A Conversation with Campus Counsel on Current Developments in IT Outsourcing: Legal Challenges and Practical Suggestions

Join us for a lively discussion of the latest developments in legal issues surrounding IT outsourcing and the use of third parties to provide electronic tools and services for use by faculty, staff, and students. We will examine major IT services being outsourced (including faculty, staff, and student e-mail); legal challenges presented by outsourcing generally and by certain common terms offered by third-party providers, including the latest version of the Google Apps agreement and the impact of declining that agreement on existing Gmail or other Google services; institutional experiences with negotiating contract terms, including current developments in joint negotiations for outsourcing of IT services using the Common Solutions Group/NACUA model outsourcing RFP and agreement; some practical suggestions for moving forward while meeting our compliance obligations and minimizing risk; and the prospects for the development of a higher education "cloud" for shared IT functions and capacity.