Digital Modernization Planning for Universities

Create your digital blueprint for the future

Digital modernization planning aligns strategy, operations, technology, and emerging AI capabilities to create a future-ready foundation for growth and innovation

It all starts with a cohesive digital strategy

Technology shapes institutional resilience, competitiveness, and long-term viability. Yet decisions about digital capabilities and tools are often made in isolation, driven by immediate needs rather than an institutionwide digital strategy.

The issue isn’t the technology; it’s the absence of a plan that knits all the pieces together.

Digital modernization planning replaces reactive, system-by-system decisions with a cohesive roadmap that aligns ERP and SIS systems, CRM platforms, research administration solutions, data tools, and AI in support of institutional priorities and long-term strategy.

ERP is only part of the equation

Planning often begins with a familiar question: Is our ERP still fit for purpose? ERP and SIS platforms sit at the center of academic, financial, and administrative operations, making them highly visible, resource-intensive, and increasingly tied to data strategy and AI enablement. Digital modernization planning puts ERP decisions in context, aligning them with institutional strategy, surrounding systems, data foundations, governance, the realities of day-to-day work, and the capabilities required for what comes next.

Shared value across campus

Enrollment pressures, constrained funding, and the growing skepticism of the value of a degree are already forcing institutions to rethink how they operate. At the same time, leaders are fielding new questions about AI — not as a future concept, but as a near-term expectation.

Effective digital modernization planning focuses on shared success among boards, presidents and chancellors, provosts, CFOs, CHROs, VPRs, and student service leaders in supporting a wide range of institutional needs.

Technology leadership	Financial and operational stewardship	Governance and long-term viability
Digital transformation roadmap	Strategy alignment	Defining pressing needs
Reduced technical debt	Disciplined technology investment	Long-term institutional viability
Scalable digital foundation	Clear funding priorities	Strategic technology oversight
AI-ready architecture	Operational efficiency gains	Competitive digital capability
	Financial risk reduction

Built for the teams that make modernization work

Digital modernization planning also provides direction, sequencing, and a practical way forward to those who regularly work within the systems. It acknowledges the complexity of highly customized environments, the constraints of limited staffing and budgets, and the challenge of preparing for future platforms while maintaining legacy systems. The result is a sequenced, realistic path toward simplification and sustainability.

Huron’s perspective is grounded in our nuanced understanding of how a university works — from the student registering for classes, to the principal investigator working on a federal grant, to staff managing finances and HR processing.

It also considers the varying needs of different organizations, the caliber of tools they need to execute, and the capacity and budget constraints they may face, from R1 universities and multi-institution systems to AMCs, small colleges, and community colleges.

Define direction first

Clarify what the institution is trying to achieve and what success looks like across academic, student, research, and administrative priorities. Establish the guiding principles, scope, and outcomes that modernization must enable to ensure subsequent decisions are intentional, aligned, and defensible.
Align executive leadership

Build shared understanding and commitment among academic, student, research, technology, finance, HR, and governance leaders. Establish clarity on priorities, trade-offs, and decision rights to move modernization forward with coordinated leadership, sustained sponsorship, and enterprisewide accountability.
Invest intentionally

Create an investment plan that balances near-term operational needs with longer-term transformation goals. Prioritize initiatives based on institutional value, sequencing, and interdependencies, so spending builds toward an integrated future state rather than reinforcing a collection of systems.
Incorporate AI strategy

Clarify where AI capabilities will come from — whether embedded in core systems or accessed through approved tools — and establish the data, governance, and architectural foundations needed for secure, coordinated, and value-driven adoption.
Enable people-centric organizations

Ensure the organization is prepared to adopt and sustain modernization, not just implement new tools. Align roles, processes, skills, and change management to enable teams to operate effectively in the future state, reduce workarounds, and realize the full value of new platforms and capabilities.
Develop a purpose-built architecture

Design a flexible technology ecosystem that fits the institution’s operating model and long-term needs. Define the target architecture across platforms, integrations, data, and security to reduce complexity, enable interoperability, and accelerate future enhancements while reducing risk and increasing scalability.

Turning expertise into impact

A video thumbnail featuring Laura Zimmermann

Where AI fits

Rather than treating AI as a standalone initiative, planning integrates it into a broader digital roadmap, aligning near-term opportunities with long-term strategy and investment decisions, helping institutions:
- Identify practical AI opportunities by function and role
- Understand data, system, and governance prerequisites
- Align AI decisions with ERP, data, and architecture investments
- Balance experimentation with risk and long-term scalability
Discover our AI strategy

Follow these five planning pillars

Alongside investing in digital modernization, institutions must understand whether the foundational elements for success are in place, from data and systems to people and processes. Huron’s five readiness pillars help institutions align priorities, unlock better insights, and move toward implementation with purpose.

Learn about our approach