University Business - March 2012 - (Page 32)

By Ann McClure ERPin the Ethers Cloud computing is gaining acceptance, but is it core ready? cceptance of cloud computing—the practice of storing data in off-site servers rather than on campus—has been growing by leaps and bounds, at least in some areas. “It’s growing in the areas easier to rip and replace, such as CRM,” says Stan Swete, chief technology officer at Workday, which offers HR and Payroll systems through software as a service (SaaS). Now interest in moving core systems, such as an ERP system, is beginning to grow. In a Datatel survey of higher ed professionals, about one-third said they would be interested in exploring the option in the next 24 months, says Sudarshan Ranganath, product manager for managed services at the company. Chances are your campus already has some functions in the cloud, and IT is considering moving more. The low-hanging fruit of email and word processing have already shifted off campus, but how feasible is it to shift more critical systems? A Time to Move “I would say that all SaaS is in the cloud, but not all cloud is SaaS,” says Sam Burgio, vice president & general manager of Jenzabar EX, the company’s ERP system for 32 | March 2012 the Microsoft SQL Server platform. Most higher ed institutions are slow to adopt emerging technologies, he reminds. In addition to email, colleges and universities are interested in moving their Learning Management Systems to the cloud because of the immediate benefit of providing faculty and staff anytime, anywhere access. And if the LMS is SaaS, there is the added benefit of 24/7 support. “Upwards of 30 percent of schools are taking LMS into the cloud. But only around 2 percent are putting ERP in the cloud,” Burgio says. When campus leaders do look to make the move, the main motivation is, not surprisingly, financial. “We’re looking to save costs and improve the student experience,” says George Claffey, CIO of Charter Oak State College (Conn.). If the choice is between hiring a new staff member or using the funds to improve the admissions process, the studentfacing service will probably win. IT leaders are also feeling the pinch of ongoing maintenance and might not have funds available for the large upfront cost of a server refresh, explains Jami Morshed, vice president of global sales and marketing at ERP vendor Three Rivers Systems. Providing better service to students also informed the decision of Cleveland Chiropractic College (Ohio) leaders, who use hosting services from Campus Management, says Kirk Barnett, student information services manager. “When we looked at where we were applying our budget dollars in IT, it was in hardware maintenance, servers, licensing costs, and thin net computing. We decided we would like to utilize those budget dollars in areas that would more directly benefit students.” universitybusiness.com http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - March 2012

University Business - March 2012
Contents
Editor’s Note
College Index
Ad Index
Behind the News
Human Resources
Campus CFO
ERP in the Ethers
Digital Treasure
Scoring Big With New Football Teams
Money Matters
End Note

University Business - March 2012