Implications: Knitting Together the Top 10 IT Issues, Strategic Technologies, and Trends
The list of the top trends and top strategic technologies can inform—but should not substitute for—a strategic plan or roadmap. IT leaders and professionals should always ensure that institutional strategy drives IT strategy and that IT strategy and architecture drive technology decisions.
To help readers act on these findings, we mapped the top 10 strategic technologies and both the trends that are most influential and those that are taking hold to the Top 10 IT Issues. Table 1 summarizes the four major themes of the Top 10 IT Issues—simplify, sustain, innovate, and drive to digital transformation (Dx)—and the individual IT issues, trends, and strategic technologies that most pertain to those themes. Consider conversations and planning sessions for each of the three themes, and explore the extent to which overall major trends and emerging technologies are playing out at your institution. Numbers in parentheses are the rankings for strategic technologies in last year's top 10.
Table 1. Matrix of issues, trends, and technologies
Top 10 IT Issues Theme | IT Issues | Trends | Strategic Technologies |
---|---|---|---|
Simplify Higher education can no longer operate in growth mode. Institutions must do more with less by simplifying practices and working across the entire institution. At the same time, they need to rearchitect digital resources so data can inform decisions, supply the fuel for artificial intelligence to help predict and manage, and make possible new sources of value. |
|
|
|
Sustain The IT organization can help the institution develop a sustainable approach to technology investments and also use technology to reduce or contain costs. That requires aligning IT investments with institutional priorities and developing a sustainable approach to funding the ongoing investments in technology that everyone knows are needed. As the value of data increases, information security risks and privacy concerns multiply. A sustainable strategy to secure data and protect privacy is essential. |
|
|
|
Innovate Institutions know they need to innovate to achieve a competitive advantage in today's complex marketplace. Simplify is about doing things differently, and innovate is about doing different things. Innovation today is centered on students. |
|
|
|
Drive to Dx The role of the CIO has never mattered as much. CIOs can help their institutions develop and attain digital transformation objectives if the institution is ready to involve them at the most strategic levels. |
|
|