Custom API Portals: Streamlining IT Procurement in HE

Custom API portals streamline IT procurement in universities, offering role-based access to pre-approved equipment catalogs. These systems integrate with existing university infrastructure, support single sign-on, and free up IT teams for strategic work while meeting diverse research needs.

We’ve previously explored the importance of providing both students and staff with the right IT at the right times. The unique challenges that this brings are why many universities and higher education institutions are seeking to adopt self-service IT procurement platforms wherever feasible. This frees up in-house IT teams to spend more time on strategic, high-value work. 

Key to this new approach are user-facing IT request portals. These offer staff and researchers role-based access to catalogues of pre-approved IT equipment that they can order at their convenience. In addition, these portals offer selected users or teams the ability to configure the IT equipment they need, or request bespoke solutions, designed by solution architects. 

Universities embracing this approach typically find that it addresses many of the challenges their IT teams face, especially with the increase in research projects that require something that’s not so easily ‘off the shelf’. Those projects, whilst only making up 5% of purchases can sometime create 95% of the headaches IT teams face as it can be a burden on resource of sourcing bespoke solutions . However, not all IT procurement portals are created equal. So, if you are considering adopting this approach, what should you be looking for? 

Make it look and work like your other systems 

It can be jarring for users when they click through from your intranet to a third-party system that does not look anything like a university system. Equally, requiring people to remember yet another username and password at this point can create unnecessary barriers and poor user experience.  Instead, your self-service IT procurement portal needs to align with your university’s branding and give people a similar experience to other university portals they may need to access such as e-learning modules and university e-books.  

This is where the API comes into its own. Integration should be almost seamless and able to be paired with virtually any system that supports API and webhooks. This is essential for universities with legacy or bespoke systems and in-house development capabilities. For institutions with limited internal development resources, a portal that offers an intuitive web-based interface that acts as a frontend API service is also vital. The API should integrate with your Single-Sign-On (SSO) system, so that people can use their university credentials to access it. Often there are guides available for enabling this feature using Microsoft Entra or Okta systems for user access. This aligns with our earlier point about the importance of seamless authentication for a smooth user experience. 

A role-based user experience 

The dynamism of this solution complements the range of IT specialist kits the university community will require. To avoid creating overwhelm, the interface and options that people are presented with when they log in need to be tailored to their role. This requires role-based access, driven by your central identity and access management (IAM) system, such as Microsoft Entra ID. This bespoke interface provides university staff and researchers with an experience tailored specifically to their needs. By offering this level of customisation and integration, custom API portals ensure a seamless fit with current workflows and future IT strategies. 

Integration with day-to-day operations 

In terms of day-to-day operations, the portal can integrate with a wide range of Higher Education systems, including student information systems, human resource and financial systems. The exact integration depends on the intended use case – whether it is for internal staff use, direct end-user access or a combination of both. IT staff can then assign product catalogues in the portal directly to specific groups and users via the API.

The future of IT in education 

The future of IT requirements in higher education lies in creating adaptable, inclusive and technologically advanced research environments. These environments should meet the needs of a diverse research population and prepare them for a rapidly changing workforce. As more data intense research projects are undertaken by universities, the demand for flexibility and bespoke solutions when it comes to IT hardware will continue to increase. An essential component of this infrastructure is an API portal that can seamlessly push reporting into a customer’s IT Asset Management (ITAM) system.  

An API portal that champions flexibility, customisation and varied use cases gives universities both the breadth and depth needed to  equip researchers the tools they need to undertake these important projects . The ease that comes through using a role-based IT catalogue of approved equipment helps to streamline this initiative.  

Moreover, these portals empower institutions to adapt swiftly to evolving technological demands, ensuring researchers to have access to industry-standard tools and resources. By integrating seamlessly with existing university systems and offering tailored experiences for different user groups, these solutions not only enhance operational efficiency but also foster a tech-savvy culture across campus. 

As the higher education landscape continues to evolve, embracing such innovative IT procurement approaches will alleviate the burden on university IT teams. Ultimately, custom API portals represent a strategic investment in both the present functionality and future readiness of higher education institutions. 

By David Furby, CEO and founder of Novatech