Why aging systems are holding higher ed back—and how forward-looking institutions are building agile, AI-ready digital foundations.
GUEST COLUMN | by Aaron Wadsworth
MATT COLE
A sea change is soon to come for higher education. U.S. universities and colleges are staring down the “enrollment cliff” of next fall, when many higher education institutions will confront the long-anticipated drop in traditional college-age freshmen. Given this coming enrollment drop, higher education is looking for ways to streamline administration, enhance learning, and improve students’ experience.
‘Given this coming enrollment drop, higher education is looking for ways to streamline administration, enhance learning, and improve students’ experience.’
Many institutions are finding solutions in digital transformation. A BDO Benchmarking Survey for higher education found that 30% of respondents said that digital transformation was one of their top priorities, the most frequently selected response.
However, legacy systems and their hidden costs can stand as significant barriers to digital transformation. Aside from built-in inefficiencies, legacy system providers like Microsoft, Oracle, and Blackboard often phase out support for their older systems, forcing institutions to adapt.
Despite the challenges that these legacy systems present, there are clear pathways for higher education to adopt digital transformation and the benefits it can provide to colleges and universities.
The Impact of Legacy Systems on Higher Education
Colleges and universities often rely on outdated, inefficient legacy systems. These include massive networks like student information systems, learning management systems, and administrative platforms. An institution that relies on legacy systems often faces rising maintenance costs, increased data vulnerabilities, and limited options when responding to changing policies.
Legacy systems, too, are often difficult to integrate with modern tools like AI-driven analytics, mobile apps, and cloud-based platforms. This not only impacts students—it affects administration, faculty, and staff as well. Legacy systems often lead to longer processing times, outdated interfaces, and increased frustration across multiple user groups.
The burden is also financial. The increased maintenance costs of legacy systems mean fewer dollars for institutional innovation and student services. With precious few IT dollars in universities’ budgets, legacy systems are increasingly inefficient solutions. A CDW survey found that 59% of higher education respondents said that the biggest challenge of maintaining on-prem assets was their limited capacity for storage and management. Forty-four percent said that the high cost of on-prem assets was one of their biggest challenges.
Legacy systems also introduce unnecessary security and compliance risks. Higher education is filled with vast amounts of sensitive data—personally identifiable information of both students and faculty. This makes these institutions a prime target for cyberattacks, and colleges and universities are often under equipped to handle these threats.
The survey also found that half of respondents said one of their biggest challenges is limited staffing to monitor and maintain on-premises data centers. Legacy systems, too, make it difficult for institutions to keep up with fast-changing regulations like FERPA and GDPR, which introduce new risks for unsupported software.
What Universities Must Account for When Transitioning from Legacy Systems
As higher education transitions from legacy systems, institutions must consider three key factors: data migration challenges, edtech integration, and the impacts on teaching and learning.
Universities and colleges host a massive amount of data, from student records to course data to research archives. When moving to the cloud, IT teams must ensure data integrity through quality checks and validation throughout the migration process. Best practices such as phased migrations and post-migration checksum verifications and audit reports can help confirm data integrity.
‘Universities and colleges host a massive amount of data, from student records to course data to research archives.’
Maintaining real-time synchronization between legacy systems and modern edtech solutions also presents challenges. For IT teams, ensuring that new systems integrate with modern tools like digital libraries, LMS platforms, and campus communication tools must be a top priority. That’s why many teams turn to standardized APIs and middleware solutions to facilitate this integration.
For all the benefits of digital transformation, it cannot stand in the way of teaching, learning, and administration. IT teams are often tasked with migrating to cloud solutions while ensuring no disruptions to LMS platforms and other administrative systems. There is the challenge, too, of training faculty and staff on new programs and managing resistance to change. Addressing these challenges can help ensure minimal impact on students’ academic progress during transitions.
Common Pitfalls and Their Effects on University Growth and Innovation
As colleges and universities transition from legacy systems, there are common pitfalls that IT teams should be prepared to tackle. Unforeseen or underestimated downtime can greatly impact key processes, from course registration, financial aid processing, to institutional communication. Disruptions can cause the loss of critical data during migration. Other system failures can harm the college’s or university’s reputation with students.
Funding big transitions can also present challenges. Migrations can mean new budget lines for things like licensing fees, IT staffing, and consultant support. There’s also the time and resource cost of strategic budgeting. It’s important to avoid overwhelming IT teams or diverting funds from academic initiatives. There’s also the cost of training—faculty, staff, and students will need help to ensure the smooth adoption of new systems.
Legacy systems weren’t built for today’s tools. They often limit institutions’ ability to leverage AI-driven tools, predictive analytics for student success, and other evolving digital innovations. Older systems are also more difficult to scale. They cannot easily accommodate changing student populations or expand with growing online learning capabilities. The long-term cost of this technical debt? Institutional competitiveness.
Overcoming Legacy System Challenges
More than ever, educational institutions need scalable, future-proof solutions. The 2024 CDW Cloud Computing Report showed that 88% of institutions have moved more than a quarter of applications to the cloud. That move has paid off. Nearly one in eight of the higher ed respondents said that cloud benefits have met or exceeded their expectations. Their adoption of adaptable, modular systems has positioned them to integrate seamlessly with future technologies.
The same CDW survey highlights legacy system challenges with data security and compliance. Roughly a third of the respondents said security would be the most important reason to keep an application on-prem. This means that IT teams must make sure that new systems align with compliance standards and best practices. These newer solutions, though, often provide the agility and flexibility to keep up with changes in data security regulations and laws.
‘These newer solutions, though, often provide the agility and flexibility to keep up with changes in data security regulations and laws.’
When transitioning from legacy systems, a strategic digital transformation plan is essential. IT teams should consider phased migration rollouts to minimize disruption for faculty, students, and administration. Leveraging automation, too, helps reduce manual workloads and streamlines the process. But most importantly, IT teams must get stakeholder engagement. Each user group—from faculty, IT, students, and staff—must have champions who will be an active and positive part of the transition process.
A Time of Change
Higher education is entering a time of great change. With that change comes legacy system challenges—inflexibility, slowness, high maintenance costs, and difficulty integrating with modern AI-driven tools. A proactive digital transformation can address each of these challenges and set the stage for institutional growth and student success.
As colleges and universities enter 2025 and beyond, they need scalable, secure, and innovative solutions to help them shape the future of higher education. Leaving behind legacy systems is an important first step toward that future.
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Aaron Wadsworth, General Manager at BitTitan, is a seasoned leader with nearly two decades of experience in high-tech sales and executive management. His expertise lies in company management, team empowerment, and customer success. Aaron has successfully spearheaded client relationship management initiatives, resulting in improved customer retention and exponential business growth. His career highlights include significant revenue growth and successful M&A support, making him a prominent figure in the corporate arena. Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn.
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