Will gap analysis and future roadmap assist EA in Universities?

Education is an important business practically all over the world. Tapping technology to make higher education more powerful is already on the agenda of world universities. Apart from improving curriculums, the IT stakes determine if the education system is appealing to the students. In this context enterprise architecture for higher education is in the spotlight.

How will universities reduce gap analysis and develop a future roadmap to continue to provide higher education?

Key takeaways

• Levels of maturity in enterprise architecture of universities
• Current state Vs Future state
• Supportive tools to manage higher studies

Centralized support for higher education

Institutions that provide higher education require distinctive tools for researchers and educators. This cannot be done without IT, which has proven itself in many other sectors. Management of universities needs to adopt technology to meet the requirements to be on the forefront of higher studies. Enterprise Architecture (EA) adds a fresh life to imparting knowledge and also collaborate at the same time with real world examples. Universities require this technology to get research grants, gather data and get student admissions. Interoperability is the keyword that helps researchers to share information when they are located in different parts of the world. As students also pay high fees, it is possible to implement EA. After all it is required to create opportunities for the next generation that will enter the campuses. Taking a leap of faith towards enterprise architecture for higher education, various levels of maturity are already seen in many global facilities.

Get a head start with focused EA practices

Businesses across the world started with EA in the basic manner and that is exactly what is recommended for universities who are yet to adopt technology. Ideally, one or two areas are sufficient to see if the architecture will work. Then the same can be replicated in other departments. There is no doubt that migrating from a traditional system to an enabled automated process will be more efficient in the long run. The key benefits include:

1. Reducing work for the administration.
2. Removal of duplication.
3. Organizing part and present records.
4. Having a single platform to integrate all departments.
5. Align all budgets and investments with the stakeholders.
6. Identifying areas where collaboration is possible without geographic boundaries.

Creating a blueprint to understand the current situation and how the gaps will be bridged is the initial step to roll out the enterprise architecture plans.

Assessment of EA process suitability

Mapping the systems currently being used will help management to understand where the processes can be refined. Preparing a strategic dashboard will enable IT design team to know whether the system will suit the requirement of the university. While in other business processes IT teams are required all year round, in the case of higher education facilities there are peak seasons when they will be pressed into action. Such areas refer to admission months, timetables and workflow for professors and coaches, and instructor roll outs. A system can be created for even personalizing the systems for students. The services that a university provides to the students keeps evolving and attracting them to study. In this regard the IT operations used can be of coordination, unification, diversification or replication. Unifying several aspects, can be cost effective and also essential as fewer students can pay high fees.

Healthy data affects current and future prospects

Big data offers unique information which the management uses to enhance their services towards the staff and students. When the current data is fed in the technical systems it can reveal or project the necessities in the future. These predictions help the board to make early resolutions before chaos takes over. The IT department can have a strong network, a series of servers and storage options to keep digital current and future records. As universities are unique their EA requirements cannot be the same as that of other business models. That is why some of the technologies have to be re-imagined and made customer-centric and flexible. This necessitates running applications with distinctive tools that work for specific departments. For example, when is it appropriate to use the data flow visualizer and integrate it with another process? Using this strategy one can get real-time data and a better user experience.

Supportive tools to manage higher studies

The need of customized and supportive tools is yet another key to successfully harnessing the EA for higher studies. As senior board members realize the importance of adding this architecture to the organization, there will be a generational shift. They can choose the level of maturity depending on their appetite for embracing new technologies. Keeping the future in mind they will also need to think at least 5 years in advance to have the talent and skilled technical teams to upgrade or migrate EA and keep it service oriented.

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