University Business - June 2012 - (Page 72)

Collaborative WorkfloW: The New Kid on Campus revolution had gotten out of control. Against this backdrop (and especially when campuses started implementing local area networks), the modern helpdesk was born. The data center had lost its monopoly, but the resulting power vacuum needed to be filled. For many, a resolution was found in standardizing and automating processes. Universities, faced with budget constraints, formed their own user organizations and folded technology into their own professional development programs. The early helpdesks incorporated fairly simple workflows: problems were reported, dispatched, routed to a tech, resolved, and closed. As decentralized computing matured, customized workflow solutions such as change management, configuration management, and problem management enabled IT to focus on the bottom line—resolving problems and rolling out new applications faster, more reliably, and with greater ease. Workflow applications brought to the modern enterprise what Henry Ford’s assembly line did for manufacturing: efficiency, uniformity of outcomes, and increased throughput. Social Software When new technologies get introduced to the market, they go through a gestation period. Even before widespread adoption of the internet, social computing had gained a foothold with CompuServe, Prodigy, and America Online. Social communications and collaboration have evolved around popular developments such as email, chat rooms, bulletin boards, and Wikipedia, all of which have been around long enough to be embraced by an entire generation now old enough to be in higher ed decisionmaking roles. For this reason, administrators recognize the value of collaborative features of social software, and wish to harness them within their existing infrastructure for project management and communication between students, faculty, and administrators. Social software tools may be distracting to users, as they are not structured or goal oriented. Without stated goals, commitments, timelines, and performance measurements, social media tools do not align with the productivity goals of workflow components and their benefits are merely anecdotal. Cross Collaboration Collaboration is more essential than ever. As budgets shrink, objectives and projects must be completed in a timely, succinct manner. With collaborative workflow, all parties granted access—cross-department or internally—have the ability to collaborate and manage projects through document sharing, email, or instant messaging. Students working with professors, faculty working together, and IT support at the campus level can benefit from today’s new workflow tools. All members of a campus have become service providers for one another. To maintain a competitive edge, institutions need to implement a cost-effective solution that streamlines services. With every professor, administrator, and in many schools, student, having a computer at their fingertips, and all of these devices tied to wireless networks within an infrastructure that spans the entire campus, opportunities exist for collaboration tools to be implemented to enhance departmental projects across the network. To be effective for institutions, a collaborative workflow solution should include: • Goal-oriented project/task infrastructure • A secure infrastructure that enables faculty/administrators/staff and students to collaborate, while retaining confidentiality • Role-based access control (RBAC) to tasks, documents, and calendar items • Communication tools for increased teamwork within the project/task infrastructure • Document management to enable multiple users to coordinate tasks and workflows • Social software tracking and usage from within project parameters Collaborative workflow will enhance processes by integrating collaboration tools within an institution. It will increase productivity and efficiency by reducing information silos and the typical friction points of time, space, and organizational structure. Igal Hauer is the CEO and founder of HelpSTAR (www.helpstar.com), a provider of helpdesk software that recently released a service desk collaboration solution. universitybusiness.com online Collaboration tools What kinds of collaboration tools are being used by higher ed administrators for more efficient execution of projects these days? Here are a few examples: • activeCollab: This project management and collaboration tool installs on the server or local network and allows for full control over files and communications. www.activecollab.com • Cisco Collaboration Applications: Cisco Jabber allows for collaboration from any workspace, with easy access to presence, instant messaging, voice and video, desktop sharing, and conferencing; and Cisco Quad enterprise collaboration platform connects people to the information and expertise they need and allows for sharing knowledge and ideas. www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10680/ • Google Apps for Education: These free website and document creation tools offer real-time editing, sharing controls, and compatibility with any operating system. www.google.com/apps/intl/en/edu/ • Microsoft SharePoint 2010: These tools make it easier for administrators to share ideas and expertise, create custom solutions for specific needs, and have the right information for decision making. http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/en-us • TeamDynamix Suite: This integrated project portfolio management, service desk, and operations work management tool is tailored to higher education, allowing administrators to prioritize efforts, manage resources, and meet commitments on time and on budget. www.teamdynamix.com/ProjectSolutions/Solutions.aspx —Melissa Ezarik 72 | June 2012 http://www.activecollab.com http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10680/ http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/edu/ http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/en-us http://www.teamdynamix.com/ProjectSolutions/Solutions.aspx http://www.helpstar.com http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - June 2012

University Business - June 2012
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Ad Index
Behind the News
Viewpoint
Marketing
Independent Outlook
Special Section: Thinking Green
4G: Is It Time for an Upgrade?
Unified Security: All Together Now
Collaborative Workflow
Campus Finance News
3 Student Aid Myths
Deepening the Donor Pool
Keeping Tuition Within Reach
Internet Technology
End Note

University Business - June 2012