After 26 years at Old Dominion University (ODU) – including 12 as CISO, Doug Streit will retire next month. In his current role as special advisor to the CIO, Doug has spent most of the last decade focused on strategic and operational planning for central IT supporting the university. How does the cloud fit into those plans? According to Doug, “the cloud has been an ever increasing part of our planning, architecture, and operations.”
More specifically, he explained that, “Core infrastructure services, such as Internet-2’s Cisco DUO two-factor authentication offering, our learning management system, and our productivity suite, have moved to cloud, and there’s a current project underway to move our administrative system to a hosted architecture in preparation for cloud.”
For ODU and other research and education (R&E) institutions, the move to the cloud brings both opportunities and obstacles. “The biggest challenges are keeping up with the changes and the rapid development of new features, tools, and products that the cloud enables,” Doug observed, “and managing the deployment of new technologies, including the governance and engagement of the business units as well as securing the valuable data and systems that are involved.”
Still, he takes it all in stride: “It is a challenging and exciting time to be involved in enterprise IT,” he observed. What makes challenges with the cloud easier to navigate? In Doug’s experience, working with others to make the cloud better for everyone in R&E has made all the difference.
“It was challenging to add volunteering to my plate, but I never regretted it for a moment,” he said. “In my view, volunteering is the path to making a difference. My experience has been that in giving to the greater good, I have found benefit to my local pursuits while also contributing to broader interests.”