Jim Phelps (IT Architect) shared an interesting article/blog with me the other day -

http://www.peterkretzman.com/2009/07/07/it-the-cio-and-the-business-need-for-roof-projects/

He characterized the article as "a pretty good metaphor for those projects we have to do that really don't change what the end-user experiences."

I agree with Jim's comment, but the article also made me think about something else. I talk a lot about the importance of infrastructure projects and the need to do more things as a campus through federations or common solutions. In many ways, "roof projects" are infrastructure. If done well, "roof projects" should provide protection and cover for those things we agree to do together. When roof projects fail or come up short, the consequences can be disastrous. Worse yet, not undertaking "roof projects" in a timely manner can result in considerable risk for our organization.

I think information security, architecture, policy, and identity and access management are clearly "roof projects." What are some others that we are not giving enough attention to?

Yesterday afternoon all of the team leads from the campus IT strategic planning work met and shared the status of the work products. These dedicated folks have made a lot of progress organizing and articulating how we should move forward as a campus to better support all of us through IT service.

 In the upcoming weeks and months we will more widely share their work and begin planning next major steps.

 Thanks to all of you who have committed so much time and energy to this process.

I just spent an amazing two days in Fargo North Dakota.

We are meeting here to celebrate the "turning on" of the North Dakota portion of the Northern Tier Network. As the President of the consortium, I am honored to be a small part of the event.

At the ceremony yesterday, we heard from the system Chancellor, university presidents, state legislators, and a senator. They all spoke of one thing.  This breakthrough in network capability for North Dakota is vital to the region's future prosperity in commerce, research and education. North Dakota was able to align resources and approaches to establish this in a way that will change their state forever. Not only did they get the work done but when it was done they were able to articulate a common vision concerning what was accomplished and how to move forward. I was jealous and I was proud to be a small part of it.

Now that we know what we are in for as far as furloughs go, we all see a challenging road before us. The demands for IT service will not be diminished.  In fact, UW-Madison and UW System employees will need IT services more than ever before. In these tough times, the leadership we show can further enhance our stature in our higher ed community.  I hope we can each challenge ourselves and our colleagues to accept the situation, not let it detract from our focus on service and ensure that those we serve have the tools and the services they need to make our university successful. I know that this will not be easy. I also know that we can find it within ourselves to move forward in a positive way. I also know that our staff and our customers are looking to us to provide leadership that continually enhances all we do.