10 Keys for Selecting Your Academic ERP

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1 10 Keys for Selecting Your Academic ERP Brad Hough, Ph.D. Vice President, Three Rivers Systems, Inc. Andover Newton, the nation s oldest theological and graduate school, recently selected CAMS Enterprise as its new academic Enterprise Resource Planning solution. As part of the evaluation process the institution examined a number of solutions. Here are Three Rivers Systems 10 keys for selecting an academic ERP to help you conduct your own evaluation: Age of technology. The age of the technology an ERP is built upon is the key to evaluating any solution. Older technology drives your costs up in all areas: the purchase will be more expensive, especially when you factor in the complex collection of servers needed to handle the technology. Once you are live on the system, older solutions will be more expensive to support because departments will regularly require assistance from IT staff to accomplish many of their day-to-day tasks, such as reports, and the system will require technicians with specialized training in the older technology. Updates are more expensive with older technology because they require the campus to devote months to planning and testing before the new software can be installed, and much more testing afterwards to ensure proper operations. Architecture. Closely related to the age of the technology is the question of system architecture. Older systems commonly use a client/server architecture that places significant amounts of the application s business logic, such as programming, on each individual workstation. The client/server design requires significant IT support to maintain, update and troubleshoot each workstation individually. Modern Web-based systems locate the business logic on the server and use a standard browser to access the data, eliminating the support requirements. 1

2 Implementation. Older systems using client/server architecture are more expensive to implement because it typically takes years to get them up and running; and the implementation consumes your campus resources while also requiring costly consultants throughout. Modern Web-based systems require much less time, usually a year to 18 months depending on the size of the institution as opposed to three to five years for others. With an integrated Web-based system, implementation can be organized so that while the institution s data is being converted, users work with a fully loaded sample database to learn the system. Usually starting with a core team from admissions, registration and billing, for example, trainees are encouraged to manipulate data in a risk-free environment while developing system skills. Typically, this comprehensive training includes taking a hypothetical applicant through the entire student lifecycle from admissions to alumnus status. Trainees learn to admit students, produce reports, manage transcripts and a host of other skills just as if they were using a live system. An efficient implementation model should feature subsequent training rounds in which trainees can verify data as they refine their skills on the system. Total cost-of-ownership. Simply put, the older the technology and the more dependent it is on a client/server architecture, the more expensive the solution will be to own from a total cost-of-ownership perspective purchase, implementation, support and maintenance. As rule, older technology requires three consultants for each system. In addition, hidden ancillary costs like increases in IT staff and real estate as well as annual certifications for Oracle database administrators, for example, should also be factored into the equation. Web-based systems avoid these hidden costs but also yield hidden ancillary benefits like freeing up office space and other real estate that can be monetized. Reporting. Quick access to accurate reports is critical for today s institution, enabling data-driven decision-making rather than anecdotal decision-making. Unfortunately older reporting systems use antiquated reporting tools that are overly complex for the average user, often requiring the intervention of IT staff to query the data, and weeks of back-and-forth between IT and users to adjust each report. Many systems also prevent access to the data, except through the vendor s tools, making it impossible to use any of the more modern and accessible reporting tools. Some systems also force users to learn complex, proprietary query languages to pull even simple data. In selecting an ERP, carefully evaluate the reports that come with the system, the ability to customize reports, the ability for end users to produce the data they need quickly, the ability to access the data with any reporting tools and, finally, how often the IT department will need to be involved in extracting data from the system for staff members. 2

3 Integration. Just like old technology, poorly integrated systems are expensive. Many vendors will claim to have integrated systems, but instead have a series of applications and databases that rely upon multiple, fragile integration points to exchange data between the system s applications on a schedule. These systems typically require multiple databases, leading to problems keeping the data synchronized throughout the system. Loosely integrated solutions cost institutions dearly in staff time. From duplicate data to user interfaces that vary from application to application, users of the system spend significant time trying to figure out where the correct information is and how to get it. Loosely integrated solutions also drive up your IT costs. Poorly integrated systems increase hardware costs by requiring multiple servers to transform the data and message it back and forth between the various applications and databases, and the integration points are susceptible to breakage, requiring constant maintenance and troubleshooting. Truly integrated solutions use one database and one set of code, eliminating the challenges of keeping data synchronized. Portal Integration. For today s higher education institution, portals are a necessity. Portals offer a powerful way to present information and services, and are increasingly required for efficient communication with students, staff, faculty and the public. In evaluating an ERP, look at the integration with the portals for the same kinds of multiple servers and multiple databases that are required to integrate the core administrative system. In poorly integrated systems, portals will typically introduce another set of application code, another database and the same fragile integration points and management issues that create problems with the core application in most systems. An ERP with integrated portals will use the same database and code that is used by the core administrative system, enabling the portals to provide real-time, accurate data in a consistent interface without requiring the intervention of the IT staff. User Interface/Ease of Use. When evaluating an ERP pay close attention to the user interface. A system s user interface has a tremendous impact on the efficiency of the staff using it and ultimately the effectiveness of the solution. At their core, many systems are still character-based applications. While they may have a graphical user interface bolted-on, the systems often require a drill-down, then backout navigation that forces the user into an inefficient process of selecting a student, and then drilling-down to the needed function, executing the command and then backing out to the student-selection screen to search for the next student. Productivity is greatly reduced by the limitations of such a user interface. These systems also often use a series of cryptic keyboard combinations for navigation, further restricting ease of use and making it difficult for new users to become productive. Character-based systems require extensive training before users can become productive. Modern ERP solutions use a familiar, point-and-click Web-browser interface that enables users to become proficient quickly and easily. Training requirements for browser-based systems are much lower since most users are well-versed in operating a browser. Additionally, users are automatically cross-trained since once they learn one part of the system they know how to work in any other part of the system. 3

4 Licensing and Maintenance Costs. When evaluating ERP solutions, be sure to examine both the upfront licensing costs and the ongoing maintenance fees. Many licensing and maintenance programs have the effect of punishing the institution for growth by requiring additionally licensing and maintenance with additional staff and/or students. Per seat licensing models often require the purchase of additional licenses as the institution grows, rapidly inflating the ongoing cost of the application and making budgeting unpredictable. When evaluating annual maintenance programs be aware of whether they provide support services only. Many programs include bug fixes, but access to new features and functionality must be purchased separately. This creates an awkward situation where rather than partnering with the client institutions to develop new functionality that meets the institution s needs, the vendor attempts to leverage their foothold with the client to up-sell new products. Carbon footprint. Web-based systems that are truly integrated require much less IT infrastructure because they run on far fewer machines. They make server farms a remnant of the past and substantially reduce your carbon emissions. A totally integrated Web-based ERP solution uses shared applications and data, giving you functions like registration, course management, portals, financial management, development and more that work together seamlessly using familiar Web tools. Unlike integrated solutions, interfaced client/server systems do not use shared applications and data. Rather than interacting smoothly as a coherent collection, these interfaced systems often require middleware links, which translate into additional staff time, more equipment, added maintenance fees, less automation and diminishing ROI. They require server farms, cooled data centers and vastly greater more electricity consumption. In short, an unnecessary, huge carbon footprint you don t need. How CAMS Enterprise Fares CAMS Enterprise passes the 10-keys test because it is the only fully integrated, 100-percent Web-native campus administrative ERP software system exclusively for higher education that is built around a single database with one set of shared code. CAMS includes a host of advanced automated features CRM, registration, financial aid, billing, fundraising, portals, built-in course management and more to manage the student lifecycle from admissions to alumni status for the smallest colleges or largest universities. It is the only single solution that eliminates the need for academic institutions and end users alike to learn, interface and manage multiple, patchwork and often incompatible systems. In a recent Campus Technology article, Susan Hunt, chief financial officer at Andover Newton said her team s due diligence on Three Rivers Systems was comprehensive and its references helped make the choice. "They provided us with 10 references, and we called them all. The story was always the same: a great system, risk-free, easy to use, little maintenance and fast, verifiably higher ROI," Hunt said. 4

5 Tim Swansey, director of IT at Andover Newton, was influential in the decision to choose CAMS. In Campus Technology, Hunt also said, "Tim has extensive experience as a developer with one of CAMS' competitors. He was impressed with how CAMS integrated all of the administrative functions within a common user interface. With CAMS Enterprise's easy-touse Microsoft-based Web architecture and total integration around a single, secure database, we will realize huge savings in maintenance and upgrade costs while also enjoying much greater productivity. For more information about CAMS Enterprise, visit or call