Charles Darwin University setting up 'real-time view' of institution

Image credit: Charles Darwin University.

Charles Darwin University has evolved an IT service management replacement into a broader program that is re-platforming the technology underpinning processes in many parts of its  operations.

Chief information and digital officer (CIDO) Andrew Tully told the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo Gold Coast 2026 conference that the university is now building towards a “real-time dashboard” for executives.

He said the program started out as an ITSM replacement, with ServiceNow, Freshworks and workflow automation tool Halo evaluated as options.

The university found Halo provided a good balance of capability and cost to operate.

“You don't need an army of developers to actually make this product work for you,” Tully said.

“At Charles Darwin University, we're up in the Northern Territory. It's not that we can go and advertise and get 60 candidates applying for any one role. If you get four or five, you're lucky. 

“So, we had to find a product that can stand on its own two feet, be built and developed and evolve.”

After using Halo to re-platform its IT service management, it became apparent that the same tool could be used to streamline service processes in other operational areas.

Properties and facilities now also use Halo in its operations, with usage expanding to other parts of the university as well, including library services, project management, learning management, people and culture, and finance.

The university is now looking to go even deeper with the technology and use it as a CRM replacement.

“At the time that we chose [Halo], we didn't know that there was a CRM component to it,” Tully said.

“Now, we are genuinely looking at if we're spending a significant amount of money on a CRM, and it's an old environment, and it requires a team of people to do it, how nice would it be if we could just take a CRM product and fit it straight on top of the existing ecosystem we have?”

This will mean that a single tool will power student experience management, “the staff that service and support it”, and the systems that support them in their work.

It’s also led the university to further evolve its vision for what Halo can help to deliver.

“The dream now, by the time we get to phase three, is we want to be able to give our executives the real-time dashboard they need,” Tully said.

“You can get near real-time if your CRM is embedded with your project management team, with your finance department, with your HR, with your IT teams, with your properties and facilities, with your library teams, with your software development teams, and all other parts of the university. 

“All of a sudden, you start getting this real time [view of] what's happening in my institution.

“So, what started out as just a simple little IT service management replacement is now starting to look like a complete enterprise-grade business process optimisation for the entire institution.”