University of Melbourne saves on IT costs with Rimini support deal

The University of Melbourne has selected Rimini Support, Rimini Protect and Rimini Connect for the support, protection and integration of its Oracle software systems.

The University operates an extensive ERP environment that supports back-office functions including financial management, HR and payroll transactions, and has over 300 customisations to cater for specialised operational processes and data flows.

By choosing Rimini Street for its Oracle systems support, the University of Melbourne has removed the requirement to undertake system upgrades unless there is a clear and justified business case, allowing it to avoid the operational risk and costs commonly associated with forced updates. The University also retains greater flexibility to determine the direction and timing of its IT investments according to its own priorities.

Daniel Buttigieg, Director of Enterprise Technology at the University of Melbourne, highlighted the financial benefits of the move, noting its impact on student access and digital service development.

"The savings we're achieving by moving to Rimini Street are enabling us to reinvest and refocus on developing new digital solutions and enhancing online access for our users."

The move to Rimini Street supports the University's ongoing strategy to enhance student experiences by prioritising targeted digital innovation. The University of Melbourne currently serves around 55,000 students and employs some 10,000 staff.

Support for customised systems

The ERP system managed by the University's enterprise technology division is highly customised, with more than 300 modifications to address specific workflow needs across finance, HR and payroll. Historically, the University relied on vendor support from Oracle, which did not cover these custom modules. This created support response delays, often resulting in unresolved support tickets for extended periods.

Buttigieg detailed some of the operational challenges prior to the transition:

"Before Rimini Street, in order for us to remain supported by the vendor, we had to continually upgrade on their timeline just so when we put in a ticket, they don't come back to us and say, 'Sorry, but you're not on a version we support anymore," said Buttigieg. "We were stuck in a perpetual cycle of upgrades, each one taking months of preparation, testing and deployment. The risks were equally high. If an upgrade or security patching goes wrong, we could lose access to things like our ERP or identity management system, which can be catastrophic for an organisation of our size and the number of staff and students that we have."

Referring to the value received from previous vendor support, Buttigieg commented:

"We weren't seeing an investment in the platform that was appropriate to the size of the support cost that we were paying. So, by moving over to Rimini Street and not getting access to those newer releases really wasn't impacting us because we weren't seeing the value of that investment through our support costs."

Reducing disruption, increasing control

Since moving to Rimini Street, Buttigieg reported that the University's IT division no longer needs to commit resources to unnecessary and time-intensive system upgrades. The direct support model allows the team to maintain focus on initiatives that align with the University's objectives.

"Rimini Support keeps our systems running smoothly, Rimini Protect offers us proactive protection against threats and vulnerabilities, and Rimini Connect extends the life of our existing release. This is all without having to perform another upgrade," Buttigieg said.

As a component of the new support arrangement, the University also implemented Rimini Connect for Email, which provides ongoing compatibility with email services and incorporates current security protocols.

Wider sector context

Dion Rooney, Vice President, Industry Team and Retail Solutions at Rimini Street, addressed the broader challenges faced by higher education institutions seeking to balance operational efficiency with the need for technology-driven innovation.

"The education industry is highly competitive, and staying on the forefront of innovation requires investment of people, time and money.

We've helped many higher learning institutes across Australia, New Zealand and abroad, accelerate their timeline to executing their vision simply by providing better support and the ability to optimise and redirect their resources towards modernisation and strategic initiatives. Now that's a smart move that both the school and students can equally benefit from."

The University of Melbourne's adoption of Rimini Street support, protection and integration services forms part of its strategy to improve digital infrastructure, lower support costs and direct resources towards educational outcomes and student experience.