OCIO and CPH: Partnership Doesn’t Mean Sacrificing Unique Needs

Managed IT customers come to OCIO with a variety of needs. Some customers seek technology guidance and advice from the Office of the CIO (OCIO) to address a specific technology challenge. Other customers are interested in leveraging specific OCIO technology services to help save their college or unit the costs and upkeep associated with purchasing and maintaining technology on their own.  

The College of Public Health (CPH) recently came to OCIO with needs centered around staffing, equipment and security, all tied to technology. 

First, CPH leaders wanted to evaluate the feasibility of OCIO providing additional service desk help for their faculty and staff. Recent attrition shrank the CPH IT support area, affecting their ability to provide their desired level of IT customer service. However, they weren’t sure if staff augmentation was the best answer. Last November, OCIO entered into an agreement to provide a dedicated help desk technician to the college, four days a week, which allowed OCIO to both evaluate the level of tech assistance needed by CPH and to gain first-hand insight into the organization’s overall technology needs. 

Another set of needs involved CPH computing equipment and security. OCIO helped identify physically vulnerable computers and older server and storage equipment that were nearing end-of-life. These devices needed to be sunset or replaced to help strengthen the college’s infrastructure and data security position. 

OCIO moved the college’s data to OCIO equipment in the State of Ohio Computer Center (SOCC) which brought the college a new infrastructure with improved processing power that benefits CPH operations and its research grant work. Prior to the move to the SOCC, CPH was at a cross roads. Some CPH researchers needed more powerful servers, like those offered by the Ohio Supercomputer Center and Research Commons, yet their projects handled secure information, which the Supercomputer Center cannot accommodate. CPH’s older equipment couldn’t effectively handle such information either and posed a potential security risk. 

OCIO helped CPH researchers look at their unique computing needs and come up with a solution that offers both increased processing power and improved security, while being scalable enough to meet their growing data and collaboration needs.  

Dr. William J. Martin, Dean, College of Public Health shares the following about the managed IT service partnership with OCIO, “We are committed to providing our faculty, staff, and students with the best resources and tools available to succeed. Using the most advanced technology services to enhance their teaching and learning experiences is part of our plan. This new partnership with the OCIO allows us to be supported by Ohio State in a highly efficient manner that is in direct alignment with the latest strategic IT initiatives and updated security protections of the university.” 

Becoming a managed IT service customer allows organizations like CPH to save time, money and effort previously spent on technology and repurpose it for their core missions without compromising what makes them unique.

Update:

A formal managed IT service agreement with Public Health was signed on July 1, 2018 (FY19).