Goal 1: Establish an Information Technology Services (ITS ...



Queens University of CharlotteInformation Technology ServicesBridge to 2012Strategic Plan & Action ItemsPrepared by:John E. ChampionAVP & CIONovember 3, 2011Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Executive Summary PAGEREF _Toc309043951 \h 3Current State of Technology at Queens PAGEREF _Toc309043952 \h 3Desired State of Technology at Queens PAGEREF _Toc309043953 \h 3Mission PAGEREF _Toc309043954 \h 4Vision PAGEREF _Toc309043955 \h 4Value Statement PAGEREF _Toc309043956 \h 4Strategic Goals PAGEREF _Toc309043957 \h 4Goal 1: Establish an Information Technology Services (ITS) organization structure, and operational infrastructure, capable of supporting Queens’ faculty, staff, and students. PAGEREF _Toc309043958 \h 4Guiding Principles PAGEREF _Toc309043959 \h 4Organizational Structure PAGEREF _Toc309043960 \h 5Job Descriptions and Performance Metrics PAGEREF _Toc309043961 \h 6Training & Skill Development PAGEREF _Toc309043962 \h 6Operating Processes & Standards PAGEREF _Toc309043963 \h 6Goal 2: Design, implement, and support a stable technology infrastructure that meets the campus needs of today while preparing for tomorrow. PAGEREF _Toc309043964 \h 7Workstation Management PAGEREF _Toc309043965 \h 7Network Infrastructure PAGEREF _Toc309043966 \h 7Server Maintenance/Improvement Plan PAGEREF _Toc309043967 \h 8Mobile computing standards PAGEREF _Toc309043968 \h 8Goal 3: Ensure the security and integrity of campus data. PAGEREF _Toc309043969 \h 8Goal 4: Leverage technology to improve business operations and maximize university resources. PAGEREF _Toc309043970 \h 9Establish Technology Portfolio Management Process PAGEREF _Toc309043971 \h 9Redeploy Jenzabar PAGEREF _Toc309043972 \h 9Account Provisioning/Management Review PAGEREF _Toc309043973 \h 10Email Analysis PAGEREF _Toc309043974 \h 10Portal Analysis PAGEREF _Toc309043975 \h 10Unified Printing/Copy Solution Analysis PAGEREF _Toc309043976 \h 10Goal 5: Leverage technology to support academic initiatives and maximize university resources. PAGEREF _Toc309043977 \h 11Classroom Configuration Standards PAGEREF _Toc309043978 \h 11Redeploy Moodle PAGEREF _Toc309043979 \h 11Extend Google Education Apps PAGEREF _Toc309043980 \h 11Goal 6: Campus Training and Outreach PAGEREF _Toc309043981 \h 12Key Constraints PAGEREF _Toc309043982 \h 13Summary of Action Items PAGEREF _Toc309043983 \h 13Executive SummaryModern technology is critical in higher education today. The students, faculty, and staff we serve have come to expect technology solutions that are as ubiquitous as those that power nearly every facet of their personal lives. They expect the course registration process to be as easy as searching the music catalog on iTunes; bill payment to function as seamlessly as the web interface their bank provides; collaboration and information sharing as fast and reliable as facebook; and data reporting functions that provide real-time analysis capabilities.To be successful in meeting enrollment growth goals; endearing ourselves to alumni; attracting and retaining high quality faculty/staff; and being recognized as a leading comprehensive university we must take a strategic approach to technology acquisition, management, and support. This plan was developed to enable Queens to establish a technology foundation to build upon, while facing an environment of increasingly constrained resources that require greater efficiency than ever before.In order to begin positioning technology as a strategic tool, Queens must have a strategic plan. This bridge plan has been prepared by the newly hired Chief Information Officer, and vetted through the campus Senior Leadership Team, to provide Queens with a structure and foundation to build upon. Future versions will be developed in consultation with an Information Technology Portfolio Management Process that will be formed as an action item within this plan.Current State of Technology at QueensInformation Technology services at Queens has evolved through tactical responses to day-to-day issues over the last 15 years from a one-person operation to encompass two distinct units spanning Business and Academic Affairs. In order to meet the growing needs of the campus community we will need to transform from the current structure to an intentional four-unit structure with areas of specialization and responsibility.The current state of technology at Queens can be classified as:Reactionary.Pieced together without clear guiding standards for interoperability or sustainability.Disintegrated systems for one-off problems rather than holistic solutions for campus needs.Antiquated hardware infrastructure that is incapable of supporting growth.Desired State of Technology at QueensWe aspire to be leaders in our peer group and across the nation. Not having invested heavily in technology infrastructure over the past 15 years has, in some ways, positioned us with an opportunity to leap-frog universities that have made significant investments that now limit them to incremental improvements to technology solutions that are no longer on the “cutting edge”. By leveraging modern solutions, Queens can develop a technical infrastructure that requires less FTE to maintain and support, while delivering enhanced levels of functionality to campus users.Strategic, proactive, and intentional actions over the coming year will position Queens to provide a stable and secure technology foundation that can be supported with an industry leading student to IT staff ratio. Through the actions in support of this plan, we will provide our customers with transparent solutions that allow their focus to remain on the teaching, learning, and business operational goals the university has defined, rather than on the technology tools being used.MissionInformation Technology Services at Queens University of Charlotte creates and supports a stable and user-friendly computing environment that empowers the students, faculty, and staff we serve.VisionInformation Technology Services will transparently provide reliable technology solutions that empower faculty, staff, and students to focus on what they need to do, rather than the technology tools they use to do it.Value StatementDO THE RIGHT THINGS and DO THINGS RIGHTWe are driven by the teaching and learning mission of the university, which seeks to transform the lives of the students who choose Queens. We partner with the faculty, staff, and students we serve to understand their computing needs and measure our success through theirs.In serving a diverse customer base, with a wide range of needs, it is imperative that we understand the goals and objectives of the university and appropriately align our resources. We will be diligent and compassionate as we balance customer service with customer support to deliver sustainable solutions that meet the needs of the greater Queens community and maximize university resources.We will:Listen to our customers to understand their functional needs.Provide positive, solutions based thinking.Act proactively and with purpose. Communicate to ensure transparency.Deliver on commitments.Strategic GoalsGoal 1: Establish an Information Technology Services (ITS) organization structure, and operational infrastructure, capable of supporting Queens’ faculty, staff, and students.This goal is the foundation for all Information Technology (IT) services on campus for the duration of this plan, and beyond. It is intended to provide an identity for the Information Technology Services (ITS) organization, bring clarity with respect to the roles and responsibilities of ITS to our customers, and establish a foundation to build a high level of technology service through this plan and beyond.Guiding PrinciplesITS will be guided by a clear mission, vision, and value statement. ITS has developed draft compositions for these guiding principles internally, and will seek campus adoption/ratification. Once adopted, these principles will drive all units within ITS as we strive to serve our campus customers.ActionStart ByComplete ByDraft MissionSeptember 2011October 2011Draft VisionSeptember 2011October 2011Draft Values StatementSeptember 2011October 2011Ratification by Campus LeadershipOctober 2011November 2011Organizational StructureInformation Technology Services (ITS)The office of Information Technology Services group has been reorganized into four operating units. We will work to complete the transition over the course of this plan.Each organizational unit within ITS has a primary focus with specialized roles and responsibilities, but will collectively be one team that works together to meet the computing needs of the Queens community. The four ITS units are: Network Services, Enterprise Application Services, Classroom & Media Services, and User Support Services.“Service” is the intentional focus for each unit as we work with the faculty, staff, and students across campus to understand instructional and business needs, then work to deliver sustainable solutions. Network ServicesThe Network Services unit is responsible for the technical infrastructure of the university. This includes:Network ConnectivityNetwork MonitoringServer Administration, Management, and SecurityActive DirectoryEmailEnterprise Application ServicesThe Enterprise Application Services unit is responsible for supporting the wide array of applications utilized across the enterprise, and ensuring that these systems meet the functional needs of campus faculty, staff, and students. This primarily includes:Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) – principally JenzabarLearning Management System (LMS) – principally MoodlePortal (MyQueens) operationsData integrationsData reportingClassroom & Media ServicesThe Classroom & Media Services unit is responsible for supporting campus audio and video needs. This includes:Event production services (lighting, audio, recording)Post production editing, and distributionClassroom technology support & maintenanceUser Support ServicesThe User Support Services unit provides front-line support to campus faculty, staff, and students. Their primary areas of focus include:Helpdesk supportDesktop management servicesPrinting supportLab management and operationsActionStart ByComplete ByDevelop organizational structureSeptember 2011October 2011Obtain leadership approvalOctober 2011October 2011Communicate to campusOctober 2011October 2011Identify remaining resource gapsOctober 2011November 2011Prioritize need for additional resourcesNovember 2011December 2011Identify fundingDecember 2011TBDAchieve a student to ITS staff ratio of 1:160TBDTBDJob Descriptions and Performance MetricsAs we transition from a culture of technology “generalists” to one of “specialists” it is imperative that we have clarity with respect to individual roles and responsibilities. Each position will have a revised, and well defined job description and performance plan that will guide performance expectations and clarify career progression paths within ITS.ActionStart ByComplete ByRevise job descriptionsOctober 2011December 2011Develop performance plansDecember 2011January 2012Training & Skill DevelopmentIncreasing reliance on technology solutions to power instructional and business operations on campus requires a commitment to professional development efforts within the ITS organization. A comprehensive analysis will need to be completed to identify the specific skill gaps that exist within ITS, and a plan will need to be developed and funded for developing the necessary skills to support a robust computing environment.ActionStart ByComplete BySkill analysisSeptember 2011January 2012Develop professional development plans (in support of performance plans)January 2012February 2012Identify/Obtain fundingOctober 2011November 2011Execute professional development planFebruary 2012OngoingOperating Processes & StandardsIn order to ensure clarity and transparency, ITS will need to take immediate action to stabilize user support services. These efforts will be ongoing and will be supported by the development and distribution of process and system documentation, along with regular communication opportunities for campus customers with ITS leadership.ActionStart ByComplete ByRestructure ITS HelpdeskOctober 2011November 2011Establish baseline Helpdesk trainingOctober 2011December 2011Develop Helpdesk documentationOctober 2011OngoingRestructure ITS web informationDecember 2011May 2012CIO communication to campusOctober 2011OngoingGoal 2: Design, implement, and support a stable technology infrastructure that meets the campus needs of today while preparing for tomorrow.In order to ensure a stable technology infrastructure to support all campus computing initiatives Queens will need to invest in our technical infrastructure, and possibly reallocate existing technology acquisition funds. By developing standards and action plans to address Workstation Management, Network Connectivity, Server Management, and Mobile Computing Standards the campus will ensure that all campus customers have the tools they need and ITS is able to support and maintain a stable computing environment. Workstation ManagementIn order to maximize the university’s return on all funds expended for user workstations (PC & Mac), the university will need a standardized process for purchasing, replacing, and managing all campus machines. ITS will need to complete a comprehensive inventory of all workstations on campus, develop a centralized replacement plan/schedule, develop modern methods for imaging all campus computers, and capitalize on bulk purchasing options.ActionStart ByComplete ByWorkstation inventoryNovember 2011January 2012Develop workstation replacement planJanuary 2012February 2012Identify/obtain workstation replacement fundsFebruary 2012TBDAnalyze imaging optionsNovember 2011December 2011Determine appropriate imaging solutionDecember 2011January 2012Identify/obtain imaging solution fundsJanuary 2012TBDAcquire imaging solutionTBDTBDImplement imaging solutionTBDTBDNetwork InfrastructureThe Queens network architecture is the backbone for all computing on campus. This includes the fiber coming into and around campus, as well as the switches and hubs throughout campus. We must have sufficient and stable connectivity both to and within campus. Due to lack of internal resources and knowledge sets, we will need to engage an outside consulting firm to assist in analyzing our current architecture and mapping out a desired state that we can build toward.ActionStart ByComplete ByDocument existing architectureSeptember 2011October 2011Complete network assessmentOctober 2011December 2011Develop desired architecture modelDecember 2011January 2012Develop network refresh planJanuary 2012March 2012Identify/Obtain fundingMarch 2012TBDExecute network refresh planTBDTBDServer Maintenance/Improvement PlanThe Queens data center and servers power all enterprise applications on campus. This includes hosting for our ERP (Jenzabar), Active Directory, Exchange (Email), the campus Portal system (MyQueens), the Learning Management System (Moodle) and a number of other mission critical systems. In order to keep high uptime and stability for these systems, we must have a secure, stable, and well managed data center that contains sufficient capacity for data storage and application processing.The current data center is located in the basement of the Walker Science building. There are a number of concerns with the current data center location ranging from power supply, to plumbing pipes in the server room, to the fact that it is below ground in a historic building. A complete assessment needs to be conducted of the current data center culminating in a comprehensive plan for ensuring a stable and secure infrastructure to support the various mission critical enterprise applications that campus users rely upon. Due to the lack of internal resources and knowledge sets within ITS, we will need to engage an outside consulting firm to assist in analyzing our current server environment and mapping out a desired state that we can build toward.ActionStart ByComplete ByDocument existing server architectureSeptember 2011October 2011Conduct data center analysisOctober 2011December 2011Develop desired data center modelDecember 2011January 2012Develop data center transition planJanuary 2012March 2012Identify/Obtain fundingMarch 2012TBDExecute data center transition planTBDTBDMobile computing standardsAs the sophistication of mobile devices advances, and the expectations of our campus users grow, Queens must look to proactively prepare for the support of mobile computing. This includes the need to define and document supported devices, produce and publish resources for campus users, and stay current with evolving trends with technology in higher education.ActionStart ByComplete ByDocument current support standardsNovember 2011December 2011Produce and publish support resourcesDecember 2011February 2012Train Helpdesk staffDecember 2011February 2012Develop mobile computing plan2012-2017 plan2012-2017 planGoal 3: Ensure the security and integrity of campus data.Data is the driving force for making informed business decisions. The data collected in campus enterprise systems must be secure, reliable, and available. It is everyone’s responsibility to safeguard Queens’ business and student data, but ITS must provide leadership in securing our backend systems and educating the campus community with respect to best practices. ITS must also take a leadership role in shaping, monitoring, and enforcing security policies and the associated logical (technology assisted) and physical controls.ActionStart ByComplete ByDevelop Queens Information Security policyDecember 2011February 2012Distribute Information Security policyFebruary 2012OngoingDevelop Change Management processDecember 2011January 2012Develop and implement Password policyJanuary 2012March 2012Develop and implement ERP access audit processFebruary 2012March 2012Conduct a campus wide PCI auditJanuary 2012March 2012Partner with legal counsel to develop university FERPA trainingFebruary 2012April 2012Goal 4: Leverage technology to improve business operations and maximize university resources.Queens has made significant investments in enterprise solutions that are designed to simplify administrative functions and provide the university with real time data that can be interpreted as information to power strategic decision-making. ITS must take a leadership role in assisting the business units across campus in maximizing the returns on these investments. ITS will partner with business units to understand functional operational needs, prioritize resource allocations, deploy and configure systems that meet defined and documented user needs, and support users to make operations more efficient.Establish Technology Portfolio Management ProcessIn order to ensure that university resources are being allocated to the most appropriate objectives, a Technology Portfolio Management Process must be defined and communicated to campus. The projects and initiatives underway and the pending technology priorities must be clear and available to all campus customers.ActionStart ByComplete ByConduct a comprehensive software auditOctober 2011November 2011Establish a clear software purchasing processDecember 2011January 2012Establish a Technology Portfolio Management ProcessNovember 2011December 2011Communicate software purchasing processJanuary 2012January 2012Communicate portfolio management processDecember 2011OngoingRedeploy JenzabarA comprehensive analysis of Jenzabar utilization needs to be conducted, followed by a methodical redeployment of the system to maximize the university return on our ERP investment. Due to limited resources and knowledge sets within the ITS team, a Business Analyst will need to be hired and Jenzabar consultants will need to be engaged. ActionStart ByComplete ByEngage Jenzabar consulting services and conduct analysisOctober 2011November 2011Develop Jenzabar redeployment planNovember 2011February 2012Execute Jenzabar redeployment planFebruary 2012TBDAccount Provisioning/Management ReviewThe account provisioning and management process at Queens needs to be evaluated to ensure consistency and remove inefficiencies. This will require the review of existing manual processes and the development of new automated technology powered processes.ActionStart ByComplete ByDocument current account provisioning processNovember 2011December 2011Inventory current technical componentsDecember 2011December 2011Develop revised provisioning processDecember 2011January 2012Develop automated scriptsJanuary 2012April 2012Test new processesApril 2012May 2012Implement new processMay 2012May 2012Email AnalysisExchange 2003 powers faculty and staff email. The university needs to evaluate modern solutions for ensuring the stability and high availability of employee email and migrate off of the Exchange 2003 solution. ActionStart ByComplete ByConvene email analysis committeeJanuary 2012February 2012Document email requirementsFebruary 2012March 2012Identify email solutionsOctober 2011March 2012Determine best email solutionMarch 2012March 2012Identify/Obtain fundingMarch 2012TBDPlan email migrationMarch 2012April 2012Execute email migrationTBDTBDPortal Analysis Faculty, staff, and students must have access to a variety of information sources on campus. myQueens needs to be updated to present the information needed by the various users on campus and maximize the university’s investment. This will require a complete needs assessment, option identification, solution determination, and implementation project.ActionStart ByComplete ByConduct needs assessment (WebEx Committee)December 2011February 2012Identify portal optionsFebruary 2012February 2012Determine best solution(s)February 2012April 2012Develop project planApril 2012May 2012Refresh portal implementationMay 2012September 2012Unified Printing/Copy Solution AnalysisIn order to maximize Queens’ resources, a comprehensive analysis of printing/copying needs must be performed and a unified solution that meets all campus functional and technical requirements must be identified and implemented. An RFP has already been developed and distributed by the VP of Administration.ActionStart ByComplete ByReview vendor submissionsDecember 2011January 2012Determine best solutionJanuary 2012February 2012Identify/Obtain fundingFebruary 2012TBDImplement solutionTBDTBDGoal 5: Leverage technology to support academic initiatives and maximize university resources.Queens has made significant investments in technology solutions that are designed to enhance the teaching and learning experience. At the core of these tools are our classroom environments and the Moodle Learning Management System (LMS). These two elements need to be strengthened so that we can establish a technical foundation for enhancing dynamic teaching and learning experiences that are supported by collaborative technology tools. Classroom Configuration StandardsClassroom configurations at Queens have evolved over time, without a clear set of standards. We will need to develop appropriate standards for our classroom environments that are derived from meeting the teaching and learning goals of campus faculty and students in a manner that simplifies the classroom experience, while ensuring sustainability and support capabilities.ActionStart ByComplete ByConduct classroom technology inventoryOctober 2011November 2011Develop classroom technology standardsNovember 2011January 2012Develop standards implementation refresh planJanuary 2012February 2012Develop classroom technology replacement planDecember 2011February 2012Identify/Obtain funding for standards refreshJanuary 2012TBDImplement standards implementation & replacement planTBDTBDRedeploy MoodleIn addition to simplifying the classroom experience, we must take intentional steps to ensure that Moodle is a reliable tool that supports and enriches student and faculty interactions. The current Moodle implementation is hosted on a single server, responsible for running the application, the database, and file storage processes of the system. There are no environments available for staging and/or testing enhancements or problems that may arise in the production environment. This provides a significant risk for managing upgrades or extending the functionality of the open source LMS solution. ActionStart ByComplete ByConduct hosting analysisDecember 2011February 2012Determine appropriate hosting environmentFebruary 2012March 2012Develop migration planMarch 2012April 2012Identify/Obtain fundingApril 2012TBDImplement migration planTBDTBDExtend Google Education AppsQueens established a Google Education Apps license in pursuit of the student email migration, but does not currently have any of the rich collaborative tools enabled. Dynamic Forms for surveying and data collection, interactive Docs for collaborating on spreadsheets or documents, and the ability to easily create and publish web Sites are among the many features available at no charge to our faculty, staff, and students under the existing license agreement. We need to expand access to these tools and provide best practice guidance in how they can be applied to meet both academic and administrative objectives. ActionStart ByComplete ByAnalyze existing implementation of Google AppsNovember 2011January 2012Pilot Google Education Apps expansion within ITSJanuary 2012March 2012Develop expansion planMarch 2012May 2012Implement expansion planMay 2012TBDGoal 6: Campus Training and OutreachIn order to ensure that ITS is meeting campus needs, and the campus is aware of what we are doing to improve the Queens technology landscape, an intentional effort needs to be made in the areas of training and outreach. We will leverage many existing campus communication structures as well as the Portfolio Management Process and enhancements resulting from the Portal Analysis identified in Goal 4 of this plan to establish clear and transparent communication channels. In addition, we will organize and staff a series of hands-on training and information sessions that address common problem areas as identified through Help Desk ticket analysis.ActionStart ByComplete ByImplement/convene Faculty IT Advisory CounselJanuary 2012OngoingImplement/convene Student Gov. IT Advisory CounselJanuary 2012OngoingEnhance ITS web site and public documentationJanuary 2012OngoingDevelop IT training & workshop curriculumJanuary 2012February 2012Organize and lead hands-on training & workshop sessionsFebruary 2012OngoingKey ConstraintsThe key constraints that will need to be accounted for in the pursuit of the goals identified in this plan include:Limited fundingStaffing levelsRecruiting and filling vacant positionsSkill development & trainingTransitioning of roles & responsibilitiesMaintaining legacy operational systemsUnderstanding and managing campus expectationsSummary of Action ItemsReorganize ITS into four functional units with areas of specializationSupport ServicesConsolidate all support staff and Quest students.Review and update helpdesk ticket categories.Expand helpdesk access options (web and email ticket submission & tracking).Implement automated helpdesk ticket satisfaction surveys.Train students to enable them to handle level 1 issues.Dedicate full time professionals to level 2 issues.Escalate, only as needed, level 3 issues to other ITS plete campus workstation inventory.Explore virtualization and remote servicing tools.Develop, document, and publish workstation purchasing and support standards and processes.Develop, document, and publish software purchasing and support standards and processes.Establish funding mechanism for workstation management.Explore establishing a purchasing partnership.Data Metrics:Number of support calls (monthly)Number of support incidents (monthly)Top 5 most frequent incident types (monthly)Customer satisfaction rankings (monthly)Possible TrainingTrack-itMCDST (Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician)ACSP (Apple Certified Support Professional)Network ServicesDocument current network configuration.Identify (qualitatively) historic problem areas.Contract for a network analysis.Map out a holistic “to-be” network master plan.Secure building data closets.Document current server architecture.Identify (qualitatively) known problem areas.Contract for a server architecture analysis.Map out a holistic “to-be” server architecture master plan.Data Metrics:Unplanned outagesPlanned outagesMax bandwidth consumptionAve. bandwidth consumptionBandwidth consumption by buildingPossible TrainingVMWareSANExchangeEnterprise Applications ServicesComplete an inventory of all software systems.Map all system integrations.Fill three open positions.Conduct Jenzabar utilization assessment.Review current returns from each system.Explore full capabilities of each system.Prioritize and projectize system redeployments.Establish and document Change Management Process.Data Metrics:Unplanned outagesPlanned outagesAnticipated upgrades/enhancementsPossible TrainingBusiness AnalysisJenzabarSharePointPHPSQLVB ScriptClassroom & Media ServicesInventory and document all classroom and campus technology.Establish classroom media standards that support teaching/learning needs while targeting sustainability.Review event registration, staffing, and current recharge practices.Data Metrics:Number of events for last monthAnnual comparison of events for last yearNumber of man hours expended covering events ................
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