New series of articles from the engine room at the administration: Reducing the IT debt
In a new series of articles, University Director Arnold Boon wants to focus on successes in operational tasks carried out in different corners of the administration. One common denominator shared by all these tasks is that they help ensure that university staff are better able to perform their jobs. Another is that they often take place deep down in the engine room at the administration, and often out of sight. This article focuses on the Reducing the IT Debt project.
AU IT has long suffered the burden of old and obsolete IT solutions that have complicated or even blocked new and more up-to-date solutions. Among other things, this “IT debt” is a remnant of the university merger in 2007, which at that time failed to consolidate the various IT systems brought together by the merger.
The Reducing the IT Debt project was launched in early 2018 to get rid of some of these obsolete systems. The project has just been completed, and through 11 sub-projects,we have succeeded in paying down AU IT’s debt in a number of areas.
One of the results of the project is a simplification of the AU network, making it easier to both support and use the systems. In addition, a number of servers have been phased out in the project, which contributes to reducing the number of operational tasks. Finally, an important foundation has been established to enable staff to access AU's online platforms with just one password. Among other things, this foundation will be used in connection with the roll-out of Office 365.
"Good and up-to-date IT systems are insanely important for an organisation with digitalisation ambitions as strong as AU’s. So I'd like to say a huge ‘thank-you’ to everyone who has contributed to making this project such a success. All in all, the project means the AU IT landscape is now in a much better position to face the challenges and opportunities of the future," says University Director Arnold Boon.
- Have you got any suggestions for operating tasks to write about in the next article? Send them to director@au.dk
- For further information on the ‘reducing the IT debt’ project, contact Søren Christensen, head of operations and technology: schristensen@au.dk