IT Strategy at MIT: Past & Present IT Leaders Program April 9, 2008

Past strategic choices: “If you build it, they will come.” Project Athena: A research partnership with IBM and DEC, launched in 1983, to explore the use of computing technology for improving undergraduate education. Implementation of a commercial ERP solution to replace an ad-hoc collection of HR, payroll, and purchasing systems. Campus-wide rollout of VOIP technology to replace MIT’s aging 5ESS phone switch. Acquisition of 5ESS was itself a major strategic choice in 1987! Organization of IT support into separate administrative and research support units.

Future Strategic Choices Email and calendaring evolution. How best to meet divergent needs of administrative and research staff in a sustainable and well-integrated way? Data center space demands. Leased, off-campus facilities for use by IS&T free up valuable campus real estate for growing research computing needs. “Green Computing”, part of a campus-wide Energy Initiative. IT needs to be sustainable and ecologically friendly! Virtualization is a key part of our strategy.