Beyond CRM: 3 Ways We Showed Salesforce is Ready for SIS Primetime
If there was one theme at the EDUCAUSE CRM Demo Day, it was this: The historic wall between "CRM" (engagement) and "SIS" (records) is finally tumbling down, and AI isn’t waiting for the dust to settle.
For years, Higher Ed has treated Salesforce as a "front of house" tool for admissions and advancement, leaving the heavy lifting of student records to rigid, on-prem legacy systems. But as we demonstrated live during our session, that separation is no longer necessary—or efficient.
Vadim Gorelik, Tondro’s CEO, introduced a shift in mindset and architecture: moving away from a passive "System of Record" to an Agile Core. This approach uses Salesforce to handle complex academic structures natively, allowing institutions to adapt to new enrollment models without waiting years for a legacy vendor update.
Here is the reality of what we showed live: Salesforce goes beyond pure CRM to operating as a full SIS engine.
[Request the 50-Page Salesforce-as-SIS Implementation Guide here or read the SFBU Case Story here.]
1. Flexible Term Structures (Breaking the Semester Lock) Traditional SIS platforms were built for a world that only understood Fall, Spring, and Summer. But modern learners—especially working adults—require modular schedules, such as 8-week terms or rolling starts.
The Demo: We showed how the Agile Core architecture allows institutions to define academic structures dynamically. Whether you are launching a micro-credential program or a continuing education module, you can spin up new term structures easily, without breaking the underlying architecture of your system.
2. Course Registration (The "Amazon" Standard) Why is registering for a $4,000 class harder than buying a $4 toothbrush? Friction in registration is a retention killer.
The Demo: We showcased a shopping cart experience that mirrors modern e-commerce. Vadim walked through a live student view where they could search courses, filter by modality, and add to cart. Crucially, the system runs prerequisite checks in the background instantly, preventing registration errors before they happen.
3. Integrated Financials The disconnect between "Academics" (Registrar) and "Finance" (Bursar) is often where the student experience fractures.
The Demo: By keeping financial data on the same platform as the student record, we demonstrated a unified view where registration triggers immediate financial clarity. In the demo, the system automatically generated invoice line items the moment a course was added—no batch processing or nightly syncs required.
The "Black Box" Problem In his closing remarks, Vadim addressed a common fear for IT leaders: If we build on Salesforce, are we trapped by custom code?
His answer was clear: No.
Unlike vendors who sell "managed packages" (proprietary black boxes you can't see inside), Tondro leverages Salesforce’s standard data models natively.
"We don't have a proprietary data model," Vadim explained. "We use the standard object model."
This distinction matters for two reasons:
You Own It: You aren't renting your student records from a vendor's proprietary table.
Future-Proof: Because we build on the standard architecture, your institution is ready for future Salesforce innovations—including AI Agents—without needing a costly refactor.
See It for Yourself: You don’t need an 18-month timeline to get here.
Missed the demo? Watch the Recording below to see the Agile Core in action
Resources:
Schedule a SF as SIS demo to explore your roadmap.
Request the 50-Page Salesforce-as-SIS Implementation Guide
Read the SFBU Case Story, Meeting the Mission.
Read the Unity Case Story, Modernizing the Student Experience.
Nov. 20, 2025 EDUCAUSE CRM Demo Day: Video Replay