What Are the Benefits of Banner?

Introduction:

Sungard SCT (SCT) is a leading provider of software and services to higher educational institutions.  With headquarters in Malvern, Pennsylvania, SCT has more than 1,650 employees serving more than 1,300 higher education clients worldwide.

SCT’s client base represents a very large cross-section of higher education.  SCT’s clients include two- and four-year colleges, technical and community colleges, universities, and statewide higher education systems.  Enrollments range from 1,000 to over 50,000 students.  Of all the colleges and universities in the United States, 45 percent have one or more SCT applications; 48 percent of the students in the United States attend a college or College served by SCT systems; and SCT has a 98.5 percent client retention rate.  This is a testament to the flexibility of their software solutions and viability as a solutions provider for Oakton Community College.

SCT is committed to evolving the SCT Banner suite of administrative software so that it remains on the leading edge of product development in higher education.  SCT was the first company to introduce Web self-service applications and, through an alliance with WebCT, the first to offer an integrated portal and e-learning solution.  SCT Banner is completely internet-native with no code on the desktop.  SCT has confirmed its commitment to the dynamic evolution of SCT Banner by announcing a multi-million dollar investment in Banner in the form of enhancements to the product line.

What Does This Mean to Oakton Community College?

There are many benefits to Oakton in choosing an established, financially stable software and services vendor such as SCT:

• Because of its extensive client base, SCT will continue to develop its applications using technologies and platforms that are current and supportable.  While Oakton’s current OakSTAR system has served Oakton well, its operating environment and architecture are inconsistent with current technological standards and practices.  The SCT software packages will replace the OakSTAR system.
  
  
• Oakton will have the opportunity to work and consult with SCT staff who have implemented similar systems in other higher educational institutions and can recommend to us “best practices” that will enable us to use the SCT software most effectively.
  
  
• Oakton will have the opportunity to collaborate with other SCT clients through user conferences, advisory councils, user boards, and similar venues.  This will enable Oakton to see how other clients have used the software and will provide a forum to which Oakton can take problems and issues.
  
  
• As a financially stable vendor, SCT has the resources to continue to enhance and improve its software.  Indeed, SCT’s vision is to transform its software beyond traditional administrative systems to offer a full range of solutions to create a truly digital campus.  In SCT’s vision, a digital campus is composed of user-centric systems, rather than department-centric; is interoperable, extensible, and open to growth, incorporating new solutions and evolving as the institution’s needs change; is flexible in the array of technology choices, offering a choice of platform, application, device, etc.; and is comprehensive and robust enough to provide a total solution tailored to all of Oakton Community College’s unique and multi-faceted needs.

What Is Included in the Banner System?

SCT has proposed the Banner Student, Self-Service for Students, Self-Service for Faculty and Advisors module.  Imagine self-service, online capabilities across your entire institution… your students, faculty, and staff can access and update their own information any time, any place, on any net, with any browser.  Prospective students can apply for admission, and current students can register for classes with immediate results through a familiar medium.  That information is then immediately available  to aid faculty in updating schedules, advise and grade students, and manage instructional activities.

In addition, we are also implementing the Luminis Basic Data Integration for e-Learning web portal, which provides the platform and data integration technologies to institutions seeking a comprehensive, integrated entry point into a digital campus.  This platform integrates and supports a wide variety of technologies and provides a single sign-on for all services, customized to meet the specific needs of students, faculty, or staff.

Students, faculty, and staff benefit from access to real-time synchronized data, especially when the data is important to their individual needs and performance objectives.  The SCT Luminus Data Integration for e-Learning tracks the authoritative source of application-specific data, ensuring data integrity in support of inter-office processes for course catalog management, class scheduling, class enrollment, registration add/drop, grade book, and other academic information sources.

 

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