The vice chancellor for finance and administration is leading several process improvement initiatives on campus to achieve better service delivery and create economies of scale. As Finance and Administration continues to evolve, it requires a comprehensive approach to information technology services.
To create a best-in-class IT enterprise at UW–Madison, Administrative Information Management Services (AIMS) and the Division of Information Technology (DoIT) will join together as a single division, effective May 24, 2021. The AIMS team will continue to operate in its current form under the leadership of Interim Director Kevin Cherek, and will report to Deputy CIO Dave Pagenkopf under the direction of Vice Provost for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Lois Brooks.
The goals of this consolidation are to optimize the delivery of essential IT services, minimize cybersecurity risk and better enable both groups to support university goals and priorities. It further supports the goals of the Office of Finance and Administration by offering a comprehensive, unified approach to providing information technology services to our university partners. Services provided by AIMS will continue to be monitored by the Administrative IT Board.
“We feel we have maximized what we can accomplish as a stand-alone distributed IT unit.” said Interim AIMS DIrector Kevin Cherek. “Consolidating with DoIT will enable us to further improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the IT services Finance and Administration receives while reducing costs. We believe we are laying the groundwork for optimizing the delivery of services beyond Finance and Administration.”
“Uniting our two organizations follows industry best practices to create a comprehensive center of expertise,” added CIO Lois Brooks. “We’re excited for the opportunities this will provide for staff to take on new positions and projects as our university IT needs continue to evolve. We also anticipate shared design processes for both teams to work together to identify university IT priorities and opportunities.”
Aligning AIMS and DoIT will provide better support to colleagues in both units with consolidated resources, deeper understanding of business operations, and increased opportunities for professional development and career growth in this new partnership.