The core function of a college or any higher ed institution is to provide high-quality education and enable self-directed learners to find their professional roles in society. Like any business, it encompasses several departments such as administration, administration to faculty, marketing, student success, and external affairs that collaborate to function as a whole.

However, one department connects every department to the modern age, and it’s IT. Every college employee uses different hardware, software, and peripherals to carry out daily operations. Therefore, your IT infrastructure must be equipped with the essentials needed to sustain operations and productivity.

Unfortunately, many colleges’ IT teams lack the expertise, budget, or tools to assess, manage, and improve operational efficiency. Here, a system integrator comes in to take over and optimize workflows and systems.

In this post, we’ll share what a system integrator (SI) is and the benefits of hiring one (or a team/company)  for college IT infrastructure management.

What Is A System Integrator?

A system integrator is a person or company that transforms unifies disparate hardware and software systems and transforms them into a single IT solution. This merger or strategic alignment helps connect and simplify different IT environments so businesses can make quicker progress toward their short-term and long-term goals.

For instance, AMSA Connect’s integration relationship management platform offers an all-in-one solution for collecting, authenticating, streamlining, and centralizing data flow across campus. An SI can use the platform to integrate multiple third-party solutions into a central hub for real-time communication and enhanced data integrity.

Benefits of Hiring a System Integrator for College IT Infrastructure Management

Most college employees, including IT teams, fail to fully comprehend system integration. They oversimplify it as the process of combining multiple systems into a single system since they lack in-depth knowledge of controls and software, automation hardware, and individual business processes. Here, a system integrator comes in to fill the gap and offer the following benefits:

1.    Flexibility

Long gone are the days when students and employees (both consumers) will accept a limited selection of solutions due to the emergence of smartphones, tablets, and powerful apps. Colleges that require automation can hire an SI to equip their infrastructure with a vast range of digital solutions to improve flexibility, agility, and efficiency.

2.    Reduced End-User Workload

For decades, the expectations and demands on faculties and college administration departments have increased by over 200%. Following the pandemic and the data surge due to the online shift, college IT teams have less time to create a solid integration plan and focus more on minimizing downtimes and security threats. Therefore, they need external intervention.

System integration teams specialize in vertical and horizontal integration to ensure each college area or department is connected to the other.

3.    Expanded Team of IT Experts

System integrators are essentially IT polymaths that specialize in various technologies. Therefore, they can help colleges in every aspect of their digital transition from upgrading their IT equipment to digitalization, security optimization, integrations, and cloud migration. They remain the single point of contact for college departments and their IT teams and offer their unique expertise on-demand.

4.    Greater Focus on Modern Software and Tools

System integrators are focused on helping businesses adopt the most innovative software solutions in the market. In colleges, system integrators are used to optimize the campus management system, enable data-driven decision-making, and simplify administration tasks. Following the pandemic, college teams need to react to increased workflow, unplanned activities, and system downtimes.

System integration teams ensure the availability of all systems and leverage data analytics to troubleshoot issues causing downtimes and disruptions.

5.    Independence

System integrators work independently. Thus, they don’t concern themselves with on-campus activities or anything that could be classified as “distractions.” Instead, they focus on using their problem-solving capabilities to close gaps in campus management systems and look for different third-party software that admin can integrate into the system to optimize operational efficiency.

Bottom Line

As the world rapidly shifts towards digitalization, demand for system integrators and integration companies is rapidly growing. The education industry is evolving at an unfathomable pace, and colleges need to keep up to survive and thrive.

A system integrator can optimize your IT infrastructure with advanced software and controls. Moreover, AMSA Connect’s IRM Platform offers many benefits that can help ease your IT burden in different ways, such as reducing the time spent on integrations, database monitoring, or data extraction/authentication.

If you’re ready to try this game-changing solution and see how it works for you, get in touch with our system integration team right away!