IT Federation Program
The IT Federation Program is part of UW–Madison’s broader Operational Excellence effort and will strengthen how IT teams across the university work together, creating more intentional opportunities to share expertise, align priorities and resources, and support each other more effectively.
IT Federation aims to:
- Strengthen security and compliance
- Improve stewardship of technology investments
- Enhance overall experience of technology services across UW–Madison
Grounded in the university’s traditions of shared governance and sifting and winnowing, the program takes a federated approach, aligning services and developing shared standards where they add value while preserving local flexibility needed to meet the unique needs of schools, colleges and divisions. A federated IT model enables innovation and reduces barriers to effective collaboration.
What is a federated IT model?
A federated IT model brings together IT teams from across the university to work as partners: providers will collaborate on coordinated services and shared standards where they provide value, while local teams maintain appropriate flexibility to serve the unique needs of their communities.
While we’ve operated this way informally for years, the changes facing our university create an opportunity to be proactive and strengthen this partnership.
On this page
Federation in action
IT providers
- Balanced service delivery, with some services delivered at an enterprise scale and others delivered locally.
- New shared standards and coordination mechanisms to help us continue to cultivate strong partnerships and collaborations across service providers.
- Enhanced collaboration pathways between IT staff across the university, creating more opportunities for shared learning, knowledge sharing and partnership.
University mission
- Focus resources and expertise where they have the greatest impact in support of teaching, research, outreach and administrative missions.
- Improve consistency in service experiences and reduce unnecessary complexity, while allowing flexibility and local expertise where mission needs require it.
- Strategic resource management to ensure good stewardship of university resources and financial sustainability for the long term.
Updates
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Insights from recent IT Federation discussions
IT staff from across campus recently participated in discussions about IT Federation. You shared, and we listened. Here are key themes of what we heard.
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Let’s talk about IT Federation: Clearing up common misconceptions
It’s natural to have questions or preconceived ideas about a new program or initiative. See what’s actually changing — and what isn’t — as we head into Phase 2.
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IT Federation phase 1 outcomes, program reports
The summary of IT Federation phase 1 results and outcomes — including links to full core reports, reference materials, and FAQs from both work groups — is now available. Explore these documents…
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IT Federation Program: Phase 1 updates
Since launching in January 2026, the IT Federation Program has been establishing its initial foundations. Get an inside look at the work completed during phase 1 and a preview of what to…
Timeline
January 2026
Phase 1 begins
Benchmarking and Enterprise Services Work Groups start meeting.
April 2026
Phase 1 ends
Work groups share findings and recommendations.
May to June 2026
Phase 1 reflections.
Phase 2 planning.
July 2026 (tentative)
Phase 2 begins
Meet the program team
This effort extends beyond the Division of Information Technology and requires collaboration across technology service and resource providers. IT staff from across the university are represented in the working groups and program teams.
- John Zumbrunnen, Provost & Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
- Rob Cramer, Vice Chancellor for Finance & Administration
- Didier Contis, Vice Provost for Information Technology & Chief Information Officer
This team brings clarity and structure to the program through engagement, communication and change management efforts. They support work groups and find opportunities for the IT community to engage in program activities.
- Brianna Kuhn, Communications Specialist, DoIT Communications
- Ching-Tzu Chien, Senior IT Project Manager, DoIT Portfolio & Project Management Office
- Crague Cook, Organizational Change Manager, DoIT Portfolio & Project Management Office
- Dana Green, IT Program Manager, University Health Services
- Jamie Gutkowski, IT Director, DoIT
- Jeanette School, Senior Business Analyst, DoIT Portfolio & Project Management Office
- J.J. Du Chateau, Enterprise Architect, DoIT Office of the Chief Technology Officer
- Kelvin Alfaro, Internal Consultant, Office of Strategic Consulting
- Steve Devoti, Enterprise Architect, DoIT Office of the Chief Technology Office
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