Embark Campus

Discovery & Requirements Gathering (2–6 weeks)

• Stakeholders: IT, facilities, HR, security, student services (if applicable), procurement.

• Activities: current state workflows, data sources, integration needs, regulatory concerns, performance/sla expectations.

• Deliverables: Requirements document, high‑level architecture, risk and gap analysis.

Solution Architecture & Planning (1–3 weeks)

• Define target state architecture, data model, integration points, security model, and rollback plan.

• Develop project plan with milestones, resource plan, and risk mitigation.

Data Preparation & Migration Planning (2–8 weeks)

• Data inventory, mapping from legacy systems, data cleansing, deduplication strategy.

• Migration windows, test plan, rollback procedures.

Environment Setup & Configuration (2–6 weeks)

• Provisioning of environments (dev/test/stage/production).

• System configuration: modules enabled, role-based access, workflows, locales.

• Initial integration configuration with core systems (ERP, HRIS, SIS, CRM, payment gateways, etc.).

Customizations & Extensions (variable; 2–12 weeks)

• Custom workflows, forms, reports, dashboards.

• Custom APIs or middleware for data exchange.

• UI/UX tweaks and branding.

Data Migration & Validation (2–6 weeks)

• Import, mapping validation, reconciliation, user acceptance testing (UAT).

• Data quality checks and error resolution.

Security, Compliance & Audit (ongoing during project)

• Access controls, encryption in transit/at rest, compliance mapping (e.g., GDPR, FERPA, HIPAA depending on domain).

• Security testing and penetration testing as required.

Training & Enablement (2–4 weeks)

• Admin training, end‑user training, knowledge base, sandbox practice.

Cutover / Go‑Live (0–2 weeks)

• Final data sync, go/no‑go decision, rollback plan rehearsals.

• Post‑go‑live hypercare support.

Post‑Go‑Live Support & Optimization (ongoing)

• Stabilization period (30–90 days typical).

• Performance tuning, additional small enhancements, governance establishment.

Configured vs. Custom:

• Configured (recommended): Use built‑in modules, workflows, and BI dashboards with parameterization.

• Custom (need validation): Customizations to business logic, data models, UI components, or middleware integrations.

Common Customization Areas:

• Custom forms, approval workflows, and routing rules.

• Role‑based access controls and permission schemas.

• Data model extensions and field mappings.

• API endpoints and webhooks for integrations.

• Reports and dashboards with bespoke metrics.

• Localization and branding (languages, themes).

Considerations & Trade‑offs:

• Customizations can increase upgrade complexity and maintenance burden.

  
  Extension points via official APIs or iPaaS connectors are preferred over hard‑coded changes.
  Clear change management and rollback plans are essential.

Typical Lead Time for Customizations:

• Simple form/workflow adjustments: days to a few weeks.

• Moderate data model or API work: 2–6 weeks.

• Large, strategic customization (core process reengineering): 2–4+ months.

Upgrade & Maintenance Impacts:

• Custom code may require re‑testing during major version upgrades.

• Vendors often provide a road map indicating supported customization approaches.

Setup / Implementation Fees (one‑time):

• Typical range: $20,000–$150,000+ depending on scope, modules, and complexity.

• Includes: requirements workshops, environment provisioning, data migration, initial integration work, and basic training.

Licensing / Subscriptions (recurring):

• Per‑seat or per‑user licensing or tiered subscription.

• Annual fees often cover core platform access, updates, and standard support.

• Volume discounts for large user bases or multi‑site deployments.

Professional Services (optional):

• Dedicated project management, solution architecture, advanced integrations, or data migration services.

• Time‑and‑materials or fixed‑price engagement.

Custom Development Costs (optional):

• APIs, connectors, or bespoke modules

• Typically priced per hour or per deliverable; larger projects may require a milestone-based plan.

Maintenance & Support (recurring):

• Usually a percentage of annual license or a fixed monthly fee.

• Levels: Standard/Business, Premium/Enterprise.

• Inclusions: access to updates, product patches, critical incident response, and knowledge base.

Training & Enablement (optional or included):

• Admin and user training sessions.

• Documentation and onboarding materials.

• Some packages include a starter training, others bill per session.

Hosting & Infrastructure (if not cloud‑hosted by vendor):

• Cloud hosting vs. on‑premises costs.

• Cloud costs depend on compute, storage, backups, and data transfer.

Data Migration & Integration Costs:

• One‑time costs for data cleansing, mapping, and initial migrations.

• Ongoing data integration costs depending on data volume and frequency.

Exit / Exit‑cost considerations:

• Data export, contract termination terms, and knowledge transfer.

Onboarding program

• Guided setup to create your first course or account.

• Step-by-step tutorials or an onboarding checklist.

• Interactive walkthroughs or product tours.

Learning resources

• Comprehensive getting-started guides (docs, FAQs).

• Video tutorials or a knowledge base.

• Quick-start templates (course templates, assessment rubrics)

Hands-on onboarding sessions

• Live webinars or office hours with customer success or onboarding specialists

• Recorded onboarding sessions for self-paced learning

Role-based training

• Separate tracks for instructors, administrators, and students.

• Admin dashboards training (permissions, roles, user management)

• Instructor tools (creating content, setting enrollments, grading).

Support channels

• Helpdesk/tewer: email, chat, or ticketing system.

• Slack/Discord or community forum for peer support.

• Priority support options for enterprise customers.

Initial setup assistance

• Data import (rosters, course materials, enrollments).

• Brand customization (logos, color schemes, course previews).

• Accessibility and mobile usability checks.

Ongoing learning

• Regular product updates and feature trainings.

• Practical best-practice guides (assessment design, analytics interpretation).

Data encryption

• In transit: TLS/SSL encryption for all data transfers

• At rest: encryption for stored data (e.g., AES-256 or equivalent).

Access control

• Role-based access control (RBAC) with granular permissions.

• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) options for admin and user accounts.

• Single Sign-On (SSO) support (SAML/OIDC) for organizational logins.

Data privacy and residency

• Compliance with data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).

• Data residency options or clear data hosting locations (if applicable).

Security monitoring

• Continuous monitoring, anomaly detection, and alerting.

• Regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing.

Backup and disaster recovery

• Regular backups with defined RTO (recovery time objective) and RPO (recovery point objective).

• Disaster recovery plans and tested failover procedures.

Auditability and governance

• Audit logs for admin actions and critical events.

• Data export, deletion, and retention policies aligned with privacy requirements.

Data isolation and integrity

• Separation of customer data with logical isolation.

• Checksums and integrity verification for important data.

Security practices

• Secure development lifecycle (SDLC) practices.

• Patch management and dependency vetting.

Release cadence

• Regular release cycles (e.g., monthly or quarterly) with incremental feature updates.

• Major releases on a less frequent basis, including breaking changes and migrations.

Lifecycle and planning

• Public roadmaps or release notes detailing new features, improvements, and bug fixes.

• Changelogs provided with each release explaining impact and any configuration changes.

Deployment and risk management

• Staged rollout (canary or pilot groups) before broad deployment.

• Maintenance windows and upgrade notices to customers.

• In-app notification for new features and necessary actions.

Backward compatibility and migrations

• Deprecation schedules for features or APIs.

• Migration guides and code samples (if there are developer APIs or integrations).

Support around updates

• Documentation and tutorials for new features.

• Support readiness during major updates (faster response times or dedicated SLAs).

Customers retain ownership of their data stored within Embark Campus systems.

Data portability is supported, allowing institutions to export their data in standard formats upon termination of service.

Secure transfer protocols and encryption are used to protect data during migration.

Embark Campus complies with privacy laws such as GDPR, requiring explicit user consent for data transfers.

Institutions can request partial or full data exports, and formats are typically machine-readable to ensure compatibility with other platforms.

Embark Campus operates under a SaaS (Software as a Service) model, which allows flexible scaling based on organizational needs.

Institutions can increase or decrease usage without needing to relicense software, thanks to cloud-based delivery.

Pricing is typically structured on a pay-as-you-go basis, enabling cost-effective adjustments as enrollment or program needs change.

Contracts include provisions for renewal, suspension, and termination, which should be clearly outlined in the service agreement.

Cancellation may require advance notice and could involve data retention or transition support clauses.

Upon termination, institutions are entitled to retrieve their data, and Embark Campus must provide access to export tools.

Transition rights may be included to facilitate migration to other platforms without service disruption.

Acceptable use policies and compliance obligations are part of the contractual framework, ensuring responsible usage and legal adherence.

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) for data privacy and protection.

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) for handling student records (common in U.S. education platforms).

Security best practices such as encryption, access control, and incident response protocols.