However, political resistance to centralization and the corresponding loss of direct budgetary and personnel authority is to be expected, and indeed, is not unreasonable given past experiences. A plan that clearly benefits everyone is a must. He said the LAN Administrators meet weekly for discussion about how to get their job done better, and that good idea-sharing occurs at these meetings. Nuts and bolts issues like back-up and the mail system are discussed. Most LAN administrators want a basic centralized support structure, but not want that brings everybody down to the lowest common denominator.
Nobody wants to lose ground.
Various units have developed their own computing environments, often solving the same problems on their own. Swatek compared these to vertical silos with no horizontal communication. In fact, the latter may be a prerequisite for the former. This base technology and support to be enjoyed by all units should be part of the Milwaukee Idea and its implementation. Gunderson indicated that 4 schools located mostly in Enderis hall considered such a common environment.