PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
“Only 5% of U.S. institutions have selected a modern cloud ERP solution. The other 95% are thinking about it or making plans for it. The question is no longer “if” you move your core systems, such as finance, HCM, student and CRM, to the cloud. It’s when.” – Tambellini Group
Administrative Systems in the Short and Long Term
Requirements for administrative computing systems have changed in the last decade. Students, faculty, and staff now need the ability to easily and intuitively perform tasks and to view information on any device, at any time, from any location. Administrative offices need efficiency in processes. Decision-makers need access to data from multiple systems. Automation of repetitive processes is key to freeing up staff for more critical work.
Software vendors have responded to these changes in requirements by providing sophisticated, specialized solutions that improve and complement legacy human resources, finance, and student information systems.
What is our aspiration?
ES will invest in new technologies, train our staff, and develop a culture of innovation and thought leadership. We will ensure that we have the necessary resources, skills, and infrastructure to meet the demands of our clients today and into the future.
Why is this important?
The world of technology is constantly evolving. In order to better serve our clients and keep our staff engaged, it is critical that ES stay abreast of emerging trends in IT as well as the increasing demands of our stakeholders. This will allow ES to achieve better client satisfaction by creating sustainable solutions that can thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Preparing for the future will also help anticipate and mitigate potential risks. Ransomware, data breaches, and cyberattacks are ever-present dangers in our world. By staying ahead of these risks, we can protect our clients’ data and maintain IU’s world-class reputation.
What are our concrete goals?
- Take significant steps to operationalize the ES integration strategy and recommendations to mature our integration capabilities.
- Research and create an identity and access management strategy to further our strategic understanding of the internal and external landscape.
- Empower IU faculty, staff, and students by enhancing generative AI tools using institutional data sets.
What specific targets are we setting for ourselves for 2024?
- Take significant steps to operationalize the ES integration strategy and recommendations to mature our integration capabilities.
- Establish a Center of Excellence consisting of appointed members to offer strategic direction and best practices.
- Draft a funding proposal, create an RFP (request for proposal), assess responses, and select an iPaaS (integration platform as a service) platform.
- Form an integration team and initiate training on the designated platform.
- Research and create an identity and access management strategy to further our strategic understanding of the internal and external landscape.
- Research the capability of having a backup to IU Login hosted in the cloud and recommend next steps.
- Research cloud-based identity and access management solutions compared to I2 Trusted Access Platform to develop an IAM (identity access management) roadmap for the future.
- Implement a governance model for prioritizing IAM activities.
- Empower IU faculty, staff, and students by enhancing generative AI tools using institutional data sets.
- Create a working group to analyze available data sources and identify the most commonly used institutional data sets on which to train generative AI.
- Train generative AI models to tap into these data when asked relevant questions.
- Create a proof-of-concept (POC) of a user experience that taps into this trained AI backend within IU Mobile.