ON June 2015 | Page 26

25 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