Game-Changing Blueprint for Enterprise IT

Ken Johnson, Senior Director of Information Technology Services, Florida State University

Ken Johnson, Senior Director of Information Technology Services, Florida State University

Ken Johnson is the senior director of Information Technology Services at Florida State University (FSU), Florida, USA. With more than 25 years of experience at FSU, he was the first IT director and a member of the leadership team during creation of the College of Medicine and now leads support services, strategic partnerships, and digital transformation.

Through this interview, Ken Johnson highlights his vision for a collaborative and risk-aware IT ecosystem, where flexibility and partnership take precedence over rigid centralization. By promoting trust, standardization, and shared responsibility, he aims to create a resilient, unified technology environment that empowers departments while advancing innovation and strengthening security across the university.

A Smarter Way to Manage Campus Technology

Unifying IT functions under a single shared model within a university is never a simple task. As an IT professional, one of the biggest challenges I see is aligning technology toward a common goal. In my experience, every department tends to have its own approach to utilizing technology to achieve similar objectives. These differences often stem from individual preferences, the costs of acquiring and maintaining systems and, of course, the organizational politics that shape decisionmaking, which also involve unique goals and ambitions.

“As part of our IT alignment initiative, we’ve begun bringing IT professionals from different departments into our organization, but we’ve taken a different approach from traditional centralization.”

Managing the risks that arise from these choices is a constant balancing act. Sometimes, IT professionals select solutions with which they’re most comfortable, but these decisions may not serve the university’s broader interests, especially if the person who introduced the system moves on and no one else knows how to support it.

That’s why I believe teamwork and standardization are essential. They help minimize risk, ensure continuity and foster a more unified and sustainable approach to technology across the university.

From Silos to Strength

Cybersecurity remains a major priority. So, we're taking a broader, university-wide view of our risks and improving vulnerability management. At the same time, we’re exploring how to better leverage enterprise platforms, such as Salesforce, Microsoft and Google, as well as emerging AI tools, in ways that scale and maximize the use of our limited resources.

As part of our IT alignment initiative, we’ve begun bringing IT professionals from different departments into our organization, but we’ve taken a different approach from traditional centralization. Departments keep control of their budgets and continue funding their own staff and systems, which keeps them accountable and ensures they have a voice in shaping their technology needs.

To support this model, we’ve built a unique assessment program where subject-matter experts visit each unit, review their IT environment and identify issues that require attention. The goal isn’t to point out faults but to help departments understand their challenges and build plans to address them. We often uncover long-standing problems, such as outdated equipment, security gaps, unmanaged costs, and, most commonly, staffing shortages. Having an outside team validate these concerns helps embedded IT staff communicate what they’ve struggled to convey for years.

Overall, this initiative is helping us create a more unified, resilient and collaborative IT environment across FSU.

Building Institutional IT through Partnership and Unity

When I look at the future of IT in higher education, I see FSU’s IT organization continuing to grow as a partner rather than an orchestrator.

There’s a common perception that central IT is rigid and inflexible, and that often pushes departments to work on their own. But in recent years, under a CIO, Jonathan Fozard, who rose through the ranks and understands the realities of higher education, we’ve changed that dynamic. We’ve focused on collaboration, trust and working alongside departments instead of dictating to them.

As a result, our input is now genuinely welcomed, and our partnership programs across the university have seen consistent success. With that foundation in place, I believe our future is bright. We’re well-positioned to build a more unified, responsive and innovative technology environment for the entire institution.

Flexibility as a Pillar of Leadership

In my experience, the most important advice I can offer IT leaders is to be flexible.

Take the time to understand the concerns and constraints of the stakeholders you work with, whether they’re deans, department heads, researchers or the IT professionals embedded in those units. Every group has unique needs, and your job is to listen, learn and look for solutions that genuinely support those needs. And remember, there are often multiple ways to solve a problem. The best solution may not always be the one the IT team prefers. Staying open and adaptable goes a long way in building real cooperation across an institution.

A Proven Path to IT Cohesion

I regularly attend conferences and work with peers at other universities, and one thing I've noticed is that many institutions continue to try and fail to unify their IT efforts.

But from where I sit, I genuinely believe we’ve found our way. The real value lies in what we’ve built, and I’m convinced other universities could learn a great deal from our experience and approach.