Achieving More with Less: Establishing Strategic Partnerships for Continued Success

Wednesday, March 11, 2026 | 11:15AM–12:00PM ET | Room 552 AB
Session Type: Breakout Session
Delivery Format: Presentation/Panel Session
This presentation explores actionable strategies for continuous digital improvement in higher education in the face of tightening budgets. The Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s (WPI) IAM program recently faced dramatic increases to its IAM platform pricing, even while it struggled to fully leverage that solution. Amidst shrinking budgets, WPI was able establish strategic vendor partnerships that enabled them to reduce its total cost of ownership (TCO) while also positioning them to make significant improvements to its digital identity services. Participants will see how clearly defined roles and responsibilities for partner engagement and selection, as well as clearly defined technical, business, and financial requirements created a solid foundation for successful partnerships. The session spotlights the selection of SaaS solutions that not only reduce operating costs but also mitigate risks related to evolving requirements and unpredictable vendor pricing. Highlighting WPI’s real-world experience, we demonstrate approaches that avoid costly, resource-heavy implementations, enabling institutions to adapt swiftly despite limited IT budgets and resources. Finally, the presentation outlines how to choose vendor partners who truly understand the challenges unique to higher education and use agile collaboration to deliver scalable solutions within defined timelines.

Presenters

  • LeeAnn LeClerc

    Chief Information Security & Technology Officer, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

  • Derek Limoseth

    Implementation Practice Lead, Digital Identity & Security, Moran Technology Consulting

  • Vijay Menta

    CIO, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

  • Scott Weyandt

    Vice President, Digital Identity & Security, Moran Technology Consulting

Resources & Downloads

  • Achieving More with Less Presentation

    Updated on 6/14/2026