Replace the Base Alternatives and Approaches
Implementing the Roadmap, and in particular the Replace the Base initiative to replace the UW’s core legacy systems, will involve significant commitment and investment. To provide some context for the difficult decisions ahead, this section outlines the University’s possible system replacement options and discusses which ones have been selected by peer higher education institutions and by the state of Washington.
Four Alternatives
The UW has four options for replacing its core legacy systems:
- Vendor solution. Select and acquire a commercial software package, with or without customization. This can be licensed and maintained in-house, or operated in a shared or hosted environment.
- Higher education consortium. Select an open source/community source approach developed by a consortium of higher education institutions. In most cases this will require a smaller investment up front, but may require more internal development staff to enhance, support, and maintain the software than would be required with a vendor-supported system.
- Business partnership. Join a co-development effort with a for-profit software, consulting, or integration company.
- Homegrown. Develop a custom solution either in-house or by hiring contractors.
Recommended Approach
In keeping with the Guiding Principles established by the Information Management Advisory Committee, the UW recognizes that a single vendor or solution might not meet all of the needs of a complex institution. The UW therefore will evaluate the unique needs of each major business function and select the solution that best meets the needs of that area.
As part of the evaluation, the UW will take into consideration the effort and complexity of integrating and supporting multiple solutions and technologies. Assessing the ability of each system to integrate with other systems will also be a key component in the selection process.
In addition, the UW will select the solutions that provide the best balance of functionality, flexibility, long-term maintainability, and cost effectiveness. The UW will acquire commercial packages where cost effective solutions are available. The UW will seek partnerships with other agencies and institutions where possible, and proceed alone where its needs are unique.
The following table shows some possible solutions for replacing each of the legacy systems. Detailed scoping, feasibility, requirements, and selection projects are needed to determine the UW’s actual preferred options.
|
Business Area |
Possible Solutions |
Financial, Budget, and Procurement |
|
HR/Payroll |
|
Student Administration |
|
