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Office of Information Technology
Accomplishments Fiscal Year 2008
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IVERSITY OF
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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
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Office of Information Technology: Providing Computing and Communications Resources to the University of Maryland Accomplishment Highlights — Fiscal Year 2008
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
Office of Information Technology: Providing Computing and Communications Resources to the University of Maryland Accomplishment Highlights — Fiscal Year 2008
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
Office of Information Technology: Providing Computing and Communications Resources to the University of Maryland Accomplishment Highlights — Fiscal Year 2008
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
Office of Information Technology: Providing Computing and Communications Resources to the University of Maryland Accomplishment Highlights — Fiscal Year 2008
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
Office of Information Technology: Providing Computing and Communications Resources to the University of Maryland Accomplishment Highlights — Fiscal Year 2008
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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Office of Information Technology: Providing Computing and Communications Resources to the University of Maryland Accomplishment Highlights — Fiscal Year 2008
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
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Office of Information Technology: Providing Computing and Communications Resources to the University of Maryland Accomplishment Highlights — Fiscal Year 2008
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)oit-pr@umd.edu
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