strategic technology roadmap houston community college 2005
DESCRIPTION
Developed this for very large community college with 90,000 student enrollment for Houston Community College. Ten Year strategic technology roadmap that was used to guide new CIO. For details contact Lafayette Howell 281-728-5842TRANSCRIPT
Strategic Technology Vision and Road Map 2015: IT Strategic Plan - Living Document -
Houston Community College System Information Technology Department
October 28, 2005 �– Version 1.0
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
2
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................................9
1.1 Purpose of the Technology Road Map........................................................................................................................................................ 11
1.2 Audience for the Technology Road Map..................................................................................................................................................... 11
1.3 How to Use the Technology Road Map ...................................................................................................................................................... 12
1.4 Three Core Business Problems for HCCS.................................................................................................................................................. 12
1.5 Technology Planning Approach & Process................................................................................................................................................. 12
1.6 Contributors to the Technology Road Map ................................................................................................................................................. 14
1.7 Organization of the Technology Road Map................................................................................................................................................. 14
2.0 CURRENT SITUATION �– NOW....................................................................................................................................15
2.1 Competitive Situation at HCCS................................................................................................................................................................... 15
2.1.1 Senior Management Perspective.............................................................................................................................................. 16
2.1.2 Industry Perspective.................................................................................................................................................................. 17
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
3
2.1.3 College Perspective .................................................................................................................................................................. 17
2.1.4 Internal IT Staff Perspective...................................................................................................................................................... 18
2.1.5 Competitive Landscape ............................................................................................................................................................ 18
2.2 Organization and Management Processes................................................................................................................................................. 18
2.3 Business Applications ................................................................................................................................................................................. 21
2.4 Network Infrastructure................................................................................................................................................................................. 23
3.0 FUTURE SITUATION �– VISION ...................................................................................................................................25
3.1 Reinvigorate Network Infrastructure to Accommodate Current Programs and Growth .............................................................................. 26
3.2 Maximize Value of Technology Investments............................................................................................................................................... 27
3.3 Lead and Support Business Process Improvement.................................................................................................................................... 27
3.4 Transform Organizational Model to Internal Service Company (ISCo) Model............................................................................................ 27
3.5 Develop Human Capital Strategy that Builds Skills Quickly and Effectively ............................................................................................... 28
3.6 Provide Access to Educational Opportunities and Services Anywhere, Anytime....................................................................................... 28
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
4
4.0 SOLUTION PLAN �– TIMELINE ....................................................................................................................................29
4.1 Short-Term 2005-06 thru 2007-08 �“Back to Basics�” ................................................................................................................................... 29
4.2 Medium-Term 2008-09 thru 2010-11 .......................................................................................................................................................... 30
4.3 Long-Term 2011-12 thru 2013-14 ............................................................................................................................................................... 31
5.0 SOLUTION PLAN �– SUMMARY...................................................................................................................................32
5.1 Portal Technology ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 32
5.2 Network Infrastructure................................................................................................................................................................................. 32
5.3 What is a Portal ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 32
5.4 Portal Architecture....................................................................................................................................................................................... 34
5.5 What Distinguishes a Website from a Portal............................................................................................................................................... 34
6.0 SOLUTION PLAN �– STRATEGIES & INITIATIVES TO DELIVER...............................................................................37
6.1 Strategy: Reinvigorate Network Infrastructure for Growth .......................................................................................................................... 37
6.1.1 Strategy Overview..................................................................................................................................................................... 37
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
5
6.1.2 Future Vision ............................................................................................................................................................................. 37
6.1.3 Initiatives to Deliver................................................................................................................................................................... 38
6.1.3.1 Upgrade of the HCC Wide and Local Area Networks ............................................................................................... 38
6.1.3.2 Develop an Architecture Refresh and Upgrade Strategy Including Capacity Planning ............................................ 38
6.1.3.3 Enhance Communications and Collaboration Services............................................................................................ 39
6.1.3.4 Upgrade Phone System to Support CIP, VoIP and Network Convergence.............................................................. 39
6.2 Maximize Value of Technology Investments............................................................................................................................................... 40
6.2.1 Strategy Overview..................................................................................................................................................................... 40
6.2.2 Current Situation ....................................................................................................................................................................... 40
6.2.3 Objectives & Value to Enterprise .............................................................................................................................................. 41
6.2.4 Initiatives to Deliver................................................................................................................................................................... 42
6.2.4.1 Create and Implement Enterprise IT Planning Group............................................................................................... 42
6.2.4.2 Formalize and Implement Business Technology Workgroups.................................................................................. 42
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
6
6.2.4.3 Investigate Potential Outsourcing Alternatives ......................................................................................................... 44
6.3 Lead and Support Business Process Improvement.................................................................................................................................... 45
6.3.1 Strategy Overview..................................................................................................................................................................... 45
6.3.2 Current Situation ....................................................................................................................................................................... 45
6.3.3 Objectives & Value to Enterprise .............................................................................................................................................. 46
6.3.4 Initiatives to Deliver................................................................................................................................................................... 47
6.3.4.1 Develop Enterprise Portal Strategy to Leverage Technology to Automate Manual Processes................................ 47
6.3.4.2 Implement Project Management Office..................................................................................................................... 47
6.3.4.3 Initiate Enterprise Process Reengineering of High Payback Areas.......................................................................... 48
6.4 Transform Organization Structure to Internal Service Company Model ..................................................................................................... 50
6.4.1 Strategy Overview..................................................................................................................................................................... 50
6.4.2 Current Situation ....................................................................................................................................................................... 50
6.4.3 Objectives & Value to Enterprise .............................................................................................................................................. 51
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
7
6.4.4 Initiatives to Deliver................................................................................................................................................................... 52
6.4.4.1 Reconfigure Applications Development Group......................................................................................................... 52
6.4.4.2 Develop Contingent Staffing Plan............................................................................................................................. 53
6.4.4.3 Consolidate College and Administrative Technicians into Services Unit.................................................................. 53
6.5 Develop Human Capital Strategy that Builds Skills Quickly and Effectively............................................................................................... 54
6.5.1 Strategy Overview..................................................................................................................................................................... 54
6.5.2 Current Situation ....................................................................................................................................................................... 54
6.5.3 Objectives & Value to Enterprise .............................................................................................................................................. 54
6.5.4 Initiatives to Deliver................................................................................................................................................................... 55
6.5.4.1 Conduct IT Skills Review and Assessment............................................................................................................... 55
6.5.4.2 Implement Project Management Certification Program............................................................................................ 55
6.6 Provide Access to Educational Opportunities and Services Anywhere, Anytime....................................................................................... 56
6.6.1 Strategy Overview..................................................................................................................................................................... 56
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
8
6.6.2 Current Situation ....................................................................................................................................................................... 56
6.6.3 Objectives & Value to Enterprise .............................................................................................................................................. 57
6.6.4 Initiatives to Deliver................................................................................................................................................................... 58
6.6.4.1 Identify Management and Managed Network (Active Directory) .............................................................................. 58
6.6.4.2 Implement Comphrehensive Disaster Recovery ...................................................................................................... 58
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Executive Summary Seventy-five percent of Houston Community College executives
agree that HCCS has a strong strategic plan in place, according to
surveys conducted between October 2004 and January 2005.
Conversely, just 17% agree that people at all levels understand their
role in implementing the strategic plan. In a similar survey, "82% of
Fortune 500 CEO's surveyed indicated that they feel their
organization did an effective job of strategic planning. However, only
14% of the same CEO's indicated that their organization did an
effective job of implementing the strategy" according to Forbes. The
common theme and the challenge for all organizations is execution.
Thus, the Strategic Technology Road Map 2015 lays the ground
work to help HCCS information technology execute better and deliver
value. Through the vision of the Chancellor, an integral part of HCC
transformation strategy is to Improving IT, which is one of the eleven
(11) strategies set forth by the Chancellor.1 To advance these
strategies, we have identified six (6) core objectives that are relevant
and can provide a return on investment to the institution:
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
9
1 (1) Completion of the Capital Improvement Plan, (2) Annexation, (3) Improving Financial Aid, (4) Enhancing Learning Support, (5) Tracking Student Progress, (6) Emphasizing Retention, (7) Implementing Clusters, (8) Improving our Capital Campaign, (9) Strengthening Recruitment, (10) Improving IT, and (11) Colleges to Standards
1. Reinvigorate the Network Infrastructure to Accommodate
Current Programs and Future Growth
2. Lead and Support Continuous Business Process
Improvement
3. Transform Organizational Model to Internal Service
Company (ISCo) Model
4. Provide Access to Educational Opportunities and Services
Anywhere, Anytime
5. Develop Human Capital Strategy that Builds Skills Quickly
and Effectively
6. Maximize Value of Technology Investments
Urgency of the Technology Road Map: Competition & Accountability
Competitors are making a concentrated effort to recruit new students
by providing an attractive alternative to HCCS. They are doing this
through aggressive marketing, simplified business processes
enabled by technology and creating technology capabilities that
students want.
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
10
The Houston Community College System Information Technology
Department exists to support the information technology needs of the
student, faculty and administrators. Unprecedented complexity
combined with funding a dynamic environment for new and
competing ideas, demands a fresh approach to HCCS�’ core business
processes, the structure of information technology services and a
critical look at IT�’s ability to execute. Thus, the road map will help
create an atmosphere where information technology professionals
create value as business problem solvers working side-by-side with
faculty and administrators to identify, prioritize and execute the right
things at the right time in the right way for the right cost. By doing so,
HCCS will be able to:
Manage growth and complexity (e.g. collaboration to
support CIP)
Control costs (e.g. establishing an enterprise business and
technical architecture that is the foundation for the future to
work across the enterprise and in an integrated way)
Improve the work culture and service delivery capabilities
of IT professionals (e.g. capitalize on system-wide IT
knowledge and capabilities)
Implement best business practices that are repeatable
(e.g. project management disciplines and technology
development maturity by improving IT capabilities)
Strategic Network Consulting (SNC) was hired to assist the Houston
Community College System (HCCS), to guide the implementation of
IT Governance and strategic planning. An integral component of IT
Governance is a strategic technology business plan or road map that
serves as a guide and a point of reference from which the System
makes decisions about technology investments and the role of
technology at HCCS. Without a plan, governance processes
become nothing more than a battle of individual interests rather than
a focused approach to build capabilities that allow HCCS to be more
competitive. The initial points of the recommendation by SNC
included the following:
Strategic Alignment �– Aligning all the current and future IT
products and services with the System vision and needs.
Value Delivery �– Concentrating on improving
revenue/expenses while providing valuable IT products
and services for the organization.
Risk Management �– The current practice for safeguarding
IT assets, disaster recovery and continuity planning for the
business units.
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Resource Management �– Utilizing people, knowledge and
technical infrastructure fully to obtain the value of existing
resources.
Performance Measurement �– The tracking, monitoring and
measuring of IT products and services.
As a result, SNC suggested that rather than outsourcing or pursuing
other alternatives, that IT Governance was the appropriate path for
HCCS. To be sure, IT Governance is the responsibility of the board
of directors and executive management. IT Governance is an
integral part of enterprise governance and consists of the leadership
and organizational structures and processes that ensure that the IT
department helps build capabilities that help extend the strategies
and objectives of the organization.
1.1 Purpose of the Technology Road Map The purpose of this technology road map is several fold and benefits
HCCS in the following ways:
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
11
Provides transparency into IT so users know and
understand existing constraints, the direction of the IT
organization and the long-term vision for technology;
Advances the System towards the elusive goal of
business-technology alignment;
Identifies gaps and weaknesses that the System may
experience to transform and deliver much needed
strategic capabilities to remain competitive; and
Presents broad brush stroke of timelines for technology
investments over time through 2015; IT leadership
recognizes that technology evolves rapidly and cost
estimates are subject to dramatic price shifts.
1.2 Audience for the Technology Road Map The intended audience for the Technology Roadmap includes the
Board of Trustees and Chancellor, our students, Vice Chancellors,
College Presidents, faculty members department heads, department
employees, campus IT instructional leaders, and educational
partners with whom HCCS is collaborating to establish new
programs.
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
1.3 How to Use the Technology Road Map The strategic technology road map is designed to illustrate a game
plan that shows a pathway to strengthen HCCS capabilities and
competitiveness while helping to build new ones that may not exist
today. Readers should use the road map as a guiding document to
help galvanize and build consensus around business priorities to
improve resource allocation and help establish the most effective
funding options. As such, this is a dynamic document that should
evolve and change over time to reflect updates in thinking as well as
new realities that the organization will face.
1.4 Three Core Business Problems for HCCS To achieve a modicum of success, IT departments need to focus and
establish boundaries within this focus, while also being flexible to
changing needs. Based on the work performed up to this point, we
have narrowed the focus to three core business problems as shown
in the graphic below.
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
12
The IT group in an open forum discussed these core problems to
kick-off the 2005-06 fiscal year in September 2005. This is important
because the focus of what IT staff works on is fragmented today.
This fragmentation leads to many projects and activities that start but
few that the group completes. Based on recent technology failures,
poorly performing IT projects along with the poor system
performance during the 2005 fall enrollment, we believe these issues
represent the most pressing and strategic business problems for
HCCS. Thus, the Strategic Technology Road Map is geared towards
addressing these problems by identifying technology opportunities
that improves these problems head-on.
1.5 Technology Planning Approach & Process October 2004 was the launch of the IT Governance Implementation
project. Executive and administrator intelligence data gathering took
place from October 2004 through February 2005; a single individual
led and delivered the entire IT Governance and strategic planning
outcomes for the System. IT staff participated in an employee survey
in December 2004. During the project start-up period, we learned
that previous attempts at IT strategic planning did not involve IT staff
and did not obtain in-depth business input. Prior IT planning
exercises were largely an effort to �“link�” technology projects with
strategic planning efforts in hopes of showing alignment to various
DecliningEnrollment
1
Difficult withWhich to Do
Business
2
LimitedCapital
3
DecliningEnrollment
1
DecliningEnrollment
1
Difficult withWhich to Do
Business
2
Difficult withWhich to Do
Business
2
LimitedCapital
3
LimitedCapital
3
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
strategies promulgated by the Chancellor. This approach might be
sufficient when there is a high degree of credibility and trust between
the IT department and user groups. This is not the case today.
Therefore, much of the IT efforts to establish IT governance and
develop a strategic plan focused on building credibility, and
consensus building, which often-times does not fit neatly into the
project plan. As part of IT�’s alignment efforts the following activities
also took place:
Strategic Alignment Summit, April 2005
IT Leadership Strategic Planning, August 2005
IT Governance & Investment Council Charter approved by
Chancellor, Dr. Bruce Leslie, August 2005
Developed �“brown-paper�” strategic planning map with IT
staff, and IDCs using 10 year outlook August through
September 2005.
Conduct small group sessions with IT functional areas
October 2005
Building confidence that IT can deliver becomes even more
problematic since the IT organization is without a permanent IT
executive.
Brown-Paper Planning Map 2005 thru 2015
To address this leadership void, and help guide the planning and
governance effort, five core principles were applied throughout this
project:
IT Governance and Planning Principles for HCCS:
Governance mechanisms should reflect prevailing culture
Focus on shared accountability for results and shared
responsibility for implementation
Full participation by business management and leadership
Governance processes must be practical and actionable
Complete senior management buy-in and sponsorship
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
13
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
14
1.6 Contributors to the Technology Road Map The following individuals and groups have played an integral role in
shaping the Strategic Technology Road Map 2015, because of their
energy and passion to contribute to HCCS long-term success.
Dr. Bruce Leslie, Chancellor and Sponsor of IT Governance Project Irene Porcarello, Vice Chancellor of Student Success and Sponsor IT Governance & Investment Council Members: Bill Meyer, IT Interim Director, Chair Becky Giot, Executive Director Finance Michael Edwards, Faculty Senate President 2004-05 David Wilcox, Faculty Senate President 2005-06 Beverly Walker-Griffea, Dean of Student Services �– Central Joanne Lin, Dean �– Southeast Charles Hebert, Assoc. VC �– System Madeline Burillo, Continuing Education - System Butch Herod, Dean �– Northwest Norma Perez, Dean �– Health Sciences Larry Mers, Director �– Southwest Linda Comte, IDC �– Northeast
Sandra Lebron, IDC �– Southeast Daler Wade, Director �– Human Resources Sheila Briones, Communications �– System Stephen Levey, Executive Director Distance Education Patti Carlton, HCC Foundation �– System Judy Cantwell, Public Service Librarian �– Southeast Stephen Levey, Executive Director, Distance Education IT Department Groups: Infrastructure Services & Support Applications Development Telecommunications Enterprise Services Individual Colleges College Presidents Instructional Design Coordinators
1.7 Organization of the Technology Road Map The IT Road Map represents the de facto plan for the IT Department
at HCCS. This plan is designed to encompass the current three
goals and eleven (11) strategies, but is also forward-looking in the
design and organization to accommodate changing goals and
strategies of the institution. In other words, the path IT is on will
remain consistent for the next five (5) years. The strategic
technology road map is organization in the following way:
2.0 Current Situation
3.0 Future Situation - Vision
4.0 Solution Plan �– Timeline
5.0 Solution Plan - Summary
6.0 Solution Plan Details
1. Strategy Overview
2. Current Situation
3. Objectives & Value to Enterprise
4. Initiatives to Delivery
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
15
2.0 Current Situation �– Now The IT Department is at a severe cross roads that will require
important decisions of potentially large investments in technology
combined with sweeping organizational change that will have far
reaching impact. This section provides in detail, the current situation
of the technology environment at HCCS:
Competitive Situation for IT at HCCS
Organization and Management Processes
Business Applications
Network Infrastructure
2.1 Competitive Situation at HCCS Within the central IT department at 3100 Main, and IT activities at the
colleges, IT is viewed and treated as a support function and thus IT
operates in support mode as shown in the graphic to the right.
However, according to senior executives across the System and tech
savvy students, IT should deliver services and operate in a strategic
mode as the graphic depicts. However, the road to becoming a
strategic powerhouse requires a major turnaround for the institution
and in particular the IT function. This is essential because doing so
will build the needed �“muscle�” within IT with the investments that the
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
16
infrastructure requires and improving how the group organizes,
plans, delivers services and new business capabilities that
accelerate growth. Below, we outline the perspectives and input of
what an organization needs from a viable technology organization
from five competitive views:
Senior Management Perspective
Industry Perspective
HCCS - College Perspective
HCCS - Internal IT Staff Perspective
Competitive Landscape
2.1.1 Senior Management Perspective Below is a summary of the perspective from the highest levels of
executive management at HCCS, when asked how the organization
should execute its business in ten years and do so without failure:
Have every conceivable interaction online for students;
make their experience transparent and enjoyable whether
in-person or online.
Provide everything on the Web: For example: Implement
installment contract online for student approval: today,
students do this manually. Competitors have this
capability today.
Allow �‘dual-credit�’ students to pay online. Basic customer
service issues and ease of doing business; today, HCC
has 1,300 out of district dual credit students.
Automate Financial Aid: nothing is electronic; students get
their check 6-8 weeks after the semester starts.
Competing institutions allow the student to get their check
the next day.
Students should be in learning communities with
instructors playing a more substantial role in facilitating
rather than being a �“sage on stage�”.
Technology should play an important role regardless of
location regardless of the city, state or country
Need business intelligence capabilities; there is lack of
ability to access meaningful information from core systems
and difficult to report accurate information.
Have a vision with each classroom being completely wired
in the new facilities
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
17
2.1.2 Industry Perspective To compound the need for a higher performing IT organization, the
higher education industry provides a set of clear challenges that will
continue to hinder HCCS�’ competitive stance if IT is not strengthened
and overall skills upgraded. The Ten IT Challenges for the Next 10
Years include:
1. Collaboration: Seeking tools that
are easy to use
2. Wireless Networks: Looking for
reliability and pervasiveness
3. Managing Bandwidth: Packet
shapers controlling the flow
4. Distance Education: Keeping up
with exploding demand
5. Fund Raising: Managing Data is a
key task
6. Big Systems: Living with Fewer
Customizations
7. Course Management: Colleges
push for an open approach
8. Security: Threats will get worse
9. Digital Archiving: Ensuring storage
space and access
10. Intellectual Property: Digital
copyright law is ripe for revision
Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education, January
30, 2004
2.1.3 College Perspective Based on hands-on experiences at the colleges, new learning
technologies and methods of distribution have not been successful at
the colleges due to the current network infrastructure. Specifically,
the Instructional Design Coordinators (IDCs) paint a compelling
picture that shows how the industry challenges cited above are
haunting HCCS today and prevent them from doing business in a
mode that is preferred by today�’s student.
Video Streaming: the bandwidth issue still plagues all
video streaming protocols as well as video downloads.
Instructors can never be sure whether students are going
to be able to access video material on our servers because
of bandwidth restrictions or because some campuses have
a much smaller "pipe" than others.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP): FTP is commonly used to
manage and transmit large files for classroom projects
most notably computer science. Frustrating delays and
service outages caused by lack of bandwidth are common.
WebCT - Whiteboard - Chat: Distance education and
hybrid class students have a difficult time using these tools
simultaneously at some campuses due to bandwidth
restrictions, especially during peak periods, and they are
often nearly unusable for students attempting to work from
outside the LAN.
Horizon Live: This software package is optimized for online
delivery of instruction. It works fairly well, but often there
are delays and interrupted service, especially when
application sharing and video presentations are in use.
Sometimes the connection from one campus will lag far
behind that of another campus, causing confusion and
frustration among students.
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
18
Classroom to Classroom Collaboration: Collaboration in
teaching, with two or more classrooms working under the
instruction of one or more professors but able to
communicate in real time, has been tried several times and
consistently fails. The reason is usually lack of quality and
lack of reliability due to the inability of the HCCS network
to sustain video and audio links.
Real-Time Connections to Super Computer Centers:
Running calculations and programs by directly linking to
supercomputing centers is possible, and some schools,
even some high schools, do it routinely. When the colleges
have tried, the limitation of the existing bandwidth prevents
direct connections, so the program or activity is queued to
run overnight rather than in real-time.
2.1.4 Internal IT Staff Perspective Further, according to the IT Staff Survey, conducted in December
2004, there is even greater cause for immediate change as outlined
in the key findings shown below:
IT Priority Misalignment and Poor Execution
Increased Use of Outside Technology Vendors
Project Missteps and Minimal Accountability
Unprepared Team Members
Extreme Priority Stress
Fear, Uncertain and Instability Due to Concerns of Outsourcing
Inertia and Low Morale
Missing or Weak Project Sponsorship
Lack of Clarity on How to Focus Limited Resources (financial and people)
2.1.5 Competitive Landscape Business Threats
Competitors are Getting Stronger,
more Agile and Listening to
Students
HCCS is Not the Only Game in
Town�—Students Have Options
Continued Management
Uncertainty in IT
Increasingly Poor Public Image�—
Losing Stature
Approach to Decision Making and
Political Agendas Protract Taking
Action
Retention and Recruitment of
Talent
Brain Drain for Opportunities
Source: IT Strategic Planning Summit, SWOT
Analysis Conducted April 22, 2005
Technology Opportunities
Leverage Internal Knowledge and
Skills
Create Human Capital
Management Strategy
Get Active with External
Relationships and Expand Existing
Relationships (e.g. Time Warner,
Gulf Coast Consortium, GHP)
Renovate Broken Processes
Develop Higher Quality Internal
Communication
and Collaboration
Improve Service Level
Performance Internally
Implement Project Management
Office
2.2 Organization and Management Processes The current organization structure for IT at HCCS does not serve the
dynamic needs of today�’s learner and administrative consumer of
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
19
technology in the most effective way. Across the System, differing
approaches are in use to perform common business processes. As
a result, HCCS experiences and will continue to experience,
inconsistent service delivery at the colleges (e.g. registration,
marketing, etc); the complexity will increase exponentially as new
buildings come online over the next 18-36 months as the Capital
Improvement Plan (CIP) unfolds.
To illustrate, what should be a common technical capability that
virtually all corporate learners and many students expect today is
wireless access to the Internet. Today, one can access the Internet
wirelessly at the Town & Country campus and at the Southwest
campus. To do so at Town & Country, the user must first have their
laptop configured by the network administrator at the campus; this
means the user has to take their machine to technical support for the
computer to be configured to access the Internet wirelessly. By
contrast, when visiting the Southwest campus, the user is not
required to have their laptop configured to access the Internet; the
user can access the Internet and roam freely with no restrictions.
To be sure, there is not a high degree of coordination amongst the
colleges to standardize or to create consistent approaches for the
delivery of basic services such as accessing the Internet wirelessly.
There is likely a financial cost savings if the disparate modes of
operation were more consistent and truly standards based. In
another example, each of the colleges except for Northeast College
has implemented Active Directory. Active Directory allows system
administrators to monitor user behaviors, provide authentication to
enhance HCCS�’ overall security and management of network
devices (e.g. printers, PDAs) and resources (e.g. software
distribution and distribution of patch updates, etc). Each instance of
Active Directory is different in terms of scope, naming conventions in
use and operating systems (e.g. both Windows 2000 in use and
Windows 2003).
Another illustration reveals that the service model in use to provide
PC technical support does not provide the most responsive and
helpful approach to end-users. The current technical support model
distinguishes between administrative IT technicians and college IT
technicians. For example, if an administrator at a college
experiences a technical problem, and the college technician is
available to resolve they are not allowed to trouble shoot the
administrators PC. The administrator must wait for an administrative
IT technician to arrive to resolve the problem. This is a typical model
for technical support in higher education. However, there is a
notable trend away from these divisions of labor in favor of providing
more collaborative, team-oriented support.
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Arguably, the most critical aspect of a successful IT function is
people. The current processes for development, mentoring, role and
skills alignment and compensation reveal an IT department that has
structural as well as cultural impediments to achieving greatness.
For example, salary increases tend to be equitable adjustments that
reflect across the board increases; increases typically do not reflect
an individual�’s performance or contributions to the success of HCCS.
The data from the IT staff survey also shows concern about the lack
of willingness to share bad news with managers or information that is
not favorable involving a project.
To support these feelings, the graphic to the right reveals that 60%
responded with Not at All and 22% responded with occasionally
when asked if they believe that �“people receive promotions based on
merit and performance instead of favoritism or politics.�”
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
20
Overall, the need to take a proactive stance to improve human
resource practices within IT will become more prominent as baby
boomers choose retirement from now through 2015. This will also
impact outsourcing providers as well who could face staffing
shortages of qualified technical staff, which could potentially make
outsourcing certain functions cost prohibitive if talent is difficult to
identify and recruit successfully. What�’s more, the current
operational success of many critical IT systems, in general, rests on
the shoulders of individual heroics from a few key individuals. This
can be attributed to, in part, to a non-existent �“bench�” of back-up staff
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
or protégés on which to rely. In summary, the overall People
Capability Maturity in the graphic below reflects the IT department�’s
current practices and behaviors that would support a Level 1
maturity.
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
21
2.3 Business Applications Business applications are technologies that enable faculty members,
and administrators to perform their respective duties and allow
students and vendors to conduct transactions successfully. HCCS
employs an application development group that is organized around
the functional modules that comprise the PeopleSoft system. The
functional modules in use at HCCS include:
Student Administration
Finance
Human Resources
The applications development group operates predominantly�—almost
100% in a support mode today. On project related opportunities, the
group continues to operate in functional silos and thus tends to have
a myopic view of the applications rather than a holistic view of how to
work across the applications to better integrate data and develop
new business capabilities.
IT is here today.
The applications development group works on building new business
capabilities or functionality based department-driven interests, which
tends to exacerbate the silo-based approach; the group tends to not
plan for and implement horizontally or across these silos. This is the
crux of the challenge for the application development function at
HCCS to improve the ability to meet the needs of business users and
students successfully.
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
To illustrate, providing �“self-service�” functionality to users is a
capability that most technology users expect instead of manual
processes. Self-service functions exist for students to register and to
complete financial aid forms; internally, however, the same cannot be
said for an employee who wants to change their W2�— this remains a
manual activity. Further analysis reveals that vendors do not enjoy
a complete digital experience that is self-service, during the
procurement process when doing business with HCCS.
Procurement processes today remain manual and paper driven
events rather than high performance e-commerce experiences that
make HCCS easy with which to conduct business. Activities from
document management and distribution to processing transactions
such as invoicing and payments continue to be manual exercises.
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
22
In another illustration, the database design for how data is captured
and organized varies greatly between the core modules within
PeopleSoft and does not allow for simple integration between
modules. In other words, IT support is virtually always required to
assist departments with creating reports to assist executives with
decision-making.
The graphic to the right depicts the educational value-chain. The
strategic difficulty that HCCS experiences is with determining the
most important priorities within and across the value chain. Rather
than a unified front, IT group priorities tend to be random based on
what is important to a particular department or individual. The upside
is that with IT Governance slowly taking hold, there will be a greater
focus on initiatives that provide the greatest financial return on
investment and help improve our attractiveness to students and
corporate customers. To be sure, this is where the proverbial bets
are placed and careers are made in terms of which technology
direction accelerates performance or does not.
By contrast, if the selected priorities do not provide the return on
investment in the business case that was presented to senior
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
management, career disaster can be the result, assuming there is
accountability for the outcomes.
2.4 Network Infrastructure The technology infrastructure is the defacto backbone of HCCS
ability to create new learning opportunities rapidly, satisfy the
explosive growth of distance education and fulfill student and
administrator needs for mobile computing and much more. Today,
the network infrastructure at HCCS does not provide the level of
reliability, capacity, security, and stability to meet the increasingly
demanding expectations of Generation Y and corporate learners. To
ensure there is an understanding of what we mean by technology
infrastructure, we outline the areas that comprise the technical
infrastructure based on the organization of the Infrastructure &
Systems Support (ISS) group, which includes:
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
23
Network Management and Monitoring
Storage
Desktop Systems
Disaster & Continuity Planning
Mobile and Wireless Computing
Security
Website Development and Management
Support Services (e.g. help desk)
Telecommunications
The various modes of communicating as shown in the graphic below
reflect the need for an infrastructure that is always on, always
available and virtually always safe. The future is now in terms of
these expectations. In fact, with the explosive growth of distance
education programs, success or failure can often be attributed to the
�“network infrastructure.�” Simply put, the various components and
overall architecture that comprise the HCC network are not up to the
task to meet the demands that are being placed on the network,
today.
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
For example, 38% of the existing switches in use are greater than
five years and should be replaced in order to deliver on a higher
bandwidth network. The need to replace this becomes even more
urgent with the construction of new facilities and building upgrades to
existing structures. This is important because these older switches
do not accommodate higher bandwidth applications and do not
possess the security features that a far flung college operation
requires. The age of the hardware is important for two reasons: 1)
end of life, which means no further support by the vendor and 2)
does not support Quality of Service (QoS). QoS would enable HCCS
to provide better service through directing network traffic more
effectively. This is done by either raising the priority of traffic flow
over the network or limiting the priority of another flow. Without this
ability, it becomes competitive suicide as HCCS is simply unable to
provide the services described previously.
Thirty-Two Trends Affecting Distance Education
To sharpen the focus even more on the current situation of the
HCCS technology infrastructure, we identified 32 trends that impact
distance education. We present a relevant sample of these trends:
Current higher education
infrastructure cannot
accommodate the growing college-
aged population and enrollments,
making more distance education
programs necessary.
Students are shopping for
courses that meet their
schedules and circumstances.
The percentage of adult, female,
and minority learners is
increasing
Higher-education learner profiles,
including online, information-age,
and adult learners, are changing
Academic emphasis is shifting
from course-completion to
competency
Knowledge and information are
growing exponentially.
There is a shift in organizational
structure toward decentralization.
Faculty tenure is being
challenged, allowing for more
non-traditional faculty roles in
distance education.
Education is becoming more
seamless between high school,
college, and further studies.
Instruction is becoming more
learner-centered, non-linear,
and self-directed.
Technological fluency is becoming
a graduation requirement.
More courses, degrees, and
universities are becoming
available through distance-
education programs.
Need for effective course-
management systems are
growing.
Technological devices are
becoming more versatile and
ubiquitous.
Lifelong learning is becoming a
competitive necessity.
The distinction between
distance and local education is
disappearing.
Source: Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, Volume VI, Number III, Fall 2003
The impact to HCCS triggers an important strategic decision for the
System. Expand the capabilities of the network infrastructure now, or
jeopardize the dramatic enrollment gains experienced in distance
education at HCCS and potentially hurt the increase of offline or
classroom students, which is the core business of HCCS.
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
24
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
3.0 Future Situation �– Vision
In contrast to the current situation, the pathway IT should pursue will
push the envelope and promote a level of creativity and imagination
that prospective students and faculty members expect from a
progressive thinking and behaving institution of higher education.
Our starting point stems from the vision established by the IT group:
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
25
The vision connects squarely with the Chancellor�’s transformation
model and thinking, which includes the three goals of:
Focus on Learning and Student Support
Community Building
Organizational Stewardship
If viewed in the appropriate context, as a guide to greatness, this
road map possesses the flexibility to endure future changes in the
institutions goals and strategic focus. We believe that the six
strategies we outline below facilitate the advancement of the 11
strategies or provide the enabling tools and information to make high
quality decisions that the administration and Board of Trustees can
rely. HCCS can realize a future state by adopting the six broad
strategies outlined below:
1. Reinvigorate the Network
Infrastructure to Accommodate
Current Programs and Future
Growth
2. Lead and Support Continuous
Business Process Improvement
3. Transform Organizational Model
to Internal Service Company
Model
4. Provide Access to
Educational Opportunities
and Services Anywhere,
Anytime
5. Develop Human Capital
Strategy that Builds Skills
Quickly and Effectively
6. Maximize Value of
Technology Investments Reviewed and Accepted by P.G.A.L. Program Managers of Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), September 2005
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
26
To advance toward the vision successfully requires keen focus.
Thus, the approach to fulfilling the IT strategy emphasizes �“back to
basics�” as the focal point for implementing the technology road map.
Moreover, since the organization is applying a long-term view with an
eye towards 2015, it is vital to make crisp, well thought decisions
through careful analysis with available data at the time, while not
second-guessing decisions down the road, because technology will
evolve�—something better always comes along. They key to the
future for HCCS is to plan for adaptability in our people, processes
and technology. The technology plan we put forth accomplishes this.
3.1 Reinvigorate Network Infrastructure to Accommodate Current Academic Programs and Facility Growth
The core mission to reinvigorate HCCS�’ network infrastructure is to
empower boundary less opportunities for programmatic growth,
student accessibility, mobility, reliability and security. Thus, the
initiatives that drive this strategy provides a pathway to meet and
exceed the needs of all stakeholders.
Providing a reliable, secure, adaptable, scalable, and fault-tolerant
data communications network has become fundamental in higher
education. Higher education�’s access to network services and
information assets�—whether they support core missions of research
and teaching or business administration are increasingly central to
enhancing reputation, competitiveness, client satisfaction, business
performance, revenue and accountability.2 In fact, institutions that
report a higher quality network infrastructure have in common the
following best practices:
Consider the network to a strategic resource
Have a primary network goal of providing leading-edge
performance and services
Do not consider inadequate funding to be a barrier to the
delivery of networking services
Have formal, comprehensive policies and procedures that
cover networking issues; enforce those policies and
update them regularly
Provide more redundancy measures for the central
network
Have a disaster recovery plan for the institutions�’ data-
networking capabilities3
2 Educause, Information Technology Networking in Higher Education Campus Commodity and Competitive Differentiator, February 2005. 3 Ibid. p2
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
27
3.2 Maximize Value of Technology Investments
The key for this strategy is to leverage information technology by
requiring a common IT oversight capability, or governance, that
ensures equal and proper involvement of all areas of the System in
IT investment decision making and value determination. Because IT
is a service provider, continual feedback from our stakeholders
concerning direction and performance is critical to success. IT
should aggressively pursue putting in place appropriate controls and
oversight for the planning, acquisition and deployment of information
technology; this also applies to the colleges spending patterns. This
is a critical step to ensure maximum value is received from each IT
investment.
3.3 Lead and Support Continuous Business
Process Improvement
The focal point of this strategy is to improve how HCCS executes in
all client-facing interactions in both internal administrative processes
and external-facing business processes that shape the total
customer experience for students, vendors, corporate partners and
community members. There are initiatives in progress or on the
drawing board to improvement process performance. We believe,
however, that HCCS will have to adopt a more comprehensive
strategy to drive continuous process improvement and eliminate
financial waste. Technology can certainly help accelerate
improvements, but to achieve lasting success, broad and deep
organizational change is required.
3.4 Transform Organizational Model to Internal Service Company (ISCo) Model
The central point of this strategy is to provide a practical approach to
deliver IT services that are comparable to an outsourcing provider of
IT services. Outsourcing IT is a popular topic of discussion for many
leaders and organizations have varying levels of success. Before
HCCS considers such a dramatic move, there should be a firm grasp
on what contributes to the success of an outsourcing agreement.
Therefore, by transforming the current model of IT would provide
greater insight into the types of services and levels of performance
that senior management should expect in addition to which areas are
best suited for this approach. Internal service provider IT groups can
improve credibility and largely shape their destinies by adopting a
competitive service delivery model. This requires:
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
An external focus on the customer, with all that implies in
terms of identifying customer needs and meeting them with
a sound, competency-based service portfolio
The development of business and financial management
capabilities
Sensitivity to the behaviors brought on by organizational
change and the ability to manage them
Political sophistication4
3.5 Develop Human Capital Strategy that Builds Skills Quickly and Effectively
The core of this strategy is to develop a comprehensive approach to
workforce management that ensures IT has the right skills at the right
time and by having the right people in the right jobs. To support this,
there is a systematic need for real-time development and training
opportunities.
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
28
4 Gartner Research, Running IS Like a Business: Introducing the ISCo Model, January 2003.
3.6 Provide Access to Educational Opportunities and Services Anywhere, Anytime
The central theme for this strategy is mobility and availability. Simply
put, be open for business 24 hours a day, seven days a week for
students, faculty members, vendors and administrators or slowly
watch enrollment decline even more. Currently, HCCS does not
have a 24x7 uptime policy for the main domain www.hccs.edu.
There are times when the site is unavailable, and typically for various
maintenance tasks. As the system, students and the community
become more dependent on IT capabilities, a 24x7 policy must
become a standard for HCCS.5
5 Website System Architecture, Prepared by eSiteful Corporation September 3, 2003
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
4.0 Solution Plan �– Timeline
4.1 Short Term 2005-06 thru 2007-08
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
29
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
4.2 Medium Term 2008-09 thru 2010-11
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
30
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
4.3 Long Term 2011-12 thru 2013-14
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
31
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
32
5.0 Solution Plan �– Summary
We have discussed and examined the existing challenges and gaps
to meet those challenges above. Now, we present the solution plan
to meet the existing and future business needs of HCCS. This
Solution Plan ties together the six core strategies by setting a
technological and business direction to guide the organization that
centers on two core areas: portal technology and a high performance
network infrastructure.
5.1 Portal Technology Our solution plan centers on simple concepts that we see today
when we logon to Yahoo, MSN, or commercial portals. The thought
process that drives the need for a portal solution is based on
feedback and current initiatives that are either in progress or being
contemplated. In short, the portal is the galvanizing force to provide
the types of capabilities that technology users want and expect.
5.2 Network Infrastructure To unleash the powerful ideas for what to do with our technology
dollars requires a strong network infrastructure that is reliable,
available, robust and always on. Thus, the portal only works if there
is a high powered network to meet the diverse needs of faculty,
administrators and students simultaneously. Conversely, the
network infrastructure is of value if there is an easy to use interface
with relevant applications that are accessible from anywhere,
anytime and on any device that allows people to have it their way.
5.3 What is a Portal? A portal is a Web site or conglomeration of Web sites that offers a
single point of access or gateway to an organization�’s content,
services, applications, communication tools, virtual communities and
more. Based on this definition, HCCS has a number of major portal
sites from which students access the System. Below, we provide the
types of services and functionality students, faculty and alumni want
and expect from a portal.
Communication of Events and Activities (to device of
choice and alerts)
Customizable for Personalized Views
Video Clips of Board Meetings
Giving History for Donors
Find Old Classmates
Video of Facilities and Faculty for Prospective Students
Ability to Instant Message Classmates
View Payroll Information (e.g. pay stubs)
Change W2, marital status, add/change beneficiaries
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Send E-Mail
Single User ID and Login from Anywhere
Ability to use wireless web on phone or PDA
Course updates and unique learning events
Executive blogs for quick communications to staff about
conferences and events attended.
Vendor registration and monitoring of RFP process,
electronic payments, track payment status, view invoice
history
Billing and financial aid account management
Schedule events or meeting space at HCCS facilities
Even more interesting and exciting is how much the organization is
intuitively focusing on already; the project roadmap has simply not
been framed to expand portal capabilities, but rather, what we see is
a focus on individual or departmental project requests. To illustrate,
the existing project list6 in the Finance area include various �“pieces�”
of what would exist in a total portal experience. Collectively these
projects would provide self-service capabilities for both students and
for vendors that do business with HCCS. To be sure, this direction of
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
33
6 a) Student eCard Project, b) Process Open Purchase Orders c) Contract Entry via PS Purchasing System d) Requisition Workflow
enterprise portals in higher education is not new. This is, however,
new for HCCS and provides the type of experience students, faculty
and administrators expect. Since portal technology has matured and
stabilized, virtually all higher education institutions including our
stiffest competition are moving in the direction of building enterprise
portals or already have a portal in full operation. The key reasons to
develop a portal include:
Speed to Market to Drive New Programs
Ability to Grow and Adapt to Changing Conditions
Ease of Use for Technologist and Business Users
Promote Customization for Personalized Experience (think
MSN, Yahoo, online banking portals)
Real-Time Data and Reliable Infrastructure that is Always
On (e.g. RFP alerts to E-Mail, Business Intelligence to the
PDA)
Promotes High-Quality Collaboration and Communications
(e.g. web blogs, Pod casts, instant messaging, file sharing,
address book sharing via tools such as Plaxo)
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
5.4 Portal Architecture
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
34
The reasons listed above to develop a portal, point directly to the
need to turn the ship sooner, to create value for students, faculty,
administrators, vendors and regulators, rather than wait. HCCS
current pathway to building business capabilities through individual
project requests at the department or college level simply does not
work to bring integrated capabilities in an easy to use way.
The focus and energy behind this strategic technology road map is
designed to create excitement about delivering valuable services
through information technology. The adoption of portals is an
important competitive strategy for higher education. Our competitors
are doing so at a rapid pace and they are gaining more experience
with portals. The types of services listed above are real and
happening today at both community colleges and four-year
institutions. Here is a list of current portal/websites at HCCS:
Online Student Services
Southeast College
Central College
Northeast College
Southwest College
Northwest College
Coleman College
The websites in operation at the Colleges do not provide a true portal
experience at this time. It is, however, important to point out that
each website is trying to bring to students helpful information in a
single location.
Source: IBM
5.5 What Distinguishes a Website from a Portal? A single point of access to all resources associated with the
portal domain
A personalized user experience
Federated access to hundreds of data types and
repositories, both aggregated and categorized
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Collaboration and user integration capabilities
Integration with applications and workflow systems.
Therefore, the opportunity exists to deliver a unifying approach that
can help all stakeholders readily understand how to interact with and
conduct business with HCCS in a user-friendly way. By making this
strategic shift to executing on a portal strategy, the capabilities that
users are requesting can become part of the portal road map rather
than department driven initiatives. In the illustration to the right, we
show a high-level portal infrastructure that depicts examples of portal
functionality that HCCS can implement.
The planning, design and architecture behind an enterprise portal will
determine the long-term success and viability of a portal. For
example, the University of Houston custom built their portal
application; while it provides a broad range of capabilities and
services, it is labor intensive and requires a large number of
resources to support. By comparison, portal technologies make it
affordable to provide endless capabilities as well as provide a
platform to integrate existing business applications. The challenge
for HCCS: which technology platform should be adopted on which to
build out the portal strategy? HCCS has invested in three portal
platforms: PeopleSoft Portal, Oracle Portal and Vignette.
5.6 Example of Enterprise Portal and Features
Unlike other enterprise-wide applications intended to improve the
bottom line, portals tend to live up to vendor's promises and, more
often than not, begin to save companies money as soon as they go
live. According to a Delphi Group study7, only 2% of portal
installations failed to return any ROI. The Delphi report, which looked
at hundreds of installations, found that 22% of firms reported ROIs
between 21% and 50%, while 18% of installations returned over
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
35
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
100%. But, as with most IT implementations, there is a caveat
emptor: poor planning prior to installation will negate management's
reasons for installing the portal in the first place and probably lead to
poor ROI.
7 Datamation, Planning Key to Portal ROI by Allen Bernard February 14, 2003
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
36
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
6.0 Solution Plan Strategies & Initiatives to Deliver
6.1 Strategy: Reinvigorate Network Infrastructure for Growth
The network infrastructure is, without question, the most important
component of an institution of higher education. Without a reliable
network infrastructure it is difficult to perform basic tasks such as
registering for classes online. Therefore, the network infrastructure
is the most critical component of the �“back to basics�” game plan.
6.1.1 Overview of Strategy To reinvigorate the network infrastructure successfully is a several
year strategic program with a broad range of supporting initiatives.
These initiatives include the following:
Upgrade of the HCC Wide and Local Area Networks
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
37
Comprehensive Disaster Recovery Plan
Upgrade Phone System to Support CIP, VoIP, and
Network Convergence
Enhanced Messaging Services with Collaboration
Develop an Architecture Refresh & Upgrade Strategy
including Capacity Planning
6.1.2 Future Vision Build the infrastructure foundation to provide the following important
benefits.
Support instructional technologies such as video streaming
on a large scale, virtual classrooms, eLearning, improved
Distance Education, IP video and voice conferencing, and
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
Position the institution to meet the needs of our students.
Enable the Institution to be more competitive in the higher
education marketplace.
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
6.1.3 Initiatives to Deliver 6.1.3.1 Upgrade of the HCC Wide and Local
Area Networks
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
38
For the past several years, a number of instructional applications
have been developed to provide improved learning tools for students.
These include video files that must be streamed over the network, as
well as various distance learning curricula. Because of bandwidth
limitations within the network, many of these applications had to be
constrained or blocked because of interference with other
applications or the inability to deliver the services on the scale
required. These limitations have also served to limit the growth of
these tools and place HCC at a distinctive disadvantage in a highly
competitive, higher education marketplace. To facilitate this process,
the CIP program managers call for an extensive network upgrade to
support the new construction of buildings and renovated structures.
The campuses include:
Southwest Loop Expansion
Central College Learning Hub/Science Building
Southwest College Missouri City Academic Center
Southeast College Learning Hub
Northeast College Learning Hub
Southwest College Stafford Learning Hub
Northeast College Science, Eng, & Tech. Building
Southeast College Felix Morales Renovation
Central College San Jacinto Renovation
Source: CIP Program Managers, Projects Approved and Budgeted
6.1.3.2 Develop an Architecture Refresh and Upgrade Strategy Including Capacity Planning
The current IT environment contains various types of hardware from
the desktops to the servers hosting business and educational
applications. The critical objective of the architecture refresh and
upgrade strategy is to promote standardization and to ensure that the
Colleges and HCCS departments and their users have sufficient
computing resources and equipment to do their jobs effectively while
ensuring the lowest possible total cost of ownership (TCO). The
network gear, which includes switches and routers are an importance
piece of the refresh strategy; as we described earlier, 38% of the
existing network hardware is over fives (5) years in age and at the
end of its useful life.
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
39
HCCS IT will work collaboratively with the colleges and departments
to perform equipment inventories and then work to refresh any
outdated hardware / software in a systematic way. Having consistent
standards for hardware and software deployment will allow IT to help
departments in keeping infrastructure up to date on a continuous
basis and ease support.
6.1.3.3 Enhance Communication and Collaboration Services
The existing email system is over five years old and will cease to be
supported by Oracle within twelve months. It has limited capability
and does not support important services such as integration with
Outlook Calendar and various wireless devices such as PDAs and
email enabled cell phones. Because of network security
considerations, this platform does not support instant messaging
today. There is also no web conferencing service in place to allow
collaboration across the institution. The limitations of the current
system create severe limits on email storage quotas, which
contribute further to the difficulty in managing this system. The
objective is to upgrade the existing Oracle Mail system to a platform
that will enable collaboration. The services that will be provided
include Outlook email and calendar integration, increased storage,
web conferencing, secure instant messaging, increased storage
quotas, and improved manageability.
6.1.3.4 Upgrade Phone System to Support CIP, VoIP, and Network Convergence
The Meridian telephone system, in its current state, provides limited
support for VoIP. It is also vulnerable to disasters because an
interruption in service of the main power system at 3100 Main will
result in a system wide telephone outage at most of the campuses.
PGAL, the program management firm, has developed plans to
provide Voice over IP (VoIP) services at the new CIP buildings by
leveraging the investment in the Meridian System, but the system will
not support this in its current state. In addition, the current system
requires a separate voice network to provide voice services to the
campuses. By upgrading the Meridian Telephone System to support
VoIP, IP trunks, and converge of the voice and data networks, HCCS
stands to benefit by taking advantage of: convergence of the voice
and data networks resulting in reduced network costs, and improved
reliability and survivability of voice services at HCC.
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
40
6.2 Maximize Value of Technology Investments
6.2.1 Strategy Overview To maximize the value of technology investments effectively,
Houston Community College System (HCCS) is implementing IT
Governance. The System has established a 15-member IT
Governance & Investment Council to oversee this process. In
addition, as an integral part of the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP),
HCCS is following a centralized planning approach to create
ubiquitous technology environments at the new facilities to eliminate
redundancies and allow for staff to serve multiple campuses with
supporting technologies and tools in a consistent way.
6.2.2 Current Situation HCCS currently approaches its investment in technology in a
fragmented manner. Each college determines their needs and
solutions in a silo, with no enterprise oversight or approval process
for investments. The same applies to administrative decisions
regarding technology decisions and purchases. Fragmented
decision-making virtually guarantees a weak return on investment
and financial waste due to redundant projects and potentially
competing standards or not adhering to standards, which is the case
today. To illustrate, wireless access to the Internet should be a
common technical capability that all corporate learners and many
students expect today. For security reasons, a mobile user at the
Town & Country campus must first have their laptop configured by
the network administrator at the campus; this means the user has to
carry their PC (laptop) to technical support for configuration. By
contrast, when visiting the Southwest campus, the user is not
required to have their laptop configured to access the Internet; the
user can access the Internet and roam freely with no restrictions.
To be sure, there is not a high degree of active and ongoing
coordination amongst the colleges to standardize or to create
consistent approaches for the delivery of basic services such as
accessing the Internet wirelessly. In another example, each of the
colleges except for Northeast College has implemented Active
Directory. Active Directory allows system administrators to monitor
user behaviors, provide authentication to enhance HCCS�’ overall
security and management of network devices (e.g. printers, PDAs)
and resources (e.g. software distribution and distribution of patch
updates, etc). Each instance of Active Directory is different in terms
of scope, naming conventions in use and operating systems (e.g.
both Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 are in use).
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Another illustration reveals investments in two, potentially competing
portal software products in PeopleSoft Portal and Vignette Portal.
Both expenditures to date account for just under $1 million in total
expenditures with no portal strategy or projects planned around the
portal.
The PeopleSoft business system provides an extraordinary vehicle
on which to maximize technology investments. Today, capabilities
that could benefit across all functional modules, which includes
human resources, finance and student administration are planned for
separately rather than viewed as an opportunity to provide end-to-
end capabilities. For example, self-service functionality is available
to students via the Internet. In contrast, self-service concepts to
support and manage vendors are not; illustrations include RFP
alerts, ability to set electronic signatures and payments as well as
creating a way to allow vendors to manage their accounts online.
6.2.3 Objectives & Value to Enterprise To support maximizing the value of IT investments, IT�’s objectives
include ensuring the following happens:
Value propositions for all IT related initiatives tied to core
strategies
Reduced planning and approval cycle times based on
formal project submission guidelines
Enterprise wide IT strategic plan and road map
Fully engage instructional IT areas in distance education,
college instruction and faculty members
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
41
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
6.2.4 Initiatives to Deliver
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
42
6.2.4.1 Create and Implement Enterprise Planning Group
The Enterprise Planning Group (EPG) is a small group comprised of
IT, Finance & Administration, Student Services, Facilities and
College representation. The EPG would provide needed intelligence
and synthesize key strategic issues on what stakeholders require
from IT in an integrated and consistent way. During the CIP this
planning function is being outsourced to a 3rd party vendor; it would,
however, benefit the organization to have multiple members
participate actively in this process and begin to establish a model of
self-sufficiency when the construction projects start. This would also
provide invaluable set of competencies in preparation for another
bond election potentially, in the years ahead.
In addition, we have observed that during the budget process, the
EPG would be in a position to synthesize �“strategic�” needs and help
prepare budget justification requests. For example, rather than four
or five different group line items for training, the EPG would identify
the types of skills in need based on the technology direction,
identifies the relevant skills to support the direction of the System,
and the most appropriate options for training (e.g. online, classroom,
conferences, etc). The result is a single line item for training that is
fact-based and represents an accurate picture of the needs going
forward and not what took place last year. This would also apply to
IT expenditures for new technologies rather than individual or
departments interests to support more squarely performance-based
budgeting principles.
6.2.4.2 Formalize and Implement Business Technology Workgroups
The initial group of business-technology workgroups is to ensure that
HCCS can deliver on the promise of technology investments and
realize a return on the investment in a consistent way. The objective
for these workgroups is to perform the necessary analysis, risk
assessment and develop approaches to mitigate risk by involving the
right stakeholders to examine and make decisions. For example,
there is an emerging need to establish a portal strategy that requires
the organization to place a �“bet�” on how HCCS will compile, manage,
share, collaborate as well as the best way to perform real-time
transactions. Below, we provide a diagram of the types of
technology workgroups that would benefit from the collective
expertise of dedicated workgroups.
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
The initial workgroups are standing committees that target specific
areas where significant performance gaps exist across the institution.
The recommended workgroups to launch include:
1. Technology Vision & Architecture Group
Outcomes for this workgroup is to support the strategy and direction
of the colleges and to provide capabilities that enable business and
educational change in a consistent and well-thought way through
policies, standards development and strategic planning. This group
will be responsible for preparing and presenting strategic issues to
the CET, the IT Governance & Investment Council or other decision
making bodies with supporting business plans or business cases to
educate, inform or help facilitate decision-making.
2. Research and Client Services
The outcome for this workgroup is to allow both instructional and
administrative workgroups to focus on their core competencies by
providing independent analysis using primary and secondary
research tools and methods for the most effective solution. By
allowing this model to thrive, there should be consideration given to
funding a test environment for new technology innovation, research
and planning that incorporates new learning and educational tools for
competitive advantage; this would eliminate �“rogue�” activities and the
adoption of new tools that do not follow standards.
3. Project Management Services
The outcome for this workgroup is to provide an increased level of
predictability and confidence that both the business and IT will
deliver technology projects in an organized and predictable manner.
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
43
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
6.2.4.3 Investigate Potential Outsourcing
Alternatives
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
44
IT will continue to face pressure to outsource in order to reduce costs
and improve service performance. Business imperatives should be
at the center of any outsourcing strategy. The institutions leaders
should be ready to argue that outsourcing is a decision that is based
primarily on complementing core competencies and maximizing
business value. When the organization meets business goals, the
financial savings usually follow suit. If a sound business argument
cannot be made, outsourcing may not be the best course of action.
For more detail on how to approach outsourcing see footnote below:8
8 Focus on Business Value: An understanding of business goals should form the focus for your IT outsourcing decisions. Identify your organization's core competencies and look into outsourcing options that will complement the things your company is good at already. Be prepared to change as business needs change. Plan Infrastructure In-House: Never outsource planning - this is your department's responsibility. Define the standards and architecture for all software and hardware choices in-house. Remember to do this in conjunction with line managers from all departments so that you can fully understand their needs and ensure buy-in for your outsourcing solution. Look for Rapid Delivery: An Internet year lasts only two to three months - the days of long development schedules are over. Turning to outsourcing options like Application Service Providers (ASPs) is one way for ensuring rapid application delivery. Build a High-Performance IT Team: With outsourced services, it's more important than ever to have a lean, mean IT team in place. Outsourcing doesn't just give the business units a chance to build core competencies - the IT department must climb on board too. Technological changes won't ease up and could have a much bigger impact on an IT team pared down due to outsourcing. Investment in training is a must. Build Effective Relationships: It's critical to manage your relationship with any supplier. In the case of outsourcing, this skill is even more important since your dependence on the outsourcer to meet critical business needs and provide high value while doing so is even more explicit. Identify individuals on both sides that are skilled at building relationships. Look for
skills in communication, negotiation, project management, team building, and managing change.
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
6.3 Lead and Support Business Process
Improvement
6.3.1 Strategy Overview HCCS business processes have evolved naturally over time resulting
in more complex workflows, overlaps between business processes,
and reduced efficiency in the use of time and resources. Current
business processes prohibit any enterprise business system (e.g.
PeopleSoft, SunguardSCT, and SAP) from achieving its promised
level of performance and efficiency gains. Systematically
reengineering business processes and developing new capabilities
delivered through a portal framework will create the value sought by
HCCS leaders responsible for the investments in these large,
expensive systems.
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
45
6.3.2 Current Situation Virtually every aspect of conducting business at HCCS involves
paper and inordinate numbers of manual process steps. For
example, the recently approved Room Scheduling project identified
up to 13 steps to schedule a classroom or meeting room at the
colleges. What�’s more, the project team discovered that the process
is largely manual and extremely paper-intensive.
In terms of conducting daily business activities there is no single,
common way of doing business. To illustrate further, meetings are
set up today with administrative staff calling other staff to determine if
the meeting participants are available; this process uses an out
dated calendaring (Oracle) system that is not used by everyone
across the system in a consistent way. For students, the process is
painful and does not take advantage of web-based technologies fully.
For example, financial aid processes continue to lack the automation
students expect in the digital era.
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
6.3.3 Objectives & Value to Enterprise The first step to implementing an enterprise portal is developing a
detailed strategy that will guide the efforts of the System. We outline
the core objectives of this strategy:
Create accepted standards for business process analysis
and improvement to roll-out in �“receptive�” areas
Improved customer service coordination and continuity of
outcomes (e.g. even service levels regardless of location)
Collaboration due to data sharing across the enterprise by
combining technology with updated business processes
allows for improved collaboration and higher productivity
across departments
Better labor productivity through better processes, which
means fewer rush jobs, fewer interruptions, less rework,
and less overtime
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
46
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
6.3.4 Initiatives to Deliver 6.3.4.1 Develop Enterprise Portal Strategy to
Leverage Technology to Automate Manual Processes
By establishing a detailed enterprise portal strategy to automate
manual processes systematically, can create significant cost savings
for the institution. The portal strategy is used as the focal point for
planning and rolling out business automation projects to reduce the
�“rogue�” projects that may not integrate well with the desired technical
architecture. By adopting the portal approach, there is a clear and
specific road map for what capabilities can be expected and when.
Here is an initial, high-level game plan to approach this initiative:
Decide what services or business capabilities to offer
online and to automate
Enlist the support of Marketing & Communications to
provide guidance on how the portal should look and feel for
improved navigation
Develop and implement 24x7 support strategy and
supporting policy and relevant service outcomes indicators
in lieu of traditional service level agreements (SLAs)
Research and examine higher education portals and
leverage industry best practices for planning, staffing and
funding
Establish a timeline to roll out new capabilities and
services
6.3.4.2 Implement Project Management Office The scale and velocity of change is difficult for even the largest
organizations. For HCCS, the scope and speed needed to be
successful combined with the relative complexity calls for a
dedicated group whose primary focus is execution and accountable
for results.
The project management office or PMO as this is commonly referred,
is designed to guide the execution of projects and provide a
mentoring capability to all HCCS staff that requires project
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
47
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
management support. To be sure, this group is about building
internal capabilities rather than taking on the task of managing
projects on behalf of user departments. For example, the Website
Content Management project would fall into the �“volatile�” category
according to the graphic above. To achieve success, this category of
project calls for:
a) Limiting time horizons;
b) Building options and
c) Eliminating under-performing elements (e.g. sponsorship)
To address this and ensure a higher probability of success, the
renewed sponsor and driving business department is conducting a 6-
week prototype and creating a tight scope to ensure early success.
With the volume of technology and business initiatives that HCCS
needs to implement during the back-to-basics period, HCCS must be
able to execute consistently. To keep pace with competitors,
combined with the technical complexity, and cross-functional process
impacts, requires a more formal and focused effort to deliver and
thus the need to implement a project management office (PMO).
6.3.4.3 Initiate Enterprise Process Reengineering of High Payback Areas
Prior to making investments in PeopleSoft upgrades or exploring
alternatives, HCCS must embark on an initiative to reengineer
specific business processes.
This would be a multi-year effort, but would pay huge dividends in
simplifying business and allow for greater staffing flexibility in the
years ahead. For example, several IT projects in the que focus on
improving the purchasing and procurement process. Reengineering
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
48
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
key areas combined with implementing portal technologies makes
this a high payback opportunity for the institution. To underscore this
point, vendor products in both existing PeopleSoft modules and 3rd
party vendors have mature product offerings in this area, so the
organization is not tied to the confines of PeopleSoft functionality.
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
49
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
6.4 Transform Organization Structure to Internal Service Company Model
6.4.1 Strategy Overview The internal service company (ISCo) model helps to deliver the
business value of IT by relentlessly focusing on customer needs and
outcomes rather than activities. IT organizations seeking to become
an ISCo must hone value, work processes, relationships, pricing and
marketing acumen. According to all of the data received during focus
groups, planning sessions and individual contributions, this is one of
few ways to release value within the IT organization that means
something to its users. The essence of this strategy is to provide the
structure and accountability that HCCS would experience if IT were
outsourced to a third party firm.
6.4.2 Current Situation The current organization structure does not reflect the manner in
which IT needs to deliver services in the future. The IT group at
HCCS has instinctively recognized this and is beginning to evolve
from simply taking orders to becoming a �“service provider�” by
partnering with power users of the PeopleSoft business system, for
example; however, there are instances where the wrong person is
doing the wrong job for their skill competencies. To illustrate, it is
common practice for a high-level developer to administer security
policies as a function of the application development group.
Current High-Level Leadership Structure
The current organizational behavior stresses �“order fulfillment�” and
�“reacting�” to requests from a variety of sources, which include faculty
members, administrators, external vendor-driven, daily administrative
users and the Board of Trustees. For example, the current
organization shows System Strategic Planning, IT Strategic
Planning, and Customer Relations and Communications reporting to
the Director, Enterprise Services. These services are not performed
today, and team members focus largely on budget, contract
monitoring and intranet activities.
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
50
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
6.4.3 Objectives and Value to Organization What is unique about the ISCo model of service delivery is the
concept of �“zones of responsibility�” shown in the graphic to the right.
This means that team members who do not work in a particular role
can be called on to support and serve in other areas that may not be
their primary area of responsibility; indeed, this is taking place today
across IT�—especially so in the ISS area. By applying the ISCo
model, the IT group can achieve the following objectives:
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
51
Eliminate internal divisiveness
Validate the IT organization's internal capabilities and
change its personality
Focus and expand IT credibility by adding more value to the
business through building business capabilities that support
students
Become more actively involved in key business operations
through IT-enabled processes
"Level the playing field" with external providers to compete
Prove the service value that IT can deliver across HCCS
Facilitate the transformation from support mode to
turnaround mode and ultimately to strategic mode of
operation.
Future Organization Model �– Illustration Purposes
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
6.4.4 Initiatives to Deliver
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
52
6.4.4.1 Reconfigure Applications Development Group
The applications development (AD) group does not provide the level
of support and business building capabilities needed to keep HCCS
competitive. Due to the pace, scale and scope of change to provide
new capabilities effectively, the current organization simply is unable
to meet the pressing demands of the institution. The AD group
provides implementation and development support to the PeopleSoft
application. For the organization to transition successfully to a
portal-based model to deliver new technology capabilities, a full
reconfiguration of this group is required.
The current organization model is designed to provide support and
maintenance for the PeopleSoft administrative system, which
includes: Finance & Administration, Human Resources and Student
Administration. Based on our analysis of the existing backlog of
support requests, the staffing limitations both in terms of skill and the
number, and the current salary scale, HCCS is not on the road to
competitiveness without wholesale change in how new capabilities
are designed, built and integrated into the existing systems. Below,
we provide a before and after picture of the group reconfiguration:
Before: Current Service Delivery Model
The net result with the current model does not allow for new business
capabilities to come online in a consistent and predictable way;
capabilities that include vendor e-commerce, integrated portal for
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
students, self-service tools for administrators or business intelligence
for more effective decision making.
After: Proposed Service Delivery Model
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
53
6.4.4.2 Develop Contingent Staffing Plan
The speed to deliver new business capabilities requires a deep pool
of external service providers who can quickly and effectively provide
the best talent at a fair price. The IT group would benefit from having
a pool of firms that provides the identified skills the organization
needs for projects. In addition, by developing standard agreements
with vendors, HCCS can negotiate conversion percentages in the
event HCCS chooses to bring on a contractor full-time.
6.4.4.3 Consolidate College and Administrative Technicians into Services Unit
The current model of delivering technical support would not be
competitive when compared to an outsourcing provider. The
opportunity is to realign and upgrade technology tools and training to
provide seamless service from any technician that is available. This
would require an upgrade of technology tools that would allow
integrated services between the help desk and field technician that is
rapid. For example, when a service request call comes to the help
desk, the help desk representative can dispatch the most convenient
resource via wireless transmission rather than waiting for a pre-
designated technician to respond. (e.g. lab technician)
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
54
6.5 Develop Human Capital Strategy that Builds Skills Quickly and Effectively
6.5.1 Strategy Overview Enterprises and their business processes are increasingly complex
and interconnected. They must continually adapt to changing
business models, economic pressures and expansive opportunity
across geographic and organization boundaries. Employees are
taking on more responsibility, working longer hours, and dealing with
more-complex decisions and actions. These changes place even
greater demands on employees who are classified as knowledge
workers and will increase the likelihood that people will work
collaboratively, just in time, and within or across multiple teams.
HCCS, in turn, must redesign work processes, re-examine
performance plans, and reward systems for the IT organization to
remain viable over the next ten years.
6.5.2 Current Situation
During the SWOT analysis and subsequent meetings, we learned
that the IT group can perform much better by leveraging internal
knowledge and skills, getting more active with external relationships
with which HCCS has in place. (e.g. Gulf Coast Consortium, Greater
Houston Partnership). With all of the IT projects and business
related projects in progress, the IT group does not have a single
person who is involved with the local chapter of the Project
Management Institute (PMI). Moreover, the organization more often
than not must look to the outside for project management expertise.
This lack of skills in project management, results in project delays
and poor vendor management to assist with creating accurate scope
documents and statements of work.
6.5.3 Objectives and Value to Organization The objectives and value of having an effective human capital
management strategy in place are typically not apparent during
budget time. However, the objectives we outline make the case for
having an effective human capital strategy:
Much improved workforce planning and resource allocation
Deeper �“bench�” of talent
Reduces reliance on external consultants
Creates a more attractive work place because staff feel
valued and not taken for granted
Enables the organization to take advantage of newer
technologies for faster time to market with programs
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
6.5.4 Initiatives to Deliver 6.5.4.1 Conduct IT Skills Review and
Assessment
Managing your organization's human resource assets through
ongoing IT skills assessment can provide crucial insight for IT
leaders and their teams. This insight in turn provides a framework for
more accurately defining project scope, as well as identifying and
mitigating risk; armed with this information the IT group can make
better decisions and improve its bottom line. Without an accurate
picture of existing skills and new skills required, risk management
becomes a concern. Projects may not be completed on time, or
systems may not function properly when completed.
According to Gartner Research, 75 percent of projects that fail do so
because improperly skilled people were working on the project. The
human capital of skilled IT professionals and managers has become
increasingly critical to the success of an organization's mission.
6.5.4.2 Implement Project Management Certification Program
Current IT skills become even more important as the organization
migrates to a portal strategy for developing and rolling out new
business capabilities. Managers are in a much better position to
evaluate the feasibility of a project, explain the risks when shifting
resources or make a solid case for hiring a contractor temporarily.
By having a project management certification program can yield the
following benefits:
Provides a benchmark for recruitment, training and
development of project management staff.
Compliments and enhances other technical or business
qualifications by demonstrating that an individual is also
competent in the crucial ability to manage projects.
Through participation in the certification process,
individuals enhance their confidence in their project
management and general business knowledge.
Provide confidence to HCCS leaders that the IT group can
handle business efficiently and cost effectively.
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
55
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
6.6 Provide Access to Educational
Opportunities and Services Anywhere, Anytime
6.6.1 Strategy Overview Technology users in higher education expect to conduct business
anytime of day or night with the expectation that the systems are up
and running. For the majority of users, they want:
Access to many services from one workstation
Access the same services from many devices
Location independence
Wired office network connection
Wireless network cafés at all locations
Wireless LAN throughout the campus
Access from home office and
Out of town
The central IT at 3100 Main and all of the Colleges recognize the
importance of this trend, which is now expected from everyone that
interfaces with HCCS. Our strategy is to create a consistent pathway
that the institution can follow and replicate across all HCCS facilities.
This becomes especially important in support of the capital
improvement plan (CIP).
6.6.2 Current Situation
Access to educational opportunities and the ability to conduct
administrative tasks is uneven and fragmented at best. HCCS
currently does not have a 24x7 uptime policy. The network does not
have an authentication platform for those staff and outsiders who
access the HCCS network. This means that someone with the
appropriate level of knowledge can lurk around the HCCS network
and go undetected. In addition, with the limited bandwidth that IT is
able to provide, distance education tools may not work properly or
the user may have delays at best.
Furthermore, users must apply six different logons to access:
PeopleSoft HR b) PeopleSoft Student Administration c) PeopleSoft
Finance d) LDAP for Oracle E-Mail e) Radius server for Dial-In and f)
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
56
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
VPN access as shown in the graphic above. LDAP is a software
protocol for enabling anyone to locate organizations, individuals, and
other resources such as files and devices in a network.
6.6.3 Objectives and Value to Organization The objectives and value to HCCS are numerous and include a
sample of relevant items:
Radio frequency identification (RFID) in the libraries:
o Rapidly scan shelves for books that are missing or
misplaced, thus saving time. Patrons can use their
library cards for self-checkout, saving on employee
costs. Reduces the complexity of outdated, manual
book-tracking systems. Helps automate the return of
library materials. Acts in conjunction with security
gates to prevent theft of materials and media.
Improved workforce productivity in managing remote staff
Faster feedback on performance with students at high-
peak periods
Allows students to share, collect, provide feedback, poll
and distill facts based on individual preferences
Go �“get�” classroom the classroom instruction and
supporting materials needed with key word searches from
any device
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
57
Strategic Technology Road Map 2015
6.6.4 Initiatives to Deliver
Houston Community College System Final - Version 1.0 Date: 10/28/2005
58
6.6.4.1 Identity Management and Managed Network
Providing a centrally managed system with distributed control will
provide enterprise-wide authentication, authorization, and accounting
and single sign-on capability. This will enable the implementation of
a managed network. Implement a system-wide directory service with
a domain structure that will support the identity management needs
of HCC and support the mobility of our student, faculty, and staff
community across all colleges and administration. The
implementation will include management tools that will aid with
trouble response, software upgrades and patches, and asset
inventory and management.
6.6.4.2 Implement Comprehensive Disaster Recovery
HCC does not have a comprehensive disaster recovery plan for the
Institution. A business continuity plan was developed and approved
by the Board that addressed some of the elements of disaster
recovery, with plans to utilize space at the Westgate campus. This
project was cancelled and the equipment intended for installation at
Westgate was moved and installed at the 3100 Main Data Center.
The lack of a disaster recovery plan exposes the institution to
significant risk in the event of a natural disaster or power outage.
Current generators can last approximately 6 hours and likely less if
put to the test. HCCS should engage a consulting company to assist
with the development of the plan. Involve all business units within
HCC to ensure that the risks are addressed in an acceptable
manner.