Over the past dozen or so years there has been a considerable change in the hardware and software industries, these changes have moved the academic institution to change how it conducts its simple everyday routine.  From a business/management point of view the consideration of information technology (IT) and how it can be used to leverage a return-on-investment (ROI) perspective has been fairly dramatic.

Just a few years ago, the Information Technology was considered a necessary overhead expense. What was once expense-generating academic minutia can now be leveraged into cost-saving or even profit-generating business units, and hardware/software acquisition is a critical part of this competitive advantage.

In fact, academic institutions that do not leverage information technology as a key part of their business strategy to cut costs and increase enrollment may ultimately fail. Simply put, the proper positioning of Information Technology and its associated processes is now vital to keeping the academic institution open for business.

As an Academic Systems Architect (Computer System Analyst) , my job is to help your academic institution by evaluating your existing IT and HR systems and then moving you towards the implementation of better IT related ROI solutions through the acquisition and deployment of various hardware and / or software solutions, and finally determining what roles people will perform and the responsibilities of those roles.

Types of IT processes (Software)

• Recruitment
• Admissions
• Financial Aid
• Registrar's Office
• Academic Records
• Library & OPAC
• President's Office / Fund Raising
• Alumni Tracking
• Faculty Portal
• Student Portal
• Finance Department
• website(s)
• many more ...

Types of IT processes (Hardware)

• Staff / Faculty Workstations / Laptops
• Computer Labs
• Photo Copiers / Print Stations
• Internet (wired & wireless)
• Student Dorms
• Library Circulation
• Servers (Authentication, Printing, Web Hosting, Email etc)
• VOIP / Nortel Phone Systems
• Campus Security / Surveillance (cameras & other devices)
• Off Site Backups

Association for Biblical Higher Education
Head Office: Orlando, FL

ABHE exists to enhance the quality and credibility of higher educational institutions that engage students in biblical, transformational, experiential, and missional higher education.

As the Director of Business and Information Systems for the ABHE my job is to work with the 150+ affiliate, candidate and member institutions across North America that together represent over 35,000 students enrolled in Christian Higher Education.  While working to ensure the overall efficiencies of the ABHE itself, I work on behalf of each of our members aiding them in achieving maximum ROI on their IT related processes.