Case Study

How a global tech transformation upgraded students’ education 

With centralized technology, a global learning institution improved outcomes for staff and students across 50+ schools and five continents.

The better the question

How can university IT around the world speak the same language?

An agile tech strategy helped a large education system transform from a decentralized collection of schools to a shared network of campuses.

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With a mission to “unlock the power of education,” a global learning organization spent 20+ years acquiring educational institutions around the world — many of which were operating as separate entities with dramatically different IT capabilities and practices.

As one of the largest private education companies on the planet, this organization needed an IT transformation that could achieve consistency across campuses and drive efficiencies throughout its many school systems. This multibillion-dollar company with universities scattered over five continents was spending 8.5% of revenue on IT systems, compared to an industry average of 6.2%. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the organization’s focus on digital transformation.

To keep up with evolving education trends, this learning institution needed a new global technology baseline that redefined its IT operating model and transitioned its operations to world-class managed services. 


The better the answer

 A global IT strategy that supports an evolving business model 

An agile approach allows the company to adapt its business and improve the student experience across continents and campuses. 

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This education powerhouse collaborated with the EY team and alliance partner ServiceNow to transform its technology systems and processes from a globally distributed, heterogeneous network to a unified, cloud-enabled collection of core functions.
EY served as a strategic collaborator throughout this multiyear technology transformation. This global learning organization trusted us to implement a flexible technology strategy that could adapt to changes in their business model and shift focus to making education more accessible.

The EY team helped standardize security and compliance functions and establish centralized call centers to replace local help-desk operations. IT inquiries that previously took days are now resolved within hours. 
 

The technology transformation blended capabilities from EY technology strategy, cloud, infrastructure, IT service management, architecture, risk,  and compliance teams. With a new, shared global technology delivery platform, the institution is now better equipped to help its campuses offer high-quality and easily accessible educational opportunities for all students.
 

“The EY team served as a strategic collaborator throughout this multiyear technology transformation,” said Mazen Baroudi, EY Americas Technology Strategy Leader. “This global learning organization trusted us to implement a flexible technology strategy that could adapt to changes in their business model and shift focus to making education more accessible.”

The better the world works

A global, shared IT system that cuts costs and empowers learning

With standardized IT processes, a diverse global learning institution can now focus on delivering effective higher education to students.

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Bringing cross-functional, country-specific knowledge, the EY team helped a leading learning organization centralize and streamline processes and systems across 50+ disparate institutions. The EY teams’ solution ultimately reduced the organization’s IT spend, putting the company in a strong position for future opportunities. 

Reduction in time and effort previously dedicated to manual processes
achieved through standardized IT systems and new central call centers.
Standardized IT systems for security and compliance functions, coupled with new central call centers that replaced local help-desk operations, achieved an 80% reduction in time and effort previously dedicated to manual processes. Now, as a more cohesive operation, the learning organization is able to serve its students more effectively and focus on innovative ways to deliver quality education regardless of geographic location. 
This global education company is now focusing on serving learning communities in North and South America. Their new agile technology organization will allow them to adapt to future learning trends.

Investment in technology and digital capabilities allows this global learning organization to now operate as an omnichannel education provider at scale, positioned for an anticipated demand for 40%-60% of student learning hours to be delivered online. 

By achieving its technology transformation goals, cutting costs, and operating as a more unified global learning organization, the institution has attracted new learners and increased its market value. Improved operating expenses and technology synergies yielded savings and efficiencies — creating a resilient and flexible enterprise. 

“This global education company is now focusing on serving learning communities in North and South America,” said Nicolas Lecoq, EY Global Client Serving Partner. “Their new agile technology organization will allow them to adapt to future learning trends and pivot as new business opportunities arise.”

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