The Conference on Higher Education Computing in Kansas (CHECK) is an annual gathering of information technology professionals in post-secondary institutions in Kansas to present, discuss, and learn about new technologies and current issues in providing IT services to the higher education community. CHECK is sponsored by the Regents Information Technology Council (RITC) and coordinated by the Information Technology and Services Advisory (ITSA) subcommittee. Hosting the event rotates among the member institutions.
Managing Shadow IT
Presented by: John Williams, City of Lawrence, KS
Managing IT in a publicly funded organization can be a daunting task. With an IT budget spread across 40 different accounts from 11 different departments; managing technology related projects and expenditures at the City of Lawrence had become seemingly impossible. All too often involvement with IT only happened when it became absolutely necessary. In our organization, I have proposed a new approach called "Shadow IT management"; an approach in which we stop trying to "control progress" being made by other departments, and instead enable action by communication, certification, and cooperation. We have outlined a cooperative approach with the other departments that enables them to leverage technology in their favor, WITHOUT crippling the organization with inefficient or unsafe IT practices.
