“Mobile access is a foundational aspect of work, and life, in the 21st century—and higher ed is no exception. To meet expectations, solution providers developed mobile apps or responsive websites based on browser delivery, which has created a disjointed experience achieved through a stack of different applications. We’re seeing a great need for the facilitation of access to all relevant content though a single experience and developed with mobile as the primary delivery method.” —Brian Knotts, senior vice president and chief architect, Ellucian
“During campus crunch time, such as admissions and financial aid deadlines, course selection and housing sign-up, campus administrators need to be available 24/7 to respond to timely questions from students and staff. While adoption of mobile-enabled tools continues to be a hot topic for students, many back-office workers are being left behind. Providing administrators with mobile access to campus systems allows them to rapidly respond to critical questions during these busy times without being tied down to their desks.” —Austin Laird, higher education product director, Unit4
“In our increasingly connected world, we need enterprise technology systems to be as user-friendly as the consumer applications that are part of our everyday lives. By enabling their mobile-savvy workforces with self-service system capabilities, administrators can manage their business or individual goals, budget and expense reports, absence requests, and staff recruiting directly from their mobile phones, freeing up time to focus on better serving their students.” —Liz Dietz, vice president of student strategy and product management, Workday
“Mobile access to enterprise systems is the new normal, and adoption is imperative to stay competitive. This shift is being driven by the growing remote work culture, Generation Z entering the workforce, and a critical emphasis on disaster recovery and business continuity. To encourage adoption, vendors are creating more robust, user-intuitive mobile and web experiences. Institutions have room to grow in this area; however, they should embrace the opportunity by implementing policies and training that empower staff to explore these new tools while maintaining information security.” —Linda Ding, director of strategic marketing, Laserfiche
“The core administrative enterprise systems on campus today must come equipped with a modern user-centric experience that is device agnostic. The ability to allow access to information and act via any device is critical. Higher education leaders expect their mobile solutions to be able to serve up advanced analytic insights that span enterprise reporting needs. Many institutions remain challenged with siloed data and accessing critical insights regardless of device.” —Rob Sparks, chief marketing officer, Campus Management
“The need for a mobile student information system has grown exponentially. It is tremendously useful for school staff. However, I believe the biggest gain for an institution comes in the form of extending interactions with students. Traditionally, advisors and students could only get together around a desktop to work on their plans and academic development. Now, a properly developed SIS is providing information that can be shared by the advisors and students when and where they can get together. The key is being able to work with students beyond the office, which provides wonderful opportunities for personal interactions.” —Jeff Elliot, senior product manager, Jenzabar
Related: Feature on meeting the demand for enterprise mobile apps
