Data Migration in the Higher Education Sector. (Part 1)

In this two-part blog series, we explore how Durham University tackled a major ERP system replacement with the help of binary10. Part 1 focuses on the early challenges, risks, and insights shared by those who led the journey.

Across the higher education (HE) sector, data plays a crucial role. Universities are large, complex organisations, and when technology changes, the need to migrate data between different systems becomes of critical importance.

binary10 has worked with Durham University on an ERP system replacement project to migrate data from the legacy system to a new one. We spoke to three people involved in that project to gather their insights and learnings from the project, and highlight some key areas that universities need to focus on when undertaking similar large-scale data migration programmes.

We spoke to:

• Steve Leggeter

Former Programme Director for Durham University’s Finance and Procurement Next Generation Programme, who is responsible for data migration in one of England’s oldest and most prestigious universities.

• James Blake

CEO of binary10, a data migration consultancy. James manages complex projects across a variety of sectors and has worked on dozens of migrations over the last fifteen years.

• Danielle Philips

Managing Director of Inside Out Communications, an internal communications consultancy that worked on the Durham University project to ensure all stakeholders were informed throughout the process.

This two-part blog covers:

1. Things are going to get better

2. What can go wrong

3. People, processes and planning

4. Conclusion

5. About binary10

In this one, you will read about how things are going to get better and what can go wrong!

Things are going to get better!

No one takes the decision to remove legacy tech lightly. In HE, there could be thousands of staff and tens of thousands of students accessing systems daily and the human cost of moving platforms is high.

And that’s only when you get the project live. Before then, there are thousands of hours of work to do to select a new provider, plan the roll out and then do the work to be ready for the live cut over.

So why bother? Your organisation may be implementing a new system for several reasons, which could include:

• Your current software solution may no longer be fit for purpose as you grow.

• A new software provider may offer better value for money.

• Technological advances may have left your current system obsolete, difficult and costly to maintain, and without the right capabilities in-house to manage it.

Whatever the reason, there’s a point where every university realises that the ‘as is’ state is not helping the organisation achieve its objectives. You want things to get better for the organisation and the current system or provider don’t fit with those goals.

Often the next stage can take time. Securing funding, understanding the scale and scope of the project, liaising with stakeholders and running a procurement process can take years in some instances.

This process is designed to find the best value in the market, but also to create a vision - a picture of the future - that the new solution will provide. This is essential because, like most organisations, there is an unwillingness amongst HE staff to embrace change.

As research from behavioral science shows, people will accept the certainty of a known, but inferior solution over the uncertainty and learning curve of a new, but better solution.

While much of the work at this early stage is with a small group of stakeholders, it’s important to keep in mind how this vision of the future will be created and shared with the whole organisation once the project comes to life.

What can go wrong!

The accuracy of your (?) data is mission-critical.

As you launch a new ERP system, the scope and scale of what needs to be migrated from the legacy system begin to grow.

And it’s all critical to the smooth operation of the university.

Staff payroll, paying suppliers, providing data to funders, recruitment, keeping accurate records for overseas students' visas, student grades, and building access… the list is huge.

When migrating data to a new system, there is no option for it to be done almost correctly - it has to be done right the first time.

Yet the importance of migrating this data is often overlooked at an early stage in many projects.

This report found three areas that are common to data migration projects that are struggling to meet their objectives.

1. Starting too late

2. No time for data reconciliation

3. Poor process

These three issues - starting too late, skipping reconciliation, and unclear processes are unfortunately all too common in higher education data migration projects. As we’ve seen, even institutions with strong programme governance can find themselves on the back foot when data migration isn’t prioritised early enough.

But these are challenges that can be solved. The key is recognising the warning signs and taking action before they escalate. A strong migration strategy isn’t just about systems - it’s about people, planning, and the right mindset.

In Part 2, we’ll explore how Durham University addressed these very issues. We’ll look at the steps they took to build trust across teams, how they structured processes for long-term success, and why embedding communication into every stage helped keep their project on track.