Higher education institutions have made significant progress in modernizing campus operations in the last few years. There has been a strong emphasis on enhancing the student experience through faster document processing, process automation, and improved digital connectivity across campuses.
However, one area where many educational institutions still lag is in fully leveraging the power of the cloud. Migrating to the cloud can be a transformative step, significantly boosting efficiency, enhancing security, and allowing institutions to focus more on their core missions.
According to a Gartner survey, by 2025, 95% of new digital workloads will be deployed on cloud-native platforms, a sharp increase from 30% in 2021.
While sectors like retail lead this shift, the education market has been slower in adopting cloud-based solutions. Many institutions still rely on on-premises systems, driven by a risk-averse mindset and a reluctance to change—often encapsulated in the phrase, “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.”
The Strategic Benefits of Migrating to the Cloud
For higher education Chief Information Officers (CIOs), failing to move to the cloud is becoming not just a tactical error but a strategic oversight. Institutions that have embraced cloud-based document management and process automation solutions have reported cost savings of 20-25% over their subscription terms.
Here’s how cloud adoption can benefit your institution.
Optimized Resource Allocation
IT departments often dedicate substantial time and budget to maintaining the hardware that supports on-premises systems. Beyond the initial costs of purchasing equipment, ongoing updates, upgrades, and repairs demand significant resources that could be better used elsewhere. In contrast, cloud-based document management and process automation vendors handle all infrastructure maintenance, ensuring your systems run smoothly and your data is always accessible.
Enhanced Data Security
Data breaches can severely damage an institution’s reputation and expose it to significant liability. Student and staff records are sensitive assets that require robust protection. Secure document management in the cloud offers advanced security measures that rival even the best on-premises solutions, providing CIOs with peace of mind.
Protection Against Ransomware
Educational institutions are increasingly targets of ransomware attacks. An NBC News investigation in 2021 revealed that ransomware groups had published sensitive data on American schoolchildren from over 1,200 schools. The FBI reported that 57% of ransomware attacks last year targeted K-12 organizations.
While no solution is entirely immune, cloud-based systems offer superior protection and recovery options compared to on-premises solutions, minimizing downtime and data loss.
Scalability and Modernization
As educational institutions grow and evolve, the need to expand and update technology becomes inevitable. On-premises solutions require significant capital investment just to begin expansion. In contrast, cloud-based content management software for education offers a scalable, flexible option that supports institutional growth without the hefty upfront costs, making modernization more feasible.
Implementing a robust document management platform also significantly impacts student retention and success. By providing a streamlined, efficient, and secure learning environment, institutions can better support student progress and improve graduation rates.
Improving Student Experience:
- Offering a seamless, mobile-friendly experience.
- Ensuring real-time access to essential information.
- Facilitating communication between students, faculty, and staff.
Enhancing Teaching and Learning:
- Utilizing education software to support innovative teaching methods.
- Providing tools for personalized learning and assessment.
- Enabling data-driven decision-making to improve educational outcomes.
The Time to Move to the Cloud is Now
Colleges and universities face the ongoing challenge of doing more with less. Moving to cloud-based document management and process automation solutions is the most effective way to improve operations and modernize your campus.
To borrow from an old expression—the best time to migrate your documents from on-premises to the cloud was yesterday.
The next best time is today.
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