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To help those thinking about upgrading or replacing their enterprise resource planning — ERP — systems, Three Rivers Systems Inc., providers of CAMS® Enterprise, a leading academic management solution, recommends a systematic approach as the best way to proceed.
In a free white paper,“10 Keys to Selecting Your Academic ERP,” available at its website. Three Rivers Systems suggests every institution’s due diligence should take into account:
- Age of the Technology. The age of the technology an ERP is built upon is the key to evaluating any solution. An ERP built on older technology can cost a lot in extra hardware and personnel — resources better allocated elsewhere.
- Architecture. Older systems commonly use a client/server architecture that places significant amounts of the application's business logic on each individual workstation. This reduces scalability and increases maintenance costs.
- Implementation. Older systems typically require more manual intervention to get them up and running, dragging out the implementation, increasing costs and postponing any productivity gains for years.
- Total Cost-of-Ownership. Simply put, the older the technology and the more dependent it is on an old architecture, the more expensive the solution will be to own from a total cost-of-ownership perspective — purchase, implementation, staffing, consulting, support and maintenance.
- Reporting. Some systems use reporting tools that are overly complex for the average user, often requiring the intervention of IT staff to query the data, and weeks of back-and-forth between IT and users to adjust each report. Look for user friendly reporting tools that are easy for staff to work with.
Five other important factors rounding out the 10 described in the white paper include integration; portal integration; user interface; ease of use; licensing and maintenance costs; and carbon footprint.
How CAMS Enterprise Fares
CAMS Enterprise passes the 10-keys test because it is a fully integrated, 100-percent Web-native campus administrative ERP software system exclusively for higher education that is built around a single database with one set of shared code.
For a complete version of the white paper, go to the Three Rivers Systems website.
About CAMS Enterprise
Developed from the ground up with Microsoft Internet technologies, CAMS Enterprise, is a highly scalable, comprehensive academic management system that is quick to implement and easy to use. CAMS Enterprise consolidates multiple stand-alone systems including admissions, student information, financial aid, student services, fiscal management with HR and payroll, fund-raising, alumni relations, document management, learning management, a full suite of portals, and more, into one solution that ensures administrators, staff, faculty and students all work with the most recent and most accurate information. CAMS Enterprise is a totally Web-native, completely integrated solution for managing the entire student life cycle at higher education institutions.
About Three Rivers Systems Inc.
Three Rivers Systems Inc. (threeriverssystems.com) is a leading provider of comprehensive administrative software solutions for higher education. Headquartered in St. Louis, the company has been delivering innovative technology-driven solutions to the educational community since 1985. Three Rivers Systems has a large worldwide client base using CAMS, its Comprehensive Academic Management System. A full-service solution provider, the company delivers software and all implementation, training, project management and support services for its clients.
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