Why are ZIV and StabITuP merging?

The demands on IT have become more and more complex due to the increasing digitalisation, also in the university sector, and require efficient structures and a certain organisational size. The trend is therefore towards ever greater cooperation and concentration. This is also clearly visible across universities and is reflected in successful NRW-wide projects such as the "hochschulcloud.nrw" ("sciebo"), the joint library cloud catalogue system of the universities in Northrhine-Westphalia or the network for research information systems "cris.nrw". The numerous recent mergers of computer centres and administrative IT at other universities show that the path towards IT centralisation is also being taken within the universities. Within Münster University, too, the current challenges can only be met in cooperation and with the best possible coordination. From the user's point of view, the bundling of competences leads to more transparent support structures.

When will the merger be completed?

Following the formal organisational merger of the two institutions in WWU IT on 1 January 2020, it is planned to implement the detailed measures for the implementation of the merger in spring 2020. Background: The managements of the two entities have already significantly intensified their cooperation in the course of 2019 - the merger will therefore not come abruptly.

What exactly happens in 2020?

In the course of the coming year, external advice will be used to develop a common culture and address certain cross-departmental issues. In the further course of the year, synergies and potential for optimization are to be identified in the course of a review of the current situation and then implemented quickly.

What are the merger's implications for users?

With the exception of the labelling, there are initially no noticeable changes for the users. "WWU IT" takes over all the tasks of StabITuP and ZIV and thus also responsibility for the IT support of the administration. At the same time, the Rectorate aims to promote the research orientation of WWU IT. The Rectorate is convinced that in the medium to long term, better coordination and cooperation will produce positive effects for users within Münster University, for example by creating a single point of contact instead of various hotlines.

What does the new organisational structure look like, and what does the merger mean for the employees of ZIV and StabITuP?

In order to provide security for the employees and to minimise disruption to the important current projects, an extensive restructuring of the previous organisation was deliberately avoided. Instead, it is planned to leave the existing departments of the ZIV or the StabITuP teams essentially unchanged and, in particular, to transfer the three teams as independent departments into the new WWU IT structure. In addition, a new department for management services will be created. This will result in the following seven departments:

• Management Services (new)
• Methods and Coordination (StabITuP)
• Service Competence Center (StabITuP)
• Special Applications (StabITuP)
• Application Integration (ZIV)
• Systems (ZIV)
• Communication Systems (ZIV)

Will ZIV and StabITuP also merge in terms of location?

A new and shared building for all employees of the new organisational unit is unrealistic in the medium term. However, the short distance between the locations Röntgenstraße 19 and Röntgenstraße 7-13 offers good conditions for good cooperation. The initial aim is to make improvements within the existing office spaces.