Freshworks

The growing complexity of IT environments in higher education—from fragmented campus services to disconnected systems and limited resources—creates challenges for both IT teams and the students, faculty and staff they support. This session explores how IT Service Management/Enterprise Service Management (ITSM/ESM) helps institutions simplify operations and extend service management beyond IT. Discover how ITSM/ESM can streamline workflows, reduce administrative burden and deliver more consistent, consumer-grade service experiences across campus. Through practical insights and real-world examples, this session will highlight how reducing complexity enables teams to do more with less and frees up time to focus on what matters most: supporting student success and improving the campus experience.

During this session, Freshworks and Unisys will share practical strategies to:

• Identify and quantify how IT complexity is draining your budget, productivity and service experience
• Understand how ESM extends service management beyond IT and integrates with ERP and CRM to create a unified, campus-wide operating model
• See how AI eliminates complexity by automating routine tasks and accelerating resolution — without heavy technical lift
• Learn how to implement ESM in phases, starting small, gathering feedback and expanding deliberately
• Assess your institution's IT maturity and understand what it takes to move to the next level