"Business Drivers" for Higher Education

[Rodney Petersen <rpetersen () EDUCAUSE EDU>]

Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute will be
conducting a 1/2 day workshop "Information Survivability: A New
Executive Perspective" for executives and managers at the Secure IT
Conference sponsored by the EDUCAUSE/Internet2 Computer and Network
Security Task Force on April 23-25 in Temecula, CA (see
www.secureitconf.com).

During this Workshop, various exercises will be conducted including one
that addresses business drivers and information survivability risks to
these drivers. In this context, business drivers describe what
executives and managers most care about. This includes the board of
trustees, the president, deans, senior staff, and those responsible for
protecting the institutions information assets as well as managing the
IT infrastructure.  One way to think about what should be on this list
of drivers is to ask the questions "When you wake up at 3 AM, what keeps
you up? What are your primary concerns and issues? What are your biggest
risk areas?"

Please review the draft list of business drivers below and assist us in
making it relevant and germane for the executives and managers at your
institution.  You comments including additions, deletions, or
modifications are welcome.

Thanks,

Rodney Petersen
Security Task Force Coordinator
EDUCAUSE


Examples of Some Common Business Drivers

[excerpted from the Workshop Information Survivability: A New Executive
Perspective]

•Formulate and fulfill the institution’s mission and objectives

•Build and sustain trust of customer (students, staff, local community,
research community, etc.)

•Protect privacy and data integrity

•Make, preserve, and enhance reputation; achieve powerful name recognition

•Increase market share
     oSustain and improve position with respect to peer organizations
     oImprove rankings

•Protect and sustain funding sources and levels

•Build and sustain relationships (customers, suppliers, partners,
vendors) that add value

•Acquire and retain competent staff

•Meet performance within cost and schedule constraints

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