University IT is at an inflection point.

For decades, enterprise architecture in Higher Education has centred on core systems — SMSs, CRMs, LMSs, ERPs — extended to meet institutional needs. In reality, this has led to a proliferation of disconnected, tactical solutions. The result? High complexity, poor data flow, deep technical debt, and limited capacity to respond to change.

That pattern is now breaking. Two forces are reshaping what’s possible, and what’s required.

The emergence of the MortarCAPS Higher Learning Data Standard (MCDS) supports a new kind of shared data foundation within and across institutions. At the same time, AI is reducing the cost and effort of building and maintaining fit-for-purpose solutions.

Together, they challenge a long-held assumption: that value must sit inside large,monolithic systems.

In this session, Kyle Dunsire, Founder of Ingenuity Partners & Board Member of MCDS, will explore how these shifts are already reshaping university architecture in practice. Drawing on real-world work across the sector, he will unpack what a leaner, more sustainable model looks like: fewer core platforms, complemented by AI-enabled solutions aligned through shared data standards rather than stitched together through integration.

The implication is significant: less time managing integrations, more capacity to focus on strategic capability.

Attendees will leave with a clear perspective on where the current model is breaking down, how AI and MCDS change the economics of architecture, and the practical steps they can take now to reduce integration debt, rethink platform strategy, and move toward a more agile, future-ready digital core.