Cloud Tech Changed the Rules. Support Models Must Catch Up.
It's official. Higher ed needs a new support model. One that is built for the cloud era.
For decades, higher education institutions have organized support work into familiar lanes:
Functional
Data
Technical
On top of that, each office has traditionally owned its own slice of the student experience, managing processes independently and handing work off at departmental boundaries.
That model made sense in a world of heavily customized, on-premise systems. But today’s cloud platforms work differently and the old structure no longer fits.
Modern systems are configuration-driven, easier to integrate, and far less dependent on custom development. Yet many institutions are still trying to support them using operating models designed for a different era.
The result is a campus with fragmented decisions and a student experience that feels disjointed.
We see this tension everywhere. Institutions are constrained by structures that haven’t evolved as fast as the technology.
To move forward, higher ed needs a stronger, more connected support model built around collaboration, clarity, and continuous improvement.
Here’s what that looks like in practice.
1. Shared Definitions and Clear Language
Less rigid governance and more practical alignment.
Simply asking, “What exactly do we mean here?” prevents downstream confusion, rework, and frustration. Shared definitions build trust across teams and speed up decision-making. Institutions that normalize clarification move faster with fewer missteps.
2. Techno-Functional Collaboration
Cloud systems blur traditional boundaries.
Functional staff benefit from understanding how data behaves and why validation matters. Technical staff benefit from deeply understanding operational realities before designing solutions. The most effective teams don’t operate as separate experts. Instead, they develop shared understanding and respect across roles.
3. A Central Orchestration Role
Most institutions lack a role focused on horizontal alignment.
While senior leaders appropriately focus on strategy, day-to-day coordination across operations, policy, data, and technology often falls through the cracks. Institutions need a function that connects the dots, surfaces tradeoffs, and ensures decisions align with institutional goals and student success.
4. Low-Cost Learning and a “Draft” Culture
Sustainable change isn’t driven by one-time training.
Short learning modules, job shadowing, shared glossaries, and lightweight peer review build real capability over time. Just as important is adopting a draft mindset. This means treating processes as things to refine, not finalize. Institutions that embrace iteration adapt faster and build more resilient operations.
The Opportunity Ahead in the Cloud for Higher Ed Institutions
Cloud technology gives higher education a real opportunity to rethink how work gets done. But technology alone won’t drive transformation.
Progress requires shared responsibility, broader roles, humility, and psychological safety to ask questions. With the right support model, institutions can move faster, reduce friction, and create a better experience for both students and staff.
About Legato Strategic Consulting
Legato Strategic Consulting helps higher education institutions modernize operations alongside technology, focusing on people, processes, and sustainable change. We partner with campuses to design support models that actually work in today’s cloud environment.
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