As Australia’s ninth-largest education provider, Griffith University offers more than 2500 degrees across six geographically dispersed campuses. It is home to several thousand staff and more than 50,000 students.
In order to conduct its core business and to support operations across campuses, Griffith often utilises face-to-face methods of collaboration. To begin optimising its operational and capital expenditure, productivity and carbon footprint, Griffith University engaged Cisco to pilot a video and collaboration system with managerial and executive staff, aimed at reducing the need for inter-campus travel.
Before implementing video conferencing technology, Cisco identified a need to uncover the financial and non-financial benefits, choosing to work with GWI as a trusted partner.
GWI began by providing an independent analysis of the university’s current and potential future collaboration practices and needs. The GWI team then developed models to identify the time spent, distance travelled, vehicle cost and carbon emissions resulting from return trips between the campuses.
These were utilised in the formulation of realistic scenarios illuminating the current financial and non-financial impacts on the university, along with the benefits of reducing the need for inter-campus travel.
As a result of this work, GWI, in partnership with Cisco, developed a compelling case to reduce the need for inter-campus travel for Griffith University. It determined that the successful implementation of video communication technology would mean that staff had the option to collaborate with colleagues in different locations without the negative impacts of inter-campus travel.
GWI continues to work with Griffith University in understanding its collaborative activities and how to maximise the return on investment in enabling technology.
