. This has resulted in challenges when keeping up with IT “housekeeping” tasks, such as version upgrades, backups, patch installs, and security maintenance. Failing to properly address these tasks can increase the odds of encountering a major IT outage or security breach.</p>
<p>Managed services allow an institution to offload IT operations, freeing up resources for more strategic initiatives. MSPs are capable of the day-to-day operations of “keeping the lights on.” When MSPs assume ongoing responsibility for day-to-day operations, they undertake 24-hour monitoring, managing, troubleshooting, and problem resolution for IT systems within an institution. This includes managing all equipment, refreshing the environment when required, upgrading, and replacing infrastructure and software as needed.</p>
<p>Experienced MSPs are on the forefront of digital transformation thanks to their expertise in the market. They have developed best practices and processes that reduce operational costs and provide excellent support. MSPs can give higher ed facilities access to diverse talent and experience, making these partnerships vital to the success of many digital transformations.</p>
<h3><span style="color: #10069f;"><strong>Benefits of Managed Services for Higher Education</strong></span></h3>
<p><a href="https://jenzabar.com/solution-service/managed-services/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Managed services</a> provide many benefits to higher education institutions looking to digitally transform, including:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Proactive Support and Quick Response Times –</strong>&nbsp;MSPs are specialized and dedicated the operations of IT systems. With latest best practices, standardization, automation, 24/7/365 monitoring and support, and promises of service quality backed by contractual service-level agreements, clients can experience a high level of operational support.</li>
<li><strong>Reduced Costs –</strong> Outsourcing operations to MSPs is generally less expensive, up to 36 percent less expensive according to <a href="https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/services/downloads/cms-white-paper.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank">IDG</a>, than keeping it in house. Complexity is reduced and costs are predictable, which makes it easier for budgeting purposes.</li>
<li><strong>Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery – </strong>An MSP’s network and data center are designed for high availability, resiliency, and redundancy for maintaining business continuity.</li>
<li><strong>Improved IT Security – </strong>Higher ed organizations can reduce the risk of data theft and intrusion when they work with MSPs. This is because experienced MSPs are up to date with the latest security threats and can help maintain security compliance with industry and government regulations.</li>
<li><strong>Version Control, Patch, and Security Updates – </strong>MSPs can handle the time-consuming tasks of updating versions and patching systems that often fall by the wayside. This is especially important with security patches, as failures in this domain can leave organizations vulnerable to hackers and other threats.</li>
<li><strong>Access to Experienced Technology Professionals –</strong> Because technology is the core business of MSPs, they retain highly skilled IT staff with expertise in emerging areas, including security, analytics, mobile technologies, and more.</li>
<li><strong>More Time to Focus on Students and Staff – </strong>Outsourcing frees up IT staff to concentrate on strategic projects that fulfill institutional missions.</li>
</ul>
<p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">MSPs have a portfolio of services, technical expertise, and years of experience working with higher educational institutions. Their extensive knowledge and capabilities enables them to se</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">rve as trusted partners to guide critical digital transformation journeys.</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://jenzabar.com/resources" rel="noopener"><img src="https://f.hubspotusercontent40.net/hubfs/2606692/_%20CTAs/CTA_page_Resources_2019.jpg" alt="CTA_page_Resources_2019" width="1194" style="width: 1194px;"></a></p>

<p>Just like commercial businesses, higher ed organizations must evolve and use technology more efficiently in order to improve operations and better address the needs of their customers—the students. But even as their reliance on IT grows, the resources to support an increasingly complex IT environment may not. In many colleges, IT resources are scarce and can be quickly overwhelmed with the day-to-day responsibilities of keeping mission-critical IT infrastructure up and running.</p>


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How Managed Services are Key for Successful Higher Ed Digital Transformation

Forward-thinking colleges and universities are transitioning their business systems to the cloud. They are seeing cloud’s benefits including streamlined workflows, reduced cost, and improved student satisfaction. Managed services is key to their success.

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<div data-offset-key="9m81-0-0" class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr"><span data-offset-key="9m81-0-0"><span data-text="true">Succeeding in today’s competitive higher education market is undoubtedly challenging. Today’s students require more and more technological capabilities. They want to learn where, when and how they want. And they expect to be able to collaborate and connect with other students, faculty, and staff over any mobile device. To support new learning styles and delivery methods institutions need to become more responsive and agile. Academic institutions must adapt to new students demands or fail.</span></span></div>
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<div data-offset-key="1iqdk-0-0" class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr"><span data-offset-key="1iqdk-0-0"><span data-text="true">Additional factors such as inconsistent enrollment, changing economic times, and decreases in funding are also necessitating institutional change. Radical and aggressive changes at the core business level on how the campus innovates, competes and runs are required. </span></span></div>
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<div data-offset-key="a79ot-0-0" class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr"><span data-offset-key="a79ot-0-0"><span data-text="true">To stay competitive, administration requires tools to attract future students, retain current students, engage alumni and efficiently run the business side of academia. The pace of innovation and technology disruption continues to accelerate, and the gap is widening between early adopter institutions and those struggling to keep up. To survive and grow in higher education institutions have no option but to transform their core processes, and a digital transformation is a requisite to success. </span></span></div>
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<div data-offset-key="6i0j-0-0" class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr"><span data-offset-key="6i0j-0-0"><span data-text="true">If you don’t have the necessary equipment, technology or expertise, this all can feel like a herculean feat. </span></span></div>
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<h2 class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="dfg6c-0-0"><span data-offset-key="dfg6c-0-0"><span data-text="true">Digital Transformation Required</span></span></h2>
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<div data-offset-key="507s3-0-0" class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr"><span data-offset-key="507s3-0-0"><span data-text="true">Transforming business process across the campus that support flexible education and monetize learning assets requires an IT revolution. The first step in this revolution is to move to cloud technology. Forward-thinking colleges and universities are transitioning their business systems to the cloud. They are seeing cloud’s benefits including streamlined workflows, reduced cost, and improved student satisfaction. Across higher education, the question is no longer “whether you should move to the cloud?” but “when are you moving?”</span></span></div>
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<p>Other progressive campuses are taking a different route in their digital transformation by using a Managed Services model where they outsource their IT services to a service provider <span data-offset-key="8nfcn-0-0"><span data-text="true">known as a Managed Services Provider </span></span>(MSP).&nbsp;</p>
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<h2 class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="7u8rm-0-0"><span data-offset-key="7u8rm-0-0"><span data-text="true">The Role of Managed Services</span></span></h2>
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<div data-offset-key="8nfcn-0-0" class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr"><span data-offset-key="8nfcn-0-0"><span data-text="true">Managed Services allows an institution to offload IT operations to a MSP. The MSP assumes ongoing responsibility for 24-hour monitoring, managing, troubleshooting and problem resolution for IT systems within an institution. This includes managing all equipment, refreshing the environment when required and upgrading and replacing infrastructure and software as needed.</span></span></div>
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<div data-offset-key="96c82-0-0" class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr"><span data-offset-key="96c82-0-0"><span data-text="true">MSPs live and breathe technology. They are not only technological experts but higher education specialists. Being on the forefront of new technologies, their partnership provides an important role in your digital transformation.</span></span></div>
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<div data-offset-key="4sgim-0-0" class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr"><span data-offset-key="4sgim-0-0"><span data-text="true">There are two options for working with an MSP. One is that they handle the day-to-day managing of your software and hardware and you handle all the transformation planning and strategy. A second option is to partner with the MSP on the strategic elements of your digital transformation as they have extensive industry and technical expertise to help facilitate the transition. Leveraging MSP’s expertise allows you to dedicate your internal resources on more strategic projects that support the institutions’ core business. </span></span></div>
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<h2 class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="5ocoh-0-0"><span data-offset-key="5ocoh-0-0"><span data-text="true">Why Campuses Need Managed Services</span></span></h2>
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<div data-block="true" data-editor="c3jbr" data-offset-key="6tihc-0-0"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">Technological innovation coupled with the need to support decentralized learning has resulted in an increasingly complex IT environment. Equally, in this competitive market, higher education IT departments are facing budget cuts and difficulty hiring staff which results in trouble keeping up with version upgrades, backups, patches installs and security maintained. All which can increase the odds of having a major IT outage affecting the entire campus.</span></div>
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<div data-offset-key="66php-0-0" class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr"><span data-offset-key="66php-0-0"><span data-text="true">Philosophically, managed services differ from traditional IT departments, as they are more proactive in upgrading software and hardware. Rather than the conventional break-fix method which calls for fixing IT equipment or software issues when broken, a managed service has a preventive approach of addressing potential issues before they disrupt an institution.</span></span></div>
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<h2 class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="b76se-0-0"><span data-offset-key="b76se-0-0"><span data-text="true">Benefits of Managed Services for Higher Education</span></span></h2>
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<div data-offset-key="8ili8-0-0" class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr"><span data-offset-key="8ili8-0-0"><span data-text="true">Managed Services provide endless benefits to higher education institutions looking to transform their institutions including:</span></span></div>
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<ul>
<li data-block="true" data-editor="c3jbr" data-offset-key="9ada3-0-0"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">Reduced Costs – Because of the high cost of maintaining hardware equipment and retaining competent IT personnel to run IT operations, overall costs are reduced with the Managed Services model.</span></li>
<li data-block="true" data-editor="c3jbr" data-offset-key="9ada3-0-0"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">CapEx Reduction – Institutions persistently face limited capital expenditures. Managed Services can free up capital by moving IT costs to operating expenses and provide predictable fixed monthly costs.</span></li>
<li data-block="true" data-editor="c3jbr" data-offset-key="9ada3-0-0"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">Efficiency &amp; Service Increases – Because MSPs institute the latest best practices, standardization and automation customers experience high system efficiency, and tighter IT controls. 24/7/365 support and monitoring is provided, and promises of service quality are backed by contractual service level agreements. </span></li>
<li data-block="true" data-editor="c3jbr" data-offset-key="9ada3-0-0"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">B</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">usiness Continuity and Disaster Recovery – MSP’s networks and data centers are designed for high availability, resiliency and redundancy for maintaining business continuity.&nbsp;</span></li>
<li data-block="true" data-editor="c3jbr" data-offset-key="9ada3-0-0"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">Improved IT Security – The risk of data theft and intrusion are reduced with MSPs. They also help maintain your IT Security compliance with industry and government regulations.&nbsp;</span></li>
<li data-block="true" data-editor="c3jbr" data-offset-key="9ada3-0-0"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">Version Control, Patch &amp; Security Updates – MSPs handle all the time-consuming tasks of updating versions and patching systems that can often fall by the wayside. Especially security patches which when left undone can leave you vulnerable to hackers and other threats.&nbsp;</span></li>
<li data-block="true" data-editor="c3jbr" data-offset-key="9ada3-0-0"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">Access to Highly Knowledgeable Technology Professionals – Because technology is the core business of an MSP they retain a highly skilled IT staff with expertise in areas including networking and security which you have access.</span></li>
<li data-block="true" data-editor="c3jbr" data-offset-key="9ada3-0-0"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">Focus on Students, Staff and Administration – Outsourcing frees IT staff up to concentrate on strategic projects that fulfill institutional missions.</span></li>
</ul>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="c3jbr" data-offset-key="9ada3-0-0"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">MSPs have a portfolio of services, technical expertise and years of experience working with higher educational institutions. Their extensive knowledge and capabilities enables them to serves as trusted partner to guide you in your transformational journey. To learn how Baker College successfully transitioned to the cloud, <a href="https://jenzabar.com/resource/case-studies-and-success-stories-baker-college-educational-services-for-the-twenty-first-century" rel="noopener">download the case study here</a>.&nbsp;</span></div>
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<div data-offset-key="9m81-0-0" class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr"><span data-offset-key="9m81-0-0"><span data-text="true">Succeeding in today’s competitive higher education market is undoubtedly challenging. Today’s students require more and more technological capabilities. They want to learn where, when and how they want. And they expect to be able to collaborate and connect with other students, faculty, and staff over any mobile device. To support new learning styles and delivery methods institutions need to become more responsive and agile. Academic institutions must adapt to new students demands or fail.</span></span></div>
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Why it's High Time you had a Higher Education Cloud Strategy

Widespread use of technology in today’s society, rising computer costs and shifting student demographics, institutions may be left behind if they don’t embrace change and make the leap to cloud. 

<p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">Cloud technology has given industries such as retail and travel super powers. It has transformed them so significantly that the brick and mortar days of malls and local travel agents seem like vintage experiences.</span></p>

<p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">As cloud adoption has rocketed across other industries higher education has been slower to transition.&nbsp; Our industry had always had a reputation for being impervious to change. &nbsp;But with the widespread use of technology in today’s society, rising computer costs and shifting student demographics, higher education is at an inflection point. It is ripe for disruption. Some institutions may be left behind if they don’t embrace change and make the leap to cloud.</span></p>
<h2><span style="color: #d3602b; font-size: 2.2rem; letter-spacing: -0.03em; background-color: transparent;">New Mobile-Centric Student</span></h2>
<p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">Today’s students are digital natives. They are mobile-centric, technology savvy and expect their academic institution to be as well.&nbsp; Over half of modern students are not the traditional 17-21-year-old of the past. Many of these students are older and more experienced in life and often have commitments to work and family that require flexibility in how, when and where they learn. &nbsp;Students now require online learning, collaboration tools and constant mobile access throughout their educational career.</span></p>
<h2>Do More With Less</h2>
<p>The rising costs of education, declining public funding and mounting student debt have created a crisis in higher education, forcing budgets to be constantly evaluated and creating a mantra to do more with less across institutions.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Furthermore, many institutions are looking at significant data center upgrades including network infrastructure and storage for their on-premise systems to support the scalability and connectivity required for modern learning.</p>
<p>Providing online education is critical to staying competitive and attracting the contemporary student. However, elearning applications often require mobile connectivity that can overstretch outdated networks.&nbsp; As colleges reexamine IT budgets and resources, cloud computing is seen as the most feasible solution.</p>
<p>Any initial investments in cloud technology often dwarf the ongoing expenditures needed to run and staff a state-of-the-art data center.</p>
<h2>Scalable, Reliable &amp; Secure</h2>
<p>Scalability is one of the most significant advantages of cloud for higher education institutions. Also, the speed of deploying new systems or new resources is much faster in the cloud than an on-premise solution.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Commercial data centers replace their infrastructure every two to three years to ensure they are running on latest and fastest equipment. Most institutions don’t have the budget to upgrade that frequently.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Commercial data centers offer redundant infrastructure and often have parallel design that can be worked on, upgraded or replaced without any down time. Standard fail-over and high availability are built in, so if a server crashes, everything continues to run.</p>
<p>When disaster strikes, institutions that are leveraging the cloud model don’t have to worry that their servers will be affected.&nbsp; They have the benefit of cloud’s disaster recovery and business continuity features to mitigate catastrophe.</p>
<p>Security is another cloud advantage for schools. Systems in the cloud typically have better intrusion detection, better firewall monitoring and management, and they’re monitored 24/7. &nbsp;Vendors also employ on-staff data security experts.</p>
<h2>IT Resources Available to Support Campus Initiatives&nbsp;</h2>
<p>IT departments that make the move to the cloud find that they no longer have to spend vast amounts of time on software maintenance and version upgrades. Resources are freed up to focus on the core mission of supporting administration, faculty and students.</p>
<h2>Cross Campus Collaboration</h2>
<p>With the cloud, applications and data are no longer siloed, so data is easily shared across the departments and accessed by mobile devices, which fosters collaboration across the campus.&nbsp; Admissions data is no longer separate from advancement or finance.</p>
<p>Centralized data also enables institutions to be more personalized with students and the ability to track students through their educational journey right into the workforce.&nbsp; This helps build stronger relationships between the academic institution and the student and bolsters the opportunity for alumni to give back.</p>
<h2>Future-proof</h2>
<p>As new technologies develop such artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) applications with cloud computing, you will be ready to implement quickly.</p>
<p>If you aren’t considering the cloud, it is high time you did. <a href="https://jenzabar.com/resource/case-studies-and-success-stories-baker-college-educational-services-for-the-twenty-first-century" rel="noopener">Learn how Baker College got their super power here</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">Cloud technology has given industries such as retail and travel super powers. It has transformed them so significantly that the brick and mortar days of malls and local travel agents seem like vintage experiences.</span></p>


Expanded Engagements for Cloud-based Student Systems Solutions

Bismark State College Innovations Foundation, Cox College, Doral College, Hill College and Montreat College Join Jenzabar’s Growing Roster.

<p>Bismarck State College Innovations Foundation, Cox College, Doral College, Hill College and Montreat College Join Jenzabar’s Growing Roster.</p>

<h2><strong>Jenzabar Continues Strong Momentum with Five New Customers.</strong></h2>
<p><a href="https://jenzabar.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Jenzabar</a>, announced that it has added five new customers and expanded engagements, continuing its momentum in helping higher education institutions digitally transform to support the new student. Jenzabar’s growing roster now includes Bismarck State College Innovations Foundation, Cox College, Doral College, Hill College and Montreat College. <br><br>"Having a full enterprise database system is a significant leap forward for our college,” said Montreat College President, Paul J. Maurer. “The tools that Jenzabar provides will eliminate inter-departmental inefficiencies and improve data integrity, helping us better serve our students and other internal and external clients.” <br><br>Institutions continue to choose Jenzabar’s unified student information systems (SIS) and ERP system because of the ease and speed it brings to digitally transform their support of the new student while driving efficiency to become more competitive and profitable. Cox College, Hill College and Montreat College selected Jenzabar One’s cloud, and mobile-ready student system. Bismarck State College Innovations Foundation and Doral College selected Jenzabar SONIS, a solution designed specifically for smaller institutions that enables them to manage all administrative tasks online, and provides integrated services for admissions, registration, grading, billing, course management, and other administrative functions.</p>
<p>“Higher education is undergoing a significant transition as student demographics shift to adult learners, requiring a flexible learning environment,” said Ling Chai Maginn, president and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Jenzabar.&nbsp;<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">“Our solutions are helping institutions create a better experience for the new student that make it easier for them to be successful and reach their highest potential. Furthermore, our clients are able to improve enrollment, reduce operating costs, and increase constituent contributions and engagement.”</span></p>
<h2><strong>Contact Us:</strong></h2>
<p><span>For further information, please visit<span>&nbsp;</span></span><span><a href="https://jenzabar.com/" rel=" noopener">https://jenzabar.com/</a></span><span>&nbsp;or on <a href="https://twitter.com/Jenzabar" rel="noopener" target="_blank">twitter @Jenzabar</a> or<span>&nbsp;</span></span><span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/jenzabar/">LinkedIn</a></span><span>.</span></p>
<h2><strong>For Media Inquiries:</strong></h2>
<p><span>Neal Stein, Red Javelin Communications<br></span><span>321-604-0069<br></span><a href="mailto:neal@redjavelin.com">neal@redjavelin.com</a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</span></p>

<p>Bismarck State College Innovations Foundation, Cox College, Doral College, Hill College and Montreat College Join Jenzabar’s Growing Roster.</p>


There is a New Student in Town – Why Should you Care?

The new student is a digital native. Twenty percent are 30 or older. Many didn’t receive a traditional high school degree. Almost half are paying their own way. One in four is caring for a child. They can’t always attend school full time. They need flexibility in when and how they will learn.

<p>Higher education is changing. Recent data from the <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_326.10.asp">National Center of Education Statistics</a> has shown that the national average four-year graduation rate is just 40 percent while 59 percent graduate in six years.&nbsp;</p>

<p>One of the biggest obstacles they face is an educational system designed to serve students who arrive straight from high school, live on campus, and study full-time. And that is the challenge for both students and institutions because the fastest growing demographic of students will not come right from high school, live on campus or graduate in 4 years.<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://postsecondary.gatesfoundation.org/what-were-learning/todays-college-students/">Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation</a>, 40 percent of college students today are age 25 or older. Many hold full-time jobs while enrolled in classes, one-quarter are parents, and many are the first in their family to attend college. That is at least part of the reason why nearly half of students who begin a college education don’t reach graduation.<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<h2><strong>The New Student is a Digital Native</strong></h2>
<p>Nearly 90% of students own smartphones and half have tablets. They are used to using their devices 24/7. They expect easy access to people, products, and services. They prefer to communicate by text, email, and social media rather than meet in person or talk via phone.&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>The new student doesn’t just want these options, they require them. Twenty percent are 30 or older. Many didn’t receive a traditional high school degree. Almost half are paying their own way. One in four is caring for a child. They can’t always attend school full time. They commute to class before and after full time jobs. They need online course options, financial and educational advisers who can assist them after traditional work hours.<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<h2><strong>Why Should you Care?</strong></h2>
<p>The New Student isn’t new. They have been around for 20 years, increasing in numbers, as the population of traditional students, the prepared high school graduate supported by college-educated parents, dwindle.<strong style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>The new student is the new normal, with expectations and needs that institutions need to learn how to serve to survive.<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>The new student requires flexibility in the way they learn as well as the way they interact with the higher ed institution.&nbsp; They are looking for a more personalized and connected experience with choices in how, what, when and where they learn. They want responsive and easy administration. They are mobile and technology savvy….and they expect you to be too.<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<h2><strong>Digital Transformation is no Longer an Option</strong></h2>
<p>Digital transformation is imperative for long-term survival. It is no longer an option or something that can be delayed or designated as a future project. Your ability to compete depends on it.<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>Moving to the cloud is just the first step to developing a strong digital foundation. It provides a host of benefits -- financial benefits are just the beginning. The cloud helps you become agile in a dynamic, fast-changing, and unpredictable market as well as become more engaged and responsive to students.<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>While the student used to be an element in an institution-centered process, today getting a college education is just one stop on a broader student journey. Institutions need to become more student-centric to capture their attention for the long term. That, in turn, requires institutions to group processes and systems into two categories: digital business capabilities that differentiate the student experience and those that are supporting back-office transactional capabilities. These capabilities become the digital foundation and the basis on which higher education institutions are able to compete in a technology-driven world.<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>Smartphones and tablets are now cloud-integrated devices. Cloud computing enables mobile devices to offload complex operations of mobile applications, which are not feasible running on mobile devices. Cloud-based computing is the only way you will be able to communicate, collaborate, and provide services to the new mobile-centric student. Cloud is the digital foundation of today and for the future.<a href="https://jenzabar.com/resources" rel="noopener"><img src="https://f.hubspotusercontent40.net/hubfs/2606692/_%20CTAs/CTA_page_Resources_2019.jpg" alt="CTA_page_Resources_2019" width="1194" style="width: 1194px;"></a></p>

<p>Higher education is changing. Recent data from the <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_326.10.asp">National Center of Education Statistics</a> has shown that the national average four-year graduation rate is just 40 percent while 59 percent graduate in six years.&nbsp;</p>


Jenzabar Introduces Enhanced Functionality for Jenzabar One Student System to Transform Student Engagement

New Mobile Engagement Tools, Integration and Modern User Interface Provide Better Experience for the New Student

<p>New Mobile Engagement Tools, Integration and Modern User Interface Provide Better Experience for the New Student.</p>

<p><span><a href="https://jenzabar.com/" rel=" noopener">Jenzabar</a></span>, today announced new enhancements to its <span><a href="https://jenzabar.com/jenzabar-one" rel=" noopener">Jenzabar One</a></span> cloud-based student system that improves and simplifies the student experience. Through Jenzabar’s new mobile student engagement tools, integrated platform and simplified user interface, higher education institutions will be able to deliver modern campus services that increase engagement and make it easier for the new student to reach their highest potential.<br><br>Today’s students are digital natives, very comfortable with their mobile devices and expect their communications with institutions to be effortless. The new student expects 24/7 access to information and a higher-level user experience in all of their digital interactions including with their educational institution. In addition, the new traditional higher education student is shifting to become an adult learner over the age of 25, trying to balance work, school and family, and needing more flexible educational and support programs to fit their needs. <br><br>“Students find university digital services incredibly frustrating to use, with too many steps in the processes, and information that’s hard to find and hard to get answers about when needed,” said Ling Chai Maginn, President and CEO of Jenzabar. “Colleges and universities must adapt to the changing expectations of the new higher ed student. With Jenzabar One, campuses can easily transition to a cloud-based student-centered approach that brings a new level of agility to accommodate this wider variety of students in today’s higher education ecosystem and allow them to become more competitive.” <br><br>Jenzabar One is a unified student system that enables higher education institutions to become more agile and responsive to the demanding needs and expectations of the new student. The newly enhanced suite puts the student at the center with the following new features:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Mobile access to more easily manage day-to-day life on campus and empower students. </strong>Jenzabar One can now become an integral part of the daily life of students by using their mobile devices to take care of all of their campus needs. Its mobile-ready modules create self-service capabilities for students so that they can now register for classes, pay their bill, or connect with advisors from anywhere at any time.&nbsp; Students are more accountable and engaged with easy, instant access to real-time student performance for overall academic success. <br><br></li>
<li><strong><strong>Integrated, flexible and unified student system to simplify the student experience.&nbsp;</strong></strong>Jenzabar One has been re-designed around the needs of the new student to create an integrated, modern cloud-ready student system, incorporating data and processes from ERP, finance, human resources and its student information system (SIS) modules. Students can navigate with ease and access all of the information they need from their device. <br><br>With Jenzabar One, higher education institutions have greater power and flexibility to choose which modules they need and integrate them easily. Campuses can simplify processes, streamline operations and modernize their infrastructure to enhance operational efficiencies and eliminate siloed bureaucracy. Administrators can get a real-time 360-degree view of the student to identify “at-risk” students early to increase retention and student success.<br><br></li>
<li><strong>Simplified user interface for a superior experience</strong>. Jenzabar One has a newly designed, modern user interface that is easier to navigate, designed around workflows and is intuitive. Now anyone – students and administrators - can access to their campus needs faster and more effectively for better decision making, with real-time information, profiles, and activity.<br><br></li>
<li><strong>Enhanced predictive analytics for better student outcomes</strong>. Jenzabar One now incorporates custom and powerful predictive modeling that allows campuses to know which students are at risk of not returning so that they can proactively intervene, increasing retention and improving student success.<br><br></li>
<li><strong>New engagement tools at each touchpoint throughout the student journey</strong>. With enhanced workflow, calendaring, messaging and collaborative capabilities, Jenzabar One provides a platform for engaging students in a more personalized way.</li>
</ul>
<p>Jenzabar One is a comprehensive, flexible student system that offers the following modules that can be customized for a particular institution’s needs:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Jenzabar ® Student</strong> optimizes operations to enhance engagement and satisfaction with a comprehensive, fully-scalable and integrated administrative platform to manage your student information and services.<br><br></li>
<li><strong>Jenzabar® Recruitment</strong> allows admissions professionals to easily attract and enroll your best-fit students&nbsp;with the industry’s leading recruitment CRM platform.<br><br></li>
<li><strong>Jenzabar ® Retention</strong> improves student outcomes with state-of-the-art student success and retention system.&nbsp;<br><br></li>
<li><strong>Jenzabar</strong> <strong>® Finance</strong> is a comprehensive, secure, and integrated financial management platform designed exclusively for higher education.<br><br></li>
<li><strong>Jenzabar® Financial Aid</strong> provides faster, smarter financial aid service with advanced automation, packaging, and reporting system for higher education financial aid.<br><br></li>
<li><strong>Jenzabar ® Human Resources</strong> offers better employee satisfaction, retention services, and modern recruiting strategies with a multi-function Human Resources Information System optimized for higher education.<br><br></li>
<li><strong>Jenzabar ® eLearning</strong> is a powerful, easy to use learning management system that delivers all the tools your faculty needs to deliver courses in the way modern students learn.<br><br></li>
<li><strong>Jenzabar</strong> <strong>® Advancement</strong> is a fundraising toolset that integrates constituent management, cultivation tracking, campaign and gift accounting into a single system.<br><br></li>
<li><strong>Jenzabar ® Higher Reach</strong> is an administrative platform for continuing education and workforce development that helps grow revenue, maximize enrollment, and optimize efficiency.</li>
</ul>
<h3><span style="color: #10069f;"><strong>Contact Us:</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">For further information, please visit </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;"><a href="https://jenzabar.com/" rel=" noopener">https://jenzabar.com/</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">&nbsp;or on twitter @Jenzabar or </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/jenzabar/">LinkedIn</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">.</span></p>
<h3><span style="color: #10069f;"><strong>For Media Inquiries:</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">Neal Stein, Red Javelin Communications<br></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1.5rem;">321-604-0069<br></span><a href="mailto:neal@redjavelin.com" style="font-size: 1.5rem;">neal@redjavelin.com</a></p>

<p>New Mobile Engagement Tools, Integration and Modern User Interface Provide Better Experience for the New Student.</p>


Can you move as fast as your students? Find out at Educause 2018: Booth 903

Join us at Educause 2018 and learn more about how you can support the new student.

<p>The EDUCAUSE Annual Conference is coming up fast and we are excited to connect with all the higher education leaders that will be attending.</p>

<ul>
<li>What: EDUCAUSE 2018</li>
<li>When: 30 October – 2 November</li>
<li>Where: Colorado Convention Center</li>
<li>Booth no: #903</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>The New Student is Taking Control - Are You Ready?</strong></h2>
<p>The tech savvy new student is constantly connected and consumes information when and how they want. Do you have the tools to give your students the personalized and connected experiences they expect throughout their journey?</p>
<p>We are going to discuss this issue during a live panel on how cloud-based solutions can transform your campus and improve student engagement on Wednesday, October 31 at 9:45 am - 11:00 am. This lively panel discussion will be moderated by Scott Jaschik, Founder and Editor, Inside Higher Ed.</p>
<p>Stop by Jenzabar's booth #903 for an interactive view of what the new student looks like today.</p>
<ul>
<li>Learn what today's new students want and need to succeed</li>
<li>Get one-on-one time at the Jenzabar Guru bar</li>
<li>Discover best practices and ideas from your peers and industry professionals</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>Set Up a Meeting!</strong></h2>
<p>Why not take full advantage of the face-to-face opportunity and schedule a brief meeting with a Jenzabar expert so you can get your specific questions answered? It’s a great way to learn a little bit more about what Jenzabar is doing in Higher Ed, share some of the challenges you may be facing, see a demo, or get some information to take back with you.</p>
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<p>The EDUCAUSE Annual Conference is coming up fast and we are excited to connect with all the higher education leaders that will be attending.</p>


Jenzabar Names Les Zimmerman Vice President of Product Development

Zimmerman Leads Continued Innovation of Jenzabar One Cloud-based Solution for Higher Education

<p><em>Zimmerman Leads Continued Innovation of Jenzabar One Cloud-based Solution for Higher Education</em></p>

<p><strong>BOSTON, MA – September 4, 2018 –&nbsp;</strong>Jenzabar® Inc. today announced the appointment of Les Zimmerman to the position of Vice President of Product Development.&nbsp; In his new role, Zimmerman will lead the technological vision, strategic direction, and product development of Jenzabar One, the company’s cloud-based solution for higher-education.</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2606692/les-500x293.jpg" alt="les-500x293" width="300" style="width: 300px; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;">Zimmerman is a product leader and visionary with a record of successfully delivering solutions for higher education success.&nbsp; He started his software development career at Jenzabar as a programmer analyst and has moved up through the company over the last twenty-five years as an application architect/developer, database administrator, and director of product of development. &nbsp;Before joining Jenzabar, Zimmerman worked as a software engineer at a property casualty insurance company.&nbsp; He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science from Bridgewater College.</p>
<p>“Les’ customer-centric philosophy coupled with his strategic vision, technical aptitude, and experience in all facets of Jenzabar software products makes him a tremendous asset in the continued innovation of our Jenzabar One solution,” said Ling Chai Maginn, president and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Jenzabar.&nbsp; “We are pleased that he will be taking on this new role.”</p>
<blockquote>“Students are now in charge of their education and to be competitive, institutions must meet the demands of the modern student. Our ground-breaking Jenzabar One solution provides tools to help students succeed and enables higher education institutions to become more engaged, responsive, and connected to their students. Because it is cloud-based, organizations are mobile ready and equipped to leverage new and innovative technology.”<strong> Les Zimmerman</strong>, <em>VP Product Development, Jenzabar One.</em></blockquote>
<p>To learn more about moving to the cloud, download the ebook below!<a href="https://jenzabar.com/resources" rel="noopener"><img src="https://f.hubspotusercontent40.net/hubfs/2606692/_%20CTAs/CTA_page_Resources_2019.jpg" alt="CTA_page_Resources_2019" width="1194" style="width: 1194px;"></a></p>

<p><em>Zimmerman Leads Continued Innovation of Jenzabar One Cloud-based Solution for Higher Education</em></p>


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