From Data Centers to Decision-Making: Tech Governance in Higher Education — Open Source CXO Ep. 23 | Active Logic
Higher education technology leadership operates under a unique set of constraints: limited budgets, decentralized decision-making, regulatory requirements, and a user base that expects consumer-grade experiences from institutional systems. In this episode of Open Source CXO, Adam Caylor, CTO at Ottawa University, shares how he navigates these challenges across multiple campuses.
Adam’s career in higher education technology spans over eight years, progressing from Data Center Manager to CTO. His experience covers the full spectrum — from hardware infrastructure and data center operations to ERP system implementation and academic technology strategy. This conversation offers practical lessons for technology leaders in any organization that operates across multiple locations with competing stakeholder priorities.
Key Insight: Technology Governance Through Collaborative Committees
One of the most valuable patterns Adam describes is Ottawa University’s governance committee structure for technology decisions. Rather than the CTO making unilateral decisions about technology investments, the university uses cross-functional committees that bring together academic leaders, administrative staff, and IT professionals.
This approach solves a problem that many organizations face: technology decisions made in isolation from the people who use the systems. When faculty members have a voice in which learning management system gets adopted, or when administrative staff participate in CRM selection, the resulting systems have higher adoption rates and fewer post-launch complaints.
The trade-off is speed — committee-driven decisions take longer than executive mandates. But in higher education, where technology changes affect teaching, learning, and student experience, the slower pace is a feature, not a bug.
Key Insight: Multi-Campus Infrastructure Management
Running IT operations across multiple physical campuses presents challenges that single-site organizations never encounter. Each campus has its own network infrastructure, its own physical security requirements, and its own set of user expectations shaped by local conditions.
Adam discusses how Ottawa University standardizes where it can (core systems, security policies, identity management) while allowing local flexibility where it needs to (classroom technology, bandwidth allocation, on-site support). This balance between standardization and flexibility mirrors what large enterprises face when managing technology across multiple offices or regions.
The cloud and infrastructure decisions are particularly interesting: which systems should be centralized in the cloud versus maintained locally? The answer isn’t always “move everything to the cloud” — some systems need to be close to their users for latency or reliability reasons.
Key Insight: ERP Implementation in Higher Education
ERP implementations are notoriously complex in any industry, but higher education adds unique complications. Academic systems (student information, course management, financial aid) have to integrate with administrative systems (finance, HR, facilities) while maintaining compliance with federal reporting requirements.
Adam shares the practical challenges of ERP customization versus configuration — a decision that every organization faces during implementation. The temptation is always to customize the system to match existing processes. But heavy customization creates maintenance burden and makes upgrades painful. The better approach, in most cases, is to adapt processes to fit the system’s strengths where possible, and only customize where the institution’s needs are genuinely unique.
Key Insight: Graduate Assistants as IT Workforce Development
One of the more innovative approaches Adam describes is Ottawa University’s use of graduate assistants in IT roles. This isn’t just cheap labor — it’s a deliberate workforce development strategy. Graduate students gain real-world IT experience, and the university gets fresh perspectives and additional capacity.
This model has broader applicability. Any organization with relationships to educational institutions (university partnerships, internship programs, community college pipelines) can create similar pathways. The key is structuring the experience so it’s genuinely educational — mentoring, project ownership, exposure to real decisions — not just task assignment.
Key Insight: Post-Pandemic Technology Evolution
The conversation addresses how COVID-19 permanently changed higher education technology expectations. Remote learning went from an edge case to a core capability overnight. Now, even as campuses return to in-person instruction, the expectation of digital access persists.
Students expect to interact with institutional services digitally — registration, advising, financial aid, library resources. Faculty expect hybrid teaching tools that work reliably. Administrators expect dashboards and real-time data. The pandemic didn’t create these expectations — it accelerated them by a decade.
Takeaways
- Governance committees slow down decisions but improve outcomes. Cross-functional input produces systems that people actually use.
- Multi-site operations require a balance of standardization and flexibility. Centralize policy and core systems; allow local adaptation for site-specific needs.
- ERP implementations succeed when you adapt processes, not just technology. Heavy customization is a long-term liability.
- Workforce development partnerships benefit both sides. Graduate assistant programs build talent pipelines while delivering real value.
- Post-pandemic digital expectations are permanent. The hybrid model isn’t going away — invest accordingly.
