Durham, NC - In tight economic times, collaboration can not only foster innovation but also lead to cost savings across the enterprise, Duke's IT leaders told about 400 technology professionals this week.

About a dozen top IT officials -- including the chief information officers for the university and health system -- spotlighted key examples of that collaboration at the third annual TechExpo: construction of a new data center, efforts to ensure information security, and the ongoing conversion of 30,000 phone lines to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Asif Ahmad, chief information officer (CIO) for Duke's health system and medical center, congratulated the team that worked on the data center, a four-year project that set the stage for future collaborative efforts.

"Construction of a data center represents not just a compelling collaboration but one recognized at the highest level of the institution," Ahmad said. "Combined thinking rather than siloed thinking allows us to do much more with much less."

Such cooperation is essential in areas such as information security, to prevent data breaches, said Tracy Futhey, vice president for information technology and university CIO.

"Duke is not one side and the other," Futhey said. "It really is an environment where people straddle the boundaries. Unless we have a common and collective approach to information security, we're sunk."

This year's TechExpo, held at the Washington Duke Inn, involved a record number of IT staff from across the university and health system. Organizers said they took the event's theme -- "More with Less" -- to heart.

"With increased vendor support, we were able to offer twice as many learning opportunities for half the cost out of Duke's pocket, at a fabulous facility," said Bill Hansley, event chair and senior manager for Duke Health Technology Solutions (DHTS) perioperative development.

TechExpo offers a rare opportunity for IT specialists to share ideas at a time when many departments face declining training and travel budgets, said Walter Aaron, a senior IT analyst with DHTS.

"It's one of the few times that people on both sides of the aisle get together with no stress, no pressure," Aaron said. "All of us are working with a lot less -- with one fewer or two fewer team members -- but the demand for services is no less. It's good to know you're not alone."

Futhey and Ahmad encouraged IT staff across Duke to seek out new opportunities to work together.

Projects such as the VoIP conversion show change can be efficient, Ahmad said. Not only will the VoIP conversion reduce phone service costs by about $2.7 million a year when completed in 2011, it also will enable new opportunities for unified communications, such as seamless call handoff between cellular and wireless networks, to improve productivity and response time.

"Starting with small collaborations is absolutely an essential element of building the trust and the track record (for future projects)," Futhey said. "Especially at this time of ‘more with less,' one of the most important questions is: How do we do things as efficiently as possible on Duke's behalf?"