Unlocking the Strategic Value of IT Investments in Higher Education
With nearly 50 years of experience and a reputation as a go-to thought leader for navigating complex technology challenges, Charlie Moran, Chief Executive Officer, Moran Technology Consulting, has seen the industry transform many times over and has built a firm around that perspective. Founded in 2004, Moran Technology Consulting (Moran) is a leading IT consulting firm serving higher education, while also delivering services to K-12 and public sector clients across 40+ states and 11 countries. Offering a full range of IT Management Consulting, Information Security, ERP Project Management, and Data & Analytics services, Moran's vendor-independent team is focused on helping organizations capture the full strategic value of their technology investments.
Moran Technology Consulting began with a philosophy that was forged over decades of Moran’s experience at IBM, which was refined through years of client work and built on a simple but powerful idea of taking care of the customer for the long haul. "I grew up in the old IBM culture, and that culture was built around the customer," Moran reflects. "When you make a recommendation, you stay to see it through. The measure of success was never the engagement itself, but whether the client was better off because of the solution provided.” Having served over 350 institutions and completed more than 975 projects, Moran averages nearly three engagements per client, a testament to the trust it has built across the higher education community. "When a client comes back and says, 'you solved problem A, can you help us with B?', that's the real measure of whether you've done your job successfully," says Moran. "Repeat business in this industry isn't given, it’s earned."
Unlike many competitors, Moran Technology does not install the ERP software it recommends; a deliberate decision that keeps the firm's interests fully aligned with those of its clients. "We are completely vendor independent, and we intend to stay that way," Moran explains. "There is significantly more revenue in implementation work, but our value to clients lies in our objectivity. They know that every recommendation we make is driven by what is right for them, not what is right for us. That integrity is what has fueled our growth and our referrals for over two decades."
"EdgeMarket has been a tremendous asset for our clients, particularly public institutions that want to work with a competitively vetted firm without going through the lengthy and often burdensome RFP process. We were already familiar with Edge, and when the opportunity came to formally join through a competitive bid, we pursued it without hesitation. The ability to tell a client that we have already been competitively selected and that they can engage us directly through the cooperative removes a significant barrier and allows us to get to work faster on understanding their challenges and finding solutions.”
– Charlie Moran
Chief Executive Officer
Moran Technology Consulting
Committed to Client Success
From community colleges navigating resource constraints to major research universities managing the complexity of multi-campus systems, Moran recognizes that every institution brings its own culture, priorities, and challenges to the table. That breadth of experience has given the team a rare depth of understanding that goes well beyond technology. "The reach of our work has always been driven by client need, not geography," says Moran. "I remember meeting a CIO from Australia at EDUCAUSE who had spent hours walking the conference floor looking for the right partner. He told me he had visited ten booths, and every single one pointed him in our direction. That kind of referral, from peers who have experienced our work firsthand, is the most meaningful validation we can receive.”
That culture of connection is perhaps best captured in one of Moran's most distinctive and unexpected points of pride, their Client Mug Shots page. Featuring pictures of coffee mugs from every institution the company has served, the page has become a living gallery of the firm's client relationships. “The idea started by collecting coffee mugs from the institutions we had worked with and displaying them in my basement," says Moran. "My wife suggested we put them on the website, and our son came up with the name 'Mugshots.' What surprised us was the response. Clients began reaching out to make sure their mug was represented. It became something people wanted to be a part of, and that told us everything about the relationships we had built. Our clients have been extraordinary in their willingness to serve as references and recommend us to their peers. That word of mouth, built over two decades of delivering on what we promise, has been the foundation of everything we have grown."
That same sense of accountability that defines the company’s client relationships traces directly back to Moran’s early days at IBM, where the culture of client commitment was deeply ingrained. "When you make a recommendation, you stay to see it through. On the rare occasion when something has not gone as planned, we have gone back to clients and told them something went wrong, even when they hadn't noticed. We are committed to resolving any issues and ensuring customer satisfaction.”
As the firm's reputation grew, so did the opportunity to think differently about its future. Rather than pursuing traditional growth paths, Moran made a deliberate choice of selling the company to its own employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). "We built this firm on the belief that the people around you are everything,” says Moran. “Transitioning to an ESOP was a natural extension of that philosophy. Our consultants receive shares annually, building meaningful equity over time as part of their retirement. The people who helped build this firm deserve to share in its success, and this ensures that the culture and values we have worked to establish are carried forward by the people who understand them best."
“Whether we are working with a major research university or a small liberal arts college, the goal is always the same: a pragmatic solution that is actionable and scaled to what that institution actually needs. Smaller institutions are often more creative out of necessity and cannot afford to waste resources. And right now, with so many schools facing enrollment challenges and stretched staff, that kind of focused, practical guidance matters more than ever."
– Charlie Moran
Chief Executive Officer
Moran Technology Consulting
Forging Impactful Partnerships
Contributing to the strength and advancement of higher education is central to Moran's mission, from expanding access and increasing excellence to helping institutions build the resilience they need to thrive. As an EDUCAUSE Mission Partner, Moran shares their expertise with the EDUCAUSE community through research, webinars, conference sessions, and the sponsorship of awards and scholarships. "EDUCAUSE provides tremendous value to the institutions we serve, and supporting that mission is an extension of our own commitment to higher education. We are committed to helping higher education leaders navigate strategic decisions through complexity and change and organizations like EDUCAUSE make that work possible by keeping the entire community informed, connected, and moving forward.”
Moran's commitment to making its services as accessible as possible to higher education institutions led the firm to another important partnership. Seeing the value EdgeMarket offered, Moran wanted to simplify the procurement process and remove barriers for institutions seeking qualified consulting services. "EdgeMarket has been a tremendous asset for our clients, particularly public institutions that want to work with a competitively vetted firm without going through the lengthy and often burdensome RFP process,” says Moran. “We were already familiar with Edge, and when the opportunity came to formally join through a competitive bid, we pursued it without hesitation. The ability to tell a client that we have already been competitively selected and that they can engage us directly through the cooperative removes a significant barrier and allows us to get to work faster on understanding their challenges and finding solutions.”
That streamlined access has translated directly into results. In just the past two years, Moran has secured more than half a dozen contracts through the platform, which continues to grow as EdgeMarket expands its reach across new states. "What makes the platform particularly valuable is the way it compounds our existing relationships. We will hear from a new institution whose CFO came from a school we worked with years ago, and they already know our reputation before we have spoken. EdgeMarket gives those conversations a clear and immediate path forward. Referrals come from every direction, and having a vehicle like EdgeMarket ensures we are ready to respond when they do."
"When you make a recommendation, you stay to see it through. The measure of success was never the engagement itself, but whether the client was better off because of the solution provided. Having served over 350 institutions and completed more than 975 projects, Moran averages nearly three engagements per client, a testament to the trust it has built across the higher education community. "When a client comes back and says, 'you solved problem A, can you help us with B?', that's the real measure of whether you've done your job successfully. Repeat business in this industry isn't given, it’s earned."
– Charlie Moran
Chief Executive Officer
Moran Technology Consulting
Building Lasting Relationships
With an expansive service portfolio, Moran has built a practice that is both comprehensive and deeply specialized. In a landscape that ranges from global consulting giants to boutique firms, Moran says to remain competitive, the key is never trying to be everything to everyone, but rather being exceptionally good at what matters most to the institutions they serve. "Sometimes it comes down to price. When you look at the large firms, their pricing has to support multiple layers of partners and overhead. Our model is different. We are lean by design, which means our clients get senior-level expertise without the premium that comes with a larger firm's structure.”
"We are very particular about the spaces we work in, and we have built genuine expertise in each of them,” Moran continues. “Our cybersecurity practice, for example, is nationally recognized in higher education. When those consultants provide references, they are pointing to institutions like UC San Diego, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and the University of Florida. That kind of credibility speaks for itself. Most importantly, we have built a reputation on delivering solutions that are practical, scalable, and tailored to the realities of each institution, regardless of size. We do not believe in boilerplate solutions. Whether we are working with a major research university or a small liberal arts college, the goal is always the same: a pragmatic solution that is actionable and scaled to what that institution actually needs. Smaller institutions are often more creative out of necessity and cannot afford to waste resources. And right now, with so many schools facing enrollment challenges and stretched staff, that kind of focused, practical guidance matters more than ever."
As higher education faces one of its most challenging periods in recent history with funding pressures, enrollment shifts, and rapid technological change, Moran says the firm’s commitment to clients in difficult times is what defines them most. "We are always focused on what is best for the institution, both in the short term and the long term. Sometimes the most valuable advice we can give is to slow down. It would be nice to have the newest, most sophisticated solution available, but if the timing is not right, the right answer may be to maximize what you already have. Clients are sometimes surprised to hear that, but our job is to give them an honest assessment, not the most expensive one.
"When we complete a project, I always tell clients the same thing: you are one of our clients now, and that does not end when the engagement does. If a challenge comes up in a leadership meeting, or an idea worth exploring surfaces over the weekend, reach out. We will get on the phone, talk it through, and I will share what we are seeing across other institutions that might be relevant. Higher education is navigating a genuinely difficult period right now, and the pressures institutions are facing are real. Our responsibility is to be a steady, trusted partner that helps them think clearly, plan wisely, and make decisions that serve their communities well into the future. Practical guidance, honest counsel, and a long-term view has been the foundation of everything we do at Moran for over two decades, and it will continue to be the commitment we bring to every institution we are privileged to serve going forward."