KACE to Hive Integration for State University Marketing Department
Executive Summary
A large state university's marketing department needed to modernize their project management workflow while maintaining compatibility with the university's existing IT ticketing system (KACE). We developed a custom integration solution that allowed the marketing team to leverage Hive's advanced project management capabilities while preserving KACE as the primary request interface for end users.
The Challenge
The marketing department was operating within the constraints of KACE, an IT-focused ticketing system that wasn't designed for marketing workflows. While KACE served the university's IT needs well, it limited the marketing team's ability to:
- Manage complex projects with sub-tasks
- Track resources effectively
- Utilize modern project management features
- Create customized workflows for different marketing services
The Solution
We developed a bi-directional integration between KACE and Hive that:
- Imports historical ticket data from KACE (dating back to 2022)
- Automatically syncs new tickets twice daily
- Maps KACE queues to Hive projects
- Preserves custom fields and their values
- Updates ticket status in KACE when completed in Hive
Integration Scope
- 9 distinct service queues including photography, videography, web services, and social media
- 10-25 custom fields per queue
- Approximately 2,000 historical tickets processed
- Handling ~5 new tickets daily across all queues
Technical Implementation
- 25 hours of development time
- Custom API integration with both platforms
- Automated synchronization processes
- Comprehensive field mapping between systems
- Scheduled data migration for historical records
The Business Impact
Time Savings
- Eliminated manual data entry between systems (~25 minutes per day)
- Reduced risk of data entry errors
- Preserved existing request workflow for end users
Productivity Improvements
The marketing team gained access to Hive's advanced features:
- Better resource management
- Sub-task creation and tracking
- Advanced form capabilities
- Improved project organization
- Enhanced workflow automation
Change Management Benefits
- Minimal disruption to end users who continue using familiar KACE interface
- No need for university-wide system changes
- Reduced training requirements
- Maintained existing ticket creation links and processes
User Feedback
The marketing department leadership has expressed high satisfaction with the solution, specifically noting:
- Enhanced productivity through Hive's advanced features
- Improved project tracking capabilities
- Better resource management
- Seamless integration with existing processes
Future Potential
While the current implementation serves the marketing department, there is potential for:
- Expansion to other departments
- Additional automation features
- Enhanced reporting capabilities
- Integration with other university systems
Conclusion
The KACE-Hive integration successfully modernized the marketing department's project management capabilities while maintaining system continuity for end users. This solution demonstrates how legacy systems can be enhanced through strategic integration with modern tools, providing immediate benefits without disrupting existing workflows. The project serves as a model for other higher education institutions looking to modernize departmental workflows while maintaining enterprise system compatibility.
