Managing Your IT Portfolio Risk: The Trailing Edge You Don’t Want to Admit To

The evaluation and remediation of the risks posed by trailing-edge or obsolete systems is a critical component of an enterprise risk management (ERM) strategy—the process of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling an organization's activities to minimize the effects of risk on its operations. While enterprise-wide student, financial, and human resource applications appropriately demand much of our attention and budget, smaller administrative, departmental, or niche applications cannot be ignored. This research bulletin examines the various roles played by smaller systems—housing systems, endowment investment and accounting systems, hazardous materials tracking systems, and the like—and potential risks they pose.