an abstract blue background with wavy lines

James Tseng

1:1 Leadership Insight

🧠 ThinkSpace Synthesis Memo

James Tseng, Systems Manager (Synoptek) – 1:1 Leadership Insight

Facilitated by Beyond | May 8, 2025 | Duration: In-person 1:1, ~60 minutes

👥 Who Was in the Room?

James Tseng manages identity, infrastructure, and cloud services at CSN as part of Synoptek’s systems team. His remit spans Microsoft 365, server environments, database operations, and security partnerships—all supported by a small, blended team. This session offered insight into how CSN is addressing platform sprawl, preparing for critical summer infrastructure work, and evolving toward more intentional service structures.

🎯 What We Set Out to Do

The session focused on backend system modernization and operational maturity at CSN. We discussed identity management consolidation, the upcoming Nutanix-based server refresh, security governance, and how the college balances internal resource limits with Synoptek’s external support. The conversation also surfaced ideas for creating more focused roles and more transparent service delivery models.

🔍 What We Heard

What’s Working

  • We review ServiceNow feedback weekly and are proactive about fixing what we hear.

  • Consolidating multiple SSO tools into Entra ID will simplify everything.

  • The Nutanix refresh will reduce servers from 33 to 19, resulting in less hardware and more control.

  • Synoptek provides access to talent that is difficult to find or afford locally.

What’s Not

  • Lenovo Workspace is still in use, but it’s unsupported and requires daily attention.

  • Roles are too blended, and there is a need for dedicated teams for identity, security, and systems engineering.

  • Governance is improving with the new PMO, but it’s still in the early stages.

  • Managing everything with five people is challenging, and even with a sixth, it remains a stretch.

🧭 Where We Go From Here

Platform Modernization

James’s team is preparing for a critical summer project to consolidate CSN’s aging server fleet into a smaller, more secure Nutanix HCI environment. This will reduce hardware, simplify management, and improve overall security posture. Legacy single sign-on platforms—currently spread across ADFS, Okta, and GoCSN—will also be unified under Microsoft Entra ID.

Org Design & Team Structure

James advocates for a more specialized support model that separates identity, cybersecurity, and systems engineering functions. Currently, blended roles make it difficult to provide tailored, customer-centric service and increase the risk of burnout or missed dependencies.

Governance & Change Management

Project intake is improving under the PMO, but James still sees variation in how priorities and responsibilities are assigned. Formalizing this further will help ensure infrastructure work aligns cleanly with application teams, security needs, and communications expectations.

User Experience Transparency

Although the backend is being improved, most of CSN’s stakeholders don’t see the results directly. James is open to externalizing key elements of the service catalog and clarifying support roles to set expectations and build visibility into what’s available.

🌱 Strategic Opportunities

  • Consolidate for Simplicity: Unify identity systems to reduce confusion, increase security, and set the stage for future user-experience improvements

  • Specialize to Scale: Redesign team structure to support dedicated tracks (identity, security, systems) as service complexity grows

  • De-risk Infrastructure Projects: Coordinate Nutanix rollout with app teams and governance to prevent downtime or rollout bottlenecks

  • Make Services Visible: Build an external-facing version of the internal service catalog with clear owners, channels, and SLAs

  • Reinforce Governance Links: Tie infrastructure planning directly to the PMO's intake model to avoid parallel prioritization pathways

✅ What Happens Next?

  • This memo will inform CSN’s backend modernization strategy, especially as James’s team moves into a critical delivery phase this summer. Beyond will use ThinkSpace sessions to test how users experience identity-related friction, support visibility, and communications clarity. Recommendations around team design and service transparency will be integrated into the broader workforce and operations strategy.