On Wednesday, the IT Strategy Team presented our FY18 goals in Mount Hall as part of OCIO’s lunch and learn series. In our presentation we talked about how now, more than ever, the success of IT at Ohio state depends on strong collaboration between central and distributed IT units. We also talked about the need to provide services that are enablers of teaching, research and service and not blockers.

In our presentation we discussed the benefits of leveraging the strategic direction in FY18:

• Seamless technology experience for students, faculty, staff, visitors
• Stronger central/local IT partnerships
• Excellence in resource investment and stewardship
• IT as an enabler for the University Strategic Plan

To Generate these benefits, we are focusing on the following goals:

1. Modernize the campus environment (with regards to mobile capabilities)
2. Help the IT Staff attain cloud certifications
3. Phase out local server rooms and data centers
4. Establish IT Governance roles, responsibilities, processes

During the Q&A session after the presentation, we had a great discussion on how mobile technologies can help us to better serve students. We also discussed how one vision of the strategic direction creates outcomes that can be used to help promote collaboration and also contribute to improving the wellness of our students.

To learn more, view the full presentation

If you’d like to share your thoughts, please complete our feedback survey here

This afternoon, the IT Strategy Team will be discussing our FY18 goals as part of the OCIO’s lunch and learn series. We’ll be in the Mount Hall Cafe from 12:00PM to 1:00PM. This is great opportunity to come see whats in store for this coming year and ask any questions you may have. If for some reason you are unable to attend, our presentation slides and video will be posted to this site soon.

Although we are still gathering feedback on the IT Strategy, some units are already thinking about how their work aligns with the current draft. I met with OCIO senior leadership last week and had a great discussion around how the OCIO project portfolio could align with the IT Strategy. During our discussion, we talked about creating key performance indicators and how OCIO can set measurable goals for the 7 investment areas.

What are some initial thoughts on goals for your individual colleges/units that would align with the strategy?

The IT strategic direction is intended to be a document that represents the common interests of the various IT Units across the university. If you have suggestions for how we can improve the strategic direction we’d like to hear about it. The best way to do this is by completing our survey. You can also attend and participate in the IT Partnership Council.

The IT Strategy is meant to be used as a “flag on the horizon” of sorts. As units reach investment decision points in the 7 areas, they should pursue the option that aligns them closer to the flag, not farther away from it. The IT Strategy is intended to guide IT investments made at ALL organizational levels including departments, offices, colleges, VP areas and OCIO.

The IT Strategy is not a strategic plan. It is a common commitment to coordinate investments across these 7 areas during planning activities by each unit or by groups of partnering units. The IT Strategy serves as a common vocabulary that helps units communicate their IT roadmaps and plan future co-investments in technologies that advance the overall university IT environment towards the larger goal by ensuring their alignment with the foundation, environment, and strategic investment areas outlined here.