Customer story · Rockhurst University
Cost-effective reporting, delivered securely and simply with Argos
Rockhurst University needed reporting that was affordable, easy, quick to deploy, and secure. An early adopter, it tested Argos before general release and now runs Admissions, Alumni, Finance, Registrar, and IT reporting on it.
Kansas City, Missouri
Private, 4-year university
Argos
- Departments working togetherShared report designs between departments enhanced collaboration.
- Simpler data accessOne tool works across multiple back-end databases.
- Secure, real-time accessEncrypted, real-time access to university data.
Rockhurst University at a glance
1910
Founded
3,000+
Students
300+
Faculty and staff
40+
Undergraduate programs
9
Graduate programs
01
The challenge
IT was flooded with “how many” and “how much”
Getting information to all of its users was a daunting, time-consuming task for Rockhurst University. IT staff were flooded with requests for better access: how many students are enrolled this semester, broken down by region and major? How much is left in my budget right now?
Those requests, along with ever-growing reporting requirements from state and local agencies, highlighted the critical and urgent need for a reporting solution. A committee was formed to identify new products and possible existing solutions.
To be effective, the committee decided, the tool had to be secure, of the highest security. It also had to clear three practical bars.
Cost-effective
With growing budget concerns, the choice was existing tools like Microsoft Access or Oracle reports, or funding something better.
Easy to use
Report writers and end users needed a product that required little training time.
Quick to deploy
Installing and maintaining software on many machines wasn’t an option with limited staff.
The committee spent weeks compiling results. The night before a decision was due, a committee member searching the internet found an Evisions press release describing Argos, a web-based ad hoc reporting tool. The very next day, the committee contacted Evisions CEO Kevin Jones to learn more.
“If we were going to buy something, ideally, it would be from someone we trust, someone we knew provided good products; we knew that was Kevin Jones of Evisions, for us it was kind of a no-brainer.”
Amy Scism · Database Administrator
02
The solution
Testing Argos before anyone else could buy it
An Evisions customer since 2000, Rockhurst prides itself on being an early adopter of Evisions technology, and it now uses every product in the Evisions Enterprise Suite: FormFusion, IntelleCheck, and Argos.
Argos was first installed and tested at Rockhurst in July 2004, well before it was advertised and generally available. The technology staff put it through a number of rigorous tests, built best practices and sample reports, and gave the Evisions development team valuable feedback to ensure the product was tailored to higher education.
Argos rolled out to end users at Rockhurst in December 2004, and its user base and utility have grown substantially since.
Day to day, office by office
Admissions tracks missing application items, cancelled applications, test scores, and application counts, and generates letters and labels. Alumni reports on class gifts, campaigns, and pledges. Finance breaks down budgets by department, reconciles daily cash reports, and calculates total sales, revenue, and expense.
The Registrar runs academic history, students by advisor, graduation audits, holds, and student schedules. IT uses Argos for system and security administration and reporting.
“
Argos continues to amaze me in its technical and functional capabilities. I can go to one place and in a secure, very user friendly way, get to all the data I want.
Matt Heinrich · Associate VP for Facilities & Technology, Rockhurst University
03
The results
One secure place to reach the data
Argos gives Rockhurst a secure and quick way to access university data, and its benefits reach across campus.
Secure, real-time access
Encrypted, real-time access to information.
Shared designs
Report designs shared between departments enhanced collaboration.
One tool, many databases
Simplified data access, with one tool for multiple back-end databases.
Higher productivity
No more waiting every month for a printed budget report.
“
We’ve been a long-time satisfied Argos user. Argos has allowed us to implement effective solutions for day-to-day tasks in several vital business areas, including Admissions, Alumni, Finance and the Registrar’s office
William F. Haefele, Ph.D.
Vice President for Academic Affairs & Student Development
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