Dive Brief:
- Security, data management and governance, and next-gen enterprise were among the top networking concerns for CIOs at Educause this year.
- IT impact from affordability, funding and leadership were also among chief concerns.
- Next generation enterprise and the digital transformation of learning were rated by attendees as the top two themes of importance during one session of the conference.
Dive Insight:
Leaders at colleges and universities nationwide are looking for ways to increase revenue, broaden student access, and to more effectively deal with changing demographics and expectations from their boards, state and federal governments. While IT is an integral part of how campuses can more efficiently and legally do business, the challenge of affording state-of-the-art equipment and hiring personnel remains a challenge, even for wealthier institutions.
Most leaders suggest approaching IT strategy in phases, with a focus on student service and eliminating faculty "shadow work" as two of the pressing priorities. But as technology evolves and demand increases for learning access and data processing, institutions will have to carefully balance these needs over faculty labor concerns and the ongoing pursuit of alternative revenue streams, which also require start up capital.