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When it comes to knowing a thing or two
about the importance of workforce agility and staff augmentation, Karen Warren,
Director of User and Technical Services at
Wesleyan University, has it covered. The selfdescribed “everything better run” person at
Wesleyan, Karen has been responsible for
making sure ITS operates optimally since
2008 when she joined the team.
“Previously, there were two separate positions—the Director of User Services and the
Director of Technical Support Services—
which is far more common,” Warren says.
“In fact, I am the only person I know who
has my job in higher education!”
But combining the positions has allowed
the college to create harmony between the
front-end user services and back-end technical support services people, something
which has become exceedingly important as
they navigate new IT waters. For instance,
today—more than ever before—IT leaders
are being challenged to develop a number
of soft skills including communications and
customer service skills.
These skill sets, for example, have become
incredibly important when you consider
the discussion among security. Today’s
employees, even those who are not in the
IT department, will hear the phrase “security
vulnerability” and they won’t completely
understand it, yet will want to know what
is being done to protect the company. As
such, suddenly, IT is tasked with handling
regular employee communications.
“Because I have the infrastructure team—
and some of the smartest people I’ve ever
met—working for me, a lot is expected of
them,” Warren explains. “Therefore, our
team must get better at crafting better answers to these kinds of questions. And part
of that answer is saying, ‘We applaud you
for taking the initiative in wanting to know
about this so let me explain to you how we
approach this.’ We need to educate people
in what we do when these things happen.”
“These days, you have to find a different
way to develop communications skills
within your existing IT roles,” she adds. “We
didn’t expect our people to have to do that
kind of thing before. We didn’t look to them
and say we have to have a well-coordinated
communications plan. But today we do.”
With today’s IT department facing a myriad
of new obstacles—like navigating between
the front and back end, dealing with security
and tackling communications—Wesleyan
decided to enlist the services of Atrion’s