We just returned from Alliance 2017 in Las Vegas and the room was abuzz with talk about Campus 9.2 being the last major version of the PeopleSoft Student Information System (SIS). Many schools are completing their upgrades to 9.2 this year, but the obvious question is: what is next? There are no more big upgrade projects, so how will you continue to innovate for students, faculty, advisors, employees and more? User expectations won’t stand still and the bar keeps getting higher. Universities are recognizing that they can’t stand still either.
The next major version of your SIS is very likely to be in the Cloud. Oracle is building the Student Cloud as we speak. The challenge is that PeopleSoft Campus is the standard in our industry. It is the most powerful, feature-rich option schools have had for a SIS. For international institutions (especially Australia with TAFE and EU with SLCs and non-US education models), PeopleSoft offers the customization capabilities needed for that market. Replacing PeopleSoft will not happen overnight so you need an approach to improving the user experience that accommodates this reality.
Don’t Stand Still
Student Cloud has just begun development. The initial focus will be on continuing education while the traditional undergraduate experience isn’t expected until next year. The solution will continue to add features in a typical cloud delivery model after that. The question is, can you afford to wait and go with a big-bang switch approach?
It is important to recognize that the Cloud train is moving full speed in our industry. Every software company is investing mostly in the Cloud and Oracle is no exception. It is time to get on that train and get ready for your future today. We have developed a methodology called Usability First to help you board the train in three easy steps:
- Provide a superior user experience now
- Begin to use Oracle Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Include Student Cloud (SaaS) into the experience seamlessly
This strategy will allow you to improve the user experience today, and continue to build momentum for many years to come. Instead of waiting for the Student Cloud, you can improve the experience for your users and be ready for the Cloud when modules that fit you are available. Your investment in this strategy is going to add value for a long time. Your users will see a better, more integrated experience that just keeps getting better. Instead of slowing the pace of improvements you provide to your users, you will jump start it.
Usability First
Usability First is the methodology we have carefully crafted to help our customers take their first steps into the cloud while also future-proofing their IT investment. Learn more in our video below.
Where does Fluid fit in?
Some of our clients ask us, “Isn’t Fluid the answer?” Fluid is a user interface (UI) technology. It doesn’t address the overall student/faculty user experience. It also doesn’t get you closer to your eventual Cloud future. We see Fluid as an aspect of the user experience, but it isn’t the user experience itself.
Contact us below and we would love to show you what the future looks like and discuss how we can help get you there at your pace.