Strengthening Security & Support With Cloud-Based School ERP

Organization Profile

• Industry: K-12 Education
• Location: Clackamas, Oregon
• Number of Employees: 450+
• Students: 56,700+
• Tyler Client Since: 2012
• Tyler Products Used: School ERP Pro, Content Manager

---

Challenges

Serving more than 56,700 K-12 students and all 10 public school districts in Clackamas County, Clackamas Education Service District (ESD) is a major force in regional education support. From special education and early learning to cybersecurity and data hosting, the ESD provides the infrastructure that the districts rely on every day. But the ESD’s IT team faced operational inefficiencies with their on-premises Tyler School ERP Pro software, driven by manual processes and frequent maintenance. IT staff spent significant time managing servers, backups, and troubleshooting, limiting opportunities to focus on strategic work. Chief Information Officer Jeremy Pietzold said, “We test our backups every year, which takes a couple of weeks. It puts high demand on our technology staff.”

In addition to operational strain, cybersecurity emerged as a critical concern. Their on-premises environment required opening access for external Tyler support, which introduced potential data risks. Pietzold said, “Cybersecurity is really big for us. We saw opening up that access as a vulnerability. It wasn’t about Tyler, it was just about how we keep ourselves safe.” Hosting their system on-site also increased security costs, including antivirus software. Together, these demands underscored the growing costs of maintaining their on-premises School ERP Pro system.

Solution

Clackamas ESD first implemented Tyler’s School ERP Pro software in 2012 to support their operational needs. While the ESD benefited from the system’s capabilities for more than a decade, they recognized an opportunity to modernize and strengthen their infrastructure. In 2025, Clackamas took the next step by migrating their School ERP Pro system to the cloud, enhancing system accessibility, improving security, and positioning the organization for greater efficiency and scalability. With their cloud-based School ERP Pro system, the ESD is prepared to support their internal teams and the districts they serve for years to come.

This transition eliminated the need for manual system maintenance, including patching, upgrades, and server management, while improving system performance across the ESD and the districts they support. “We don’t have to spend 20 hours a week managing accounts, backups, and systems anymore. We’re using the cloud environment, so it’s not nearly the same amount of work,” said Pietzold.

The cloud-based system also enables faster support and issue resolution. “With the system running in a cloud environment, Tyler’s support teams can access the system more quickly and securely,” said Pietzold. “This has led to an approximately 20% improvement in response and resolution time for backend issues.” The increased visibility and access not only improve response times but also reduce downtime, strengthen security, and create a more seamless experience for staff across the organization.

Results

Clackamas ESD’s migration to cloud-based School ERP Pro produced measurable operational improvements. One of the most immediate outcomes was a “100% elimination of monthly overtime work for server patching and upgrades,” said Pietzold, as server and application maintenance is now handled by Tyler. The transition eliminated the recurring burden of after-hours patching and software updates, allowing staff to redirect time and energy.

The shift to the cloud also delivered meaningful cost savings and efficiency gains across the organization. “We no longer pay for off-site backup storage or the infrastructure required to maintain disaster recovery equipment for School ERP Pro,” said Pietzold. “Having our system in the cloud, rather than in our data center, supports cybersecurity and resiliency. It gives us another level of reassurance that would be cost-prohibitive to obtain on our own.” In addition, backup recovery procedures and related responsibilities are now fully managed by Tyler, returning significant capacity to the internal IT team.

Looking ahead, Clackamas views their cloud migration as more than a technology upgrade; it has become a foundation for long-term success throughout the state. “Our positive experience became a catalyst for statewide collaboration, peer learning, and continuous improvement in ERP operations,” said Pietzold. Their efforts help strengthen support for other Oregon districts as they shift their systems to the cloud and enable proactive feedback that can benefit School ERP Pro users nationwide. “We share playbooks and best practices because we want people to learn from our experience,” said Pietzold. “We’re stronger together.”