Utrecht University launches tool to assess vulnerability digital autonomy
At Utrecht University, we are concerned about our digital autonomy. Like other higher education institutions, we are increasingly dependent on non-European technology suppliers. This dependence makes us vulnerable. That is why we are now identifying our digital vulnerabilities and dependencies. To this end, we have developed an assessment tool that other organisations are free to use.
About the tool
The first version of this tool, the Utrecht University Digital Autonomy Assessment Framework, can be downloaded for free. Lead enterprise architect and developer of the tool Tim van Neerbos: “By answering a number of questions in the assessment framework, you can easily determine whether immediate action is needed for an application or not.”
The tool evaluates applications on three levels: the magnitude of external risks, how well the institution can mitigate them, and how important the application is for core tasks. The combination produces an autonomy score that shows where urgency is highest, but also where there is concrete room for improvement.
Digital autonomy is primarily a national and European issue. We believe it is important to share the knowledge we gain with other organisations.
Sharing knowledge
Strategic coordinator for digital autonomy at Utrecht University Marije de Vries: “Digital autonomy is primarily a national and European issue. We believe it is important to share the knowledge we gain with other organisations. That is why we are making the assessment framework available. Recently, we presented the framework to our fellow universities, and there was a lot of enthusiasm.” The tool is being further developed collaboratively into a digital autonomy assessment framework for higher education.
Foundation for a multi-year roadmap
We are currently entering our key applications into the tool. Based on the results, we are developing a multi-year roadmap to reduce our dependencies.
Want to know more?
Would you like to learn more about the digital autonomy approach? Or stay informed about developments? Read more on the page digital autonomy.