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As birth rates and international student numbers fall, higher education institutes are staring down the impact of the looming enrollment cliff, along with policy shifts, funding cuts, faculty shortages, and other challenges. CIOs are on the front lines of the response, a central role that ideally places them to help institutions deploy technological solutions to those headwinds, rather than slashing costs. Our step-by-step blueprint can help IT leaders in higher education build a Technology-First Action Plan optimized to turn today’s volatility into tomorrow’s value.

Automation, generative AI, FinOps, data and analytics, and other technological solutions can neutralize the effects of incoming shocks and even turn some of them to the institution’s advantage. But CIOs must act now to convince institutional leadership to fund the needed transformation, unlocking efficiencies and cost savings that will stave off blanket cuts. By spearheading the pivot to a resilient, responsive posture, IT can rise beyond merely executing technological plans and assume a proactive, influential leadership role.

1. Cut costs to free up resources for innovation.

Innovation drives new ways of generating organizational value but often sees its budget slashed amid budget constraints. IT leaders must cut unnecessary costs and redirect that spending to the people, resources, and budgetary capacity their innovation efforts will need to overcome today’s turmoil.

2. Meet the moment. Take the lead.

As much as today’s uncertainty is a strain on IT’s resources, it can also be an opportunity. By demonstrating that their technological know-how can be used not only to solve problems but also to enable better decision-making, CIOs can prove their ability to lead not just IT, but the organization as a whole.

3. 91ÖÆƬ³§ an adaptive IT team.

With technology advancing at an exponential rate, you will never permanently close the skills gap. Focus instead on building sustainable learning and development practices to enable your staff to retain knowledge and develop in-demand skills as they are needed.

Use this step-by-step blueprint to realign IT to transform Higher Education

Our research offers guidance and templates to make a clear assessment of IT’s strengths and vulnerabilities, and where they can be leveraged. Use our Technology-First Action Plan framework to empower IT to lead their organization through the challenges facing the higher education sector.

• Assess uncertainties and opportunities by leveraging this moment to explore where the organization is most vulnerable and where it is most poised to further lean into technology risks.
• Review IT Spend & Staffing tools and services to find costs that can be either cut or channeled toward innovation opportunities.
• 91ÖÆƬ³§ your Technology-First Action Plan by identifying and prioritizing initiatives that will drive the organization forward and consolidate those initiatives into a 12-month plan.
• Prepare to execute by defining the organizational value of your plan and building an adjustable communications strategy to bring stakeholders on board.