Relevant software in the HE&R industry

[MarcelRabe]

Hi,

the HE&R industry is known for both it's adaptance of and contribution to open standards. Still, they use legacy applications (Oracle, SAP etc) to support core processes. I'm trying to get a list of relevant software that is used in Universities (preferrably ones in the Benelux).

Examples are SAP FI/CO (to support financial processes), Blackboard (for students), Planon (Facility Mgt), SAP Campus Mgt (not used very much yet) etc.

Please contribute to get a list.

Even though we all might have a clear focus on Enterprise SOA, reality is that legacy systems will remain the primairy backbone for many processes. At least that is my opinion.

Much obliged

Marcel

Message was edited by:

Marcel Rabe

[former_member195888 · Accepted solution]

Many of SAPs applications are in use by universities - some are "mainstream", some are applied primarily in certain segments where its use provides the most benefits. Our solution maps for Higher Education and Research provide an overview of applicable components.

At a glance:

Especially almost all pieces from the core SAP ERP solution (HCM, FI, Operations) is widely implemented at universities including BENELUX - including extension of the solution to manage public services specifics (e. g. Funds Management).

As specific extensions for Higher Education & Research, SAP Campus Management and Grants Management are used. For CM we have also customers in BENELUX.

The use of CRM to support student recruitment, retention and alumni management is becomming more and more of interest for universities with a couple of first customers already using it - including BENELUX.

Universities with a strong research operation support their internal and external procurement processes with SRM.

All applications mentioned above are on SAPs Netweaver plattform and a growing number of Enterprise services are becomming available in the respective areas. This allows an evolutionary path - retaining the value of these applications with adding additional benefits from Enterprise SOA.

Of course there are many other products - regionally or globally - used in universities - which are not part of the SAP owned portfolio. Blackboard is one widely used example. Back to the Enterprise SOA story - Blackboard is a partner of SAP in using Enterprise SOA in "composing" innovative processes accross the "backbone" systems.

[eddy_declercq]

Hi,

I guess that the K.U.Leuven is a good example for what is possible with SAP and how it can interface with things like Blackboard. If you can make it HERUG, you will also find other examples.

Eddy

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PS. Reward the useful answers and you will get <a href="http:///people/baris.buyuktanir2/blog/2007/04/04/point-for-points-reward-yourself">one point</a> yourself!

[MarcelRabe]

Hi all,

thanks for your comments and answers. Unfortunatly I haven't seen any new software products / suppliers to add to my list. I know for a fact for instance that Oracle is widely used in the University world. Surely the list should contain at least 10 commonly used products next to SAP?

marcel

[eddy_declercq]

Hi,

We use indeed Oracle als DB storage for SAP.

Eddy

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PS. Reward the useful answers and you will get one point yourself!

[MarcelRabe]

Yep, Oracle is widely used as RDMS at Universities. But what about Oracle aplications (or should I say Peoplesoft) for instance? HERUG and SECU are SAP oriented. Oracle claims that their software is used by all the top universities around the world (http://www.oracle.com/industries/education/index.html).

Since I have an integration focus, I'm interested to find out who is using what and why.

Thanks

Marcel

[former_member583013]

Hi Marcel,

You mention one the main reasons why a number of customers have decided for SAP's Campus Management. For example, it offers a tightly integrated CRM/recruitment system whereas the Oracle solution is sort of disjointed from the ERP/Student system. This can create a problem because the Oracle solution uses the CRM environment for admissions processing, rather than the Student System. This means there is no seamless process between admissions and the rest of the student life-cycle. Also, the Oracle CRM application lacks financials capability, which means that processing admisions application fees or accepting admissions deposits becomes an issue.

Integration of academic processes remains a primary driver of student system modernization. Look for example at the integrated degree audit in SAP Campus Management. Of course one of the strengths of SAP Campus Management is its fully integrated degree audit, with no need for interfaces with third-party applications such as Degreeworks or DARS. SAP Netweaver and service-oriented architecture provide the framework with integration across non-SAP applications, such as housing (e.g. StarRez, Adirondack, RMS) or scheduling (e.g. Ad Astra, Schedule25).

So, in answering your question on who is using what and why it is worth to note that the Oracle solution was designed specifically for U.S. institutions, while SAP Campus Management, although also suitable for U.S. institutions, was designed to just as easily accommodate international academic programs. For example, SAP Campus Management's program-based method of processing is much more natural for European institutions than the Peoplesoft/Oracle method, which is not built on a "program" concept. The underlying assumption in Oracle's solution is also that all data-separation, security, etc. is based upon Colleges, which works fine for most U.S. institutions, but because of the hard-coded nature, makes it difficult to handle Department-based ownership, for example.

Another major factor in looking at who is using what is to consider the age of the products. The Peoplesoft student system was introduced to the Higher Education market many years earlier than SAP Campus Management, and they definitely had the advantage of being the "only game in town" for many years, as far as "Tier 1" software vendors were concerned. So, if a decision is being made based upon sheer size of the install base, "maturity" of the product, or product ecosystem (i.e. integration partners), then Peoplesoft has a clear advantage in the U.S. market. However, institutions tend to select SAP based upon its stronger technology and integration platform, as well as its greater flexibility for handling "non-standard" academic programs. These institutions are also able to look past the relatively small install base and see the upside of adopting a product that is still early in its life-cycle. In other words, there is still great opportunity for SAP Campus Management customers to influence further product developments.

Of course, no institution could "go live" with a product that can't handle the full academic life-cycle adequately. Therefore, it is fair to say that both SAP's and Oracle's student system offerings are viable. Each institution just needs to decide what factors are more important in their case.

A Honda Accord and a Jeep Liberty will both get you from point A to point B. Both are similar in cost (depending on options). Both are perfectly good cars, but for different reasons.

Hope this helps.

[MarcelRabe]

Hi Tina,

thank you for this extensive answer!

Marcel