office of information technology accomplishments fiscal ... · accomplishments fiscal year 2008 u n...

Office of Information Technology

Accomplishments Fiscal Year 2008

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Office of Information Technology: Providing Computing and Communications Resources to the University of Maryland Accomplishment Highlights — Fiscal Year 2008

A Message from the Vice President and Chief Information Officer

Infiscalyear2008,theOfficeofInformationTechnology(OIT)completed10yearsastheuniversity’scentralinformationtechnologyorganization.ThemilestoneoffersanopportunityforallofustocelebrateoursuccessesandtodeveloparenewedvisionthatwillguideOIT’snext10years.

Duringthepastfiscalyear,OIThasimprovedthecentralinformationtechnologyinfrastructureandservicesavailablehereatMaryland.Thispublicationisintendedtosharewithyou thewins realizedduringfiscalyear2008by themore than260OITemployees supporting services in areas such as academic computing, administrativecomputing, data administration, enterprise systems, networking, security, softwaredevelopment,telecommunications,andusersupport.

OIT aims to provide the IT services and innovations necessary to support theuniversityinbeingaworld-classpublicresearchinstitution.Throughoutthispublication,youwillreadaboutwaysOIThassavedtheuniversityanditscommunitymembersmoney,improvedtheITenvironment,andcollaboratedwithavarietyofuniversityconstituenciesonspecialprojectsandinitiatives.Thesearejusttwoofthisyear’saccomplishmentsthatweareproudof:

•Initssecondyear,OIT’sAcademicComputersforTerps(ACT)programsavedstudents,faculty,andstaffmorethan$3.5milliononcomputersforacademicandpersonaluse.

•OITexpandedwirelessnetworkcoveragetoalluniversityresidencehallsandFraternityRowhouses,plus theSouthCampusCommonsandUniversityCourtyardscommunities,significantlyexpandingwhatwasalreadyoneofthelargestwirelessnetworksforapublicresearchuniversity.

These successes, and the other accomplishments described in this publication, could not have been achievedwithout theparticipationofandcollaborationwiththeuniversitycommunity.Inaddition,OITassistedinpromotingtheuniversitythroughnewscoverage.UniversityITinitiativesappearedinavarietyofmediaoutlets:consumerpresssuchastheAssociated Press,FoxNews.com,andNYTimes.com;highereducationtradessuchasThe Chronicle of Higher Education,Campus Technology,andInside Higher Ed; technologytradessuchasWireless Week,Information Week,andNetwork World;andlocaldailiessuchasThe Washington Post,The Washington Times,andThe Baltimore Sun.

IhopetheseachievementsgiveyouasenseofOIT’smissiontohelpmaketheUniversityofMarylandthebestitcanbe.

GOTERPS!

Dr.JeffreyC.Huskamp VicePresidentandCIO,UniversityofMaryland

OIT Saves the University Community Money.......................... 2

OIT Advances University Initiatives......................................... 4

OIT Facilitates Learning Moments........................................... 6

OIT Enhances Campus Life...................................................... 8

OIT Strengthens the University’s Technology Environment....10

OIT Supports Research at Maryland and Beyond...................12

OIT Forms Meaningful Partnerships.......................................13

OIT Provides Support in Times of Need.................................14

OIT Staff Members Earn Kudos..............................................16

OIT Staff Members Share Knowledge and Information...........16

OIT Forges Ahead..................................................................17

Contents

1


OIT Saves the University Community Money

Infall2007,theuniversitylauncheditsOnline

UndergraduateCourseCatalog.ThecontentofthenewonlinecatalogisupdatedbycollegeanddepartmentalpersonnelandreviewedbytheOfficeoftheRegistrarusingaWeb-basedcontentmanagementsystemdevelopedbyOIT.Switchingtotheonline-onlyversionoftheUndergraduateCatalogsavestheuniversityupto$49,000annuallyintypesetting,layout,printing,anddeliverycostsandcontributestothegreencampusinitiativebyeliminatingthepaperversion.www.umd.edu/catalog

OITcontinuedtoworkwiththeOfficeoftheComptroller

andtheDepartmentofHumanResourcestoestablishthePayrollandHumanResources(PHR)systemasa“bestofbreed”systemwithinhighereducationinstitutions.SpecificPHRchangescompletedduringthisfiscalyearincludedanewonlineEffortReportingsystem,arevisedonlineStatementofPayrollCharges,andanewonlinefacultyleavereportingsystem.Theseenhancementsfocusedonreducingpaperprocesses,whichcontributedtoamoreenvironmentallyfriendlycampus,generateddirectpersonnelresourcesavings,andstreamlined

businessprocesses.Additionally,allPHRprocessesweremigratedoffoftheagingHewlett-Packardmainframe,savingapproximately$50,000peryearinmachineandpersonnelcosts.

OITpartneredwiththeOfficeoftheComptrollertomove

thereportingprocessforfederallycompensatedemployeesonline.Movingthisprocessonlinehassignificantlystreamlinedthebusinessprocess—theuniversitynolongerneedstoprintanddistributeapproximately4,000paperreportsthreetimeseachfiscalyear,savingbothpaperandmanhoursrequiredforprinting,distribution,andcollection.Italsoallowsforautomatedtrackingoffederalcompliance.

OIT’sbulkinstitutionalpurchasingprogramwithDell

wasexpandedtotwobulkpurchasesperfiscalyear,inOctoberandApril.October’spurchasesavedtheuniversitycommunity$115,000.FortheAprilround,DellsetupaspecialWebsitesothatuniversitydepartmentscouldobtaine-quotesdirectlyandthenproceedwithapurchasewithouthavingtowaituntilthecloseofthediscountwindow.Discountsduringthisperiodrangedfrom8to33percent,dependingonthetypeofhardware,software,andsupportpurchased,withanaveragediscountof23percent.Theuniversitysaved$208,000onthatroundofpurchases.

TheAcademicComputersforTerps(ACT)programhas

contributedgreatlytoeasingnewstudents’(andtheirparents’)worriesanduncertaintieswhenchoosingacomputertobringtoschool,aswellasthecosts.Duringthisfiscalyear,universitycommunitymemberspurchasedmorethan2,000ACTprogramproductsandsavedmorethan$3.5million.Inaddition,theprogramcontinueditspracticeofworkingwithprogramvendorsApple,Inc.andDellComputer,Inc.tomakecurrentmodellaptopdonationstotheDepartmentofFinancialAidforawardingtodeservingstudents.www.act.umd.edu

Ac Academic Computers for Terps

TheOITSoftwareLicensingofficeenhanceditsavailable

AdobeandMicrosoftofferingstostudents,faculty,andstaffforpersonaluse.Thisfiscalyear,SoftwareLicensingsavedtheuniversitycommunityapproximately$600,000offMSRPforAdobeandMicrosoftpersonalusesoftware.SoftwareLicensingcontinuedtoprovideauthorizedandlegalsoftwareproductsandlicensesfromsuchpopularmanufacturersasAutoDesk,McAfee,andMicrosoftforinstitutionalpurposesaswell.www.oit.umd.edu/SLIC

ftwareSLicensingTheTerrapinTechnologyStorescoredbigwithstudents,faculty,andstaff

infiscalyear2008.Comingoffasuccessfulfirstyearofoperationinwhichitsoldinexcessof1,300computers,thestoreexpandeditsofferings,addingnewmodelsfrombothAppleandDell.ItalsoextendedavailabilityofdiscountedsoftwarebyaddingtitlesfromOIT’sSoftwareLicensingoffice.ManydepartmentalITpurchasesarenowprocessedthroughtheTerrapinTechnologyStore,too,makingitatrueonestopshopfornearlyallcampuscomputingneeds.www.oit.umd.edu/techstore Technology

Store

Terrapin

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Terrapin Technology Store


OIT Advances University Initiatives

OITprovidedtechnicaldevelopmentservicesforthe

university’sonlinecourseevaluationproject,initiatedbystudentrequesttotheUniversitySenate.Theonlinesystem,CourseEvalUM,wasimplementedbyOITusinganopensourcetoolbasedintheSakaiframework(www.sakaiproject.org).Thesystemwaspilotedduringsummer2007anddeployedcampuswideinfall2007,askingstudentstoansweraseriesofuniversitywidequestions.Thefall2007universitywidedeploymentmadeMarylandthefirstuniversitytodeploythistoolatthislevelintheSakaicommunity.Returnratesachievedforthetwosummersessionswerenearly41percent.Thefallsemester’sreturnrateroseto63percent.Inthespring2008semester,theuniversitybecamethefirstdeploymentintheSakaicommunitytoaddhierarchycapabilitiestoitstoolwhenitaddedcollege-levelquestionsfortheCollegeofBehavioralandSocialSciences,theA.JamesClarkSchoolofEngineering,andtheR.H.SmithSchoolofBusiness.Inaddition,multipleinstructorfunctionalitywasenabledtoallowfortheabilitytoevaluateinstructorsandTAsifsodesired.Thespring2008courseevaluationcompletionratewas62percent.https://www.irpa.umd.edu/Assessment/crs_eval.shtml

WhenmembersoftheU.S.Congressinquireaboutthe

UniversityofMaryland’sonlinepiracypreventionactivities,theuniversitycannowpointtoacohesive,multifacetedinformationcampaignOITdevelopedandimplementedtohighlighttherisksinherentinillegalfilesharinganddownloading,provideaprimeroncopyrightlaw,andpromotelegalmusicsubscriptionservices.ThecampaigniscalledPlayFair(PlayMusic,PlayMovies,PlayGames,PlayFair),andprogramcomponentsincludedaninnovative,attention-gettingcampaignofpostersplacedinstrategiccampuslocations,residencehalls,andfraternityandsororityhouses;advertisingonUMTV,onShuttleUMbuses,intheHoffTheater,andonFacebook;aYouTubevideo;acomprehensiveWebsite;printedmaterialdistributedatuniversityevents,viacampusmail,andthroughothervenues;andafilesharingforumfeaturingaGrammyaward-winningartistandothers.InformationTechnologyServicespersonnelattheUniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHillcomplimentedthePlayFairpostercampaignbothbycallingit“humorous”andyet“veryeffective”andbyseekingpermissiontoadaptthecampaignpostersforuseattheirinstitution.www.oit.umd.edu/PlayFair

OITconductedaninvestigationintothefeasibilityofpilotinga

plagiarismdetectionservice(SafeAssign™)attheuniversity.ThisinvestigationwaspromptedbyarequesttotheITCouncilfromLauraMoore,presidentoftheGraduateStudentGovernment.Discus-sionswithvariousentitiesoncampusgatheredinputaboutandreactionstoconductingsuchapilot.ThediscussionsresultedinarecommendationtomoveforwardwithapilottobeoverseenbytheOfficeofUndergraduateStudies.

Inresponsetoajointinitiativebetweentheprovostandthe

vicepresidentofstudentaffairs,OITworkedwiththeInternationalEducationServicesOfficetodevelopanonlinesystemthateliminatesthepaper-basedStudyAbroadapplicationandapprovalprocessforstudentsandadministrators.Thesystemcontributestoa“greener”campusbyeliminatingpaper,andsupportsthepresident’sgoaloffacilitatingstudents’globaleducationalopportunities.

TheUniversityofMarylandcontinueditsfounder-level

participationinKualiStudent,thecommunitysourceprojectthatwilldeliverthenextgenerationstudentservicessystem.In2008,theUniversityofMarylandalsojoinedotherKualiFoundationcommunitysourceprojectswithparticipationinKualiFinancialsSystem,thenextgenerationfinancialmanagementsystem,andKualiRice,themiddlewarethatwillhelpcreateacommonarchitectureamongtheprojects.TheKualiFoundationsuiteofprojectswillprovidetheuniversitywithasetofstate-of-the-artenterprisesystems,andourparticipationintheprojectsprovidesuskeyinputonthedirectionanddesignofthesystems.www.student.kuali.orgwww.kuali.org/communities/kfs

PlayFairPlayMovies

PlayMusic

PlayGames

4 5©iStockphoto.com/lisapics

©iStockphoto.com/uschools


OIT Facilitates Learning Moments

“Each semester, I begin preparing by looking at what I want my students to know and be able to do by the end of the course. In the past few years, my toolkit has expanded to include ways that technology can help me achieve these goals. Thanks to the creative, highly accessible, and knowledgeable staff at OIT, my courses are now enhanced by a wide array of online resources. The support I have received is indispensable. OIT staff recommend new solutions, and then give me the skills I need to apply them and the confidence I need to experiment. They follow up with ongoing support throughout the semester. Bottom line, without OIT support I would not have tried so many new applications, my teaching would be less inspired, and my students would have a diminished learning experience.”

“Many of us use technology in the courses

we teach. This ranges from ELMS/Blackboard to student response devices (clickers). OIT has been

very supportive with these efforts. The ELMS help group for faculty is very good. When there is a problem, they move

quickly to provide support. They have also organized user group bag lunches for people using clickers and

even had representatives of TurningPoint (the software company) come to listen to our issues. These have

been very helpful.”Jordan Goodman, Professor, Physics

ELMS(theEnterpriseLearningManagementSystem,powered

byBlackboardAcademicSuite)sawgreatjumpsinenrollmentsandfunctionalityinitssecondyearofservice.Asmanyas1,466instructorstaught2,491universitycoursesectionsusing2,498ELMScoursespaces.Thisnumberrepresents33percentofallcoursesections,whichhasbeenaconsistentleveloverthefoursemestersthatELMShasbeenusedcampuswide.However,thisfiscalyear,morethan30,000students,or81percentofthetotalstudentpopulation,wereenrolledinoneormoreELMS-supportedclass.Thisisasignificantincreasefromtheapproximately54percentofthestudentpopulationenrolledinfall2006.Duringfiscalyear2008,ELMSwasupgradedtoBlackboardversion8andalsoreceivedadditionalenhancements.Version8’snewgradecenterenrichedinstructors’onlinegradingandrecordkeepingfunctionality.ImprovementstotheLearningOnlineToolsgavefacultytheabilitytomanagethemembershipoftheirELMSorganizationsandtorequestastoragequotaincreasefortheircoursesand“mycontent”spaces.Atthecourselevel,enhancementsincludedtheadditionofnewtools,includinginternalwikiandblogtools,Wimbavoicetools,theCourseReservestool,andaccountsgivingeachinstructoraccesstotheircoursesfromthestudentperspective.www.elms.umd.edu

TheInnovationsinTeachingandLearningConferenceprovided

anopportunitytoshowcasethecreativity,experimentation,anddedicationofnearly30universityeducatorswhohavechal-lengedthemselvesandtheirstudentswiththeintegrationofnewtechnologiesandapproachestopedagogyduringthepastyear.Thisconferencebroughttogetherfacultypresentersfromninedifferentdisciplines,attendeesrepresentingmorethanthreedozendisciplines,andpeersfromseveralregionalandUniversitySystemofMarylandschoolsinauniquedayofcollaboration,networking,andcelebration.Theconferenceinspireditsmorethan130participantstoenvisionnewapproachestoteachingandlearningandexposedthemtotheworkandcommunityofcolleaguestowhomtheywouldnotnormallyhaveaccess.KeynotepresentersfromtheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyandSantaClaraUniversityexpandedthisvisionbyaskingsuchques-tionsas“Whatarethetechnologiesthatarelikelytohaveanimpactonteaching,learning,andcreativeexpressioninthenextfewyears?”and“Howcanstudentcourseevaluationsimproveteaching?”www.oit.umd.edu/ITL

Tosupporttheuseandsharingofdigitalimagesamong

facultyforuseinteaching,learning,andresearch,OITpartneredwithseveralcollegesandschoolsonaprojecttoprovideanenterprise-leveldigitalassetmanagementsolutionfortheuniversity.Theconsortiumoffourpartners,theCollegeofArtsandHumanities,theSchoolofArchitecture,theCollegeofChemicalandLifeSciences,andOIT,selectedLunaInsightasthesoftwareprogramthatwilladministertheserviceandbegantechnicalimplementationofthesystem.http://about.luna.umd.edu

ForwhatisbelievedtobethefirsttimeinOIThistory,OITplanned,

developed,andpostedavideo,supportingthePlayFaircampaign’santi-piracymessage,onthehugelypopularYouTubeinanattempttoreachmillennialstudents.Inaddition,welinkedtotheYouTubevideofromtheOIThomepageandfromthePlayFairhomepage.TheshortvideofocusedontherisksofillegalfilesharinganddownloadingandspotlightedthelegalservicesavailablethroughUniversityofMarylandagreements—RuckusandiTunes.www.oit.umd.edu/betonasurething.html

RespondingtorequestsformoreTechnologyClassrooms,

theTeachingFacilitiesCommitteeprovidedOITwithfundingtoequip17classroomswithtechnologyduringfiscalyear2008.Thiswassignificantlymorethantheusual10or11roomsperyearandbroughtthetotalnumberofTechnologyClassroomsupto171.www.oit.umd.edu/tc

OITplannedandconductedtheUniversityForumonFileSharingonFebruary27,2008intheStampStudentUniontoencouragediscussionaboutonline

piracyandtogivestudentsanopportunitytoasksubjectmatterexpertsalloftheirquestionsaboutfilesharingandcopyright.About25studentsgotachancetointeractwiththepanelists:aGrammy-awardwinningmusician,aUMprofessorofmusic,astudentmusicianandbusinessmajor,aRuckusrepresentative,representativesfromOITSecurity,andauniversityattorneywithanexpertiseincopyrightlaw.Student-focusedmediaoutlets,The DiamondbackandWMUC Radio,providednewscoverageoftheevent.www.oit.umd.edu/PlayFair/forum2008_recap.html6 7

Helene Cohen, Visiting Assistant Professor, Education Leadership, Higher Education, and International Education


OIT Enhances Campus Life

UsageofRuckusNetwork,Inc.’sdigitalentertainmentservicefor

undergraduateandgraduatestudentsgrewoncampusinfiscalyear2008.Thisservice,firstadoptedinsummer2007,offeredstudentsaccess,forfree,tomorethan3millionmusictracksand,foranominalfee,morethan4,000movies,televisionshows,andmusicvideos.Bytheendofspring2008,nearly10,000universityusershaddownloadedmorethan5.8millionitems.

www.oit.umd.edu/musicservice

InSeptember2007,OITopenedtheAppleDemonstration/

DevelopmentLabtoallowuniversitycolleges,schools,anddepartmentstotestApplehardwarebeforemakingpurchasesand/ortotesttheirapplicationsinaMacenvironment.Testingcanbeperformedinthelaboratyourlocation.Facultyandstaffcanalsotesttheequipmenttoassistintheirdecision-makingregardingpersonalcomputingpurchases.www.oit.umd.edu/demo_lab

Tokeepstudentcomputerlabhardwareup-to-date,OITreplacedallofthefour-year-oldMacG5computerswithnew

20”Intel-basediMacs.Thereplacementoccurredoverwinterbreak,whichmeantthatstudentswereabletotakeadvantageoftheupdatedhardwareandsoftwarefortheirspringsemestercoursework.ThenewiMacsareavailableintheOITlabsin3332ComputerandSpaceSciences,1137McKeldin,0504ParkingGarageII,and0111Worcester.

OITdevelopedaWebapplicationtoallow

membersofUniversityMarketingandCommunicationstocompose,layout,andpublishabstractsofstoriesreportedbyexternalnewsorganizationsabouttheUniversityofMaryland.TheapplicationgeneratesapublicversionoftheabstractsonaWebpagethatcanbeviewedbyanyoneandaprivateversionthatisonlyaccessibletofacultyandstaffmembersoftheUniversityofMaryland,CollegePark.www.newsdesk.umd.edu/um_in_news

TheMyUMportalwasofficiallyreleasedtotheuniversitycommu-

nityinfall2007toprovideacentralizedonlineresourceforaccesstoawidevarietyofuniversityservices.Thisyear’smajorportalinitiativesandenhancementsincludedtheadditionofaclickerportlet,enhancedELMScourseandorganizationportlets,thedevelopmentofamobileportaltoprovideafriendlyuserinterfaceforthoseintheuniversity’sMobilityInitiativepilotproject,andanenhancednewsreaderportlet.Portalusageincreasedsteadilythroughoutfiscalyear2008,withaveragemonthlyloginsrisingfromapproximately30,000atthestartofthefiscalyeartomorethan90,000asthefiscalyeardrewtoaclose.www.my.umd.edu

Fullwirelesscoverageinalluniversityacademicand

residentialbuildingswasachievedthisfiscalyear.Theroll-outofbuildingwidewirelesscoverageinallUMresidencehallsandFraternityRowhouses,aswellastheSouthCampusCommonsandUniversityCourtyardscommunities,wascompletedinDecember2007—afulleightmonthsaheadofschedule!Morethan3,484accesspointssupportcampuswirelesscoverageareas,1,185ofwhichwereinstalledduringfiscalyear2008.Thenumberofpeopleusingthewirelessnetworkatpeaktimesduringthedayandthenumberofuniqueuserspersemesterhaveincreasedby31percent.Wirelessstatisticsalsoshowthatinadditiontohavingmorewirelessusers,eachuserisusingthesystemmore.Todayweliveinamobilesocietywithmultiplehand-heldcomputingdevices.Inthisenvironment,mobilityisthenameofthegame.Ourwirelessnetwork(oneofthelargestamongpublicuniversitiesintheUnitedStates)enablesmobilityservicestobedevelopedanddeliveredtothecampus.www.oit.umd.edu/wireless

Asystemupgradeandanewsinglesign-onprocesswas

implementedtoWarehouseontheWeb(WOW),theWebsiteusedforreportdistributionbyserviceofficestoauthorizedcollege/departmentalbusinessmanagers.UserscannowuseWebbrowsersthatwerepreviouslyunsupportedandnolongerneedtoinstallanyspecialWebbrowserplug-insoftwaretousethesystem.Additionally,usersnolongerneedaseparateIDandpasswordtologontoWOW—theycanusetheirDirectoryIDandpasswordtoaccessWOWandotherapplicationsonARES.www.oit.umd.edu/units/dataadmin/DataWarehouse/WOW

ProjectNEThics,theOITteamthatpromotesresponsible

useofinformationtechnologythroughusereducationandpolicyenforcement,handlesreportsofsensitiveincidentssuchascyber-bullying,stalking,accountintrusion,andharassment,inadditiontoitsprimaryrolecombatingcopyrightviolations.Duringfiscalyear2008,ProjectNEThicsmanaged72casesofasensitivenaturealongwith862copyrightcases.www.nethics.umd.edu “OIT’s Project NEThics really helped me attempt to

get my problem solved when I was being victimized. Between October 2007 and May 2008, I was the target of 30 to 40 threatening phone calls, many harassing AOL Instant Messenger messages, false impersonation of me via an intrusion to my Facebook account, and other online misdeeds. Luckily, I have not received any more contact from the suspect(s) this semester, even though they still have not been caught. Project NEThics was the most helpful and friendly of all the agencies that I was in contact with during this difficult time.” Sophomore, 19, Letters and Sciences Major

P R O J E C T

ethicsSMNET

8 9UM Student Showcasing MyUM Portal

New Macs in OIT Computer Lab

Office of Information Technology: Providing Computing and Communications Resources to the University of Maryland

OIT Strengthens the University’s Technology EnvironmentVoiceoverInternetProtocol(VoIP)routesvoicecommunica-

tionsovertheInternetandopensthedoortoconvergenceservicessuchasgettingvoicemailviae-mail,connectingtomultipleserviceswithoneinterface,andmore.Thisfiscalyear,OITbeganimple-mentationofthenewAvayaVoIPsystemprocuredattheendoffiscalyear2007.OITdeployedVoIPservicesinseveralcampusbuildings,includingtheBiosciencesResearchBuilding,theJeongH.KimEngineeringBuilding,andVanMunchingHall.VoIPserviceswerealsoprovidedatseveraloff-campuslocations,includingthenewMSquareresearchpark,andinuniversityofficesinRiverdaleandonKnoxRoad.Atotalof516IPphoneshavebeendeployed.OITalsobeganimplementinganaccompa-nyingEnhanced911(E911)system.TheE911systemisacriticalcomponentoftheVoIPimplementationandwillprovideautomaticlocationinformationtotheDepartmentofPublicSafetyfor911callsfromcampusVoIPphones(andlegacyphones).VoIPaddsastrongervalueprop-ositiontothedatanetworkaswemovefromadualnetworkinfrastructure(dataandvoice)toasingledatanetworkbycreatingcostsavingsoverthelongterm.

OIThasembarkeduponanetworkinfrastructurerefresh

andupgradeinitiativetomaketheuniversity’snetworkinfrastructurecurrentsothatitcandelivermoderntechnologyservices,suchasVoIP,video,andhigh-throughputbandwidth,totheUMcommunity.Thisfiscalyear,OITupgradedpartsofthecampusnetworkbackbonetosetthestageforthenetworkrefreshinitiative.Theupgradedinfrastructurewillenhancesecuritycapabilitiesessentialforthedeliveryofmodernservices,providethefunctionalitytosupportEnhanced911(E911)services,andsupplytheconnectivitythattheuniversitycommunityrequiresforitsmission.OITalsoformedtheNetworkRefreshAdvisoryCommittee(NRAC),composedofmembersrepresentingallconstituenciesoftheuniversitycommunity,toannuallyrecommendbuildingprioritiesfornetworkrefresh.TheNRACrecommendedsevenbuildings—theBenjaminBuilding,theEnergyResearchFacility,theChemicalandNuclearEngineeringBuilding,TalbotHall,WorcesterHall,andtwoFraternity/SororityRowHouses—forrefreshwith

fiscalyear2008funds.OITbeganmakingthosebuildingupgrades.www.oit.umd.edu/NRAC

Infall2007,OITlaunchedacomprehensiveITService

ManagementprojectbasedontheITInfrastructureLibrary,thedefactostan-dardfordeliveringandsupportingservicesintheinformationtechnologyindustryaroundtheworld.ThemultiphasedprojectwillprovidegreatercontroloverITassets,deliverhigherqualityservicestoourcustomers,minimizethenumberofserviceincidents,facilitatedeterminationandimplementationofsolutionstorootcauseinfrastructureproblems,enableOITtobetterantici-patetheimpactofchangestotheinfrastructure,andimprovechangemanagementtominimizetheriskofdisruptiontoservices.

OITbeganaprojecttoreplacetheagingcentralstorageutilized

formanycriticalcampusapplicationswithanewStorageAreaNetwork(SAN).TherehavebeenseveraloutagescausedbytheaginginfrastructureandthenewSANwillgreatlyimprovereliability.TheSANiscomposedofswitchesandnumerousstoragedisksinsidealargeframe.ItusesafibernetworkthatrunsuptoeighttimesasfastasEthernet,whichwillallowapplicationssuchase-mailtorunfaster.Thisprojectisscheduledforcompletionin2009andisthefirststepinOIT’sDisasterRecoveryPlanforcriticalcampusapplications.

Incollaborationwithcampusunits,outsideconsultants,

andMicrosoft,OITdesignedandbegantheinitialdeploymentofacampuswideMicrosoftActiveDirectory(AD)infrastructure.ActiveDirectoryisMicrosoft’ssolutionforprovidingcentralizedauthentication,authorization,andmanagementservicesforWindows-basedcomputers.TheADenvironmentwillprovidethecampuswithacentrallymanagedinfrastructuretomaintainandsecureWindows-basedresourcessuchasdesktops,printers,scanners,andservers.ImplementationofADwillalsoallowforeasiermanagementofpermissiongroupsbasedontheUniversityDirectory,andADisanimportantsteponthepathtowardsprovidingseveralconvergenceservicestotheuniversitycommunity.ADisrequiredtorealizethefullpotentialofotherinnovativeprojectsalreadyunderway,suchasimplementationofMicrosoftExchange,whichwillprovideanintegratede-mailandcalendarsystemforfacultyandstaff,VoiceoverIP(VoIP),whichwillprovideavarietyofnewvoicesystemcapabilitiesincludingconvergedmessaging,andSharePoint,whichhasthepotentialtoprovideworkflowanddocumentmanagementsupportforawidevarietyofadministrativeprocessesthroughoutcampus.www.helpdesk.umd.edu/documents/4/4912

OITenhancedtheresilienceandcapacityofanumber

ofOITcoresystemsandservices.ThecapacityoftheUniversityDirectorywasmorethandoubled.SeveralnewserverswereaddedtotheMail@umdsystem,nearlydoublingthesizeofthesystem.TheWebhostingservicewasenhancedinordertosupporttheMyUMPortalinfrastructure.Inaddition,numerousothersystemswereupgradedtonewerhardwarewithincreasedcapacity,stability,andenergyefficiency.

OITaggressivelycontinuedtodecommissionoldhardware

toachieveamorecurrent,robust,andcost-efficientinfrastructure.Threemajormid-sizesystemswereretiredthisyear:theHP3000environment,whichincludedbothaproductionandadevelopmentsystem,andanIBMScalableProcessor2(SP2)frame.TheSP2atonetimehoused12largeservers.Significantsavingsarerealizedthroughtheseeffortssincehardwaremaintenanceandsoftwarelicensingcontractscanbediscontinued.Simplifyingtheinfrastructurealsomakesiteasiertosupport—maintainingspecializedskillsetsforthesesystemsisnolongernecessary.Additionally,significantoperationalsavingscomefromeliminatingspecializeditemssuchastapes(thousandsoftapeswereexpiredthisyear),printing,andstoragerequirements.Thenewequipmentisnotonlyfaster,smaller,andcheaper,butitisalsomoreenvironmentallyfriendlyandrequiresfarlesspowerandcoolingthantheolderhardware.

Forthefifthconsecutiveyear,thenumberofITsecurityincidents

decreasedacrosscampus.Anumberoffactorscontributedtothisdrop,includingtheexpansionofournetworkofintrusionpreventionsystems,whichblockedmorethan2.8millionattacksduringthepastfiscalyear.Whiledownnearly50percentsincelastfiscalyear,student-ownedcomputerscontinuedtoaccountforthemajorityofsystemcompromises.

Thereisanew“Technology”linktotheOITWebsiteon

theUniversityofMarylandhomepage.OITworkedwithUniversityRelationstoaddthenewlinkbeforethelaunchofthenewMarylandhomepageinJanuary2008.ThenewlinkbringsanewlevelofprominenceandvisibilitytothetechnologyservicesOITprovidesfortheuniversitycommunity.www.umd.edu

Accomplishment Highlights — Fiscal Year 2008

10 11


OIT Supports Research at Maryland and Beyond OIT Forms Meaningful Partnerships

OIT’sHigh-PerformanceComputingCluster(HPCC)grew

substantiallythisfiscalyear.ContributionsfromMechanicalEngineering,FireProtectionEngineering,andtheCollegeofChemicalandLifeScienceshaveexpandedtheclustertoanimpressive1,200processors.Combinedwithanewhigh-speednetworkinfrastructure,thisexpansiongivestheHPCC’smorethan150researchersasignificantimprovementincomputecapacity.Duringfiscalyear2008,the23groupsusingtheHPCChaveconsumedmorethan290CPU-yearsofcomputetime.JustafewofthesubjectsthatresearchersusetheHPCCtostudyincludecomputationalfluiddynamics,turbulence,andtransition;disorderedmagnetism;deformationinstabilityofthinfilmsandmultilayers;electronicpropertiesofgrapheneandgraphenenanostructures;andmechanicsofbiomembraneandcytoskeletoninthecells.Theyalsouseittoperformsimulationsofawidevarietyoflifesciencesproblemsandgeophysicalandspaceplasmaproblems,includingplanetaryandmantleconvectionandsolarwindturbulence.www.oit.umd.edu/HPCC

OIT’sResearchDataCenter(RDC)providesqualityhousing

forcomputingequipmentusedbytheuniversity’sresearchcommunity,andthefacilitycontinuestogrow.Thecentersuppliesimprovedelectricalpower,bettercooling,andgreatersecurityoverlocalspacetypicallyavailabletoourresearchers.Thisleadstogreaterreliabilityandstabilityandhelpstoextendthelifeoftheequipment.Infiscalyear2008,thenumberofracksdoubledtomorethan20astenmoreresearchgroupsjoinedthefacility.ResearchprojectsconductedviaRDC-housedequipmentincludethecampustechnologybusinessincubator,thestudyofhigh-energyparticlesbelowthesouthpolaricecap,andthestudyofgravitationalwavesemanatingfromdistantastrophysicalobjects.Theresearchspansfieldsasdiverseascellbiology,fluiddynamics,hypersonicspeeds,architecture,andtransportation.www.oit.umd.edu/ops/rdc

WiMAX(WorldwideInteroperabilityforMicrowaveAccess)isawirelesstechnologythatprovideshigh-

broadbanddataaccess.Duringthisfiscalyear,OITassistedtheMAXWellLabwiththeestablishmentofaresearchnetworkforthedevelopmentof4GwirelesstechnologiesincludingWiMAX.OIThasaWiMAXinitiative,whichwillexpandtheexistingenterprisewirelessnetworkfootprintwithWiMAXtechnologiestoprovideubiquitouswirelessdatacoverageacrosscampustoincludetheoutdoorgreenspaces.

TheMid-AtlanticCrossroads(MAX)enteredintoa

collaborativerelationshipwiththeMid-AtlanticTerascalePartnership(MATP)thatextendshigh-performancenetworkingoptionsfortheresearchandeducationcommunityacrossourregion.Now,inadditiontoInternet2,ourresearch,education,andgovernmentagencycommunitycanalsobenefitfromtheflexibleprovisioningcapabilitiesavailablethroughNationalLambdaRail(NLR,www.nlr.net).ResearchersusingNLRcanestablishdedicatedLayer1lambdawavesandLayer2VLANS,aswellasuseLayer3routedconnectivitytoexchangedatacommunicationswithsimilarlyconnecteduniversitiesandresearchfacilitiesacrosstheUnitedStatesandaroundtheglobe.www.maxgigapop.net

OITcontributedtothegrowthoftheuniversity’sMSquare

researchparkthisfiscalyear,byperformingservicessuchasinstallingnewductbanksandfibertosupportnetworkingandtelecommunicationsforthetenants’state-of-the-artresearch.VoIPservice,videooverfiber,wireless,andGigabyteEthernetconnectionstoa10GignetworkbackbonearesomeoftheOIT-providedservicestocustomersinMSquare.OIT’ssupportofthiseffortwillmakeMSquaremoreattractivetohigh-endfederalresearchentitiesthatcouldcollaboratewithcampusresearchersandcontributetoMarylandbeingatoptenuniversity.

Thisfiscalyear,OITformedstrategictechnology

partnershipswithAvayaandCiscotocollaborateontheinvestigationofnew,emerging,andfuturetechnologies.TheUniversityofMaryland/Avayapartnershipgivestheuniversityaproactiveroleindevelopingfuturetechnologies,providesanopportunitytoincorporatetheuniversity’sneedsintotechnologysolutions,andenablestheuniversitytobecomeanearlyadopterofnewtechnologies—allofwhichcanputtheuniversity’sITinfrastructureaheadofthetechnologycurve.AspartoftheUniversityofMaryland/Ciscopartnership,OITwasinvitedtojointheCiscoMobilityHigherEducationTechnicalAdvisoryBoard,whichassessesmobilitytrendsandemergingtechnologies.Participationinthisgroupallowsouruniversity’sexperiencewiththesetechnologiestoinfluencethedevelopmentoffuturetechnologiesandthewaystheycansupporthighereducation.

OITreceived$109,514infundingfromtheCyberWATCH

consortiumtoestablisharegionalDigitalForensicsLab(DFL)throughagrantfromtheNationalScienceFoundation.TheDFLwillbea“virtuallab”thatwillserveasaresourcefortheteachingofdigitalforensicsatCyberWATCHuniversitiesandcommunitycollegesand,inthefuture,forperformingdigitalforensicinvestigations.Also,itwilloffersamplecurriculaandcurriculummaterials,includingforensiccasestudies,forusebyCyberWATCHmemberinstitutionsthroughouttheWashington,D.C.regionindevelopingtheirownforensicscourses.www.oit.umd.edu/News/Archive/2008/DFL_press_release.pdf

MAXMAX

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OIT Provides Support in Times of Need“I had great communication with OIT staff about meeting the software needs of the CSIC [Computer Science Instructional Center] classroom building users and fast turnaround on adjusting various settings at the start of the semester. They also had a fast response time if glitches arose during the semester, sometimes fixing things within the same class period.” Evan Golub, Lecturer, Computer Science

TheOITFaculty/StaffHelpDesk,theOITStudentHelpDesk,

theOITNetworkOperationsCenter,andtheCampusInformationServicesoffice(managedbyOIT)respondedtomorethan203,000IT-anduniversity-relatedphoneinquiriesduringfiscalyear2008.Ofthose,42,000werehandledbytheFaculty/StaffandStudentHelpDesks.Inaddition,another3,500requestswerereceivedviatheWeb.CentralizationofallOIT’shelpresourcesintotheOITHelpDeskscontinues,resultinginastrengtheningofthequalificationsofthestaffmembers,particularlythosewhoprovidespecializedsupport.www.helpdesk.umd.edu

OIT’sfulltimeFaculty/StaffHelpDeskstaffmembershave

allearned,atminimum,certificationfromtheHelpDeskInstituteasHelpDeskRepresentatives.Inachievingthisqualification,theyhavereceivedinstructioninandpassedexaminationsconcerningtechnicalproficiencyandcustomerserviceskills.

CreatedaspartoftheACT/TerrapinTechnologyStore

effort,theOITWarrantyDeskisstaffedbyvendorcertifiedrepairspecialists.Whileoriginallycharteredtoperformonlyin-warrantyrepairsforpurchasesmadeunderthoseprograms,ithasexpandedtoassistwithawideselectionofhardwareandsoftwareissues.Duringthisfiscalyear,ithasprovidedsupportfornearly700clientmachines.

OITassistedtheuniversityinpreparingfornumerous

specialevents,includingsettingupandsupportingnetworkingandtelecommunicationsservicesfortheWomen’sNCAALacrosseTournament,theAthleticsPhone-a-thon,andfortelevisioncoverageofWomen’sSoftball.Inaddition,OITprovidedservicesduringpresidentialcampaignvisitsfromMikeHuckabeeandBarackObama,andfortheNationalHistoryDayandOdysseyoftheMindWorldFinalsvisitingacademicevents.

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OITconductedtwosuccessfuldisasterrecoveryremotesite

exercisesduringfiscalyear2008.ThesetestsweretoevaluateourprogresstowardsbeingabletoprovideanacceptablelevelofservicefromaremotelocationintheeventofadisasterormajordisruptionthatrenderstheUniversityofMaryland’smainframecomputerunavailableforanextendedperiodoftime.CriticalservicestestedincludetheStudentInformationSystem(SIS),Testudo,PersonnelandHumanResourcesSystem(PHR),andtheFinancialRecordsSystem(FRS).Additionally,OITwasabletoverifyproceduresforbringingupthemainframeandrestoringbatchcapability.TheUniversityofMarylandisthefirstinstitutionintheUniversitySystemofMarylandtoperformdisasterrecoveryexercisesofthismagnitude.

OIT Help Desk

©iStockphoto.com/Andresr


OIT Staff Members Earn Kudos

OIT Staff Members Share Knowledge and Information

WehopeyouenjoyedlearningaboutOIT’ssuccessesforfiscalyear2008.ManyoftheseareonlysteppingstonesonthewaytoachievinglargerITimprovementsattheuniversity.SomeofOIT’supcomingplansforthecomingyeararethefollowing:

•OIT’snetworkrefreshactivitieswillcontinue,andstate-of-the-artcommunicationsservicessuchasVoIPwillexpandoncampus.Theseactivitiesbringtheuniversityclosertoofferingaunifiedcommunicationsinfrastructure.

•TheDivisionofUniversityRelationsandOITareformingapartnershiptocreateafull-serviceuniversityWebdesignanddevelopmentservice.Throughthispartnership,wewillworkwithclientstocreateuniqueWebsitedesignsthatfitthemissionandmessagingofeachclient,whileensuringthatthesitesfitintotheuniversity’soverallWebsitebrandinganddesignstandards.Also,wewillprovideaWeb-basedcontentmanagementsystemthatwillhelpnon-technicalusersmodifyandmaintaincontentontheiruniversityWebpages.

•OITwillco-sponsortheMobilityInitiative,apilotprogramtoenhancethestudenteducationexperiencebyexaminingtherolethatmobileInternetaccessdevicesmighthaveinthefutureofinstruction,learning,andthesocialgrowthofstudentsoncampus.

•AnewITServiceManagementtoolwillbecomeavailableontheOITHelpDeskWebsite,whichwillgiveuniversitycommunitymembersanewresourceforself-servicehelp,awaytosubmithelprequestsonline,andanefficientmethodoftrackingtheprogressofthosehelprequests.Afterextensiveevaluation,NumaraSoftware’sFootprintswaschosenasthemanagementsystemtobringallthepiecestogether.

Welookforwardtofurthercontributingtothisgreatuniversitythroughtheseplannedactivitiesandotherswhichwillimprovethefunctionality,robustness,andreliabilityofcampuswideinformationtechnologyservices.

OIT Forges Ahead

Duringfiscalyear2008,OITrepresentativessharedtheir

knowledgeviapresentationsandtechni-calsubmissionsatseveralnationaleduca-tionandinformationtechnologyconfer-ences,withsubjectmattersrangingfromtechnologyintheclassroomtoITsecurityauditbestpractices.

OITrepresentativesattendedmorethan40university

outreachevents,suchasnewstudentandemployeeorientationsessions,theAll-Nighter,FamilyWeekend,theFirstLookFair,andMarylandDay.

OITstaffmemberssharedtheirexpertisewithstudentsinthe

classroom,withsomestaffmembersteachingseminarsorcourseswhileothersservedasguestlecturers,guestpresenters,andguestevaluatorsinthefollowingcourses:

•COMM232NewsEditingforPublicRelations

•HONR228AScienceandPseudoscience•INFM722Copyright,Privacy,andSecurityIssuesinDigitalInformation

•LBSC642IntegratingTechnologyintoLearningandTeaching

•LBSC708KManagingtheAcademicInformationEnterprise

InMay2008,FranLoPresti,OIT’sDirectorofTechnical

ServicesandSupport,washonoredbybeingnamedaFellowoftheSocietyforClinicalTrials.ThistitleacknowledgesandrecognizesFran’scontributionstotheadvancementofclinicaltrials.Hereffortsfocusedonusingcomputertechnologytoimprovethequalityofclinicaltrialsandtoenablelargertrialstobeconductedindiverseenvironmentsaroundtheworld.

EllenBorkowski,OIT’sDirectorofAcademicSupport,was

honoredwithanOutstandingServiceAwardforherworkwiththeuniversity’sPeerConsultingNetwork(PCN).ThePCNisanall-volunteerunitoftheCenterforLeadershipandOrganizationalChange(CLOC).PCNmemberspartnerwithCLOCemployeestoworkwithunitsallovertheuniversityonvariousorgani-zationaldevel-opmentactivities.

GerrySneeringer,OIT’sDirectorofITSecurity,was

re-electedtotheBoardofDirectorsofDNS-OARC,anOperations,Analysis,andResearchCenterfocusedonthesecurityoftheInternet’sglobalDomainNameSystem.TheuniversityhasbeenamemberofDNS-OARCsince2004,andGerryhasservedastheuniversity’srepresentativesincethattime.

16 17OIT Staff Members at First Look Fair

Office of Information TechnologyUniversityofMaryland1122PatuxentBuilding

CollegePark,Maryland20742-4911301.405.7700(Phone)301.405.0300(Fax)[email protected]

office of information technology accomplishments fiscal ... · accomplishments fiscal year 2008 u n...

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