In December 2023 UI's Office of Information Technology (OIT) launched an effort to improve both IT and data governance. Changes were necessary in how U of I governs decision-making around technology. The university needs to be better aligned on the use of technology so that it can effectively compete in an age of digital transformation, resource constraints, rising costs and IT security challenges.
Previous IT governance processes were focused on the security, costs, and implementation time lines of unit or individual-focused solutions rather than institutional priorities. Often the processes are not followed, leading to higher-than-expected costs and bottlenecks when OIT performed required reviews of security, compliance, contract, and integration. These previous processes and institutional culture around technology led to:
- a rapid increase in both IT systems and expenditures, particularly those addressing unit or individual-level issues.
- Technology costs and subscriptions are rising between 5% and 300% annually.
- Growth added 30 systems in the last three years alone, bringing our application portfolio to over 200 systems.
- a lack of integration between systems and resulting data quality issues.
- a failure to fully utilize existing investments and keep systems up to date.
- an increase in security risks that require monitoring and mitigation.
- a lack of consistency for process automation activities.
- challenges in achieving regulatory compliance and ADA accessibility.
- a disjointed technology experience for everyone at the University.
Through outside expertise from Vantage Technology Consulting Group, university-wide focus groups were conducted that clearly pointed to the importance of, and current issues with, aligning IT investments to institutional goals and the need for both inclusion and transparency in decision making. The results of the focus groups, combined with industry best practices and proven successes at other institutions, have led to the development of an IT governance program to address our challenges.