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Distributed Computing Environments and Required Coordination

This text delves into the strengths and challenges of distributed computing environments, highlighting the benefits of scalability and responsiveness while addressing issues like lack of leadership, funding, and coordination. It explores reasons for change, successful change management strategies, and the dynamics of what is working and what is not. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of community education, strategic thinking, and collaboration among stakeholders for successful coordination.

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Distributed Computing Environments and Required Coordination

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  1. Distributed Computing Environments and Required Coordination Sarah C. Michalak, Julio C. Facelli and Clifford J. Drew

  2. Strengths of the Distributed Environment • Scales better • More responsive to local needs • Mitigates problems of monolithic systems • Good distributed environments are planned

  3. The Unplanned Distributed Environment • Lack of leadership in academic and administrative computing. • Lack of central funding to provide system coherence. • Failure of the mainframe/cost recovery computer center.

  4. Why the Unplanned Distributed Environment Emerged • Growth of the myth: “Central involvement is bad.” • “Poor performance of central units” equals “central units are bad.” • Culture of “can’t fix it - build a new one.” • Low level technicians become local unit policy makers.

  5. Reasons for Change • Increasing user needs and demands. • Need to maximize use of scarce human talent. • Increasing security threats. • Increasing requirements for regulatory compliance. • Increasing demands for services without new funding.

  6. Guiding Successful Change • Cannot be mandated from the top. • Buy-in from deans. • Strategic planning. • Encourage policy makers and faculty members to get control of their IT environments.

  7. What is Working • Good will of some key IT middle managers. • Reasonable support from administration. • Increasing community desire for improvement. • Leadership from Research. • Development of consultative coordination structures.

  8. What Is Not Working • Coordination takes inordinate amounts of time. • Mixed feelings about demanding ultimate accountability. • Territoriality among local level technical staff. • Coordination is still nobody’s single job.

  9. What Can Go Wrong • Changes among current key coordinators. • Pace of coordination could cost credibility. • Lack of funding at critical moment for change. • Political sensitivities in central administration. • Coordinators managing fires in their own units or losing interest.

  10. Conclusion • Community education. • Deans • Central Administration • Local IT managers • Users • Coaching, mentoring, leading. • Strategic thinking. • Patience • Will to take action

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