Sylvie Cosgrove

Sylvie Cosgrove is executive director for IT Infrastructure in University IT, overseeing all enterprise on-premise data center and technical facilities; networking; and communication technologies and services. In particular, she provides strategic and operational direction to UIT’s workgroups for Stanford’s three primary administrative data centers and hosting services, Stanford Network (SUNet), Stanford Voice and Video Infrastructure, Systems and Services, and UIT's business continuity and disaster recovery planning and process coordination. Her oversight also includes telephony, contact center, and critical messaging services for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Stanford Healthcare.

Sylvie joined Stanford in June 2019, with more than 30 years of experience in technology, manufacturing, and healthcare. She served as head of IT at Cloudflare, a global web optimization and security services company, where she led initiatives to transform the IT organization, infrastructure and enterprise systems to ensure a successful path to the initial public offering. She has also held technology leadership positions at NEC Electronics, Agilent, Advantest, Acadia Healthcare, and Google, where she drove digital and operational  transformations to enable business goals.  

In addition to her role at Stanford, Sylvie chairs the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives (CENIC), a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance education and research by providing a world-class network essential for innovation, collaboration and economic growth. Sylvie is an alumna of San Jose State University.

What gets you going every day (besides coffee/tea/alarm clock), and what keeps you motivated?

I am a morning person, and am usually up by 5:30 a.m. There’s a nature trail that runs through my neighborhood. I kick off my day with a brisk walk with my favorite tunes. It gets my energy going and clears my brain. I’m ready for whatever comes my way. Regardless of the challenges, it’s a great day whenever I learn something new.

What IT initiatives/programs/goals are you most interested in pursuing in the next 2-3 years?

The pandemic changed forever how we learn, teach, work, and access basic services such as healthcare. It definitely removed geography as a barrier to resources and opportunities. What has become really clear is access to network connectivity and remote collaboration tools has become foundational to everything we do. I think we’re all still learning how to live in this new world. My focus will continue to be on anticipating and enabling technology our Stanford community needs to succeed in their everyday lives.

Several initiatives and goals on the horizon in support of our new ways of collaboration include refreshing and expanding our network capacity to the internet, accelerating the upgrade of our Wi-Fi network infrastructure, increasing access to mobile connectivity, and expanding audio visual technologies and service offerings.

Another continuing goal for my organization will be operational excellence with a focus on the client experience. We will explore solutions that provide us a view into how the technology is performing from the perspective of our client to see what they are experiencing in their specific environment, instead of from our infrastructure. Advantages include improved benchmarking and trending of how the environment is meeting the changing needs of our client communities, and more rapid troubleshooting and resolution of issues. 

How do your colleagues and team members help you achieve your vision? What challenges do you face?

My colleagues, IT Infrastructure team members, and the community we serve are who I look to for insights into the why, what, and how for achieving my vision. They also all act as my compass. They provide signals to me as to what is working well, or what is not working well, or what may need a course correction.

How do you decompress outside of work?

I spent much of my career away from home. I can’t go back in time, but I can make up for it now. I love spending time with my family. It’s not the thing that we’re doing that makes the time special. It’s simply us coming together … laughing at some silly thing one of us said or did, binge-watching a show, or lately, enjoying with a fresh appreciation something my grandchildren are experiencing for the first time.

What advice would you give early or mid-career IT professionals looking to grow at Stanford?

If you are guided by what you love to do, success will follow. Don’t let a job ladder or assumed career path be your only guide. It could limit your possibilities. Seek every opportunity to be challenged and learn, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. These are the greatest lessons for you, and others who you will someday mentor and share your journey with.