As Chief Information Officer, Mark Stone is responsible for Information Technology strategy development and implementation throughout the A&M System. The CIO collaborates with technology as well as non-technology leaders to ensure A&M System systems support A&M System goals, objectives, policies, procedures and initiatives as specified by the Chancellor.
More information about Mark Stone
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a statewide network of 11 universities, seven state agencies, two service units and a comprehensive health science center. Each member has its own mission, history and goals, and manages its own budget. With little exception, most IT services are not centralized.
Vision
The vision of Texas A&M System IT is built on these core principles:
- Simplification – Replace complex organizational, governance, and process models with simpler models that decrease costs, increase efficiencies and decrease risks
- Standardization — Minimize the number of tools and processes used by members to decrease complexity and increase collaboration and innovation
- Consolidation – Drive cost reductions and lower risk through A&M System-wide virtualization, consolidation of servers and storage and creation of shared services functions
Strategic Goals
In response to the Deloitte Audit and recommendations of the Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System, Texas A&M System IT is focusing in these strategic areas:
- Governance – Reduce risk, enhance trust and collaboration and improve IT strategic alignment with comprehensive IT governance
- Standardization – Minimize the number of tools and processes used by members to decrease complexity and increase collaboration and innovation
- Security – Ensure that people, processes and technology proactively and efficiently provide for the confidentiality, integrity, reliability and availability of all A&M System information assets
- Shared Services – Reduce IT redundancy for commonly used software and services, provide consistency in the IT services delivered across the A&M System, and make specific IT expertise for services available to all A&M System members
- Contracts – Identify opportunities for the A&M System to leverage its size and reputation, align and consolidate vendor contracts, and share information about products and services
Approach
We can’t achieve our strategic goals overnight – we recognize that change is a process and takes time and attention to implement. We will achieve change across the A&M System by using this approach:
- Crawl, Walk, Run – Implement solutions using pilots, small shared service offerings and phased rollouts
- Attractional – Offer solutions that are needed, solve common problems and have broad member support
- Opportunistic Collaboration – Focus on solving problems that are common to A&M System members and high on their priority list