Summary
This IDC Perspective highlights the growing need for a more holistic vision of the university campus that goes beyond "smart." In the past, leading universities have attempted to address challenges and gain a competitive advantage by launching "smart campus" initiatives, but these have generally been characterized by disparate and siloed smart solutions. A narrow focus on building smart campuses risks turning universities and colleges into technology projects. A more holistic vision that sets a Connected, Smart, and Sustainable campus as its primary Purpose, as per IDC's PRIME framework, can enable universities and colleges to focus on students and workforce needs more effectively."Achieving a forward-looking, sustainable campus requires rethinking existing processes rather than digitizing the status quo. This requires embracing practices and technologies that can adapt to changes in socioeconomic and environmental conditions, disruptive technologies, and student expectations. Institutions therefore will need to drive initiatives that go beyond environmental sustainability to include societal objectives such as diversity and inclusion, talent development, economic growth, circular economy, safety, and security. These initiatives must be woven into institutional processes and operations to create smarter, sustainable communities for students, constituents, and citizens," said Rimal Likhari, research manager, European Government Insights.
