Turbulence-proof Tech: Moving Past Customizations
For those of us who feel calmest when we’re completely in control of our surroundings, airplane travel is a form of immersion therapy. When turbulence hits, we’re stuck, unable to do anything to control it. Turbulence doesn’t just happen when flying, though. It occurs during any widescale change. Right now, turbulence is occurring across higher education as institutions make the move to SaaS, changing the way things have been done for years.
Anytime we’re faced with huge change, a few bumps are expected. This happens particularly when shifting from complex customizations, a staple of on-premises and managed cloud systems, to personalization and configurability, key benefits of SaaS.
So, why is it so important to move away from customizations?
Customizations are an outdated best practice
Higher education has a love-hate relationship with customizations. Every institution has created workarounds and workflows to ensure that the systems perform the core functions they need. Unfortunately, the feeling of comfort that comes from having customizations is a façade. Customizations create inefficiencies that lead to security risks, slowdowns, and downtime. Every time an institution wants to upgrade or invest in new technology, they need to revisit and revise those customizations—often costing valuable time and resources.
Customizations aplenty mean vulnerabilities aplenty
Did you say downtime? A breach? They’re every IT professional’s nightmare, and they are exacerbated by customizations. Especially when it comes to something done frequently: upgrades.
Institutions would love to implement upgrades quickly, but most don’t have teams of 20 people working around the clock to expedite the process smoothly.
With customizations, there’s no such thing as “flipping a switch.” Every upgrade needs to run through every customization. When hundreds of customizations are in play, there’s real risk to exposing data and enduring downtime that disrupts learning as well as business operations.
The cost of sticking with customizations
In 2021 alone, ransomware attacks in higher education were up by 64%. Of those, 97% of higher education respondents said the attack impacted their ability to operate, reporting a recovery period of 3-6 months.
Higher education cannot risk ransomware attacks on institutions’ privileged information. Customizations will fast-become ransomware’s biggest ally.
The problem is that customizations are so deeply ingrained in higher education that many institutions feel as though the process of shifting their systems is akin to a plane crashing. But what if it’s not? What happens if the transition away from customization is just a little turbulence, and the destination is a more secure, always-on platform?
Higher ed’s ultimate proactive security checklist
Consider a SaaS solution that has advanced measures to mitigate the threat of downtime or a breach. A seasoned flight team, otherwise known as an experienced tech partner, navigates seamlessly through turbulence to ensure that you're comfortable and feel in control. When looking at upgrading your system, consider these questions about the backend capabilities:
- Is my cloud solution’s security program ISO 27001 certified?
- Do I have access to a dedicated Security Incident Response team?
- Does my current system have robust vulnerability and patch management capabilities?
- Is my current system updated with an advanced Intrusion Detection System?
- Is my solution subject to regular or ongoing third-party penetration testing?
If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” student and private institutional data are at a far greater risk of being compromised.
Worried about turbulence? The flight crew has it handled
While flying may be the safest form of long-distance travel, being buffeted by the wind at 30,000 feet is still terrifying. We have to remind ourselves that pilots navigate through turbulence every day, just as the right tech partners help institutions modernize their systems every day. Better yet, these tech partners created the tech that’s being updated. They know how to get institutions through every rough patch and into the jet stream.
Unfortunately, too many IT teams don’t have access to the people who created the tech they’re updating. That’s a problem because every higher ed IT pro knows how much work goes into vetting, buying, learning, and implementing a new platform. It’s no easy task, and it requires patience, collaboration, and a willingness to iterate…a lot. And when things go wrong, they can go extremely wrong. But tech has moved onward—and upward. Fully cloud-based platforms that can be managed by the software servicer do more for institutions, their staff, and every student. This frees up staff time to focus on what matters most—maximizing technology’s full capabilities to hit strategic goals and propel student success and well-being.
Be a champion for your team and your institution with turbulence-proof tech
The initial change needed to transition from managed cloud services to fully SaaS-enabled technology requires patience and the willingness to truly transform. But the view is worth the turbulence. Because limiting customizations to move to a standardized platform allows institutions to unlock a lot of power, incredible security features, and the opportunity to continue upgrading as new features are released, without ever needing to take systems down to do so.
Every customization is converted into a SaaS-safe extension, which extends software functionality to accommodate the business practices that every institution relies on. And it gets better—schools can do all this work without creating custom codes that break every time the stack is upgraded.
The view from the cloud is better than ever—see it for yourself
Change isn’t easy, but it’s necessary to move forward and create better outcomes for students and staff. Interoperable and secure technology is vital. Students, staff, and institutions are ready for technology that supports their needs now and into the future.
The best view is above the cloud, and that’s exactly where we’re headed. Let’s go together.
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