Strategic Alliance Formed to Help Build a Global Centre of Education Excellence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

King Abdulaziz University (KAU) signs an agreement with International Turnkey Systems Group (ITS), a leading provider of integrated information technology solutions and services to the education industry for the implementation of SunGard Higher Education software solutions to help create a connected digital environment that will transform the institution into a major centre of excellence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.ITS will implement this project in close consultation with SunGard Higher Education.

KAU’s Rector, Professor Osama S. Tayyeb, said: “As one of the largest universities in the Middle East, information technology is fundamental to our strategy at KAU and we are engaging leading technology solution providers such as SunGard Higher Education to help us achieve our vision. This project is a testament to our long term commitment to create a global centre of excellence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and thus prepare graduates to cope with the changing needs of the knowledge economy in the region.”

“ITS is proud to be a key player in this transformational project at KAU. It strengthens our resolve to continue deploying our technical expertise to help build first rate learning environments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and across the region. ITS’ “OneCampus” philosophy offers a unique and innovative approach, by offering Universities a “Socially Integrated Solution”, driven by unmatched Services. As a company we are committed to the support of the development of education, ITS is a major employer across the region and also proud to recruit talented graduates from the Universities that we serve,” said Khaled Faraj Al-Saeid, Managing Director & General Manager, ITS.

Specifically, KAU will deploy the Luminis Portal, Banner Student, Banner Financial Aid, Banner Advancement, Banner Workflow, and Banner Operational Data Store from SunGard Higher Education. All of these solutions will help KAU create a next generation digital campus with collaborative communities and virtual research portals for students, researchers and faculty. Furthermore, the digital campus will enable administrators to work more efficiently as they connect with other campus’ systems and resources. It will also support business processes needed for knowledge sharing, awarding financial aid, and communication with alumni.

Mathew Boice, vice president, EMEA and India, SunGard Higher Education, said: “As one of the largest universities in the GCC, KAU has a critical role in championing the region’s mission for improved quality of and access to higher education. This project is occurring at a turning point in the pursuit of world class education standards for the next generation of Saudis, it is also establishing specific capabilities within the Banner software solutions to address the local needs of higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

To further its strategic role in Higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KAU plans to play a pivotal role in defining a Saudi Banner User Group, bringing the user community together and leading an initiative to create a Saudi version of Banner Student. This would allow all universities using SunGard Higher Education’s Banner Student solution to use the same localized version of the software and share best practices in the use of the solutions in the Kingdom. The User Group will also proactively work with the Saudi authorities to improve reporting transparency and improve opportunities for students.

KAU is the tenth institution in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to deploy Higher Education solutions from SunGard Higher Education for improved constituent services and digitally connected campus community – an indication of the Kingdom’s extraordinary focus on education.

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About King Abdulaziz University
King Abdulaziz University (KAU) carries the name of the establisher of Saudi Arabia- God bless him. This university was established in 1387 H / 1967 G as a national university with a vision to create more opportunities for higher education in the western area of Saudi Arabia.
KAU is not only the largest university in Saudi Arabia, but also one of the most distinguished in terms of some of the unique programs it offers. These include majors in Seas Sciences, Geology, Nuclear Engineering, Medical Engineering, Meteorology and Aviation as well as Mineralization. The university is also considered as one of the pioneers of women education in Saudi Arabia.
The adoption of the government to this young university and the continuous support was of great effect on changing King Abdulaziz University to a modern university with a number of students that now amounts to 140,000 male and female students. The university also occupies a distinguished place among higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia.

King Abdulaziz University includes two separate campuses according to Islamic regulations one for males and another for females. Each of these campuses is provided with all cultural, recreational and athletic facilities, in addition to a big library equipped the most up to date technology to serve students and the teaching staff. Within four decades, the university becomes one of the outstanding higher education institutions on the local and international level.

About ITS
International Turnkey Systems Group (ITS) is a leading integrated information technology solutions and software services provider, offers superior products and services that enable organizations to keep pace with the evolving changes in today's competitive business environment, and to meet future challenges and opportunities.

At ITS, we take pride in a long, proven and successful track record. We implement cutting-edge solutions for numerous valued clients throughout the Middle East and the GCC region, as well as Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Malaysia. Our creative solutions help corporations and organizations to quickly adopt appropriate new technologies that enhance business productivity and enable them to stay ahead of the competition.

ITS was established in 1981 and currently employs more than 3,000 skilled ITS Professionals in 24 offices worldwide. www.its.ws

About SunGard Higher Education
SunGard Higher Education serves colleges, universities and foundations in 40 countries worldwide. Through its Open Digital Campus strategy, SunGard collaborates with the higher education community and provides software and services to help institutions find better ways to teach, learn, manage and connect. www.sungardhe.com

About SunGard
SunGard is one of the world’s leading software and technology services companies. SunGard has more than 20,000 employees and serves 25,000 customers in 70 countries. SunGard provides software and processing solutions for financial services, higher education and the public sector. SunGard also provides disaster recovery services, managed IT services, information availability consulting services and business continuity management software. With annual revenue exceeding $5 billion, SunGard is ranked 380 on the Fortune 500 and is the largest privately held business software and IT services company.

Trademark information: SunGard. Open Digital Campus and the SunGard logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of SunGard Data Systems Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. All other trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.