Information Technology

The mission of the Division of Information Technology is to build a quality and comprehensive technology infrastructure, establish and maintain an effective operational environment, and deliver quality, prompt, cost effective, and reliable technology services that align with the University's mission in teaching and learning, research, community service, as well as compliment the region's economic goals.

To be a recognized leader in Information Technology services in support of teaching and learning, and to be the preferred source of quality technology services delivery for the Northeastern North Carolina region.  

In order to fulfill our mission, we need to create business value by allowing IT service management to properly leverage people, process, and technology in support of customer needs. The Division of Information Technology is committed to the following core values:

• Customer Service - We strive to provide timely, courteous, and professional services at all times.
• Communication - Communication is the key to the success of any IT organization. We ask questions...We listen to our customers...We provide solutions.
• Integrity - We earn the trust of our customers by providing ethical, honest, practical, and reliable service.
• Teamwork - Cooperation and Collaboration!

• Ethics and Values - We will be above reproach in matters of ethics, legalities, and professional conduct. IT personnel must have unquestionable ethical standards because of the access we have to business critical and personal information.
• Data - We will treat data as a valuable asset that is managed as a key resource throughout all business processes. Data will have clearly defined custodians (data owners) who are accountable for accuracy, timeliness, and security/access permissions.
• Communications - We hold that communications is the key to getting things done. Only people coordinating actions with others can really achieve progress.
  • Email is not a communications tool, but rather an information delivery tool. Verbal dialogue between the stakeholders is how problems are best communicated and resolved.
  • We will strive to be courteous, civil, and polite in all client contacts. 
• Organization - We will practice teamwork across all functional areas and groups within the IT organization. We will succeed as a group.
• Management - The IT department will be managed as a service organization within the university. We will manage our processes, costs, resources, assets, and services as though we were competing with outside service providers.
• Service - We are customer focused. We are committed to providing responsive and quality service in all aspects of the job, from implementing new systems to answering phones.
• Work Habits - A Project Management attitude and discipline are expected for all assignments, which have a beginning and end, and an agreed upon deliverable. Our goal is to achieve excellence in everything we do and we will endeavor to exceed the expectations of our clients.
• Partnering - We will focus our efforts on developing and continually improving more effective partnerships with our internal clients, external clients, and vendors. Partnering means:
  • Staff will have a deep understanding of the university business, and the business processes that support it.
  • Key external partners are identified and relationships fostered. They are part of the team.
  • Continuously improving communications with our clients and vendors.
• Policies / Standards / Practices / Procedures - We will develop, communicate, adhere to, and enforce IT Policies and Standards, keep them “fresh”, and make exceptions only to support critical business demands.
• Process - We will maintain and/or establish planning and prioritization processes for all IT functions. Key processes are:
  • IT Governance, Compliance and Risk (GCR)
  • Change Management (CM)
  • Information Security (InfoSec)
  • Data Management
  • Client Support / Help Desk
  • Project Management (PM)
  • Business Process Reengineering (BPR)
• Technology - We will not use the “Best of Breed” approach. We will select technologies that can be standardized and used to simplify the IT architecture and leverage resources.
  • We will introduce emerging technologies to support business demands (leading edge technologies will be employed only if warranted) and to solve business or academic problems, or to improve IT performance.
  • New technologies will not be introduced for the sake of technology, but only to improve functionality, reduce costs, or prevent obsolescence.
  • We value mainstream technologies that have proven track records more than low-cost (brand-X) solutions.
  • We will invest in technology enhancements to optimize staff utilization, increase systems flexibility, and assure data delivery capabilities.
• Development - We will follow the principle of “Buy for Parity, Build for Competitive Advantage”.
  • Commercial off-the Shelf (COTS) application software will be acquired as a first choice over internal development. We will build only when there is a business impact to the university that cannot be mitigated with commercial software.
  • Scarce skills and resources will be contracted during the development phases until internal skills are developed.