Page 3 - 2022 OIT Progress Report

A welcome from the CIO
AS THE 2022-2023 ACADEMIC YEAR BEGINS, WE LOOK AHEAD WITH EXCITEMENT AND OPPORTUNITY. THE NEWLY LAUNCHED NVIDIA DGX SUPERPOD OPENS A MULTITUDE OF POSSIBILITIES FOR ADVANCING RESEARCH IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING. HAVING COMPLETED SEVERAL UPGRADES TO OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, SMU IS POSITIONED TO EXPLORE AND CONDUCT MORE COMPLEX RESEARCH
AND ROBUST COMPUTING PROJECTS. WE WILL SOON INTRODUCE MANEFRAME III (M3), THE LATEST ITERATION OF OUR HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT, AND WE HAVE DEVELOPED A TEAM OF RESEARCH SUPPORT EXPERTS EAGER TO PARTNER WITH FACULTY.
OIT continues to make advances in refining our services and processes to support student success through teaching and learning, campus facility management, and administrative functions. We strive to work closely and collaboratively across campus, bringing solutions backed by data analytics, process, and support frameworks. Our teams routinely deliver high-quality service and support with exceptional customer service. Most importantly, our focus remains on developing and maintaining relationships to ensure we are supporting the incredible work achieved across campus.
While creating our new strategic plan, we recognized that providing services often
presents conflicting ideas, such as standardization versus personalization or quality versus timeliness. In OIT, we believe it is not an “either/or” answer. Instead, we focus on embracing the “and.” We can provide both accurate and speedy data for decision-making. We can provide support that is both standardized and personalized. We can strive for effective stewardship of resources and provide nuance and personalization based on a unique function of the department. We are not a one-size-fits-all organization.
As we begin this new year, we joyfully embrace the and. We are so fortunate to be part of this great institution and look forward to collaborating with you and serving you in the year ahead.
DR. MICHAEL H. HITES
CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
A wElcOmE fROm ThE cIO
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