Stanford University A Visit to the Farm ITLP February 9, 2010

Stanford University: The Beginning

Stanford University: The Post-War Years Image credit: istockphoto.com

Stanford University: The Tech Boom Image credit: istockphoto.com

IT Origins: Professional Computing Administrative Computing at Stanford was managed by the groups that ran the mainframe computer and the phone switch.

IT Origins: An Academic Bent Stanford’s network was borne out of early research into computer networks. Information travelling over the network became the focus of the libraries, which evolved into support of academic and residential computing.

IT Origins: The ITSS Divorce Administrative Systems Image credit: istockphoto.com

The Broker / Doer Divide Will central IT be primarily a provider of services or a broker of external services in 5 years? What does that mean for the decisions we make now? The Brokers The Doers

client(s) vs. Client How do we make sure we’re providing the right services centrally?

The Six Million Dollar Problem How long are people going to want one of these things, anyway? What happens when they don’t? Does anybody know what these are really paying for?

Discussion Credit Wikimedia Commons