Design for the future: can Microsoft Dynamics replace ESIS?

The purpose

Our current Essex Student Information System (ESIS) is ageing and has limitations. The effect of this is seen in the amount of manual work still being undertaken and the ‘sticking plasters’ that we have in place to keep processes running. We need to replace ESIS entirely to allow us to be responsive to the future needs of the University.

You can find more information on the overall purpose of the Academic Systems Enhancements Programme (ASEP) via the ASEP Moodle site and the blog from our Deputy Registrar (Education and Research).

Work so far

As part of the initial phase of ASEP, we worked with a team of technology consultants from BJSS. They did a market trends analysis of research from leading technology analysts, identified the student systems used by the top 40 UK universities, and reviewed Microsoft to understand their approach to the higher education sector.

From this research came the recommendation for us to explore replacing ESIS with Microsoft Dynamics 365. Already in use within the University, this software can be implemented using a modular approach over time rather than a “big bang” that would be high-risk and disruptive to our business-as-usual activities. This approach is not new in the Higher Education sector and many other universities are using Dynamics across all or part of the student journey.

The approach

We’re currently in a discovery phase. This involves a proof of concept looking at a specific process to test and evaluate the performance and efficiency of Microsoft Dynamics and other components within the Microsoft Power Platform ecosystem to see whether it would be fit for purpose as a potential solution to replace ESIS.

To undertake this proof of concept, we are working with a Microsoft Dynamics partner, Crimson, who have supported implementation at other UK universities.

The area we have chosen for the proof of concept is ‘module enrolment approvals’ for the following reasons:

• it will prove the ability for staff to confirm module enrolment requests where a complex manual approval is required
• it is currently done via emails and Word documents outside of ESIS, so the proof of concept will deliver functionality that doesn’t currently exist
• the timing coincides with the period that Essex Abroad staff will be performing these module enrolment approvals

Our current use of Microsoft Dynamics at the University covers critical areas of business including marketing and student recruitment, the Research Enterprise Office, and several teams within the Student Services Hub. We understand that we need to support these functions during our development of ASEP, so we’re examining different options to make sure that support happens during the project and as part of the transition to business-as-usual.

What’s next

If the proof of concept is successful, the aim is to develop a roadmap that will see us replacing ESIS with Microsoft Power Platform including Dynamics. How we do this will be defined in a business case submitted in autumn 2023.

Each component of ESIS will be assessed separately. There may be some areas that have a more bespoke need, or need functionality that is not part of the Microsoft Power Platform, and for those we will look for a better option. Even if some areas are delivered by something other than the Microsoft Power Platform, modernising the architecture (the foundations) will mean that it will be much easier to integrate, and we can manage information across different components more easily, providing a better user experience for staff using the systems and for students receiving information from the systems.

If you have any questions or comments, you can contact the programme team at asep@essex.ac.uk or via the ASEP Moodle site.