Banner SaaS Transition: Driving Innovation for a Future-Ready Lehigh

Simply put, SaaS (Software as a Service) is where software is hosted in the cloud and accessed via a web browser or app, rather than being installed and maintained on local devices. Instead of purchasing a license and managing updates yourself, you subscribe to the service, and the provider handles maintenance, security, and upgrades. This allows us to deliver software and services in a more scalable and sustainable way that supports a future-ready model. 

Examples include Google Workspace, Dropbox, and LUapps—applications you use online without needing to install or update them manually. SaaS is scalable, cost-effective, and ideal for businesses, organizations, and individuals who need accessible, always-up-to-date software. 

Moving our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Student Information System (SIS) systems to a SaaS platform will empower faculty and staff with more accessible, user-friendly, and real-time tools to better support students and streamline operations. With automated updates, enhanced collaboration, and reduced reliance on outdated systems, the SaaS migration ensures that Lehigh remains agile and efficient. This will allow us to focus on what truly matters—delivering exceptional education and service.

Key benefits of Future Ready include:

• A better student experience.
• Near real-time data and enhanced reporting to support decision-making.
• Standardized processes that allow us to focus our attention on things that differentiate us.
• Improved and streamlined business processes.
• A modernized system that leverages enhanced availability, scalability, and security with less downtime.
• Ability to deploy new features and updates more quickly for continuous improvement.

Banner to SaaS officially kicked off in fall 2024. The project will be a five year journey that will require us to look for ways to streamline processes by engaging and collaborating with members of the campus community. We will communicate regularly throughout the project as we define our timeline and reach milestones.

• Gathered a large group of stakeholders from across departments for two strategic alignment workshops.
• Deep dives into Payroll, General Ledger, and the Registration process.
• Making Degree Works for all classes (provides students with an academic roadmap that outlines their required courses, tracks credits earned, and updates their cumulative GPA status each semester).
• Identifying features we are currently using that will need to be updated in order to work in a SaaS environment

Student Experience Milestones:

• Degree Works (Live since March) to help students and advisors track degree progress and explore "what-if" scenarios for alternative degree paths.
• Improving the Registration Process (Coming October 2025): making registration smoother by:
  • Streamlining PINs for Priority Registration.
  • Introducing Smarter PINs for undergraduates to easily differentiate terms.
  • Eliminating registration PINs for Graduate Students. 
  • Piloting a Student Planner in the College of Health, which helps students and advisors map out their course sequences.

Administrative Milestones:

• Labor Distribution EPAF (Live as of Sept 8, 2025) allows end users to indicate the index to be charged for payroll by percentage of total pay. Training materials and tools are available now, and in-person group discussion sessions are scheduled. 
• Labor Redistribution Self Service Tool (Live as of Sept 8, 2025) enables end users to make corrections to payroll disbursements retroactively. Training materials and tools are available now, and in-person group discussion sessions are scheduled. 
• MyJournal is a new way to process financial reallocation of expenses. This tool will be piloted and rolled out to the broader campus later this fiscal year to replace the current processes. 
• Desktop Finance replacement is being built and piloted by a small group of users. This dynamic reporting tool is anticipated to be live for all campus users later this academic year. This timeline will be clearer throughout the fall semester.
• Review of Lehigh’s Data Governance Structure: An extensive review of Lehigh’s current processes and structure was conducted, resulting in a report that both highlights the current state and provides a roadmap for streamlining and improving Data Governance at Lehigh.

Follow status updates and other project information on our tracker page (authentication required).