Are you interested in improving technology on your campus? What about everything that you have invested so far? Should you throw it out the window and start from scratch?
If certain areas of your higher institution are underperforming because of a lack of technology, there’s no reason to scrap everything you’ve done. Internet marketing firms know that technology can be easily built upon, allowing you to work with what you have. Institutions have different needs as well, so there’s no one “right” solution to follow. It’s all about understanding the needs of your campus and implementing the best solutions.
Let’s talk about some of the ways that you can improve technology on your college campus.
What Does Your Technology Look Like Now?
Before you can make any improvements, you must understand where you are today. Talk with your CIO and find out what current systems are being used. Your CIO will know how your processes run and how much of your systems are being used.
Also look at how students and staff respond to the technology you have available. Are students constantly frustrated with the lack of mobile technology? This type of feedback clearly points to the areas that need attention.
What Do You Want Your Technology to Look Like?
Once you have a better idea of where your technology stands, you can determine where you want to be in 1 year, 5 years or 10 years. Do you want better technology that improves the student experience? Are you interested in setting up more efficient means of communication between students and staff?
In general, most higher institutions focus on technology for improving efficiency, automating tasks and streamlining operations. All of this saves time and money and improves the student experience. Plus, with the right technology in place, you can see tighter integration on campus.
Have You Thought About the Cloud?
If you’re like many institutions, you may have considered getting rid of your data center. Data centers are costly to run and consume a lot of energy, making SaaS or cloud-based solutions more appealing. If you have thought about moving to the cloud, what types of information would you allow to go on there? Would you still be tied to some data on-site? And if you did decide to move all data to the cloud, would you do so at once, or would it be a slow progression?
Technology can be overwhelming at times, but remember that your institution has many choices. You will probably find that building on your existing technology is most economical and practical, though some institutions choose to do everything in one sweep. Either way, make sure that you are embracing new technology so that you don’t get left behind.
