Executive Summary

• In 2006-07 the Information Technology (IT) Division achieved substantial completion of the objectives of the University Planning Council 24/7 IT Support Initiative. As a result, the quality and training of key support staff improved substantially, systems are more robust and secure, and professional staff are available or on-call 24/7 to deal with problems as they arise.

• Enhanced technology support for students, faculty, staff and administrators was accomplished through Lynx/Banner system refinements, hardware and software upgrades (including a major new Storage Area Network or “SAN”) , refinement of the new PINNACLE telecommunications management system, and new campus-wide software license contracts.

• Improved access to and control of the university’s web-based self service applications was achieved through completion of a multi-year “identity management” project. Users now receive services appropriate to their role(s) at the university and in most cases, without unnecessary multiple logins and passwords.

• The Division continued progress towards the goal of equipping all major classrooms with state-of-the-art multimedia capabilities. All WSU-Davis classrooms are equipped to the standard, and 47% (140) of WSU-Ogden classrooms now meet the standard.

• Under general supervision of the WSU Board of Trustees Audit Committee, system security audits were completed and major objectives were achieved.

• New IT staff professional development levels were achieved through increased professional training and certification.
Executive Summary (cont.)

• The Division was awarded a major USHE contract ($500,000/yr.) to assist smaller colleges in the State with ongoing hardware and software system support issues.


Current WSU Goals and the IT Division

The remainder of this report outlines the important activities which occurred in the IT Division during the 2006-07 year, within the framework of the over-arching goals for Weber State University.

I. WSU Planning Initiative: Provide 24/7 Information Technology Support.

A. Schedule, Organization and Support Improvements. Continued refinement of the expanded Service Desk hours of operation and improved 24/7 coverage schedule. Filled the two new positions funded and created in the previous planning cycle. Completed the RFP process, selected and implemented ITIL-compliant new (TechExcel) Service Desk request tracking software. Due to unexpected circumstances, for the second time in six months hired a new Director of Systems/Network Management. Also, completed reclassification of two existing systems engineer positions.

B. Professional Training and Standards. Completed the second phase of a multi-year implementation of Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) standards. Three people completed ITIL Practitioner-level training and certified. Completed and published preliminary standards for incident, change and problem management; also Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

C. Improved Data Center Environment. Working closely with WSU Facilities Management (FM) and the State Division of Facilities and Construction Management (DFCM), completed the planned Data Center major air conditioning and electrical upgrades. Further refined the improved, more secure Network Operating Center (NOC) environment created in the previous planning cycle.

D. Network Upgrades. Continued progress on Phase 2 of the current WSU Network Plan, replacing major switching equipment in various locations on WSU-Ogden campus. Working with the Utah Education Network (UEN), continued efforts to implement the second UEN GeoMax node at WSU-Davis. Implemented improved wireless LAN services, automated security monitoring and new enterprise Virtual Private Network (VPN) capabilities.

E. Disaster Recovery. Working with other Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) institutions continued progress on the major disaster recovery planning effort, focusing on effective utilization of the State’s disaster recovery site in Richfield, Utah.

II. WSU Initiative: Enhance Technology Support for Faculty, Staff and Students.

A. Administrative Systems Improvements. Continued refinement of the Lynx/Banner administrative systems, including enhancements to Crystal Reports Enterprise reporting, the Operational Data Store (ODS), and WSU data warehouse. Continued refinement of the TouchNet Marketplace software for improved web payment handling. After a difficult Spring 2007 incident, replaced the existing Sun Storage Area Network (SAN) with a new corporate enterprise-standard Hitachi SAN.

B. New Faculty/Staff Portal. Implemented the Luminis-based new eWeber Faculty/Staff Portal, under development for the past 2-3 years. Replaced the old emailed University Bulletins with the new WSU Bulletin Board.

C. Improved Password Management. Initiated a “Passwords are Like Underwear” password security education campaign with materials purchased from the University of Michigan. Implemented strong password requirements and password expiration.

D. Messaging System Changes. In the struggle to cope with ever-increasing levels of SPAM, upgraded the hardware supporting the university’s SPAM filtering software. Acquired hardware and made preparations for hardware upgrades in the main eMail messaging cluster (to be accomplished in 2007-08). Began researching alternatives for student eMail, including possible Google Mail accounts.

E. Web Site Management. Continued conversion of university department web sites to the in-house developed "Site Manager" Web Content Management System (CMS), bringing the conversion level to approximately 60% of department web sites to the new templates and protocols. Began work on a major revision to the Site Manager CMS.

F. Telecommunications Changes. Completed implementation of the IRS-motivated new policy with regard to university cell phone use. Eliminated the position previously devoted to supporting university cell phone users. Continued refinement of the university's new Pinnacle Telecommunications Management System and database, achieving paperless billing to departments in September 2007. Initiated planning for a possible new Voice Over IP (VoIP) telephone system with the creation of a widely representative VoIP Task Force chaired by a faculty member from the Computer Science department. Defined goals and tasks for a Spring 2008 recommendation to President’s Council.

G. Campus-wide Software Licenses. Implemented the new campus-wide software contracts with Microsoft and Corel. Initiated an audit of the funding mechanism in place to pay for the Microsoft software on an ongoing basis.

III. WSU Objective: Implement role-based identity management in a secure network environment.

Completed role-based identity management implementation, including clean-up of the remaining problems related to the new single WildCat ID or "WCID." With the help of an outside consultant, resolved the remaining Banner/Luminis/Vista integration issues and implemented an LDAP-based “smart login.”

IV. WSU Objective: Continue implementation of multimedia standards in all needed WSU classrooms, meeting rooms and facilities.

In 2006-07, achieved the 47% level of WSU-Ogden classrooms meeting the standard (140 out of approximately 300 "needed"); all WSU-Davis classrooms meet the standard. Enhanced multimedia standard equipment was installed in the Lind Lecture Hall classrooms.

V. WSU Objective: Under general supervision of the WSU Board of Trustees Audit Committee, assess and ensure the security of WSU network and computing resources, including compliance with laws applying to critical and sensitive institutional and personal data.

In August 2006, completed an audit of progress toward completion of the March 2005 LBL & Associates audit of WSU security practices and procedures. Continued to work on these throughout the year, including funding the critical project management function lost in previous budget cuts by recreating the Assistant CIO position. Promoted Jean Fruth to that position and began the process of hiring a new Director of Information Systems & Services.

The IT Division cooperated in the completion of key steps toward fulfilling the recommendation of creating a university Information Security Officer. Continued progress on implementing the LBL Technology Partners recommendations on network security procedures and practices, completing almost all by the end of the academic year.

Completed the DISC project to check all university faculty, staff and lab desktop computers for compliance with university network security standards. All computers that were practical to check were completed and certified to meet the minimum desktop security standard. Efforts to educate users on how to safeguard their data were continued.

VI. WSU Objective: Measure faculty and staff satisfaction on a regular basis.

A. Open Meetings. Continued to hold open meetings with faculty and staff. Provided feedback on progress on initiatives and user recommendations, and listened to faculty complaints and suggestions on a variety of issues.

B. New Incident Tracking Software. Implemented the new TechExcel incident tracking and reporting procedures at the Technology Services Service Desk. Began the process of developing baseline standards of performance.

C. CIO Review. Completed the five-year professional review of the current CIO, Dr. Don Gardner. Two external experts conducted numerous on-campus interviews and produced a summary report that also serves a baseline review function for the entire IT Division.

VII. WSU Objective: Encourage professional growth opportunities for employees.

Continued work on the improved IT Division "career ladder" advancement paths for WSU IT professional staff. Implemented standards for compensation levels for certifications and other professional activities.

VIII. WSU Initiative: Enhance Institutional culture by encouraging, recognizing and supporting diversity.

Continued work on the reconstituted the IT Division Diversity Action Team

IX. WSU IT Division Initiatives: Capitalize on IT Division strengths to provide services to other USHE institutions and provide additional professional development opportunities to professional staff.

A. Completed and submitted a successful response to a USHE RFP for enhanced small college SunGard Banner support and coordinated statewide disaster recovery efforts. Received notification of the approximately $500,000 annual award in May 2007.

B. Began planning for project implementation in 2007-08.

C. Initiated negotiations for appropriate Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with the College of Eastern Utah, Dixie College, Snow College and the USHE schools participating in Richfield-site based disaster recovery.