The UNT System (UNTS) Administration, under the direction of the Board of Regents, has centralized many key administrative services in order to increase efficiency and facilitate system-wide cost savings. Centralization of services including Information Technology (IT), Human Resources (HR) and many business and financial services provides cost and operational efficiency opportunities, while also allowing the UNT System component institutions to concentrate on carrying out their respective missions.
$6,484,321 SAVED
UNT System IT Shared Services (ITSS) was created in December 2011 to improve information technology functions, services, and solutions in order to minimize costs, increase efficiency and to provide innovative solutions for problems faced by the UNT System and its institutions. ITSS provides services including: technology infrastructure, application systems for financial management, learning management systems, collaboration systems, master contracting for widely used software and services, and classroom management. Since fiscal year 2012, ITSS has generated more than $6.48 million in savings through contract negotiations, replacement systems and removal of old/unused items.
ITSS has continued to innovate in pursuit of additional cost and operational efficiency. In May, 2016, EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) announced the recipients of the first-ever EMC Leaders of the Modern Data Center award and the UNT System was one of six organizations honored. The consumption of IT has made it more important than ever for UNTS to modernize its data center and redefine IT in higher education. In order to break down IT silos and improve the day-to-day business on campuses for students and faculty, UNT System adopted EMC's Federation Enterprise Hybrid Cloud solution. As a result, UNT System has been able to deliver applications and infrastructure as a service at a faster pace -- offering the university community an unparalleled experience, while also achieving 33 percent cost savings in addition to the previously mentioned savings.
UNT System Chief Information Officer Rama Dhuwaraha recently spoke on-camera about the UNTS data center and other issues in higher education and information technology on theCube.
Additional operating efficiencies have been achieved by the UNT System through shared Business Support Services (BSS). UNT System BSS entities have redesigned over 150 processes, leading to an estimated recurring direct and indirect savings in excess of $1.5 million. These process improvement savings includes electronic employee on-boarding, electronic payroll and travel planning management. Additionally, BSS has created a strategic sourcing/purchasing team that has saved more than $1 million through direct negotiations with suppliers, and the use of cooperative agreements for multiple UNT System components.
Today's UNT System operates with a culture that is committed to operational efficiency and utilizes a full-time Business Process Improvement (BPI) team to provide objective assurance and consulting guidance. BPI serves as a catalyst for continuous improvement amongst all UNTS departments and institutions. The BPI office provides a collaborative, structured, transparent and data-driven approach to solving complex and ambiguous business challenges across all components of the UNT System. As part of this process, BPI applies the structured Six Sigma DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, establish control) methodology to UNTS operations in order to help the organization accomplish its objectives with a systematic approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of operational processes.
Current & Proposed BPI Projects for FY 2016
Cyber Training Services
Background Checks
Automation of Management and Tracking of Overpayments
Benefit Arrears Tracking and Reporting Process Establishment
UNT System I-9 e-Verify and Process Re-Engineering
HR Customer Service Pilot
Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Initiative
Organizational Change Management Review
Payroll Redesign Projects
Continuous Monitoring