Products Technology Assessment

HIGHER EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT

KEY FEATURES

The CEATH Higher Education Technology Assessment (CHETA™º) is based on COBIT, an international standard for assessing technology in an institution of higher education.
The assessment focuses on 53 control objectives in four technology domains: Planning and Organization, Acquisition and Implementation, Delivery and Support, and Maintenance and Evaluation.
Because COBIT is an international standard, the assessment is objective and free of personal or vendor bias.
The results of the assessment can be used for strategic planning, establishing technology benchmarks, and preparing for institutional reaccreditation.

Investments in technology continue to rise at an exponential rate. At the same time, external and internal threats to our technology infrastructure are escalating. As the complexity of the IT plant grows, the need for objective answers to questions becomes critical. A Higher Education Technology Assessment from CEATH Company can help.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Once an assessment is scheduled, a team of experienced technology professionals will request initial documentation and conduct preliminary phone interviews.
Once on site, the team will interview key managers, technicians, faculty, other users and administrators. The team will also examine documentation and physical evidence.
Following the visit, the team will provide a report, scoring the institutional maturity level score in 53 COBIT control objectives and providing recommendations for moving forward. The report is typically 70+ pages long.
If desired, the report can be delivered as part of a post assessment workshop.

“We are very pleased with the technological assessment which CEATH provided. The process was thoughtfully planned and professionally executed. The consultants were well-informed and highly competent, ... And the outcomes are specific, clear, and usable. Covenant will be a better institution because of this project.” — Niel Nielson, President, Covenant College

CLIENTS

Bluefield College

Covenant College

Davis & Elkins College

Eureka College

Ferrum College

Wheeling Jesuit University

How prepared is my technology staff for 21st century challenges?

Is my institution’s level of investment in technology appropriate?

Is the investment reaping the maximum possible benefit?

How secure is the technology infrastructure?

What are the most significant vulnerabilities?

Does my institution comply with Sarbanes-Oxley?

How can we best manage vendor relationships?

When is it appropriate to outsource technology?

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

1.CEATH Company uses the internationally recognized COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology) standard framework developed by the ISACA (Information Systems Audit and Control Association) to conduct its assessments. Thus you are assured that your assessment will be impartial and objective, based on industry standard best practices.
2. Prior to your assessment, we will review the COBIT standard with you. Of the 215 COBIT control domains, we focus particularly on the 53 which are most applicable to technology on higher education campuses. We will also discuss with you the areas in which you have the most concerns.
3. Prior to our arrival, we will work closely with you to schedule our time on campus and to gather documentation we will need. We will also work with you and others on campus to arrange meeting times with you, the technology staff, members of the administration, and representatives of the faculty, staff and student body.
4. We may conduct some phone interviews prior to our time on campus to minimize disruption to your campus and to allow our time on campus to be utilized most effectively.
5. The on-campus portion of the assessment will consist of a team of three assessors on campus for two days. During that time, our team will work with your team to review the processes in the COBIT framework, to conduct the scheduled interviews, to review documentation of technology processes, and to tour campus to observe these processes in action.
6. As an additional service, we may conduct focus groups for faculty, staff, and/or students. These are usually conducted after hours.
7. During our time on campus, we will gather evidence in the form of documentation and by capturing digital photographs that can be later used to document suggestions for improvement.
8. At the completion of our campus visit, we will hold an exit interview with you (and others, if you so choose) to provide our preliminary findings and recommendations.
9. Following our time on campus, we will prepare a written report, documenting how well your institution performed compared to the 53 COBIT process controls, which ones are effective and which ones are ineffective. Additionally your institution will receive a maturity ranking, from zero to five, for each of the process controls.
10. The report will will also provide recommendations for complying with the COBIT framework standard in the future and suggestions for immediate next steps. Many clients find this to be the most useful part of the assessment. We identify “quick wins” that be implemented quickly and help you develop a longer term strategy that acknowledges the real constraints of budget and manpower.
11. The report will be delivered to you electronically within 30 days of our departure. Optionally we can deliver the report in person and conduct an initial briefing and preliminary strategic planning workshop with you and other members of your leadership team or campus community.

HOW TO USE YOUR TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT

As a basis for strategic planning

No institutions is likely to “pass” a COBIT assessment on the first attempt. Instead, a Technology Assessment should be viewed as the starting point for a longer technology strategic planning process. A Technology Assessment should not be looked at as a “pass/fail” audit, but as an opportunity to identify strategic areas of highest importance and to develop a long term plan for moving forward.

To analyze known weaknesses

If you know of areas where your institution’s technology infrastructure is particularly vulnerable, a Technology Assessment can help document, using objective standards, where improvements can best be leveraged.

To build a case for needed improvements

Sometimes internal voices are not heard as well as external observers that use objective standards. If you’re trying to build a case for improvements you know are needed on campus, a Technology Assessment can lend credibility to your arguments.

To rebut a biased audit

Some technology “audits” are performed by companies which are actually building a case to sell their own outsourcing services. A COBIT assessment can help provide unbiased data from an objective source.

CEATH COMPANY

1788 HWY. 1016, SUITE B

BEREA, KY 40403-9110

USA

TEL•1(859)986-8702

EMAIL•MAIL@CEATH.COM

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