Survey: Does Higher Ed Have the Tools to Overcome Future Challenges?

Staying competitive in higher education requires college and university to both adapt and innovate. A recent survey by University Business and Jenzabar reinforced this need, revealing that most higher education leaders recognize the importance of core IT systems in ensuring institutional resilience and long-term success. However, adaptation is no easy feat, as many institutions are facing substantial challenges when modernizing their technology infrastructure. 

Higher Education Technology Challenges

Despite knowing the benefits of modern IT systems, many institutions face obstacles when modernizing their technology infrastructure. The University Business and Jenzabar survey found that, while leaders consider their core IT systems highly important for institutional resilience, 44% of respondents believe their core IT systems are not flexible enough to quickly adapt to future challenges.

One reason for this could be due to many institutions having taken the once-popular best-of-breed approach to technology adoption. In fact, 85% of respondents agreed that their institutions use too many disconnected systems and platforms, resulting in increased costs and complexity, data silos, and lower-quality user experiences.

The Correlations Between Cloud Systems and Institutional Resilience

Given the current demographic cliff, many industry leaders have linked institutional resilience with a college’s or university’s ability to offer alternative learning programs. Interested in understanding the role the cloud played in institutional resilience, the survey asked respondents to rate the capabilities of their institution’s technologies, systems, and processes to support emerging alternative learning models.

Overall, the survey found that institutions using cloud systems felt more confident than those that didn’t. 72% of survey respondents who said nearly all their systems were modern and cloud-based described their institutions’ ability to support alternative learning programs as being “above average” or “extensive.” Conversely, 83% of leaders who said just a few of their systems were modern and cloud-based rated their ability to support these learning models as being “average,” “poor” or “very poor.”

The Need to Migrate to the Cloud

Overall, the survey revealed that, despite the benefits of modern IT systems, many institutions still rely on outdated and/or disconnected systems, and that these systems are hindering their ability to adapt to emerging trends and reducing operational efficiency across campus. To overcome these challenges, institutions should prioritize the modernization and unification of their IT infrastructure.

Given the rapid pace of technology innovation, investing in flexible, adaptable, cloud-based solutions may be higher education’s best bet. In general, cloud systems allow for increased agility and adaptability. Among other things, they provide institutions with automatic updates, reducing the burden on IT teams to keep infrastructure up to date and modern.

To dive deeper into the survey and to understand how higher education institutions can position themselves for long-term success, you can find the full survey results here.