IT : strategy, managementand DIY in HE

Breakout session reportAHUA 2013 Autumn Conference

NottinghamStephen Butcher and Andy Powell

Eduserv

Image: Wojtek Gurak @ Flickr

Introduction

• we ran 2 breakout sessions at the AHUA 2013 Autumn Conference in Nottingham

• each session was entitled “IT : strategy, management and DIY in HE”

• we set out to investigate why HEIs tend to adopt a DIY approach to IT services

• there were 15-20 delegates (all senior management) in each session – split into 3 discussion groups

Groups were asked to discuss…

• has your institution considered outsourcing aspects of your IT services?

• pick one example where outsourcing was chosen and one where it was considered and rejected

• what were the drivers that led to those decisions? how valid do you think those drivers were/are?

• are there common characteristics of DIYvs. outsourced services?

Currently outsourced

Note: intention was to pick examples,not to create a definitive list

Outsourcing considered but rejected

Note: intention was to pick examples,not to create a definitive list

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Reasons tooutsource

Interpretedvariably

Reasons toDIY

Note: ordering applied by the authorsbased on group feedback

Remarks

• it seems likely that the historic need to be at cutting edge of IT (to support the needs of academics) has led to an over-riding culture of DIY, particularly in older universities

• attitudes to issues like cost, reliability and risk appear variable and partly dependent on perception of in-house capability – e.g. cost is likely to be an important factor in individual cases but impact depends on how internal costs are measured

• VAT on outsourced services tends to push cost factor in favour of DIY – externally supplied services have got to be 20% cheaper (before VAT) compared to DIY, just to break even

• only in ‘free’ cases (e.g. student email) doescost become a ‘no-brainer’

Remarks (cont.)

• there was a perception that HE is somehow a ‘special case’ (compared with other sectors) but not clear if this is correct

• in particular, ‘confidentiality’ and ‘mission criticality’ both given as reasons to DIY

• however, in discussion it was noted that:a) other very sensitive sectors don’t see things that wayb) most universities will have procedures and infrastructures that are

less audited and accredited than those of third party suppliers

• groups could usefully have spent more time discussing the relative importance of the issues raised, andwhether they are perceived or real, but timedid not allow for this

Useful resources

• UCISA 2012 Survey of Technology Enhanced Learning for higher education in the UKhttp://www.ucisa.ac.uk/~/media/groups/ssg/surveys/TEL_survey_2012_with%20Apps_final

• Efficiency and effectiveness in higher education: A report by the Universities UK Efficiency and Modernisation Task Grouphttp://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/highereducation/Pages/EfficiencyinHigherEducation.aspx