Investment Areas

Mobile First

Mobile First is a mindset that is meant to guide technology investment in spaces, devices, applications and services that support the daily activities of the university community. This mindset embraces the idea that mobile devices are becoming the primary way individuals interact with the university. As such, we seek to break the ties between activities and the physical spaces in which they occur, ties that exist simply because outdated technologies (e.g. a phone number tied to a physical office). Our goal is to ensure students, faculty, staff, and partners have a seamless mobile experience both on and away from campus. Over the next 3-5 years, we will focus on: wireless network connectivity, mobile office capabilities (e.g., unified communications, cloud productivity tools), wireless printing and projection, mobile-friendly interfaces to university information and systems, ability to conduct transactions via the Ohio State App, support for wireless sensors and research devices.

Analytics

Analytics enable the university to move from a historical and reactionary use of data to a predictive, prescriptive and proactive one. As IT systems are rolled out across campus, analytics is an important consideration for the data available within the individual system and how it fits into the entire OSU data ecosystem. Through the use of defined data, analytics provide the capability to consistently and easily answer a full spectrum of questions. Data can be rolled up to a university level or drilled down to a single point, dictated by the need at hand. Delivered reports will remain an important underpinning for university operations, but anyone with proper access should be able to leverage data to discover meaningful data patterns to help make informed decisions.

Empower Teaching Innovation

Empower teaching innovation is seizing the opportunity presented in an unprecedented transformational shift in higher education and actively, collectively shaping how Ohio State prepares its students to be solution focused leaders addressing the great challenges of our communities, state, country, and world. This IT Strategy enhances central and distributed units to leverage services and tools that advance a growing adoption of technology-empowered courses and program delivery models. Achieving best-in-class systems, services, and support in teaching innovation engages and enriches faculty and student’s educational experiences during their tenure at Ohio State and will weave into the fabric of the institutional culture the desire and skills for life-long learning.

Advance Research

To increase our ability to attract top faculty and graduate students, technology solutions should enhance the reputation of Ohio State as an institution that is supportive of research.
We will collaborate to make it easy for researchers to gain access to the technologies and the technical support they need in order to create new knowledge and develop the next generation of researchers.

Lean IT

Lean IT aims to continuously improve the value delivered by IT organizations to their customers by leveraging principles from Lean Manufacturing, Lean Services, and other proven methods. Improvement is focused on people, processes, and technology in order to reduce waste, variability, and inflexibility. Care is taken to ensure understanding of the customer outcome or ‘ultimate value stream’ to identify improvement that makes a difference in the eyes of the customer.

Effective Risk Management

IT Strategies will be assessed and implemented to ensure an optimal state of information Integrity, Confidentiality and Availability, and to ensure compliance with regulations. Information Risks associated with strategic initiatives will be fully clarified to university leadership prior to implementation. Ongoing Security architecture and resource support will be factored into all activities.

Develop Talent

Our ability to continually deliver innovative technology solutions is dependent on the knowledge and skillsets of our IT staff. A sustained investment in the development of our IT staff means making sure they are gaining knowledge and expertise in four key knowledge areas: functional knowledge, system knowledge, technical knowledge and security awareness.The amount of value that an IT staff member provides is multiplied by their level of expertise in each of these knowledge areas, coupled with their understanding of the university’s mission. This knowledge creates the foundation needed for our staff to develop truly innovative solutions that will impact everything we do.