IT committees

IT organisational structure of the University of Passau

The organisational structure of units overseeing the University of Passau's IT infrastructure units defines the responsibilities for advisory services, planning, implementation, co-ordination and quality management for all measures affecting the information and communication infrastructure of the University.

Chief Information Officer

The University Executive appoints a Chief Information Officer (CIO), who represents the University in all IT-related matters both in and outside the University.

If at all possible, one of the Vice Presidents should be appointed as CIO; however, this is not necessary if one or more members of the University Executive are sufficient well-versed in Information Technology to ascertain that general IT-related matters can be dealth with adequately. In such case, the CIO need not be a member of the University Executive and will be invited to University Executive meetings when his or her expertise is required for the agenda.
The Director of the Computer Centre is the Deputy CIO ex officio.

University Executive

The University Executive decides on the IT strategy and the IT co-ordination structure of the University in conjunction with the CIO and the IT Steering Committee. The IT strategy is aligned with the general strategic goals of the University and defines the IT-specific aims and requirements.

Where necessary, the University Executive submits proposals on the implementation of IT measures to the relevant decision-making bodies (the Extended University Executive, the Senate and the University Council).

IT Steering Committee

The IT Steering Committee of the University of Passau is responsible for the overall planning and coordination of all IT requirements. It shares responsibility with the Head of IT Services for all IT-related decisions as well as their preparation.

The following persons sit on the IT Steering Committee:

the Chief Information Officer (CIO)
the Director of Centre for Information Technology and Media Services (ZIM)
the Director of Library Services
the Head of Digital Media
the Head of Administration (for the academic support units)
the Data Protection Officer

Each member of the IT Steering Committee has voting rights (one vote per member).

The CIO establishes the following jointly with the IT Steering Committee:

the overall operational IT concept of the University
the targets for the continued development of all IT services
the distribution of responsibilities for IT services across the University's organisational units
the schedule of responsibilities and reporting lines
quality management measures

The IT Steering Committee draws up recommendations and prepares resolutions on IT-related matters for adoption by the University Executive. It convenes at least twice per semester and is chaired by the CIO.

IT Advisory Committee

Creating synergies and developing close cooperation

The University's IT Advisory Committee provides information and communication concerning IT responsibilities and measures.

Its members are:

the Chief Information Officer (CIO)
one IT Officer from each faculty (e.g. Vice Dean for IT Matters), appointed by the Dean
one IT Officer from each of the central units
one IT Officer from each of the Student Committees
one IT Officer appointed by the Student Parliament (if desired by the students)
the University Representative for the Equality of Women in Academia and the Arts or her acting representative
one representative for the academic staff
one representative for the Staff Council
the members of the IT Steering Committee

In the IT Advisory Committee the IT officers relay their requirements, which have been collected and agreed upon within their respective organisational units, to the IT Steering Committee. Conversely, the IT Officers are informed about new developments in information technology by the IT Steering Committee, which they then pass on to the staff in their units; they also support the deployment and optimisation of the relevant measures.

The IT Advisory Committee relays information and formulates requirements and recommendations; however, it does not pass resolutions. The IT Advisory Committee convenes a minimum of once per semester and is chaired by the Chief Information Officer (CIO).

IT Services Group

The units and officers tasked with IT services together form the IT Services Group. In order to exploit synergies and establish close co-operation, the IT Services Group regularly holds working meetings, which are chaired by the Deputy CIO. The Deputy CIO regularly reports to the CIO on the outcomes of these meetings.

Chief Information Security Officer

The University's IT infrastructure is exposed to a constantly increasing number of attacks via the internet. The University's IT strategy therefore calls for the development and implementation of IT security concepts. To this end, the University established the post of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) in 2010.

IT security guidelines

The IT security guidelines define IT security as a core strategic aim of the University and pave the way for IT security rules to be drawn up in the future to safeguard against security threats. The University Executive adopted the present IT security guidelines (German text) on 24 February 2015.