06 November 2023 
Matt Sisson, Projects and Membership Manager
In 2002, BUFDG published Inside Track, a helpful guide to implementing finance systems in UK universities. For over 20 years, it has been drawn upon by institutions across the country and has helped steer their thinking and planning through what can be a daunting and difficult process.
Back in 2002, ‘cloud’ was very much an emerging concept. Now, the cloud is the default option for hosting IT systems. The benefits and rewards of moving to a modern, cloud-enabled, software as a service (SaaS) set-up can be enormous. This guide is designed to help providers achieve those rewards with a minimum of stress, complexity and unexpected setbacks.
The efficiency, functionality and power of core finance and other ERP systems has hugely increased. The cost proposition has changed too – moving from a largely one-off capital spend profile to a subscription-based model.
BUFDG, together with KPMG, has undertaken a refresh of the guidance to take account of today’s technology, market, and sector trends. In Ahead in the Cloud we have drawn on the experience, thoughts, and advice of several senior Finance, IT and transformation leads in a sample of universities around the country.
We hope that this proves a useful resource for transformation in the sector. If you have any questions, please contact Matt.
