Pepperdine University, a four-year private institution based in Malibu, California, with campuses in Southern California, Washington, D.C., Buenos Aires, Florence, Heidelberg, Hauteville, and London, has reimagined campus operations through a commitment to long-term, scalable innovation.
Softdocs, the leader in document management and process automation for higher education, is at the heart of their digital transformation.
By digitizing over six million documents, launching more than 300 live forms, and onboarding nearly every major department across campus into the Softdocs Platform, Pepperdine transformed the way it manages information and serves its community.
The campus-wide adoption, built upon deep integrations with PeopleSoft, fosters a culture of digital-first thinking and continuous process improvement.
Challenges: From Paper Reliance to Digital Transformation
Before partnering with Softdocs, Pepperdine relied heavily on manual processes and aging technologies. Their legacy document management system, Nolij, was limited in scope, serving only three departments (Undergraduate Admissions, Financial Aid, and the Registrar). Departments used it as a simple digital filing cabinet, with no real workflow automation.
The limited use of Nolij was not the only challenge. Other institutional data was scattered across personal Dropbox accounts, paper forms, and disjointed storage systems.
Faced with an outdated and sunsetted Nolij and growing risk of insecure and inconsistent document management, Pepperdine issued an RFP in 2016. They sought a modern platform that could support digital transformation through automation, document management, and seamless integrations with PeopleSoft.
Why Softdocs: A Strategic and Scalable Partnership Built for Higher Education
Pepperdine’s selection of Softdocs wasn’t just about replacing Nolij. It was about building a scalable, future-ready foundation.
With Softdocs, the team was impressed by:
- User-Friendly Interface: “The look and feel didn’t feel intimidating,” said Reyn Oyadomori, Director of Information Security. “It was very intuitive. People could click around and not feel like they were in a maze.”
- Flexible Licensing: Site-wide licensing enabled campus-wide access without worrying about concurrent user limits, which accelerated adoption.
- Deep Higher Ed Expertise: “Having worked with Adam Park prior to him becoming CEO gave me confidence. He knows the higher ed space very well,” added See.
Most importantly, Pepperdine viewed Softdocs as a long-term partner, not just a vendor.
Strategic Implementation and Campus-Wide Rollout
Pepperdine executed a structured, three-phase implementation:
- Phase 1: Focused on high-risk, high-usage departments like Admissions, Financial Aid, and Registrar. These were the first to migrate workflows and documents in collaboration with the Softdocs Professional Services Team.
- Phase 2: Administrative departments were transitioned next, minimizing operational disruption.
- Phase 3: Academic departments followed, completing a full migration with minimal interference to faculty and students.
Across these phases, Pepperdine successfully migrated 4.6 million documents. In 2022, the university moved to Etrieve Cloud. Today, they manage 6 million documents and 300+ active forms in Softdocs.
Campus-Wide Adoption and Growing Demand
Once staff saw the platform in action, demand skyrocketed.
The numbers prove it:
- 300+ forms in use across all major departments
- 29 projects completed in the first 10 months of 2024 alone (compared to 10–13 per year in 2020)
Powered by Integration: PeopleSoft and Beyond
One of the most powerful components of Pepperdine’s success is Softdocs’ seamless integration with PeopleSoft:
- Auto-Populated Forms: Form fields like name, email, and ID auto-fill from PeopleSoft, reducing data entry and human error.
- Bi-Directional Data Exchange: Softdocs forms can write back to PeopleSoft, allowing staff to verify and approve changes before updating the system of record.
- Reduced Risk and Improved Accuracy: Fewer typos, faster processing, and tighter control over sensitive data.
Transforming Asset Management
Pepperdine’s IT team used Softdocs to completely reimagine their device management lifecycle, creating an automated, integrated process that connects:
- PeopleSoft
- KACE Systems Management Appliance
- Softdocs (Etrieve)
Since implementation:
- Over 1,500 devices deployed since April 2023
- Nearly 1,000 devices disposed of, purchased, or gifted since October 2023
- 3,800 computers tracked across four continents
- Fully automated reporting and ticketing into KACE
IT staff can now generate on-demand reports, push alerts, and automate lifecycle tasks — from provisioning to decommission — without spreadsheets or manual errors.
Looking Ahead: Expanding Innovation, One Workflow at a Time
After nearly a decade on the platform, Pepperdine has gone far beyond simple document storage. Departments are now:
- Building integrations with systems beyond PeopleSoft
- Using Softdocs for academic program changes and committee review workflows
- Creating dynamic reports that replace multi-step approval chains
- Exploring use cases in compliance, alerts, and specialized projects
Staff are even using Softdocs’ Form Builder to prototype ideas, transforming abstract concepts into real solutions on a greater scale.
Setting the Standard in Higher Ed Innovation
Pepperdine University isn’t just keeping up with digital transformation. They are setting the pace for institutions worldwide. Their story is one of intentional, campus-wide innovation that spans continents, touches every department, and continues to evolve.
By embracing the flexible Softdocs Platform, building strategic integrations, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, Pepperdine has proven what's possible when technology aligns with vision.
Institutions seeking a roadmap to success need only look to Pepperdine. Their results are measurable. Their momentum is unstoppable. And their story serves as a powerful model for what transformation in higher education can truly look like when visionary leadership and the right technology align.
