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Flexible Website Support That Saves UC Irvine $85,000 Annually

The on-demand support partnership gives UC Irvine dependable access to technical expertise while keeping its website operations cost-effective.

  • Approximately $85,000 saved in annual staffing costs
  • Technical help based on actual university needs
  • Marketing staff focus on student communications
  • Admissions, Financial Aid and Enrollment Management
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INDUSTRY
Higher Education
TIMELINE
2023 - present
ENGAGEMENT
On-demand ad-hoc website design and technical support

Highlights

  • UC Irvine’s internal marketing teams could manage content but needed specialized technical support for more complex website updates and functionality.
  • The university’s development needs were important but intermittent, making a full-time web developer an unnecessarily expensive solution.
  • WebXd created a flexible, on-demand support arrangement that gives UCI access to experienced developers whenever technical assistance is needed.
  • We support multiple university websites using Cascade CMS, Velocity, PHP, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
  • The model allows UCI’s teams to request help with new features, troubleshooting, design updates, accessibility improvements, and technical implementation without maintaining a full-time development position.
  • By using on-demand support instead of hiring a dedicated in-house developer, UC Irvine saves approximately $85,000 per year in staffing costs.
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About the University of California, Irvine

The University of California, Irvine is a leading public research university serving a large and diverse community of students, faculty, staff, and prospective applicants. WebXd supports websites for UCI’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, and Enrollment Management, helping their internal teams maintain essential digital resources for students and families.

Services Performed

  • On-demand website support
  • Cascade CMS development
  • Accessibility
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The Challenge

UC Irvine needed reliable technical support for several high-visibility websites serving prospective students, current students, families, and university staff.

Its internal marketing teams were equipped to create and manage content, but more complex website requests required specialized development knowledge.

  • Intermittent technical needs: The departments needed expert assistance, but the volume of development work did not justify a full-time position.
  • High cost of an internal hire: Employing a dedicated web developer would create a significant annual expense, even during periods with fewer technical requests.
  • Specialized CMS requirements: The websites were built in Cascade CMS and required experience with its templates, integrations, and supporting technologies.
  • Multiple departments and websites: Admissions, Financial Aid, and Enrollment Management each had different priorities, content needs, and functionality requests.
  • Need for accurate implementation: New features had to be developed carefully so they worked correctly within the existing website structure.
  • Limited internal development capacity: Marketing staff needed a dependable technical partner they could contact without expanding their permanent team.

The Solution

WebXd created an on-demand technical support model tailored to UC Irvine’s actual workload and internal resources.

  • Flexible support contract: UCI staff can contact WebXd whenever technical help is needed rather than paying for a full-time developer year-round.
  • Cascade CMS expertise: We provide specialized support for Cascade CMS, including template updates, content components, page functionality, and troubleshooting.
  • Cross-department website support: Our team assists the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, and Enrollment Management through one flexible partnership.
  • Custom feature development: We design and implement new website functionality based on each department’s goals and user needs.
  • Front-end development: Our work includes HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and Velocity updates within the university’s existing website environment.
  • Design and accessibility support: We help improve page layouts, graphics, responsiveness, usability, and accessibility as new needs arise.
  • Direct support for internal teams: UCI’s marketing staff can continue managing content while relying on WebXd for technical implementation and complex updates.
  • Scalable access to expertise: The university can increase or reduce support based on current projects without the overhead of recruiting and managing another employee.
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The Results

The on-demand support partnership gives UC Irvine dependable access to technical expertise while keeping its website operations cost-effective.

Approximately $85,000 saved each year

By using WebXd’s on-demand support instead of maintaining a full-time in-house web developer, UC Irvine avoids approximately $85,000 in annual staffing costs.

Expert help only when it is needed

The university pays for technical support based on actual needs rather than carrying the year-round cost of a permanent role during slower periods.

More support for internal marketing teams

UCI’s marketing staff can focus on messaging, campaigns, and student communications while WebXd handles technical implementation and troubleshooting.

Reliable support across multiple websites

Admissions, Financial Aid, and Enrollment Management have access to one technical partner familiar with their websites, CMS, and institutional requirements.

A more flexible operating model

The arrangement allows UC Irvine to respond to changing priorities, new initiatives, and urgent website needs without a lengthy hiring process.

Together, these results show how a flexible technical support model can provide the expertise of an experienced development team at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire.

$85,000

approximate annual staffing savings

On demand

technical help based on actual university needs

Team support

marketing staff focus on student communications

Multiple sites

Admissions, Financial Aid and Enrollment Management

What This Means for Your Organization

Many organizations face the same choice UC Irvine did: real but intermittent development needs that do not quite justify a full-time hire. Hiring means carrying a salary through every slow stretch. An on-demand support partnership flips the math. You get specialized expertise when you need it, across as many sites or departments as you have, and you skip the recruiting, management, and year-round cost of a permanent role. For teams that can manage content but need technical muscle on call, it is often the more sensible and more affordable model.

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FAQs

It is a flexible arrangement where your team contacts an experienced development partner whenever technical help is needed, instead of employing a full-time developer. You get expertise for new features, troubleshooting, design updates, and accessibility work, scaled to your actual workload.

A full-time developer costs a full salary and benefits year-round, even during periods with little technical work. On-demand support means you pay based on real needs. For UC Irvine, that difference comes to roughly $85,000 a year compared with a full-time in-house hire.

Yes. WebXd supports three separate UC Irvine departments, Admissions, Financial Aid, and Enrollment Management, through a single partnership. One partner familiar with your systems can serve multiple teams and sites efficiently.

Yes. We provide specialized Cascade CMS support, including templates, content components, page functionality, and troubleshooting, along with front-end work in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and Velocity.

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