As new technologies continue to streamline operations and enhance campus security at colleges and universities, CIOs and their IT teams are playing an increasingly central role in crisis management planning and emergency communication efforts.

According to Jim Jorstad, a senior fellow for the Center for Digital Education and retired emeritus interim CIO at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, the work of university IT personnel often involves facilitating communication, through the alert systems that notify students and faculty about everything from closures due to inclement weather to active shooter situations. He said it’s important for universities to have a crisis management plan that’s regularly updated and includes technology and communication strategies created with the input of IT personnel.

“You need to break down your plan into specific steps and protocols,” he said. “The role of IT services in a crisis can involve obtaining, retaining and distributing sensitive data, phone records, cell communications, and collecting and securing technology hardware. IT can be an active player in communicating a crisis event and the actual impact, management and resolution.”

Jorstad said that as universities become increasingly tech-integrated and reliant on alert systems for crisis management, IT leaders should work closely with public information officers and university communications to keep everyone on campus informed of crises and protocols, as well as to ensure security systems are in working order.