Dear Members,
The HEUG Board of Directors have met with Vivian Wong, Oracle Group Vice President, Higher Education Development, to start the process of providing feedback to Oracle on our partnership with them and the views of our members following the announcements made about the change in the pace of development for the Student Cloud product(s) and for Campus Solutions 9.2.
I know that our Advisory Groups, Board members, and other attendees went to Oracle sessions and otherwise spoke with different Oracle representatives throughout the week and may have heard varying commitments around 9.2 once the cloud product is made ready. We see clarity and advocacy around this point as job #1, and to begin with Oracle has agreed to provide us with some FAQs about their current plans and understanding post-Alliance. We will receive and distribute once those are ready.
The Advisory Group members were given an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback to Oracle directly at the Summit. The themes of this feedback were echoed in the discussions held with various groups and institutions over the course of the Alliance conference and formed the focus for our meeting with Vivian Wong on Thursday, 2nd March in Las Vegas.
We noted that the information presented at the Campus Solutions Roadmap session, with respect to future 9.2 development, features, and enhancements was different to the more cautious vision shared during the Summit. In the roadmap session, it was indicated there would be continuous delivery of new features for the CS product through at least 2027. At this stage, this messaging does not indicate a change in Oracle’s strategy but a change in the presentation of that strategy.
The HEUG Board remains committed to ensuring that the needs of our members are clearly articulated by us and heard by Oracle – to that end we seek your input. Our feedback to date has centered on 4 key themes:
MAKE
To make the CS9.0 to Cloud option viable for higher ed institutions it is recommended that Oracle postpone the date at which 9.0 begins sustaining support beyond 2019.
ADVISE
To advise when the Student Cloud will be available also addressing non-North American countries’ and regions’ requirements, considering that the initial scope for the cloud product will have special focus on the North American market.
CONSIDER
To consider the support mechanisms that Oracle would be uniquely positioned to offer to institutions wanting to migrate from 9.0 to Student Cloud to provide a clear business case for Oracle’s Cloud applications compared to alternative products and suppliers – specifically data migration for both set-up and transactional data.
COMMIT
To commit to continued development of Campus Solutions 9.2 over and above regs & legs and small enhancements to ensure that the benefits of investment in 9.2 by our institutions continue to be realised. The Board proposes to work with our Advisory Groups to determine an appropriate process and mechanism to assist with the prioritisation of these developments.
The Board invites you to subscribe the new forum, as announced at our Annual Business Meeting, https://www.heug.org/p/fo/si/topic=2885 to discuss with one another, and with us, your thoughts about this strategy: of accelerated development for Student Cloud; the timeline for sustaining support for CS9.0; expectations in relation to data migration support (and/or other support required); the proposed development roadmap for CS9.2; and the impact on your institutions’ strategies in the context of Oracle’s plans.
Please remember, the Higher Education User Group was created for users - users looking for support with complex issues and users looking to share feedback to Oracle - about existing products, technology and about strategic direction through one united voice. The strength of the HEUG comes from the interactions between you as members, from the HEUG communities, Advisory Groups and from the Board which represents you. Help us to ensure that HEUG leadership know what is important to you.
Regards,
Jane Broad
HEUG President