nysais presentation may 2010
TRANSCRIPT
Making Your Tech Dollars Matter:What CFOs Should Know
NYSAIS Business Affairs ConferenceMay 5, 2010
Presenter: Curt Lieneck, IT Director
University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
Senior Collaborator, Educational Collaborators LLC
A Little Background
17 yrs. teaching Lower School
IT Director since 1998
UC Lab School
PreK-12, 1770 students
Me
320 Faculty and Staff
9 f/t tech support people
850 Macs
14 Servers
Planning the largest building project in school history
Not a boxes and wires guy
Robust growth in tech resources on my watch
NAIS Tech Task Force 3 yrs. ISED-L Co-Manager 6 yrs.
Consulting 3 yrs.
We Have a Lot in Common
We Have a Lot in Common
We don’t like surprises
We Have a Lot in Common
We don’t like surprises
We deal with everyone at school
We Have a Lot in Common
We don’t like surprises
We deal with everyone at school
Our good deeds never go unpunished
We Have a Lot in Common
We don’t like surprises
We deal with everyone at school
Our good deeds never go unpunished
If we aren’t good at our jobs, school grinds to a halt
We Have a Lot in Common
We don’t like surprises
We deal with everyone at school
Our good deeds never go unpunished
If we aren’t good at our jobs, school grinds to a halt
We spend a lot of time in the twilight zone
You’re Asking the Right Questions
What are we really spending, both in our educational program and in business functions?
How do we measure ROI and therefore establish priorities?
Given finite resources, where should we be spending on technology?
Are there new technologies relevant to schools that we should be looking at?
Is using technology in program or business functions overrated?
Do we get more productivity and better educational outcomes?
Can We Answer Them All This Morning?
Can We Answer Them All This Morning?
YES, WE CAN!
A Quick Disclaimer
Question 1:
What AreWe Really Spending?
Answer:
Determine Your
Total Cost of Ownership
(TCO)
http:///www.cosn.org
What Comprises
TCO?
Direct Costs:
All the technology charges that show up on your ledgers
+Indirect Costs:
All the costs that don’t show up on any ledger
Divide Total by # of Computers =
Total Cost of Ownership
Direct Costs
Hardware
Software
Support
Training/Professional Development
Connectivity
Retrofitting
Replacement Costs
Power Consumption
Insurance...
...and so on
Indirect Costs
Can be up to 60% of TCOaccording to Gartner
User Overhead:
Down Time
Peer to Peer Support
Data/File Management Time
“Intangibles” Associated With Change
Metacommunication
Hidden Cost Drivers
Hidden and Not-So-Hidden Cost Drivers at My Place
Autonomy vs. “Cultural Attachment to Consensus”Spontaneity
Customization (My Personal Favorite)University Affiliation/Database Integration
School Offices Slow to Own Evolving Data Needs
Other Current Cost DriversA/V Convergence
VOIP (IP based telephone systems)
Evolution of MultiFunction Devices (MFDs)
Escalating Demand for School Communication
Increased School Data Needs/Data Integration Across Discrete Solutions
IP Based Security Systems
Netbooks/Mobile Devices
Demand for multimedia over the network (Bandwidth)
There is no set TCO formula.
Its value to your school hinges on
what you choose to include.
Question 2:
How do we measure ROI and therefore
establish priorities?
Answer:
Determine Your
Value of Investment
(VOI)
http:///www.cosn.org
ROIVOI
What’s the Difference?
Tangible Outcomes
Objective
Quantitative
Summative
Source:
Educause Center for Applied Research, Research Bulletin, Volume 2003, Issue 18, September 2, 2003: “Value on Investment in Higher Education,” Donald M. Norris, Strategic Initiatives, Inc.
“Soft” or Intangible Benefits
Subjective
Qualitative
Formative
Factors Affecting
VOI
Project Risk
Curricular Fit
Mission Fit
Equity
Student Engagement
User Satisfaction
Political Return
Staff Retention
...and more
CoSN’s VOI tool kit provides a great place to
start
Question 3:
Given finite resources,
where should we be spending on
technology?
Remember: time is often > money
Answer:
What are you trying to accomplish?
This will vary from school to school.
But in general, some areas need more attention from
independent schools.
Risk Management
Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Planning
Eliminating human and technical single points of
failure
Documenting critical system operations
Tech StaffingClarify roles and responsibilities; monitor workload
Write job descriptions and evaluate regularly; get the right people on board and the wrong people off
Once you have good people, let them do their jobs
Give your tech leader your support -- and a place at the cabinet table
Outsource wisely
Infrastructure
Nothing drops ROI or VOI like a lame network
Whatever happens next in technology, it will need
bandwidth and electricity
The unsexy stuff needs you: decent server closets,
service contracts, battery backups
Professional Development
This is more about spending time than money
Admin staff are almost always neglected on PD days; they are your best targets for investment
No curriculum review should take place without a tech
component that drives teachers’ PD needs
A Few Random Thoughts on IT
Spending
Success=more work ahead
If you build it, they will NOT come
Networked technology compels interdependence,
thus disrupting silos
Question 4:
Are there new technologies relevant to
schools that we should be looking at?
Answer:
ALWAYS
Server Virtualization: One Server Becomes
Many
More virtual servers = less:
Hardware -- Service Contracts -- Power Consumption
Cooling Demand --Down Time
“Cloud” Computing
Delivering hosted services over the Internet..
Open Source Applications
Crowdsourced, open architecture applications written and maintained by a worldwide developer network.
Source code available generally at no cost.
Web content management
Learning ManagementOS
Productivity Suite
Image manipulation
The source code is “no cost.”
Implementing open source takes time and a learning curve for tech staff and for users.
Mobile Devices/Handhelds
Question 4:Is using
technology overrated?
Answer:
Does the answer really matter?
If it does matter, what do you expect it to do?
What Technology Can’t Do for You
Technology Shines When It:
Empowers us to create things we care about
Minimizes drudgery
Helps us tell compelling stories
Expands our world
Helps us be good stewards of resources entrusted to us
Offers new opportunities for ethical fitness, moral courage, and
service to others
CFOs Can Be “Change Agents”
Partner with your CTO
Learn to lean into the discomfort that technology creates
Grow your tolerance for risk; reward it judiciously
Model good technology use
Expect accountability for resources you provide
Work toward a predictable, sustainable budget that can accommodate steady growth
Build trust through transparency and open dialogue
Q and A?Thanks to Barbara Swanson, the Program
Committee, and you, a fine audience.
Please feel free to stop by if you are in Chicago.
I really mean it.