ITSS Technology Strategy Principles
1. ITSS will define and promote one technology strategy.
2. ITSS’ strategy will be understood and endorsed by clients and support their
needs.
3. Technology strategy will trend toward uniformity, not unsustainable diversity.
4. Excellent use of technology is more important than using excellent
technology.
5. ITSS will choose and demonstrate prowess in targeted areas of technology
that further Stanford University’s role as innovator and leader.
(continued below)
Implementing the Technology Strategy Principles
1. ITSS will define and promote one technology strategy.
A single report will be published and regularly updated which includes what
technologies (i.e. products, practices, implementations) ITSS uses and promotes.
This report must give current technology uses and the strategy for future
direction. The ITSS strategy will be the responsibility of the ITSS Strategist in
conjunction with Stanford’s academic and administrative IT leaders.
2. ITSS’ strategy will be endorsed by clients and support their needs.
There must be a documented connection between technology strategy for ITSS
and client support for that direction. If the technology strategy is not reviewed
and endorsed by clients of ITSS, it is not valid. An advisory board will be formed
which will be charged with regular review of ITSS’ strategy and inclusion of client
input. It is critical that ITSS Technology Strategy answer client questions clearly
and demonstrably.
3. Technology strategy will trend toward uniformity, not unsustainable diversity.
Technology implementations and product diversity will be actively controlled by
the ITSS published technology strategy. This strategy will deliberately and
openly make choices limiting the branching of IT architectures, product selections
and operational implementations.
4. Excellent use of technology is more important than using excellent
technology.
The ITSS strategic master plan will provide a framework from which IT project
managers, developers, systems administrators, etc. will work within. This will
free them from having to reinvent commonly used technologies. The focus will
be on the quality of the implementation and resulting service rather than on using
the latest technology.
5. Focal areas of technology prowess are identified and supported.
Stanford University is among an elite echelon of academic institutions in the
world. The expectations of Stanford’s IT leadership are correspondingly high.
ITSS technology strategy must respond to this expectation by choosing specific
target technologies which demonstrate this leadership prowess.
Concrete steps
Short to medium term deliverables
Formation of core of advisory board within n months/weeks
When the draft of strategy will be completed
Leadership
Informing
Auditing
After 6 months of analysis define selected areas of prowess
Areas of IT Architectural concentration working as a team:
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Networking
Infrastructure
Application
Data
What is needed from each of these roles:
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Comprehensive understanding in respective technology concentration (not
just within division of ITSS)
Ability to see more broadly outside
Authority to make decisions of broad implication
Commitment to work together and integrate directions to form one strategy
Seen as credible and fair by technical staff
What is needed from the Executive Directors for these roles to succeed:
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Support the recommendations of these technology leaders and the
collective decisions
Entree into forums where campus IT decision makers and
stakeholders work
Enforce the endorsed strategy policy
Enunciate one uniform technology strategy