Page 4 - AASBO EDGE Fall 2023 WEB

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

BY RUSSELL DENEAULT
Lessons from the Server Room

Russell Deneault

Welcome to the server room – it’s always chilly in documentation may sustain requirements for the
here so I hope you brought your jacket. Please, no technology and provide insight and training for when
touching the server racks or wires in here! It’s not turnover causes a disruption for users or even when
often the IT team invites others inside, but I thought disagreements arise on the purpose and use of a
this would be a good place to share a few lessons I’ve service. Healthy sustainability of technology systems
learned over the years as my personal opportunities begins with process!
for leadership have grown from a tech focus to the
broader context of school district business. Lesson No. 2: Embrace Disruption
Does it feel sometimes like your IT department
Lesson No. 1: It’s All About Supporting Services introduces change simply for the sake of change
We techies love to talk and plan over the cool stuff like itself? Why was it so important to change email
hardware, software, and data that provide services to systems when the old one worked great for so many
our staff and students. What specs do these laptops years and everyone knew the features inside-and-out?
need? How many terabytes of data can we cram Is multi-factor authentication really so important that
into that database? While these decision points are I have to open my phone every time I log into all
important details for successful technology services, of my systems? Why is everyone from classroom
there are two other critical pillars in addition to teachers to the business office suddenly talking about
the technology itself: People and Processes. The artificial intelligence when the topic wasn’t even on
PPT (People, Processes, Technology) Framework anyone’s radar only a year ago?
describes these three elements as something like a
three-legged table. Only a healthy and strong balance The catalyst of disruption is usually, but not always,
between all three will result in a stable product that an outside force. For example, the rise in major
can do what it was designed to do. A leg that is a little cyber breaches, causing the loss of data, money, and
too short (lack of planning) or a little too long (over- public trust, precipitates the need to sacrifice the
obsession) will result in an unstable product. convenience of simple logins for the security added
by using both a password and a second login factor.
As leaders, it is our responsibility to understand and The same is true for artificial intelligence. The rise of
have dialogues across the organization to know the Chat GPT and other generative AI products is rapidly
people involved in a service. Do I understand who forcing conversations about how we do our work in
will be using a service and their needs? Have we the classroom and the business office.
established who the knowledge experts will be and do
they understand their role in maintaining the service? "The cybersecurity and AI topics we
wrestle with today will barely resemble
Developing an environment that builds and
maintains strong processes may be the best way to the conversations we’re having next
nurture all three legs of our proverbial table. Process year, let alone the next decade."

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4 THE EDGE FALL 2023