Ophir Trigalo, Illinois Tech vice provost and chief information officer, was recently selected from a distinguished group of 23 top IT executives from some of Chicago’s largest and most recognized companies as 2018 CIO of the Year. The award was conferred by The Executives’ Club of Chicago, the Association of Information Technology Professionals, and the Society for Information Management Chicago.
“This award in an honor not only for me, but for my entire staff in the Office of Technology Services division,” said Trigalo. “The team’s hard work, talents, and drive to create the best possible IT environment for the Illinois Tech community, has never wavered. I share this award with all of them.”
Established in 1995, the award program recognizes technology leaders that demonstrate excellence in driving business value and technological innovation, cultivating business partnerships, and creating best-in-class workplaces for IT professionals.
Trigalo has served as chief information officer since 2003 and was promoted to vice provost in 2013.
During his tenure, Trigalo has been involved in a number of initiatives that have helped strengthen Illinois Tech’s technology services and infrastructure, including the deployment of the university’s first enterprise resource planning software (Banner) and portal. His work has led to significant improvements in the capacity and reliability of the university’s network and internet services, and the deployment of a university-wide wireless network, which is currently undergoing upgrades that will enhance and modernize the university’s infrastructure.
Trigalo has concentrated his focus on technology in support of research by building two data centers fully dedicated to hosting research clusters. His team also established a Science DMZ, funded by a National Science Foundation campus cyberinfrastructure grant.
Trigalo’s leadership has led to enhancements to student services, including the establishment of a virtual computing lab and the creation of Illinois Tech’s mobile app, HAWKi.