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CIO Update for the Week of Sep 12

A great weekend (other than Texas A&M losing on Saturday) across the state.

For the week of September 12, the following items of general interest are worth commenting on.

News

New

  • 2022 Tech Summit

    • Are you ready for fantastic presentations? We are two weeks away from the 2022 Tech Summit on September 27 and 28!
    • General Admission registration is open through September 28

     

  • IT Modernization Plan

    • Our governmental relations folks really tried (and a big thank you) to get a much more simplified template (working with Rep. Capriglione’s staff) for IHE, but the Representative himself did not grant approval on Friday; the impact is that IHEs need to complete the IT Modernization Template July.2022.docx (live.com) template
    • Notes
      • Due October 1; given the lengthy negotiations with DIR, it is expected that some IHEs may be a little late
      • IHEs will likely face serious pushback if we turn in an N/A, even though IHEs don’t get IT Modernization Funding from the legislature, are unlikely to get any in the future, or that DIR did not comply with the 2054 statutory requirements to add a new report to IHE
      • In the section where we don’t do things (e.g., PCL, IRDR except for accessibility, etc.), put N/A
      • The last section on DCS is optional
      • ITCHE knows that IHEs do not create an IT Modernization Plan per se, but most cybersecurity initiatives and upgrades fall into that category; this includes refreshing laptops, desktops, servers, wireless, other networking, and classroom tech; this is true even if it is standard routine to upgrade laptops every three years (as an example)
      • Don’t’ forget about cybersecurity initiative(s)
      • ITCHE recommends that your focus be limited to FY23 unless you already have some initiative approved for the FY 24/25 biennium
      • We can’t leverage the use of “major” in the template and only list MIRP level initiatives ($5M+)
    • I am working on getting an example of a completed template (a work in process)
      • I will set a phone call for next week to discuss this reporting requirement
      • In the meantime, please start gathering a set of FY23 initiatives that will comprise the core of your IT Modernization Plan
      • You do not need to complete the plan submission prior to next week

     

System-Wide Contracting News

In Process

  • A&M System-wide Contracts Under Development:

    • eSignature (NextGen)
    • Cohesity

     

Repeats

  • Current A&M System-wide Contracts:

    • 3 Play Media provides closed captioning services (discretionary)
    • Acadeum provides access to an online education marketplace that offers courses across a network of colleges and universities to help students stay on track and graduate faster (discretionary)
    • Accelevents supports virtual and hybrid conferences (discretionary)
    • AdmitHub fosters student success with artificial intelligence-powered mobile messaging and chatbots (discretionary)
    • Adobe provides full Creative Cloud suite and Adobe Pro software tools (discretionary)
    • Adobe Sign provides electronic signature and related workflow capabilities (discretionary)
    • airSlate / SignNow provides electronic signature and related workflow capabilities (discretionary)
    • AT&T provides network as a service and related services (discretionary)
    • Automatic Sync provides closed captioning services (discretionary)
    • Aventri supports virtual and hybrid conferences (discretionary)
    • Banner COE (CAG) provides Banner-related services (discretionary)
    • Blackboard provides a cloud-based learning management system (discretionary)
    • Campus Sonar provides specialized social listening services for higher education (discretionary)
    • campusM (Ex Libris) supports mobile application development (discretionary)
    • Canvas (Instructure) provides a cloud-based learning management system (discretionary)
    • Cisco Strategic Relationship supports the AT&T NaaS RELLIS services and includes discounted Cisco products and services (discretionary)
    • Class Climate (Scantron) allows students to evaluate academic courses and instructors (discretionary)
    • D2L provides a cloud-based learning management system (discretionary)
    • Diligent provides board portal functionality (discretionary)
    • DocuSign provides electronic signature and related workflow capabilities (discretionary)
    • Duo (Cisco) provides two-factor authentication (discretionary)
    • Examity provides on-line proctoring services (discretionary)
    • eXplorance allows students to evaluate academic courses and instructors (discretionary)
    • Exterro unifies e-discovery, privacy and digital forensics activities to help organizations manage and mitigate regulatory, compliance and litigation risks
    • Fetii provides contactless scanning technology through QR codes (discretionary)
    • GoReact provides a platform for feedback, grading and critiquing of video assignments (discretionary)
    • GovQA (WebQA) is the TAMUS approved Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) solution (assessed)
    • Guardian I-9 (LawLogix) provides electronic I-9 compliance verification (discretionary)
    • Hootsuite enables members to manage social networks, schedule messages and measure social media from a dashboard (discretionary)
    • Interfolio provides academic faculty management software (discretionary)
    • IOTA Solutions allows students to evaluate academic courses and instructors (discretionary)
    • Laserfiche provides document digitization and automated records processing, storage retrieval, security and archiving (discretionary)
    • LinkedIn Learning provides video courses taught by industry experts in software, creative and business skills (discretionary)
    • Microsoft provides business software and services (direct bill)
    • Modo Labs supports mobile application development (discretionary)
    • Navex provides on-line proctoring services (discretionary)
    • Oracle provides a shared hardware/software platform to host Oracle-based applications (discretionary)
    • Palo Alto provides firewalls and associated security subscription services (discretionary)
    • PlatformQ enables universities to connect with students at every stage of the recruitment process (discretionary)
    • Pluralsight offers a variety of video-based training for software developers, IT administrators and creative professionals (discretionary)
    • Portfolium (Instructure) provides students and recent graduates with the ability to connect with businesses and employers using previous academic work and projects to supplement their communication (discretionary)
    • Proctorio provides on-line proctoring services (discretionary)
    • Qualtrics provides an online survey tool that supports building and distributing surveys and analyzing the responses (discretionary)
    • Siteimprove checks web pages, every five days, for spelling, grammar, broken links, and accessibility (assessed)
    • Smart Net (Cisco) provides Cisco equipment maintenance (discretionary)
    • SmartEvals (Gap Technologies) allows students to evaluate academic courses and instructors (discretionary)
    • Sprout Social provides a social media management platform (discretionary)
    • Sterling provides background check services for employment, employment screening, drug testing, I-9 employment and education verification (discretionary)
    • TeamDynamix provides cloud-based IT service and project management software (discretionary)
    • Verbit provides closed captioning services (discretionary)
    • VMware provides various VMware software, services and training/consulting credits (discretionary)
    • WebEx (Cisco) provides online collaboration and meeting software (discretionary)

     

Travel

  • No trips scheduled this week