UIT Strategic Priority: Shared Services - University of Houston
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Shared Services

OVERVIEW

Cost optimization brings colleges, divisions, system universities, and University IT together to leverage Shared Services to meet IT service-level expectations while controlling costs. A collaborative Shared Services solution develops business processes and service level agreements that distribute service delivery between local units and UIT to deliver value to the University and to the UH System.

ALIGNMENT

  • With the University — Competitive Resources and Student Success: Actively establishing the optimal combination of locally and centrally provided IT services produces the Competitive Resources essential to assure Student Success.
  • With the UH System — Principles 1 and 9: Carefully chosen Shared Services further the 1st and 9th Principles of the UH System: that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and that UHS maximizes opportunities for both its faculty and students to benefit from being within a system ( Appendix A ).
  • With the State — Mature IT Resources Management: The Service Assurance program keeps UIT in sync with the business priorities of the community it serves, furthering the Cost Optimization part of this goal.
  • With the State — Cost-effective & Collaborative Solutions: As described by TX-DIR, Shared Services allow UHS/UH to focus limited resources on IT applications and supported business functions to yield improved operational efficiency, optimized delivery services, cost savings and harmonized operations.

Service Assurance

CURRENT STATE

  • Technology Managers TMs in each college and division implement IT policies and work with UIT to create the optimal balance of central and localized services for their units’ needs.
  • Technology Reviews seek specific ways to improve economy and efficiency in delivering IT services within a college, division or system university. Since the program began in 2010, UIT has reviewed nine colleges, five divisions (or sections of them) and three system universities.
  • Completed a comprehensive technology review for the College of Technology.
  • Completed annual IT Service Assurance reports for 11 colleges/divisions.

PATH TO SUCCESS

  • Increase the breadth of enterprise-level IT technologies implemented as Shared Services both across the campus and systemwide, with particular emphasis on common technology platforms (e.g., PeopleSoft, Blackboard (Canvas since June 2023), Exchange email, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Office 365 and cloud storage). This will enable the uniform implementation of best practices, greatest economies of scale and lowest total cost of ownership.
  • Collaborate systemwide to deliver business value through IT services on additional, key technical activities, such as network standards, enterprise infrastructure planning, IT assessments and best practices, change management, continuity of operations and IT management tools.

FY2022 INITIATIVES

  • Conduct Technology Reviews for Bauer College of Business and Hines College of Architecture and Design
  • Identify services that benefit most from economies of scale as possible candidates for the Shared Services model.
  • Seek opportunities to eliminate redundancy, reduce cost and improve standardization across the UH System.

Technology Review Metrics