Enterprise Application Integration in Education

Introduction Although the Internet was a result of government and university collaboration, the digital tsunami that has blown through various industries has barely affected the way higher education institutions conduct business. However the winds of change are now slowly starting to affect these institutions as colleges and universities take a page from dot.com businesses and ramp up front and back-end systems by using EAI and other technologies such as portals to transform the business of education. Legacy data that includes student information systems, human resources, academic and administrative records are being web-enabled to provide better access to institution stakeholders. This is being done partly to improve internal efficiency and workflow, but is also a result of external competition from private e-Learning institutions. It is ironic that although the Internet was a product of advanced research project that has its genesis in academia, it has taken such a long time to permeate the ivory towers of education.