Even if Ohio University spends an extra $8 million on information technology over the next four years, it will still spend millions less than similar universities.
Under the latest draft of the university's five-year financial plan, the Office of Information Technology will receive $8 million over the next four fiscal years to improve IT infrastructure, security and customer service.
That money is part of more than $37 million earmarked for academic and administrative initiatives in OU's Five-Year Academic Action Plan. University officials have not said how the plan will be funded.
Following a consultant's recommendation in 2006, the university hired Gartner Inc. ' another consulting firm ' to study IT services at OU and put together a five-year improvement plan for the department.
The $357,775 report, completed in February, found that Ohio University significantly underfunds and understaffs IT services. In response, the university increased OIT's budget and allotted more than 20 percent of its strategic planning money to basic IT needs.
The majority of that money, $6.35 million, is earmarked for infrastructure improvements and security.
We've got to have a more modern network
said Brice Bible, chief information officer. The university's outdated wired and wireless networks ' which Bible described as appropriate for 1995 ' are already strained in some areas.
To handle increased use of Internet-telephone services and other high-bandwidth programs, Bible said OIT will use money it receives under the plan to increase the university's network capacity tenfold and add network redundancy, which will make Internet access more reliable.
Additional money allotted under the five-year plan will go to improve customer service and middleware ' software that exists between hardware and IT services ' such as Shibboleth, which allows use of OAK IDs on multiple university Web sites.
Bible acknowledges that despite all the money OIT will receive, its budget will still be far less than what Gartner recommended based on its study of similar universities.
But it's a good start Bible said, adding that OIT can more efficiently use its resources by working closely with college-specific IT groups and reducing the number of software configurations to simplify support.
Similar universities spend an average of $27.4 million each year on IT services, according to Gartner data, while OU spends $12 million.
But OIT's largest project, a new student information system that could cost up to $20 million, isn't included in its budget or planning money.
OIT will oversee the installation and customization of the new student system, which is expected to take at least two years. The project will be funded with one-time money, Bible said, adding that those funds will not come from OIT's budget.
Gartner also concluded that OU has fewer IT service staff than average. While similar universities have about 134 full-time IT service positions, OU has about 77.
Over the next two years, Bible said he wants to hire 25 new OIT employees. If all goes according to Bible's plan, ten of those will be hired by the end of this year.
In addition to submitting those goals to university trustees, Bible said the Information Technology Advisory Council will work on a strategic vision for OIT, which will be completed before the end of the academic year.
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