Paving a Path Forward:
SIG's Comprehensive Approach to Higher Education Success
For over three decades, Strata Information Group (SIG) has been the behind-the-scenes backbone for more than 1,000 higher education institutions worldwide, delivering the managed services and solutions that help keep campuses running smoothly. SIG was founded by two CIOs of California community colleges, Henry Eimstad and Frank Vaskelis, who recognized the value that shared expertise could bring to the higher ed community. Over the years, they built a reputation for quality and trust, and focused on supporting the mission of helping institutions and students succeed. “SIG has grown from a two-person vision into what we believe to be the largest higher ed IT consultancy in the country, with over a thousand customers who have used our services,” says Jon Poole, Chief Sales Officer, SIG. “Once Frank and Henry retired and sold SIG to private equity, we acquired a Salesforce, Slate, and a cybersecurity consultancy. SIG then grew its footprint from Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Student Information System (SIS) to customer relationship management (CRM) and cybersecurity. We now have 300 plus consultants, and almost all of them were practitioners at some point in higher education. They bring with them the intent to help institutions be successful, and that mission hasn't changed."
With a solution set spanning throughout the higher education ecosystem, SIG is uniquely positioned to help institutions not just implement technology, but optimize every platform and process. SIG works with colleges and universities to streamline operations and tackle the modern challenges that seem to emerge daily. "We're big believers in efficient processes, workflows, and platforms,” shares Poole. “There's a tendency in all industries to over-customize, and we advocate for making sure you're not putting in a customization that could age badly or create inefficiency down the road. We have strategic advisors and process consultants who ensure the platforms institutions have chosen are truly optimized.
“We also bring real depth in functional consulting, including financial aid, finance, HR, and student services, which are all focused on helping higher education operate as efficiently as possible. At times, we can also augment staff when an outside perspective is needed and provide experienced, mission-aligned support that's often hard to find. The need for outside support ebbs and flows, driven by the seasonality of the higher ed cycle, budget constraints, staff turnover, and the demand for specialized expertise. We help fill all of those gaps.”
“Our partnership with Edge is a natural extension of our broader belief in the power of community, especially in higher education. This industry likes to pool resources and share best practices — and cooperatives are a big part of that culture. Joining Edge allows us to offer best market pricing to customers and improve the efficiency of procurement. There are many times when institutions need speed to solution, and these kinds of partnerships allow us to get in and help as quickly as possible.”
– Jon Poole
Chief Sales Officer
SIG
Tapping into the Power of Community
Following a competitive RFP process, SIG joined EdgeMarket, offering a variety of IT Professional Services, including SaaS Migration Services, Master Data Management (MDM) and Data Warehouse Services, and ERP and CRM Implementation, Upgrades, and Integrations. “Our partnership with Edge is a natural extension of our broader belief in the power of community, especially in higher education,” says Poole. “This industry likes to pool resources and share best practices — and cooperatives are a big part of that culture. Joining Edge allows us to offer best market pricing to customers and improve the efficiency of procurement. There are many times when institutions need speed to solution, and these kinds of partnerships allow us to get in and help as quickly as possible."
Even in a competitive market, SIG prides itself on being a trusted expert that delivers results. “We are tightly aligned with Ellucian, our only technology partner in the ERP and SIS space,” explains Poole. “We've worked with over a thousand institutions in a variety of capacities, and most of them are returning customers. When you hire a consultant, you need depth of experience and someone who is your partner who can anticipate challenges, find solutions, and keep your mission moving forward.”
Keeping Pace with Evolving Technology
As higher education faces mounting pressure from every direction, including enrollment challenges, affordability concerns, rapid technological change, and the ever-growing influence of AI, the institutions best positioned to weather the shift will be those with forward-thinking partners by their side. For SIG, staying ahead of that curve is an ongoing commitment. “There's real pressure right now for institutions to modernize their technology stacks and move systems into the Cloud,” says Poole. “SIG is evolving as we speak, pursuing the latest certifications, badging, and hiring the best consultants. AI and business intelligence are trends we're reading about every day, and our practice leaders put a strong emphasis on continual learning to make sure we're always at the cutting edge of best-of-breed technologies across CRM, ERP, and cybersecurity. There's so much happening right now in our space.
“The eagerness of our customer base to modernize, combined with the rapidly evolving platforms from Ellucian, Salesforce, and others, makes this a busy and exciting time. At the core of it all is student success, including improving speed to graduation and helping students prepare for the modern workforce. Every system we implement, every process we refine, exists to help institutions achieve those goals. That is the heartbeat behind everything we do at SIG. The future of higher ed is full of possibility, and we look forward to being the trusted partner institutions can turn to as they write their next chapter.”
From Ellucian SaaS implementations, Business Process, CRM, Cybersecurity, Project and Change Management to BI, and Analytics, SIG’s extensive consulting services can help your institution reach new levels of success. To learn more, visit edgemarket.njedge.net/home/it-pro-strata-information-group.
"We're big believers in efficient processes, workflows, and platforms. There's a tendency in all industries to over-customize, and we advocate for making sure you're not putting in a customization that could age badly or create inefficiency down the road. We have strategic advisors and process consultants who ensure the platforms institutions have chosen are truly optimized.”
– Jon Poole
Chief Sales Officer
SIG
The Challenge
As the university grew from approximately 1,000 to 3,000 students, processes that once worked effectively at a smaller scale began to place increasing strain on institutional teams.
Leadership recognized the need to modernize processes, improve data accuracy, and ensure the institution’s technology infrastructure could better support both student success and institutional planning.
Key Challenges
- Limited Internal Bandwidth
- Degree Audit Rebuild
- Manual Processes at Scale
- Reporting and Data Complexity
The Turning Point
Rather than attempting to manage complex system improvements entirely internally, the University expanded its partnership with SIG to provide specialized Colleague expertise across functional areas.
This allowed internal teams to focus on student-facing priorities while ensuring that key technical initiatives continued to move forward.
The Solution
Targeted Colleague Expertise
SIG consultants provided hands-on support across several areas critical to institutional operations, including:
- Rebuilding Felician’s degree audit programs following general education changes
- Resolving configuration issues impacting student-facing systems
- Supporting regulatory reporting and improving data flow accuracy
- Assisting with queries, reporting, and functional system troubleshooting
Embedded Partnership Model
Rather than operating as a traditional external vendor, SIG integrated closely with Felician’s internal teams.Consultants provided continuity and responsiveness by:
- Serving as consistent points of contact familiar with Felician’s system configuration
- Supporting departments including the registrar and student financial services
- Providing rapid response for operational questions and system troubleshooting
Key Outcomes
- Improved Student Experience Operational Efficiency
- Reliable Data & Reporting
- Expanded Institutional Capacity
Future Outlook
Through its partnership with SIG, the institution can pursue new improvements while maintaining focus on delivering a high-quality experience for students and supporting long-term institutional growth.
“I was confident because I knew I had SIG. They help me find solutions quickly, the quality of their work comes through every time, and they’ve truly become an extension of our team.”
– Priscilla Kymenko
Vice President
Felician University