Examples:

• Replace audiovisual equipment in a department space used to teach classes
• Replace a system to support a Vivarium
• Replace a system nearing or at end of life
• Replace a business system used in sales of merchandise, tickets, or services

Examples:

• Identify a project management tool to purchase for your department
• Identify a system to replace an existing one that is obsolete, unsupported, or isn't meeting your needs
• Convert an existing space into a new classroom or meeting room with audiovisual technology
• Identify to tool to manage the scheduling of shared spaces such as collaboration rooms or hotel workstations

Examples:

• Purchase software to detect plagiarism or use of generative AI content
• Purchase software to remediate documents for accessibility
• Purchase new software or services for teaching and learning in a course
• Implement a service ticket management system
• Implement a chatbot

Examples:

• External service for students that requires sharing of student email addresses

Examples:

• Engage a consultant to build or upgrade a custom application
• Engage a vendor to complete document remediation for accessibility
• Engage a developer to create a custom system of any kind

Often, departments trying to get new technology and systems have not had great success at implementation time, because they were not aware of:

• existing alternative systems,
• accessibility needs,
• data security needs,
• contract risks,
• added integration costs, and
• unexpected support requirements.

Other departments know they need new technology to solve a problem, but they do not know how to find a good solution or what it costs. We can help you assess and identify a good solution.

Here are some examples of technology procurement that can present unexpected problems. The Technology Request process gives you expert help and visibility early in the process, to make sure you avoid issues like these:

• Buying software for teaching that is not suitable for integration into Brown's Canvas service
• Hiring a developer to build a custom database that replicates a function about to be released in a University service
• Signing a contract for a new system without realizing that it requires high-risk sharing of sensitive Brown data with a vendor, without suitable vendor protections in place in the contract
• Investing in a large new system without considering the staffing required for setting up integrations or providing long-term administration and support

No! As soon as you can articulate the business need, fill out the form and we will talk through available technologies and next steps that would best fit your needs.

Project intake (1 week)

During this time OIT will

• Document and categorize the Technology Request in the OIT portfolio
• Assign a Project Manager for an initial consultation

Initial consultation (1 week)

During this initial meeting we will work with you to

• Discuss the “Five Ws”: Who, What, When, Where and Why
• Clarify details of the Technology Request
• Document known dependencies, timeline factors and budget implications
• Identify stakeholders

Technical and business review (3-6 weeks)

During this time OIT will

• Assess technical scope and dependencies
• Assess technical feasibility
• Identify potential existing solutions
• Identify resource gaps / project costs
• Perform portion of security review against Brown’s security standards
• Perform initial systems architecture review
• Business analysis

Intake completion (1 week)

During this time OIT will

• Contact you with next steps and timeline
• Queue up the Technology Request for IT governance review

Technology requests will be reviewed by IT governance committees and senior leaders to determine project sequencing.

Once a technology request has been processed (i.e. all the relevant details have been gathered, including the background and overview, proposed solution, proposed budget), it is reviewed by OIT Leadership, then by the IT Governance Committee, and is then ranked by order of priority for approval. This review and prioritization process typically takes place from December to March. The prioritized Technology Requests are then submitted to University Leadership for budget allocation and approval. This part of the process usually occurs from March to June and culminates with the approval of the University’s budget for the upcoming FY by the Corporation. OIT is then informed via the budget guidance in June on how funding has been allocated for the prioritized technology requests. It is at this point when OIT will have definitive information to communicate back to the requesters on the outcome of their Technology Request. So, you will usually hear back about the final status of your Technology Request (approval and funding) by July once the IT Governance cycle is complete.