Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to unravel a strategic architecture for e-learning for a traditional university like Himachal Pradesh University (H.P. University) and provide guidelines as to how to carry the implementation of e-learning for the university of the future. Design/methodology/approach: Getting to the future first is not just about excelling competitors bent on reaching the same prize. It is also concerning having one's own view of what the prize is. There can be as many prizes as runners; imagination is the only restraining factor. The paper provides a literature review for a traditional university like H.P. University to venture into e-learning. Findings: To venture into e-learning, H.P. University will have to reengineer itself, understand how competition will differ in the future and capture and refine insights into future opportunities. Research limitations/implications: The paper has limitations that it presents a review of literature from secondary sources. Practical implications: The paper provides guidelines as to how to implement e-learning which will be beneficial for both the staff and the students. Originality/value: The paper advocates the concept of strategic thinking in the education sector for implementing e-learning. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)