Higher education IT leaders are being positioned as the central builders of data-centric institutions as adoption of AI and demand for real-time analytics grows. A new industry analysis argues that most campuses remain constrained by fragmented systems, inconsistent data definitions, and limited trust in analytics—problems that require more than new software. The piece highlights the need to align architecture, governance, and analytics access so institutions can move faster without increasing risk. In this framing, AI readiness becomes an enterprise IT challenge tied to how data is governed and how decisions are made across academic and administrative units. For campus executives, the message is that AI’s value will depend on whether IT can turn data into a strategic asset—through repeatable governance and safer access controls—rather than by deploying isolated tools that don’t connect to institutional decision workflows.