Reporting platforms often remain in place for years because replacing them feels risky. But as institutional expectations evolve, many campuses — including those using WebFOCUS — are taking a fresh look at whether their current BI environment still meets the needs of students, faculty, administrators, and leadership.
If your institution relies on WebFOCUS today, here are five common signs institutions tell us they experience when evaluating whether it’s time to explore new reporting approaches.
1. IT is Handling More Reporting Work Than Ever
Institutions using WebFOCUS frequently share that their IT teams spend substantial time supporting report creation, troubleshooting, or adjustments. Over time, this level of involvement can strain resources and slow strategic progress.
2. Users Rely on Workarounds
When WebFOCUS feels challenging to navigate, Users often revert to Excel exports, manual reporting, or departmental workarounds. This creates inefficiency and introduces governance challenges.
3. ROI Is Hard to Demonstrate
Some institutions share concerns about whether usage, support requirements, and training demands align with the overall investment in their WebFOCUS environment.
4. Collaboration Feels Cumbersome
Institutions increasingly want to collaborate directly around data — share Dashboards, discuss trends, annotate changes, and work together in real time. When collaboration isn’t seamless, insights stay siloed.
5. Alignment With Future Strategy is Uncertain
Institutions transitioning to SaaS ecosystems, modern data warehouses, or new governance structures sometimes question whether their current WebFOCUS environment provides the flexibility they’ll need over the next decade.
The Tipping Point
Experiencing one or two of these scenarios is manageable. But when several begin stacking up at once, many institutions using WebFOCUS are choosing to explore BI alternatives that offer more intuitive interfaces, stronger governance, and greater independence for Users.
What Institutions Look for When Evaluating Alternatives
When campuses begin exploring new options, they often prioritize:
- Modern, intuitive interfaces
- Governed self-service for User independence
- Reduced report backlogs
- Performance that supports large datasets
- Collaboration features built into the platform
- Strong mobile access
- A predictable cost structure
- Integrations with core systems such as Banner or Colleague
Your Next Step
If your institution uses WebFOCUS and is reassessing its long-term reporting strategy, we’re happy to share how other campuses are modernizing their approach.
