Technical Debt
An EDUCAUSE QuickPoll reveals how budget constraints are limiting colleges’ ability to upgrade data and IT systems. Long-term financial obligations drain resources needed for critical technology updates and innovation, forcing many institutions to delay essential projects. Most report steady or rising debt service, and fewer than one in five leaders feel confident managing these pressures long term. Budget limitations increasingly undermine decisions once focused on data modernization and growth. Meanwhile, many colleges accumulate technical debt by postponing key updates or relying on short-term fixes, compounding challenges and making modernization more difficult. “Technical debt” is widespread across higher education, bringing both risks and some benefits. Cybersecurity supports lag, and smaller institutions are especially burdened by compounding debts. Read story →