The Technology Assessment and Planning group provides ITS and the university with a forward-looking vision, an incubator for assessing new and emerging technologies, and the structure for developing a technology roadmap to deliver on the promise of ITS and university strategic directions.

• TAP evaluates new and emerging technologies, standards, architectures, and approaches for Carolina and higher education.
• TAP maintains a comprehensive technology test and evaluation lab as an incubator for selective futures based IT assessment projects within ITS and across campus.
• TAP works with other groups within ITS to coordinate, manage, prioritize, and document near-term IT assessment activities and architecture planning across ITS.

TAP Technology Tracking

TAP believes that identifying, tracking, and understanding new technologies and applications provides an early warning system for ITS and the university that greatly improves information technology planning, organizational responsiveness, efficiency, and effectiveness.

TAP Experimental Labs

TAP maintains labs that provide infrastructure for conducting technology assessments.

• TAP Collaborative Enterprise Lab

  TAP manages the ITS CoLab, a collaborative "hub" for evaluation of hardware and software in which groups from ITS and across campus work together to perform technology assessments.

• Living Laboratories

  TAP plans to implement several spaces as living labs, which incorporate and demonstrate live applications of TAP focus area technologies.

TAP Assessment Projects

TAP projects center around using emerging technologies to provide future-oriented services for the university. TAP assessment projects fall into two categories: core and collaborative.

• Core Projects

  Core projects further understanding of information technologies and trends that may impact the university. These projects generally follow a six-month life cycle, with current projects designed to build upon results of previous internal research as well as newly-identified developments within information technology.

• Collaborative Projects

  Working closely with other groups within ITS and across Campus, TAP commits to collaborative projects that provide mutual benefits. While these projects may occasionally address near-term goals, they are designed in a way that moves the organization closer to long-term objectives.

TAP Special Projects Consulting

TAP also consults with areas within ITS on special projects. This consulting is delivered on an as-requested ad hoc basis.