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NIU IT Assessment - 2021 TSI Engagement

Overview

NIU engaged with an independent company, TSI, to perform an assessment on the Department of Information Technology. This was a comprehensive evaluation engaging key stakeholders campus-wide and took several months to complete.

Key Focus Areas

  • Information Technology Alignment with Institutional Goals and Objectives
  • Organization and Staffing of the Division of Information Technology
  • Information Technology Processes and Services Provided to the Campus Community
  • The University’s Technology Applications and Infrastructure (i.e. the IT ”stack”)
  • The Information Technology Financial Model

Feedback

Through a series of surveys and interviews focusing on over a dozen themes, TSI was able to rate IT’s performance. While feedback in general is always good to get, we have broken out the information into two groups positive and needs improvement.

Key Findings

Several findings from TSI resulted in recommended actions:

Finding

  • Lack of Effective IT Governance (IT Steering) that limits participation and prioritization of IT Portfolio

Actions

  • Keep IT Planning Council and CFAC In Place – As-Is
  • Re-Start IT Steering, Re-Form Membership and Subcommittees (Jan-2022)
    • Include eVPP/VP-CFO/Chief of Staff/CHRO/VP-Student Affairs at Top-Level Governance
    • Monthly Meetings to Review Portfolio Progress/Pipeline Requests/Business Cases

Finding

  • Some Confusion Exists Across Campus About Central vs. Distributed IT Services

Actions

  • Clear Up Confusion About Desktop Support/Classroom Tech Support – DoIT vs. D-IT
  • Update DoIT Website to Clarify Service Portfolio & Alignment
  • Enhance “Partnership Culture” between DoIT and Campus
  • Align IT Service Portfolio/Budget with Campus Multi-Year Plan/IT Steering

Finding

  • NIU Lacks Staff Capacity in Key Areas:
    • Information Security Management / Specific IT Functions Have NO Backup

Actions

  • Information Security Program Review with President/VP-CFO – key investments
  • FY22 DoIT Staffing Plan – ID Key Functional Investments (i.e. IdM/SPOF/Gaps)
    • Develop Student Intern/Employment Program – Career Path Opportunity (AY22/23)
  • Targeted 3rd Party Partnerships – Strategic Cloud/ServiceDesk/SOC
  • Develop Multi-Year DoIT Staffing Plan to Align with Multi-Year Budget Plan

Finding

  • NIU IT Infrastructure is Aging and has Key Vulnerabilities – WiFi/UPS/Telephones

Actions

  • UPS in Swen Parson to be Replaced in Spring-2022
  • Evaluating Data-Center Consolidation (3->2 / 3->1) – Reduce Capex/Opex
  • Teams Voice is Approved for Implementation – FY22 (Pilot Ongoing)
  • Targeted WiFi Implementation in FY22 – Academic/Research Spaces
  • IT Infrastructure Refresh Planning to Align with Multi-Year Budget Plan

Findings

  • Current IT Financial Model is not Adequate for Sustainability
    • Inadequate Infrastructure Refresh Funding tied to Recharge/Central Funding
    • Lack of Equitable Laptop Refresh Across Campus
  • No Institutional Visibility to Total Cost of IT (DoIT plus D-IT – comprehensive)

Actions

  • Align IT Service Portfolio/Budget with Campus Multi-Year Plan/IT Steering
  • Provide Institutional Visibility to Laptop Investment Needs – Multi-Year Plan (DONE)
  • DoIT to Lead Comprehensive IT Cost Model for Campus
    • Include Review of IT Funding Model – Chargebacks vs. Central vs. External Funding

Contact Us

Division of Information Technology
815-753-8100
ServiceDesk@niu.edu

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