The University of Arizona has made some major IT investments over the past year, and those are only going to grow under its new IT strategy set to launch early next year, the university interim chief information officer said, pointing to improved IT service delivery wins.
Elliott Cheu, CIO at the University of Arizona, said in a recent question and answer piece that after asking the university community what they wanted to see change in IT services delivery, his team is looking at making major upcoming changes that will simplify services, strengthen governance, and deepen partnerships across the university.
Those changes will be delivered through an IT strategy featuring clearer priorities and measurable goals which he plans to share with the university community in February.
“We operate in a very complex environment, and one of the biggest challenges is balancing campus needs with security. We’re starting to think differently and partner in areas we haven’t before, like research security,” said Cheu in the piece published to the university website.
Feedback that Cheu received said that the university provided strong core services, but pointed to a need for clearer communication, better partnerships, and simpler technology.
“Researchers asked for stronger high-performance computing support, more storage and clearer guidance for regulated data,” said Cheu. “Staff asked for transparency and more streamlined processes. Students reminded us that basics matter – logins, access and a seamless digital experience. Administrators emphasized the need for integrated, reliable systems that make their work easier.”
Change isn’t just happening in the future, it’s happening now too, Cheu said.
In the last year, the university restructured its IT teams to better deliver services, which has helped to provide specialized support to colleges and divisions based on their specific needs. A unified and streamlined IT support process routes requests to the rights teams, and internal team processes have moved into “a more self-sustaining operating mode,” explained Cheu.
“I feel optimistic about the direction we’re headed as a more connected, service-driven IT organization,” Cheu said.
The university also recently moved 240,000 student, alumni, and retiree accounts from Gmail to Outlook, and launched a “Mobile CatCard” in Apple and Google Wallet.