Picture this: it’s the 1920s and Hollywood is in chaos. A new technology called “talkies” has just arrived and the entire film industry has to make a choice. Adapt fast or fall behind.
Warner Brothers embraced the tech and led the way. MGM, Paramount and Universal waited too long and went into crippling debt trying to catch up. Many smaller studios folded entirely.
Sound familiar?
UK universities are facing their own “talkie moment” right now. Over 40% are operating in deficits. Student drop-out rates have soared to 41,630, costing £1.6 billion in lost tuition fees. 91% have suffered cyber attacks. Legacy systems are draining budgets, exhausting staff and frustrating students.
The parallels to 1920s Hollywood are striking. And the question is the same: will you adapt before it’s too late?
The cost of standing still
Digital transformation isn’t optional anymore. The evidence is overwhelming. Legacy systems are costing universities dearly through student churn, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and operational inefficiency. But knowing you need to change and actually making it happen are two very different things.
That’s because decision-makers face impossible pressures. Complex stakeholder networks. Tighter budgets than ever. Fast-moving technology. Evolving student expectations. And the nagging question: how do you justify the disruption, cost and impact of transformation when you’re already stretched thin?
Four challenges keeping you awake at night
Our new whitepaper explores the critical challenges facing university decision-makers right now:
1
Governance and collaborative ownership
How do you drive fast ROI without shouldering all the blame when things go wrong?
2
Data silos and fragmented systems
How do you get a reliable view of students when information is scattered everywhere and your teams are exhausted from constantly patching problems?
3
Trust and transparency
How do you guarantee fairness, cut bias and build stakeholder confidence in an age of AI and automation?
4
Student experience and retention
How do you support students throughout their journey without burning out your teams?
Real solutions, real results
Through real-world case studies, you’ll discover how universities are breaking free from legacy systems and achieving clear governance, unified data accessible in real-time, AI-driven insights that predict risk and streamlined student journeys with fewer bottlenecks.
The universities that thrive will be the ones that act decisively. The ones that refuse to be the silent film star in a talkie’s world.
What happens next?
You can keep spinning 15 plates (broken ones, at that). You can keep shouldering the blame for systems that were never designed for today’s challenges. You can watch better-equipped competitors pull further ahead.
Or you can make like Warner Brothers and embrace the change that’s already here.
The cost of inaction is catastrophic. The time to act is now.
Sound Decisions: Why UK universities must act on digital transformation now
Download our whitepaper to discover how AI, Modern Data Platform and cloud solutions tackle these challenges head-on. And see the measurable results other universities are already achieving.
