Executive Summary
Your Roadmap to a Future-Ready IT Service Model
Summary
As CSN looks to advance its IT modernization, the current environment shows marginal progress alongside persistent friction. Critical platforms and services are entangled among internal teams, Synoptek (CSN’s managed services partner), and NSHE. This lack of clarity—especially around CRM, infrastructure, and user support—results in delays, unclear handoffs, and confusion. Without a structured co-ownership or decision-making model, even well-intentioned efforts struggle to gain momentum.
Compounding this is CSN’s heavy reliance on contractors for essential roles. While operationally efficient, it undermines long-term resilience and the building and sustaining of institutional knowledge. Projects like the network refresh show clear modernization intent but face limitations in staffing, narrow maintenance windows, and cultural tension between the need for rapid action and CSN’s consensus-based approach. Without governance, solution owners, or IT-business communication channels, the college finds itself responding reactively, lacking the structure to support strategic enablement.
Our Key Findings
The biggest and most consequential finding in our work is that CSN IT lacks a sustainable governance framework and process. Historically, that was outsourced to Synoptek - a 3rd party vendor with very limited institutional or industry knowledge. As a result, strategic decisions suffered from overlapping responsibilities and minimal accountability. Today, no one owns key IT areas, such as implementing solutions or maintaining platforms. Communication between IT and business units is minimal, causing disconnects in priorities and services. More urgently, it has, and continues to erode trust within the institution as a whole.
To shift from outsourced leadership, CSN must pair technical investments with reforms in governance, staffing, and structure. A formal governance framework, clearer ownership, and structured IT-business communication are critical to delivering sustainable, student-centered IT services.
This report of findings also includes the tools and frameworks CSN can implement to make a healthy transition.
Strategic Insights for CSN IT
As CSN enters a new chapter of leadership and institutional transformation, the state of its IT environment offers both a long-term transformation opportunity and an urgent need for intervention. Over the past several years, IT has taken steps to modernize its digital infrastructure, streamline service delivery, and introduce foundational practices in project management and governance. These efforts have positioned CSN’s IT organization firmly at Level 2 (“Solution Provider”) on the IT Maturity Model—recognized for delivering basic services in a relatively reliable way, and solving operational issues effectively. However, interviews with faculty, staff, and technology stakeholders reveal persistent gaps that hinder further progress: role ambiguity between CSN, Synoptek, and NSHE; failing implementations of platforms like Greymatter; fragmented digital experiences for students and faculty; and underdeveloped communication channels between IT and the broader institution. Without resolution of these issues, the risk is not only stagnation but also increased frustration, inefficiency, and missed opportunities to align IT efforts with CSN’s evolving academic mission. For the avoidance of doubt, Beyond is representing that any new visionary transformation incoming leadership has, must be preceded by an IT transformation.
This assessment provides a clear-eyed look at the strengths, risks, and opportunities within CSN’s IT service environment. It is intended as a strategic guide for the institution’s new leadership—especially those who may direct or oversee the next phase of IT evolution. For the new president, it offers a lens into how technology can become a driver of equity, access, and innovation across campus. For the incoming VP of Finance and Administration, it offers recommendations on how to move forward with vendors like Synoptek, and investments into infrastructure. For an incoming CIO, the report presents actionable pathways for strengthening governance, improving ownership and accountability, developing internal talent, and accelerating CSN’s progress toward Level 3 (“Innovator”) maturity. With the right combination of structural reform, leadership continuity, and cultural alignment, CSN could be well positioned to move beyond tactical problem-solving - and toward a more strategic, student-centered digital future.
1. Governance & Ownership
CSN’s decision to fully outsource IT—including initially the CIO role—addressed short-term operational needs but inadvertently created a strategic void. In doing so, the college not only outsourced execution—it also outsourced ownership, stakeholder empathy, and shared mission and vision that are essential to the identity and effectiveness of a community college. This separation of technology from mission has resulted in blurred accountability, vendor-driven priorities, and fragmented decision-making.
The College of Southern Nevada’s current technology challenges point to a broader issue of governance design and ownership. While managed services have delivered value in operational stability, decision-making about platforms, priorities, and outcomes remains fragmented. Too often, governance is executed within IT or vendor frameworks rather than being led by institutional strategy. An important observation is that these governance mechanisms are only now being formalized—despite this being the fifth year of the vendor relationship. This delay reflects how long-standing structural and cultural gaps remained invisible while technology stayed within IT's operational lane. The moment those systems touched mission-critical business processes—like advising, enrollment, and student engagement—the absence of institutional ownership and business-aligned governance became unmistakably clear.
To address this, CSN must formally reposition governance as a business-owned function—one that aligns technology decisions to student success and mission outcomes. The most critical governance functions—product ownership, data stewardship, and portfolio prioritization—must be clearly assigned, empowered, and supported across the organization.
Key Areas of Focus:
Clarify and empower ownership. Assign accountable business product owners (BPOs) to major platforms such as CRM, SIS, LMS, and Data.
Align governance to mission. Governance forums should begin with institutional goals—not operational health metrics—and link technology investments directly to measurable student outcomes.
Institutionalize decision rights. Shift from ad hoc decisions based on urgency to structured, transparent, and repeatable governance processes.
Next Steps (90 Days):
Charter an Enterprise Governance Council chaired by a cabinet-level executive.
Assign BPOs and establish Lean Product & Data Offices.
Review and where possible update vendor contracts to link performance incentives with institutional outcomes.
Strategic Outcome: To operationalize this shift, we recommend CSN adopt and implement the Business-Systems Alignment Framework (B-SAF). This framework provides a scalable model to align business strategy, systems planning, and platform governance around clearly defined institutional outcomes and that taps into the strong sense of mission that we found within the business stakeholder community.
This governance reset is not just about transparency and accountability—it is about enabling CSN to become a mission-driven, future-ready institution. Governance is the connective tissue that turns strategy into execution. Our MECE analysis revealed that nearly every challenge—from ownership confusion to data quality issues—traced back to weak or unclear governance. The solution is clear: a strong, business-led governance model that empowers leadership to define priorities, with IT in a strategic support role. When anchored in institutional mission, governance becomes the mechanism that drives clarity, agility, and lasting alignment.
2. Talent & Culture
CSN is heavily reliant on contracted personnel for core IT delivery, including help desk, server management, project coordination, and classroom tech support. While this has enabled a lean internal operating model, it also activates risks around continuity, institutional memory, and morale.
Our recommendation after a comprehensive study of structure and culture at CSN is to gradually in-source key staff positions as full-time roles at CSN IT. Start with senior leadership in year 1, and have that team design and deploy a strategy to transition additional roles in. In our interviews we uncovered clear interest from some contractors in transitioning to full-time roles within the institution —drawn by CSN’s benefits and workplace culture. However, the absence of cross-training programs, succession planning, and non-salary incentives could limit some outcomes. A concerted effort to build up an IT culture and professional development infrastructure as roles are insourced will be key.
3. Infrastructure & Architecture
The infrastructure, including the structure of the IT organization, the SLA’s for Synoptek, and the outdated hardware in the network infrastructure, leaves CSN unable to move toward modernization of their technology and any long-term support IT could give CSN in meeting the institution's strategic goals. The IT organization is almost entirely outsourced to a single vendor. In addition, the vendor’s scope is focused on keeping the networks running, rather than supporting initiatives to bring in new software solutions or modernize the CSN’s technology stack.
The Network infrastructure is old with 800 outdated switches supporting 400 access points across CSN. In addition, there are locations in the CSN community with poor WIFI support. All of this must be addressed with a small staff of vendor contractors, and tight maintenance windows. CSN does not have the resources to effectively execute a “big bang” rollout. To do so would require CSN to bring more resources on board, thus eliminating the savings offered to Southern Nevada by Synoptek if CSN could upgrade their infrastructure by the end of 2026.
4. End-User Experience & Design
Across the College of Southern Nevada (CSN), the current state of digital interfaces is a persistent source of frustration for students, faculty, and staff. Institutional platforms such as GoCSN and Greymatter are widely described as fragmented, outdated, and difficult to navigate. GoCSN is seen as a legacy system that no longer meets user needs. Greymatter, in particular, is frequently labeled “not user-friendly” and has been cited by multiple stakeholders as “costing us enrollments” due to interface complexity, slow performance, and unintuitive workflows.
These experiences are not isolated. Feedback from recent listening sessions and working groups consistently highlights a design environment that lacks accessibility, clarity, and support for diverse user needs. Students—especially first-generation learners and those for whom English is a second language—struggle to complete basic tasks such as booking appointments, accessing services, or receiving timely communications. Staff often revert to manual or off-platform workarounds due to platform instability or poor usability.
There is an urgent need to revisit these systems from the ground up. A modern digital experience must be mobile-first, seamlessly integrated, and centered on real user behaviors and expectations.
Compounding these platform issues is a noticeable decline in IT’s public presence as a support and innovation partner. Whereas CSN once held in-person “Connections” events that offered password resets, demos, and direct engagement, many students today report that they do not know who to contact for help. The shift to remote staffing and a fully outsourced model has diminished the visibility of IT, contributing to a sense of confusion and disconnection among users.
While the immediate challenges are centered on design and usability, the root causes trace back to governance. The lack of clear ownership, cross-functional input, and structured user advocacy in projects like Greymatter resulted in platforms being deployed without sufficient validation from end users. When governance fails to integrate design, experience, and stakeholder voice into decision-making, even well-intentioned technology investments can result in fragmented, low-trust systems. In this way, poor user experience is often the most visible symptom of deeper governance breakdowns
To rebuild trust and usability, CSN must prioritize a design-led approach to digital transformation. This includes simplifying and unifying digital touchpoints, investing in visible and empathetic support experiences, and ensuring that every student and staff member can confidently navigate their CSN journey.
5. Communication & Trust
While CSN’s IT support is frequently praised for friendliness and reliability, the broader IT environment suffers from inconsistent communication, unclear escalation paths, and a lack of transparency in decision-making. Users are often left guessing about the status of requests, the owners of systems, or the reasoning behind service delays.
Rebuilding trust requires treating it like infrastructure—something that must be maintained, monitored, and designed for resilience. We recommend provisioning /optimizing ServiceNow (a platform already in use at CSN) to provide visibility into a clear catalog of IT services, published dashboards, and status updates. If architecture well, it can also confirm the new governance approach of the institution.
6. Strategic Positioning & Innovation
CSN IT, with some intervention and help could experience a transformation from a struggling, tactical service provider to a strategic enabler of institutional priorities. Many of the raw ingredients — such as project intake models, baseline PMO practices, committed contractors willing to join the full-time staff, and strong infrastructure uptime are in place —but the campus narrative has yet to catch up.
Institutions who have found themselves in similar situations have taken both a long-term and short-term transformation approach. In the short-term, we recommend that incoming leadership adopt a startup/prototype mindset rooted in design thinking. Instead of waiting for perfect plans, CSN IT is encouraged to identify the most urgent problems its customers are facing, innovate quickly, pilot small, visible initiatives—like a unified student app, AI Agent network, or portal redesign—and generate early wins. This will go a long way toward repositioning CSN IT as a customer-centric partner. In the long-term, installing good business-led governance will pave the way for IT to become the enabler of the business needs - and be seen as a partner and innovator for the institution that is aligned to the institution’s priorities.
7. Moving To Level 3 In The IT Maturity Model
Overview
In the context of digital transformation and organizational effectiveness, IT maturity models serve as frameworks to evaluate and improve how technology departments deliver value to their institutions. A four-level maturity model is often used to describe this progression:
Level 1: Transactional
Level 2: Solution
Level 3: Innovator
Level 4: Partner
Each level builds on the foundation of the one before it. Progression requires not only technical excellence but also institutional willingness to invest in governance, innovation, and shared strategic vision.
CSN IT: Current Maturity Level
Based on stakeholder interviews, faculty/staff feedback, and infrastructure summaries, the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) currently resides at Level 2: Solution on the IT Maturity Model. However, there are clear signs that CSN is moving deliberately toward Level 3: Innovator.
Challenges to Advancing Maturity
While CSN IT demonstrates traits that nudge it toward Level 3, several key gaps remain:
Governance is weak: Incomplete governance is a core blocker. Without full decision-rights clarity and stakeholder accountability, IT cannot take a truly strategic seat at the table.
Innovation capacity is latent, but not effectively utilized: Projects like the student portal redesign and enterprise collaboration platform show forward-thinking intent but are not yet embedded practices.
IT visibility and engagement are uneven: Communication silos, UX fragmentation, and siloed data systems limit the reach of IT’s strategic influence.
Failures at Level 2 implementations: The Greymatter implementation is more than just a black eye for IT, it has positioned IT as “absent” from the process. Getting to level 3 requires trust, and Greymatter today is a hindrance to that.
System-wide constraints: Reliance on the NSHE-managed PeopleSoft instance prevents agile innovation in key areas.
These constraints must be addressed to allow CSN IT to enter and sustain at Level 3.
8.Greymatter: Urgent Intervention Required
Greymatter is an unloved platform at CSN. While it performs basic ticketing and support operations, faculty and staff consistently report that it is not intuitive, especially for non-technical users. The interface and workflows are clunky, with unclear pathways for resolving issues or escalating requests. Staff are reporting significant technical issues with the product - including data loss, and workflow gaps that literally keep students and staff from getting critical notifications and information the system “thinks” it has sent them. The platform is being built by technologists who have little-to-know higher education experience, in countries outside the United States. When you couple that level of outsourcing with the lack of in-house IT leadership, one can see why the project is so far off the rails.
In addition to poor usability and outcomes, Greymatter suffers from a lack of clear product ownership. There is no visible roadmap or improvement cycle for the tool, and many of its advanced capabilities—such as workflow automation or AI-driven routing—remain dormant. Beyond strongly recommends that CSN not continue to invest in this platform.
Beyond strongly recommends that the Greymatter turnaround be assigned to a firm like Beyond to lead to the best possible outcome. This could involve “fixing” the current implementation to get it back on track, or transitioning away from Greymatter as fast as possible, while ensuring there is no interruption to critical functions being run on the platform. The business leaders of CSN appear fully aligned to rid themselves of this system, and we recommend trusting their instinct, and not investing any further in that platform. The remaining funds budgeted to fix that platform can be applied toward returning the institution to a healthy operating environment on technology we can implement in a matter of weeks or months.
