AuguSoft
Providing Continuing Education with a Streamlined Enrollment Experience

When Cem Erdem, CEO and Founder of Augusoft came to the United States from Turkey in 1994, he realized that to succeed in a new country, he had to become a lifelong learner. “I already had a degree so I didn’t need a diploma, I needed fast and practical learning at a low cost to help learn the business and language of a new culture,” explains Erdem.

So it seems fitting that just a few years later Erdem founded one of the most innovative ventures within the lifelong learning industry—Augusoft. The Minneapolis-based company streamlines students’ enrollment experience with its product, Lumens, a SaaS enrollment management system designed specifically for continuing education and workforce development programs.

With Lumens, lifelong learning programs manage their open enrollment, certificate programs, membership programs, and corporate education, all in one system

Shortly after starting his company, Cem met leaders from the Learning Resources Network (LERN)—the leading association of continued education and lifelong learning—and began integrating LERN best practices, analytical tools and expertise into Lumens.
With Lumens, lifelong learning programs manage their open enrollment, certificate programs, membership programs, and corporate education, all in one system. The cloud-based software is user-friendly for both schools and their learners. It is also the only organization that has successfully implemented live integration between its proven continuing education solution and the major ERP academic systems like PeopleSoft ®, Ellucian Banner® and EllucianColleague ®.

Complementing traditional ERP system, Augusoft increases online selfregistration up to 65 percent within the first year. “Our software is designed to help lifelong learning programs think more like a business, act more entrepreneurial, and be self-sufficient,” says Erdem.

Erdem explains: In the late 90s with the Y2K scare, schools moved to ERP systems away from mainframe systems. “You then had one system that managed all your business. However, schools today are in search of effective solutions that are better designed for specific needs. They now want the best-of-breed products that can integrate with the backend systems. With open integration protocols, our best-of-breed approach is the preferred strategy among CIOs,” explains Erdem.

Prior to using Lumens their current customers often try to use their ERP systems, Excel or Access databases to manage their business. To solve this challenge, Augusoft developed an ecommerce solution that made buying a class or an online course as simple as ordering a book online. “You can go online, enroll in multiple courses, have discounts and promotions, all within a few clicks,” said Erdem. Augusoft’s software often becomes the management system for the nontraditional side of the college. It manages all aspects of the business—from marketing courses to finding out which courses are popular, in addition to creating their online print catalog. “Our software not only helps the continuing education side become selfsufficient, but does so with no headache for CIOs by allowing them to outsource the liabilities that come with accepting online credit card registration.”