1. The Challenges Facing IT at the University of Montana
IT Senate
March 21, 2017

2. Context
FY2018 and beyond present budget and other challenges/change for UM that have significant impacts for IT. Today I am simply sharing my CIO perspective around the challenges.

3. AGENDA Financial Challenges Organizational Challenges
Environmental Challenges
Technologies, Support
Q&A

4. Financial Challenges Fixed Costs
- IT Utilities, Cost Rise and Allocation Shortfalls

5. Financial Challenges Central Allocation to IT
Overwhelmingly, this is for IT personnel
FY2014
~$4M (plus benefits)
FY2018
~2.85M (plus benefits)

6. Financial Challenges Student Fees and Revenue
Less student fees mean more of the fees go to fixed cost allocations
Revenue from phones and ports is down to an expected ~$1.2M in FY2018, was ~$2.2M in 2011
Other IT revenue for connectivity/commodity Internet with other campuses is down

7. Organizational Challenges
Central IT Personnel
Central IT (headcount) has been reduced to 65 individuals, 58 are actual IT professionals.
On headcount, this is 13 less than FY2014.
Numbers of IT personnel across campus are largely the same as FY2014.

8. Organizational Challenges
Planning for UM Goals
Central IT has just enough allocation to ‘keep the lights on’, despite a recent track-record of putting effort/resources to UM goals with success
FY2018 and FY2019 budgets necessitate a much deeper cut into central IT personnel.
We are losing a central notion of IT at UM

9. Environmental Challenges
Expanded Support
Central IT is supporting more network connectivity, more individuals, a broader set of applications, more diverse technologies and more technologically-enabled spaces than ever before.
Much of the technology is a 24x7 support reality, and dependence upon technology and associated information systems/data/etc. is at an all-time high.
We have more to support
Than ever before

10. Environmental Challenges
UM Goals Require Technology
Faculty are asking for a robust academic infrastructure; curriculum management, access to data, paperless processes and better tools.
Student experience demands progress with wireless, enhanced learning with technology and access to student success tools.
We are at the tip of the iceberg on research computing support

11. Environmental Challenges
UM Goals Require Technology
Our Banner ERP has a roadmap of major change.
We have a growing list of enterprise software, demanding integration and single sign-on.
Our staff/faculty migration is still on tap.
We must meet campus accreditation standards, financial and legislative audits and information security remains ‘top of list’ for IT challenges.

12. Environmental Challenges
Creative Thinking, Enabling Technology is Needed for Change at UM with the New Strategic Plan
Now, more than ever, IT must be in position to creatively partner with campus on goals.
Cuts have pinned down central IT change/movement toward a strategic enabler. Resources remain in distributed units, but are not available to plan with.
A perception exists that we have plenty of IT, we just need to work together.