Readiness for the Digital
Future
University of Wisconsin
Milwaukee
Fred Siff
Vice-President & Chief Information Officer
Professor of Information Systems
Emeritus
University of Cincinnati
March 2011
DA CIO
UWM’s Readiness for the Digital Future
Pieces of the Puzzle
Initial meetings
18 Interviews
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over 2 week span
 multiple follow-ups
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Document
review
Current State
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Gaps
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Lead to frustration
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User satisfaction uneven
Operational effectiveness uneven
Credibility
Community looks to central IT to become nimble,
flexible, aggressive
Additional resources are not the answer
Case Studies
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Enterprise application support – and email
New models -- Creative Services
Next up – Network
Recommendations
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Solution path cannot be based on more
resources
Reactivate Council on Information
Technology
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Not enough trust & support in Cabinet
A policy group, not budgetary
Recommendations

Actionable 3 year plan for service delivery
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An action plan with no new resources, not a
grand vision
Move aggressively on industry best practices
Multi-year funding model
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Technology is an annual expenditure
One-time funding equates to crisis management
Recommendations

Streamline UITS again and make it work
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Develop modern network architecture
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Position creep since 2005 review
Update and streamline current hodgepodge
Add academic for innovative projects
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Focal point for digital future
Recommendations
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Renew focus on user services and support
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Fill a role, take advantage of minimal local
support
Employ chargeback beyond established baseline
Take full advantage of the energy & momentum of
the Digital Futures Project