We are pleased to announce that a Statement of Intent to Integrate the Administrative & Residential Information Technology (ARIT) and Information Technology Services (ITS) organizations has been signed. Over the next 18-24 months, ARIT and ITS will be integrated into a unified organization, combining the resources of these two units and leveraging their capabilities to provide enhanced services and support to the Administrative Services division and the broader UCSB campus community.
The goals of this integration are:
- To leverage campus IT resources to implement major systems (e.g., FMM, Campus Data Platform, UCSB Access ID) while continuing to support required capabilities for all Administrative Services departments.
- To build on existing partnerships in network infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data services.
- To consolidate costs for hardware and software, where possible.
- To enhance campus’ ability to recruit, support, and retain high-quality IT employees.
- To increase system resiliency while reducing complexity.
We anticipate that the demand for IT services on campus will continue to grow. By executing this integration we plan to “bend the curve”, meaning we will reduce the rate that expenses are increasing through efficiency and optimization.
The principles that we will use to guide this integration include the following:
- Harness each other’s strengths
- Provide services as good or better
- Scale for value
- Create opportunities for staff
- Maintain dignity of staff
- The integration is to be expense neutral to campus
- Space follows integrating staff, with some exceptions for embedded positions.
In the coming months, as outlined below, the ARIT and ITS teams will participate in data collection and analysis to inform proposals for governance, operations, space, staffing, and finances. Once these proposals are approved by the executive sponsors, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and an integration implementation plan will be developed.
The current planned timeline and milestones include:
- Data collection & analysis (Sept. 2023 - Mar. 2024)
- Identify services/operations, finances, emergent opportunities, etc. (Jan. - June 2024)
- Develop proposals for governance, operations, space, staffing & finances (Feb. - June 2024)
- Develop MOU & integration implementation plan (Apr. 2024 - June 2024)
We are committed to keeping you informed throughout this effort and will be following up with further communication in the coming weeks. In closing, we deeply value your continued commitment and dedication to these organizations and the campus community. As we embark on this transformative journey, your collaboration and support will be instrumental in advancing information technology at UCSB.