We bring the strategy, architecture, and delivery experience needed to make MCDS work in real university environments, not just on paper. So you spend less time untangling data and integrations, and more time improving student and staff experiences.
MortarCAPS Higher Learning Data Standard
SERVICES
As the Founders of the MCDS Standard, we help institutions make it real.
MEET MCDS
What Is MCDS?
The MortarCAPS Higher Learning Data Standard (MCDS) is the world’s first higher education data standard aligned to the CAUDIT-Herm.
It was developed in partnership with CAUDIT, CUCCIO, and a working group of over 30 institutions to solve a common problem across the sector: fragmented, inconsistent data.
MCDS provides a shared structure and language for managing and exchanging data across:
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Student systems
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CRM platforms
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Learning systems
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Government and regulatory bodies
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Instead of every institution solving the same problems in isolation, MCDS creates a consistent foundation that systems and institutions can align to.
The result is simpler integrations, more reliable reporting, and a foundation that allows institutions to spend less time fixing data, and more time improving outcomes for students and staff.
THE PROBLEM
Where Institutions Get Stuck
Most institutions aren’t blocked by the idea of MCDS, they’re blocked by what to do next.
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What does this mean for our systems and data?
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How much change are we really talking about?
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Where do we start, and in what order?
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How do we build a case to fund it?
That uncertainty is what slows progress.
How We Help
MCDS SERVICES
From understanding impact to full implementation, we meet you where you are.
We’ve structured our MCDS services around how institutions actually approach adoption:
first understanding the impact, then defining the right path forward, and finally delivering the change.
1. Rapid MCDS Impact Assessment
A clear starting point for institutions who need to understand what MCDS actually means in practice.
We work alongside your team to assess:
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The impact on your systems, data, and integrations
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The scale of change across platforms and processes
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Key risks, dependencies, and opportunities
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This is supported by our MCDS Playbook and Readiness Assessment, helping you structure the assessment properly and begin shaping a business case.
OUTCOME
Clarity on impact, effort, and what to do next, not just theory.
2. MCDS-Aligned Platform Strategies & Architecture
Once the impact is clear, we define how MCDS fits into your environment.
We develop targeted strategies and response plans across:
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Data Platform Strategy & Architecture
Aligning your data model to support MCDS
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Integration Platform Strategy & Architecture
Defining how systems exchange data using MCDS-aligned patterns
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Analytics & Reporting Strategy
Ensuring reporting is built on structured, consistent data
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Data Governance Model
Defining roles, ownership, and policies to maintain data quality and compliance
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Business Case Development
Translating impact into a clear, fundable investment case
OUTCOME
A practical, MCDS-aligned strategy tailored to your systems, priorities, and constraints.
3. Strategy, Architecture & Delivery Support
For institutions ready to move beyond planning, we support the broader transformation required to adopt MCDS.
Full IT Strategy & Operating Model
We define a complete roadmap aligned to your institutional strategy, including:
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Discovery of key strategic drivers
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Assessment of challenges and opportunities
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Target state architecture and operating model
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Sequenced roadmap with dependencies and delivery considerations
Targeted Initiative Support
We support the specific initiatives required to make MCDS real:
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Solution Architecture
Designing implementable solutions aligned to MCDS
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Vendor Selection (RFP Support)
Helping you choose the right platforms and partners
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Delivery Planning
Structuring programs for successful implementation
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Our architects can also embed into delivery teams to ensure what gets built aligns to the original design.
YOUR MCDS PARTNER
Why Ingenuity Partners
We don't just know MCDS, we helped build it.
Combined with over a decade delivering complex higher education transformations, we understand:
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How the standard was designed
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Where it fits in real environments
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What it actually takes to implement it
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That’s the difference between theory and execution.
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Ingenuity has helped transform a bold concept into a globally recognised standard that institutions and partners now rely on to drive meaningful change. Their depth of insight empowers institutions to clearly grasp the model’s benefits and confidently plan their adoption journey."
Greg Sawyer
Chief Executive Officer​