Digital Advisory Services for Higher Education Institutions
May 18, 2022
Higher education institutions face a changing and increasingly competitive landscape, accelerated by COVID-19. Regardless of the causes, higher education institutions face a myriad of challenges, many of which are key drivers for digital transformation.
Process Automation
We provide a wide range of process optimization services across the spectrum of functions at an institution. We conduct detailed discovery sessions to understand the current state of operations and identify opportunities to reduce excess cost, waste, time and rework. From this understanding, we create a desired “future state” of operations enabling scalable growth and accelerating the achievement of organizational goals, objectives and mission.
Working with higher education institutions, we prioritize opportunities (e.g., fiscal period close process) to create a logical order for process optimization and automation. We advise modernizing technology particularly when the platform is incapable of attaining the future state of operations without significant cost or customization.
Functional areas commonly considered within a higher education technology environment include, but are not limited to:
- Core financials
- Human capital management
- Student information management
- Student learning
- Facilities and asset management
Cost and Revenue Analytics
We develop cost and revenue analytics solutions to help institutions identify opportunities to be cost efficient, enhance revenues, and maximize mission attainment. Our offerings range from simplified, high-level models to compounded predictive models producing powerful cost and revenue analytics opportunities.
Business Intelligence and Data Analytics
We enhance decision-making capabilities by creating a unified business intelligence strategy to identify and connect high-value data elements from across the institution. We help implement advanced analytics strategies using innovative platforms such as Alteryx while also applying platforms such as Tableau and Power BI to generate real-time visual dashboards. Additionally, we have an “out-of-the-box” Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (“IPEDS”) analytics solution that helps institutions benchmark against peer groups.
Business Strategy and Digital Transformation
We work with institutional leadership with to align IT strategic and tactical plans with the overall strategies, goals and objectives. By conducting digital transformation readiness assessments, we help institutions identify their transformational capacity and readiness. A critical first step in the digital transformation journey is a thorough evaluation of your business and technical environment. We utilize a visual methodology, called the Technology Optimization Model, to help you visually understand your “current” state between both the business and the technology.
Digital Platforms
Higher education institutions use many disparate pieces of technology in the running of the institution. We will meet you where you are to determine industry-leading opportunities while leveraging upgraded platforms to digitize every aspect of your institution. The objective is to:
- Strengthen your technology platforms;
- Reduce repetitive data;
- Enhance connectivity between platforms;
- Improve real-time access to information; and
- Enable comprehensive business intelligence deployment
Outsourcing and Resource Solutions
The Outsourcing & Resource Solutions advisory practice offers holistic, integrated solutions to commercial businesses, government contractors and nonprofit organizations, tackling key business hurdles such as sourcing the right talent, optimizing business processes, and adopting suitable technology to fulfill both present requirements and future demands. Solutions include:
- Outsourced accounting services and compliance consulting
- Accounting systems implementation and optimization
- Recruiting and staffing services in accounting, HR and IT
- Human capital advisory: people and performance strategy
CIO Advisory Services
Our CIO advisory services can seek to ensure that your institution is current with emerging technologies and industry standards. We recommend the most appropriate, robust and cost-effective technology solutions including:
- Hardware and software platforms;
- Network infrastructure;
- Communications framework; and
- Data centers and cloud services
We provide program and project management and oversight as needed. We also provide fractional CIO services for clients in need of a part-time or temporary CIO.
IT Managed Services and Security Management
We assist institutions with efficient, cost-effective IT infrastructure and business applications by providing managed IT services. We help institutions understand their capabilities by conducting an analysis of the skills present on the IT team, compared to the skills required by the institution, providing guidance on deployment of outsourced IT services as needed.
We also provide security management while evaluating the security and on-premise and on the on-cloud/hosted institutional information technology assets and services.