GROWING AS AN ECOSYSTEM

Kerry Geffert
Product Evangelist, Terra Dotta

If someone says to you that they “have Terra Dotta,” you likely believe they use Terra Dotta’s software for study abroad. After all, that is where we had our start over 16 years ago. You might even still think of our system as Studio Abroad, but you would be dating yourself - the Studio Abroad moniker was phased out several years ago. Certainly, Terra Dotta is known for its study abroad software; however, Terra Dotta has grown to become more than “just” study abroad software! You have read in earlier editions of this newsletter about the variety of systems now available, including solutions for international student and scholar services, and travel risk management.

You should know, however, that that range of solutions from Terra Dotta is becoming even more impactful. One of the hallmarks of TD software has been its ability to integrate with a variety of campus information systems. A seemingly routine procedure, this significant integration saves immense staff time from having to rekey data from one system to another and enables even greater data management and reporting capabilities. In addition, some institutions utilize Terra Dotta’s credit card integration to permit offices to accept online payments with a payment gateway provider, while others employ software functionality to enroll their travelers for insurance directly from their databases. But there’s more!

With the advent of our AlertTraveler system, we began another phase of expanding the practicality of choosing Terra Dotta software for campus internationalization. This phase utilizes the partner ecosystem concept to make your current system even more powerful. In the future, customers will have the opportunity to employ pre-built integrations between Terra Dotta solutions and external partners that will expand the enterprise functionality. With AlertTraveler, for instance, our partnership with iJet provides your registered travelers with location intelligence and alerts powered by iJet’s international team of experts.

Our partnership with iJet was just a beginning. In January, Terra Dotta inked an agreement with Student Universe providing two major benefits to students and their home institutions. First, using a link whose presence is controlled by the home institution, students can conveniently book their travel directly with Student Universe. This can be a particularly useful tool with faculty-led groups needing to travel together. Second, the home institution benefits by knowing who has booked a flight, and by having the itinerary information from Student Universe directly accessible within their Terra Dotta system. Convenient, reportable, and timely – this new opportunity for Student Universe customers adds value to their Terra Dotta system.

We are also thrilled to announce a new partnership with SAP Concur, a leader in spend management solutions. Many campuses use SAP Concur for tracking their institution-wide expenses, travel, and invoices. They also may use their Terra Dotta system for locating their travelers overseas. This new partnership will provide those campuses using both SAP Concur and Terra Dotta “the ability to streamline the process of transferring location and contact data without having to create separate travel profiles,” according to Brendan Haggerty, Terra Dotta’s Chief Technology Officer. For more information, read the full press release, and watch for more information regarding availability in the coming months.

These are exciting times at Terra Dotta. OK, truth be told, just about any time is exciting at Terra Dotta. However, our growing partner ecosystem will open doors to new opportunities to make our clients’ Terra Dotta systems, regardless of the particular solution, even stronger tools in their campus internationalization efforts. Watch for announcements about the new Terra Dotta Marketplace during the year as more partnerships are created.