Carlow Faculty Enrique Mu and Howard A. Stern publish case study on how the City of Pittsburgh chose cloud computing system.
| University Communications | For Immediate Release |
| Drew Wilson, Director, Media Relations | December 12, 2014 |
| 412.578.2095 (phone) | |
| 412.260.6807 (cell) | |
| 412.578.2080 (fax) | |
| agwilson@carlow.edu |
Enrique Mu, PhD., and Howard Stern, PhD, Outline the Process by which the City of Pittsburgh Chose Google Apps
Pittsburgh, Pa. –Carlow University School of Management faculty, Enrique Mu, PhD, and Howard A. Stern,PhD, have published a case study in the current issue of the Journal of Information Technology TeachingCases, about their efforts to select and deploy a cloud-based system for the City of Pittsburgh’s Information Technology (IT) department.
At the time it was determined that the city needed to select a cloud-based system for its IT needs, Stern, who is currently an associate professor and co-director of the MBA program at Carlow University, was the city’s chief information officer (CIO). He had recently attended a presentation about analytic hierarchy process(AHP) by Mu, and he thought that process could help the city choose a vendor for the cloud-based system.
“AHP is one of the most widely used multi-criteria decision-making methodologies in the field,” said Mu, who is also an associate professor and co-director of Carlow’s MBA program. “It’s easy for administrators and users to understand, and, because of that, few people question the process.”
Calling on his years of experience in local government,Stern knew that any decision made by committees is often subject to questions and challenges from other governmental bodies, elected officials, and the public.
“Making a decision that changes the status quo can be a challenge in any city government,” said Stern. “I felt the AHP decision making methodology — as presented by Mu — could be helpful to the City of Pittsburgh.”
Proposals from seven different vendors were put through theAHP framework. In the end, the search committee that was charged with making the choice chose a Google product for the city’s cloud computing. The process was scrutinized through public meetings, and, in the end, the committee received praise from council members for its meticulous and transparent approach.
To review this article, please contact the Journal of Information Technology TeachingCases.
### About Carlow University
Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Carlow University was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1929. Offering both undergraduate and graduate programs, Carlow University is a comprehensive master’s institution dedicated to learner-centered education at the collegiate levels and at the elementary school level in the Campus School of Carlow University.