Page 49 - Technology plan fy2023-27

Technology
The District has been successful in delivering and supporting a wide variety of software
applications to support academic and business-related functions and processes. To that end, we
will continue to:
● Remain up-to-date on the latest technology innovations that have the potential to
improve or enhance District processes and/or functions.
● Upgrade software applications as needed to maintain vendor support, meet customer
requirements, stay current with statutory and regulatory requirements, and provide new
functionality.
● Implement newly-purchased software applications and systems using established project
management methodologies.
● Build custom-developed software if/when a purchased product is not available, is too
costly, or does not meet the applicable business owner’s requirements.
● Provide technical Disaster Recovery solutions and work with the business to test for
Business Continuity.

Cloud Strategy / Software as a Service
Cloud solutions are applications or systems where one or more hardware or software
components are ‘in the cloud’, meaning housed in one or more vendor-provided internet
locations or data centers. The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) definition
is, “a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services)
that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service
provider interaction.”

Software as a Service (SaaS) is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is
licensed on a subscription basis. SaaS / cloud solutions are dramatically more prevalent than
they were five years ago. Costs associated with these tools have plummeted, many security
concerns have been addressed, and the capabilities of many of these products and services
have expanded exponentially. The District has been successfully using SaaS solutions for
years. Current District SaaS applications include Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, BoardDocs,
Blackboard Communicate ( websites and ParentLink), Raptor, EdPlan, Ellevation, and iReady.
The migration of other District systems to cloud solutions will continue and the implications
associated with supporting cloud solutions will be factored into our overall Information
Technology support strategy.

Our objective or intent as it pertains to cloud solutions is to provide the best possible technology
services and solutions to our students, parents, employees, and the public. Those services and
solutions must align with the District’s strategic plan, academic goals/priorities, and security
requirements and may involve on-premises systems and applications housed in District data
centers, vendor-hosted systems and applications, or a combination/hybrid of both.

There will be no one-size-fits-all cloud computing solution. Each proposed SaaS solution will be
vetted on its benefits, pros vs. cons, and total cost of ownership. The District has a Cloud
Solution Strategy that outlines an approach for integrating cloud solutions into our organization
while optimizing resources and costs. By adopting and following our Cloud Strategy, District
leaders can ensure cloud decisions align with District goals and priorities and account for
necessary factors and potential risks.

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