ARD Systems is the technology team within the Academic Registrar's Division responsible for some of the School's business-critical enterprise platforms. We develop, support and enhance the systems that underpin the student lifecycle, helping colleagues across the School deliver an outstanding experience for students.
Our work combines technology, data, customer support and business expertise. From student recruitment and admissions through to graduation, we provide some of the key systems and services that help keep the School running.
Our Platforms
We are responsible for the development, support and continual improvement of several key enterprise platforms, including:
- SITS, the School's Student Records System which holds data on LSE’s students and applicants and is used for processing myriad key events in the student lifecycle such as progression, results calculations and awards processing, as well as statutory reporting to external bodies such as HESA and UKVI.
- Salesforce (LSE360), the School's enterprise CRM platform powering key processes across the lifecycle from admissions to graduation, including underpinning the operations of the School’s admissions teams, online enrolment, student portal, managing student adjustments, and appointment and event bookings, plus many more.
- Salesforce Marketing Cloud, a world-class marketing and engagement platform for sending marketing and communications to the School’s various constituents.
- Parchment, the School's platform for certifying and distributing digital degree certificates and academic transcripts.
We also support a range of related services, integrations and specialist solutions that connect information across the School.
How We Support the School
Our team provides a broad range of services, including:
Service Desk and Customer Support
We operate a dedicated Service Desk that helps staff resolve issues, answer questions and make the most of the systems we support. Our goal is to provide timely, professional and customer-focused assistance whenever it's needed.
Our ARD Systems Customer Portal is the front-door to using these services, where users can report technical problems, make routine requests, track their open cases and browse our knowledge base for answers to frequently asked questions.
The Service Desk is governed by the ARD Systems Service Level agreement which outlines the services we offer, the platforms we support and the expected response times for queries raised with us.
System Development and Enhancement
We design, build and maintain digital solutions on our platforms that improve processes, reduce manual effort and support the School's strategic objectives. We work to an agile methodology, delivering change iteratively and in manageable increments so that we can respond to evolving needs, gather feedback regularly and focus effort on the areas that provide the greatest value.
The full delivery lifecycle includes business and technical analysis, solution design, development and configuration, project management, quality assurance and testing, deployment, and transition into live service.
We also support stakeholder engagement, planning, documentation, training and early-life support where required, helping to ensure that each change is well understood, appropriately governed and introduced safely and successfully.
Student Data and Reporting Expertise
As specialists in student record data, we help ensure that information is accurate, reliable and supports effective decision-making across the School. We contribute to reporting, compliance activities and data-driven services that depend on high-quality student information.
This includes compiling and validating legally mandated statutory returns to HESA including the HESA Data Futures Student Return, Graduate Outcomes and DiscoverUni.
Supporting Projects, Change and Innovation in other areas of the School
We work with departments across LSE to deliver new services, provide expertise on student records and CRM to help implement technology change and modernise business processes. Whether launching a new platform, introducing integrations or improving existing services, we help turn ideas into practical solutions.
Meet the Team
ARD Systems is a large team comprising of SITS Developers, Salesforce Developers, Project Managers, Business Analysts and Testers and dedicated Service Desk staff. Browse our Meet the Team page to find out more about the individuals working in ARD Systems and supporting the School’s technology needs.