Macquarie University pioneers use of TechnologyOne's SaaS Solution

Macquarie University has become the first Australian university to successfully implement TechnologyOne's Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Timetabling and Scheduling solution. This accomplishment has significantly broadened its capabilities in various areas, not least timetabling, exam scheduling, resource booking and data capture and visibility.

The transition to a SaaS-based platform is expected to assist the university in simplifying, automating, and optimising its back-end operations. Such a shift in operational management will free up more time for staff to address the needs of their students.

This move comes on the back of the university's roll-out in 2019 of TechnologyOne's Student Management SaaS solution. The new system sought to improve student experience through simplified administration and business process enhancements. Macquarie University, with 45,000 students and over 3,200 full-time staff, is a long-time customer of Scientia, a company acquired by TechnologyOne in 2021. This acquisition allowed the university to upgrade its widely-used timetabling solution from a legacy on-premise system to a fully-fledged SaaS solution.

While other universities, such as the University of Sydney, Monash University, and the University of Queensland, widely use the solution on-premise, Macquarie University is the premier ANZ university to make the move to a SaaS-based platform. This transition, which required several months of careful planning, testing, integration, and the rolling out of new modules, was accomplished within 72 hours over a critical weekend timeframe. This feat was realised by the collaborative efforts of TechnologyOne resources spread across Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, and the UK.

Speaking about the successful transition, Macquarie University's Chief Information and Digital Officer, Jonathan Covell, commented, "Migrating our legacy platform to a modern SaaS solution was an investment into our future. We are the only university in ANZ to have rolled out TechnologyOne's scheduling and resource management solution on SaaS. As the product continues to mature, we now have the foundations in place to benefit from the latest services, enhancements, and functionality for years to come."

Covell also praised the collaborative effort that went into implementing the project. He revealed, "Projects of this magnitude and complexity always have teething issues, but TechnologyOne's team worked incredibly closely with Macquarie University. The dedication on both sides has been fantastic and enabled us to swiftly resolve issues."

Weighing in on the project, TechnologyOne Industry Director for Higher Education, Peter Nikoletatos, said, "The fact that Macquarie University continues to rank in the top one per cent of institutions globally is testament to their drive to innovate and modernise. Investing in SaaS-based solutions simplifies, automates, and optimises back-end operations, so staff can spend more time focusing on their students' needs."

Nikoletatos continued, "The learnings we have gained from Macquarie University's recent digital transformation have been invaluable. The move to our timetabling and scheduling solution is an extension on our 20-year partnership, which enables us to continuously innovate our products and processes and ensure we are providing exceptional support to our customers."