For a growing university, technology is more than a support function. It is the foundation that helps students learn, faculty teach, staff operate, and the broader campus community stay connected.
At Chapman University, a private university in Orange County, California serving roughly 9,000 students, that responsibility sits with the university’s information technology team.
Helen Norris, Chief Information Officer at Chapman University, oversees the technology that supports students, faculty, staff, and the general Chapman community. Alongside her, Philip Lyle, Director of Infrastructure, manages the server systems, networking, enterprise applications, and critical systems that keep the university running.
As Chapman continued to grow, the infrastructure demands became more complex. The university needed a partner that could bring both depth and breadth of expertise to help support its evolving technology environment.
That is where SidePath came in.
Filling a Critical Gap in Vendor Relationships
When Philip joined Chapman, he saw an opportunity to strengthen the university’s vendor ecosystem, particularly on the enterprise infrastructure side.
Chapman had been purchasing servers directly through Dell. While that relationship worked, Philip saw that SidePath could elevate the experience by providing competitive pricing along with a stronger solutions-driven approach.
“We were buying servers directly through Dell. That relationship is fine, but SidePath is able to really elevate that relationship and provide us certainly the same or better pricing, but also a much better solutions experience.”
For Chapman, the value was not just in access to products. It was in having a partner who could help the university make better technology decisions, implement solutions more effectively, and support a complex environment with confidence.
Supporting a Complex and Growing Technology Environment
Chapman’s IT team operates in an environment with a wide range of technologies, systems, and infrastructure needs. Like many higher education institutions, the team is responsible for supporting a large and growing community with limited internal resources.
That makes the right partner essential.
Helen explained that Chapman needs partners with a broad set of technology experiences, as well as deep expertise in key areas. When new technology is introduced, the university needs a team that can help evaluate, implement, and support it the right way.
SidePath brought that combination of range and specialization.
Their team was able to support Chapman across enterprise infrastructure needs while helping the internal IT organization move faster and more strategically.
More Than a Vendor Relationship
For Chapman, the relationship with SidePath has felt different from a traditional vendor-customer arrangement.
“I think our relationship with SidePath is really collegial. It’s less like a vendor and customer relationship and more like a partnership.”
That partnership mindset matters.
SidePath works alongside Chapman’s internal team to understand the environment, identify the right solutions, and help the university move forward without unnecessary complexity. Instead of simply fulfilling orders, SidePath provides guidance, expertise, and hands-on support.
Helping Higher Education Teams Move Forward with Confidence
Chapman University’s experience with SidePath is a strong example of what modern technology partnerships should look like.
For organizations managing complex infrastructure, growth, and evolving technology needs, the right partner can make all the difference. SidePath helps teams close gaps, strengthen vendor relationships, and implement solutions that better support the people who rely on them every day.
For Chapman, that means having a partner who understands their goals, supports their infrastructure, and brings a true solutions-first approach to the relationship.
SidePath is not just another vendor.
SidePath is a technology partner helping Chapman University build for what comes next.
