Extreme Networks interviewed CIOs and conducted research to find how Higher Education CIOs can work with their CMOs to lead campus digital transformation.
“Better Connections. Better Experiences. For Everyone” can only be achieved if you consider the most impactful and influential trends of our (or possible any) time in history.
http://www.cio.com/article/744601/State_of_the_CIO_2014_The_Great_SchismIn our 13th annual State of the CIO survey, 25 percent of the 722 CIOs we surveyed report that the IT group is perceived by colleagues as a true business peer--or even a game-changer--that can create and launch new products and open new markets.
http://www.cio.com/article/744601/State_of_the_CIO_2014_The_Great_SchismIn our 13th annual State of the CIO survey, 25 percent of the 722 CIOs we surveyed report that the IT group is perceived by colleagues as a true business peer--or even a game-changer--that can create and launch new products and open new markets.
The new CIO mandateBy Dion Hinchcliffe on February 19, 2014 http://www.enterpriseirregulars.com/72112/new-cio-mandate/
CIOs and CMOs: Power couple or strange bedfellows?, January 2014http://www.networkworld.com/news/2014/010614-cio-cmo-277271.html
HBR: Should Your CIO Be Chief Digital Officer?, August 2013http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/08/should-your-cio-be-chief-digit/So, should your CIO take on digital responsibilities? Here are some questions you can ask yourself:Is your CIO great at the CIO role? Is IT clearly running well? Are IT costs and agility what you want them to be? If your answer to these questions is “no,” then you probably want your CIO to focus on fixing IT, not expanding beyond IT.Is your CIO ready for a CIO-Plus role? Do you see your CIO as a senior executive colleague or just a leader of the technology function? Has he successfully managed non-technical roles such as merger integration, process management, or shared services? Is your senior team smarter when your CIO is in the room?Does your CIO have digital expertise? Can she talk the language of social media or mobile or analytics, and can she help you understand? Does she understand the digital threats and opportunities your company faces — from inside and outside its industry? Can she create a compelling digital vision for the firm?Will your CIO command respect across the enterprise? The CDO role can require even more political savvy and communication skills than the CIO role does. Is your CIO up to the task of driving change across a strong-willed senior executive team? Can she engage a busy workforce to turn digital vision into reality?
By 2015, 25 Percent of Large Global Organizations Will Have Appointed Chief Data Officers, January 2014http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2659215Gartner Predicts That by 2014, More Than 20 Percent of Government Organizations Will Have Appointed a Chief Digital OfficerOctober 2013http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2615319
HBR: CMOs and CIOs Need to Get Along to Make Big Data Work, February 2014http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/02/cmos-and-cios-need-to-get-along-to-make-big-data-work/
Extreme Networks Higher Education Customers:North America (Canada, Mexico, United States)More than 300 active customers253 Customers represented on the map:Adrian Dominican SistersAlbany State UniversityAlderson Broaddus College
A catalyst for transformation in the context of social, mobile, apps, and cloud computing (including BYOD).
To achieve maximum impact, CIOs should define an information technology strategy and business operating model that connects IT to the institution’s strategic plan and operational requirements. Such an alignment strategy can only succeed if the CIO is fluent with the business challenges facing the institution, so he or she must find ways to gain meaningful awareness of these issues. Of course, CIOs should also help advance their institution’s efforts to improve educational delivery to students. In addition, the CIO must think beyond technology to offer responsive service that benefits the various constituencies and stakeholders present in any institution of higher education. Strategic alignment, business orientation, and customer focus are key drivers of CIO success. CIOs who reject this view risk becoming marginalized and devalued, relegated to providing low value “feeds and speeds.” Conversely, strategic CIOs with a user-centric mindset bring tremendous value and advance their institution’s mission in important and diverse ways.
Student retention is an ongoing concern to many institutions, a problem that the economic crisis and competitive market in higher education have exacerbated. Innovative CIOs, however, can use technology to fight back. These CIOs have found numerous ways to improve retention, such as developing early warning systems to identify students before they drop out, using case-management systems to track students as appropriate, and generally supporting students during their life on campus. In fact, many of the initiatives they designed to support students not only help retention, but also create a compelling college experience for students that builds the institution’s brand and differentiates it from the competition.
CIOs who participate at a strategic level also understand the challenges their institution faces in raising funds. These CIOs can contribute ideas on using technology to strengthen revenue generation in areas such as alumni giving. Reed Sheard, CIO of Westmont College, increased alumni giving by connecting alumni through a program that brings together data from the school’s ERP system with LinkedIn and Facebook:
Increasing efficiency and reducing costs are traditional expectations of IT and the CIO. Every school should use technology to achieve these goals. Administrative services, facilities, and curriculum management are among the areas in which the CIOs we interviewed have developed ideas that can save money or gain efficiencies, for example by using the cloud to increase efficiency and drive business improvement or using software to facilitate employee collaborative work processes and thus improve efficiency.
Institutions of higher education distinguish themselves in teaching students and supporting their educational needs. Innovative CIOs can use collaboration technologies and social networking to improve interaction between students and professors, enhance learning in and out of the classroom, and encourage stronger relationships between students and school. By applying innovative and student-centric technologies, CIOs can help create a learning experience that is more satisfying for students and better aligned with the school’s mission.
Many of the institutions that participated in this study have served their community for over one hundred years. To endure into the future, these schools must adapt to meet the expectations of all stakeholders including students, faculty, and donors. Although external challenges can encourage an institution to change, transformation based on technology requires a CIO who understands the school’s business needs. An innovative CIO can serve as a catalyst to help the institution evolve. The transformation road map presented here is based on lessons learned from the innovators we interviewed. This structured approach aligns business goals, strategy, and technology to meet the challenges presented in the previous section.
To become a credible innovation partner, IT must deliver information technology services and projects to help the institution conduct daily operations and realize its strategic plan. Without the right infrastructure, it is difficult or impossible for IT to deliver the applications and services that students, faculty, and staff demand. Infrastructure planning requires that a CIO anticipate his or her organization’s needs over a relatively long time horizon. These decisions must balance anticipated organizational need, budget, and expected usable life for each technology component under consideration. Choice of on-premise or cloud software deployment may also have a significant impact on infrastructure decisions. In summary, the CIO must plan an infrastructure portfolio that strikes the right balance between competing priorities such as business requirements, budget, and scalability. Components of a higher education infrastructure portfolio typically include: Local (and/or cloud-based) servers and storage Wired and wireless networking with flexible access to institution resources Strong mobile device support, including robust BYOD (bring your own device) capabilities Voice communications Network security and access control Infrastructure to support online learning and collaboration High-speed Internet access Disaster recovery Project management capability
16 higher education CIOs
Users depend on applications and services that IT provides, so the choice of which ones to support is a significant decision for CIOs. Application and service portfolios in higher education typically include: Back-end applications such ERP, financial systems, human capital management, and business intelligence Administrative tools such as course selection systems for students Online learning applications, including remote teaching, and learning management systems Collaboration tools such as video conferencing, activity streams, and instant messaging Email and other communications tools Apps for mobile devices and phones
Synopsis of our survey results:90 percent of schools offer or plan to offer online courses in the next 3 years - 74 percent offer today2013 - Only 13 percent of schools offer MOOC; but 43 percent plan to offer MOOCs by 201684 percent of schools say MOOCs complement residential educationMOOCs are appropriate for -- top 3 answers: continuing education (72 percent), non-degree programs (59 percent), technical training (53 percent). Only 19 percent believe MOOCs are appropriate for all courses.Biggest value of MOOCs: 44 percent keeping up with development in education, 35 percent raising visibility of the school, 16 percent improving quality of our residential teachingBiggest drawback of MOOCs: 41 percent lack of consistent review and grading system, 25 percent high cost of develop and implement, 15 percent high time commitmentOnly 44 percent of schools are planning to offer MOOC credits!83 percent of schools would consider joining an online education group such asedX, Coursera, or Udacity67 percent of schools believe that MOOCs will never replace traditional, residential classes; 5 percent said yes within 5 years!
Why are we involved with moocs?Our mission includeshelping to educateImprove our course contentStay ahead of major trendsPartner with our education customersPilot version 1 Upcoming coursesData center basicsData network fundamentalsWirelesslan fundamentalsIn DevelopmentSecurity ConceptsIntroduction to the Internet
Having the right infrastructure, applications and services in place makes IT a credible technology provider. However, the challenges facing higher education require IT to be a catalyst for change rather than only a provider of technology. Becoming a strategic partner demands that IT meet stakeholder expectations, provide a high level of service, operate efficiently, and think strategically. To achieve these goals, the CIO must create an appropriate organizational design and cultivate the right cultural dynamics. Because a strategic IT group functions differently than one focused primarily on feeds and speeds, the CIO must shape the dynamics within his or her organization.
CIOs must run IT as a business that provides computing, information, and communication services to the entire institution. Ultimately, however, IT must justify its role based on how well it supports core institutional goals and enables operational efficiencies. That said, the highest value a CIO can offer to any institution is being a catalyst that drives strategic and transformational change. By following the path described earlier in this paper, IT can develop the trust and credibility needed to influence the institution as a whole. Once the institution sees IT as a reliable partner, a skilful CIO can gradually take on the role of trusted advisor and agent of change. The CIOs we interviewed used the approach described in this section to develop trusted relationships with their institutions.