Over the past nine months, Webster University has undertaken an evaluation of its global IT supply chain, resulting in
agreements with Adobe,a software company; Cisco, a network infrastructure provider; and Qualtrics, a provider of enterprise
research software that will develop deeper relationships with these three critical supply chain providers on a global basis.
ST. LOUIS, April 16, 2013 – Over the past nine months, Webster University has undertaken an evaluation of its global
IT supply chain, resulting in agreements with Adobe, a software company; Cisco, a network infrastructure provider; and
Qualtrics, a provider of enterprise research software that will develop deeper relationships with these three critical supply
chain providers on a global basis.
With campus locations on four continents, Webster is uniquely structured to serve the higher education market; similar to
Fortune 1000 organizations, as it has a global footprint.
Additional benefits of the new agreements include enhancements for Webster in pricing, logistics, delivery of IT services
and better customer support, elimination of duplication of supply chain provider services and substantial savings from reduced
licensing fees and maintenance costs. Overall, these agreements are expected to result in annual minimum savings of ten percent
for the University.
“With multiple brick-and-click campuses in Europe, Thailand, Ghana (Fall of 2013) and locations in China, these new
agreements with Adobe, Cisco and Qualtrics simultaneously streamline and strengthen our Supply Chain,” said Kenneth
Freeman, vice president and chief information officer for Webster University. “Furthermore, each company understands the
unique space in the higher-ed environment that Webster occupies and is eager to partner in developing new ways with technology,
processes and critical thinking in helping Webster achieve its mission of providing global academic and operational excellence,
taking higher education where it is needed anywhere in the world. These are the first set of agreements, for the University, in
designated verticals within the Supply Chain and there will be a limited set of others as well.”
“Adobe solutions empower faculty, students and staff to collaborate effectively and work more productively through smarter
use and exchange of data,” said Trevor Bailey, director or worldwide education, Adobe. “By taking advantage of Adobe
Enterprise License Agreement, Webster University chose the most cost-effective way to provide better access to industry-standard
tools across all of their global campuses while streamlining IT and license management.”
“We’re excited to be working with Webster University to provide the latest in Cisco Borderless Networks and Unified
Communications technologies, helping to aid in the collaboration between students, faculty and staff across Webster’s
multiple campuses,” said Renee Patton, U.S. Public Sector Director of Education at Cisco. “These tools will enhance the
offerings that Webster University has by allowing their international and U.S. locations to begin sharing in a more visual
environment.”
"Increasingly, colleges and universities are adopting a single, centralized technology platform to facilitate research across
the institution,” said Bryce Winkelman, head of Academic Sales at Qualtrics. “This institutional approach not only reduces
costs, but also makes it easier for faculty to drive the data collection and analysis at the heart of their work while maintaining
their autonomy."
With its home campus in St. Louis, Webster University (www.webster.edu) is the only Tier 1, private, non-profit U.S.-based
university providing a network of international residential campuses. Founded in 1915, Webster University’s campus network
today includes metropolitan, military and corporate locations around the world, as well as traditional residential campuses in Asia,
Europe and North America. The university is committed to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for
global citizenship and inpidual excellence.