Information Technology Services

What is the program’s mission statement or statement of purpose? Why does the program exist?

Information Technology Services of Eastern Illinois University provides effective, dependable, innovative technology, telecommunication, and mail services for faculty, staff, and students of Eastern Illinois University to facilitate the teaching/learning/research environment as well as the administrative support services.

How does the program mission align with the university mission?

All areas of Information Technology Services provide services and support for university students, faculty and staff in support of the university and its mission. Faculty, staff and students rely on the technologies supported by ITS to provide an accessible education to each student.

From the application process till graduation, students employ the services and resources of ITS. Prospective students submit their applications to EIU via a website hosted and maintained by ITS. Once the admitted students arrive on campus, services provided by ITS play an essential role in their university career. One of their first visits is to the Panther Card office to receive their official identification card for EIU, allowing them access to on-campus services such as checking out materials at Booth Library and Textbook Rental Services, and entry to the Student Recreation Center.

Registration for classes is accomplished via the EIU network utilizing PAWS, a system maintained by ITS. Students receive textbooks through a system supported by ITS. The network provided to the classrooms provides faculty and students essential resources to employ technology in the learning process. To view their progress and access their grades, students again make use of PAWS.

Technology-enhanced as well as online classes rely on services provided by ITS. Faculty are able to access the internet to complete research and communications. Viewing class rosters at the beginning of the semester and entering grades at the end of the semester are accomplished by either accessing Banner/PAWS or D2L, both systems supported by ITS.

Staff utilize EIU’s network, servers, and systems on a daily basis in support of the university mission. Many use EIU’s network, internet accessibility and Banner on a daily basis to conduct the business of the university. Functions such as procurement, payroll, and employment that the university relies on to accomplish its mission depend on systems supported by ITS.

The staff of ITS are devoted to and proud to hold an integral role in the university’s mission. Members of Information Technology Services are constantly reviewing current technology and researching new technology to analyze the benefits and applicability for the university in accomplishing the university’s mission.

Whom does the program serve?

Information Technology Services provides services that affect every prospective student, applicant, student, annuitant, faculty, staff, camp/conference attendee, visitor to campus, as well as anyone accessing EIU’s website.

What are the services provided? How do these services align with the university mission and program mission?

 Services provided by Information Technology Services include, but are not limited to, the following:

• EIU network, including wireless network
• Internet accessibility
• Email
• Server/virtual server hosting and support
• Desktop/laptop setup and support
• Software distribution, upgrade services and support
• Help Desk
• Panther Card
• Information security services
• Custom programming
• Web server support
• Banner/PAWS system
• Textbook Rental System
• Degree Audit Reporting System
• OnBase document management system
• Workflow development
• Reporting services and support
• Virtual desktop infrastructure
• File sharing services and support
• Authentication services
• EIU Alert system
• Mobile web applications
• Telecommunications
• Mail services
• D2L accessibility
• Parking and ticketing system/parking permit support
• Technology guides
• Group accounts

Functions ITS provides and the university community is able to perform and need for the education of students include:

• Communicate (telephone, mail, email, internet)
• Internet accessibility
• Teach technology as well as utilize technology in teaching
• Apply for admission to the university
• Register for classes
• Assign grades
• Process payrolls
• Schedule classes
• Distribute textbooks

Describe the program’s origins (e.g. year established, purpose, expectations).

In 1959, Dr. John Walstrom, a faculty member of the College of Business, was established as the technical director of the Data Processing Center. Originally housed in Blair Hall, the center was charged with maintaining unit record equipment. Following Dr. Walstrom’s departure from the university in 1968, Rollie Spaniol became the director. In 1971, after a lengthy process of developing space requirements, space in the Student Services Building was remodeled and the center was moved to its current location in that building.

The early mainframe environment was used primarily to support the administrative functions of the university, accounting, payroll, student registration. Access was limited to particular staff and hours of accessibility were limited to university hours. A few faculty eventually utilized the mainframe to teach programming classes.

Several iterations of mainframe computers have now been replaced with an environment that supports a university-wide network, numerous physical servers, server virtualization, virtual desktop infrastructure, and a proliferation of desktops/laptops/tablets.

As the technology has evolved, so have the expectations and uses of the technology provided and supported by ITS. Presently, every student, faculty, and staff utilize the university’s technology on a regular basis.

How has the unit changed or adapted over time?

Originally known as the Data Processing Center, the name was later changed to Computer Services and Telecommunications and finally as the department is now recognized as Information Technology Services.

The units within ITS have evolved to reflect the changes in technology and the methods in which technology is used. Original units of Technical Support and Programming have been replaced with the current units: Network Systems, System Administration, Enterprise Systems, Information Security, User Services, and Information Systems. In 1998 Telecommunications became an area within ITS and in 2002 Mail Services was also joined with ITS. In 2009, ITS underwent a restructuring effort. The results comprise the current structure with a 24% reduction in positions.

These changes became necessary not only due to the changes in technology hardware and software but in the methods in which technology is employed.

Network Systems oversees the campus network infrastructure, which includes the wireless internet deployment, network data flows, the main campus firewall and Safe Connect.

System Administration manages the university’s central systems. These include the university’s web systems, PantherMail and Pantherfile. Additionally, this area provides the support of the authentication systems allowing faculty, staff, and students access to technology deployed services.

Enterprise Systems manages the university’s enterprise servers, enterprise data storage and virtualization, and enterprise data backups. Enterprise systems hosted on the servers and storage include Banner, PAWS, and Panthermail. This area is tasked with virtualizing servers for academic and administrative departments, as well as the virtual desktop infrastructure initiative.

The Information Security area of ITS is charged with protecting the University’s systems, service and data against unauthorized use, disclosure, modification, damage and loss. In addition to protection against security issues, this area works with the university to maintain compliance with regulatory standards.

The Information Systems develops, implements, and manages administrative application software. Systems supported include: Banner/PAWS, Textbook Rental System, Astra scheduling system, EIU Alert, and Degree Audit Reporting System.

The User Services area of ITS provides customer service and campus communications regarding technology. Support is provided via phone, email, in office appointments, and remote computing sessions. Desktop/laptop setup, installation and support are provided by this area.

With the evolution of technology and structure changes, staff positions, responsibilities and skill sets have also evolved. No longer is Information Technology Services a department of programmers utilizing Assembler, Cobol, and Fortran. Mainframe programming, operations, and systems programmers have evolved into web programming, infrastructure support and server administration.   Current position titles held by ITS staff did not exist at the time the original Data Processing Center was created.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program’s history and relevance to university mission.

Provide data, if available, on the numbers of students, faculty, staff, or others served by the program during the past four years. If no data are available, please estimate the numbers served annually.

Every year, each student, faculty, staff, and prospective student is served by Information Technology Services. The facilities that allow students to register for classes, receive grades, and apply for graduation are provided by ITS. Faculty utilize services provided by ITS to accomplish any tasks that require the internet, employ technology in the classroom, view class rosters, and assign student grades. Numerous staff members rely on the Banner system supported by Information Technology Services to perform their daily tasks. All faculty and staff rely on PAWS, supported by ITS, to accomplish tasks such as entering time worked, viewing pay stub information, and receiving W-2s. Prospective students rely on the services provided by ITS to apply for admission, communicate with various university offices, and receive acceptance information as well as utilize EIU’s website to learn about the university.  The university relies on the services and systems supported by ITS to accomplish tasks such as procurement, payroll, and human resources.

Does the program offer any co-curricular opportunities for students (e.g., internships, RSO support, service-learning activities)? Please describe.

Information Technology Services has hosted internships both for EIU and Lake Land College students. This Fall, collaboration with Career Services will afford MIS majors the opportunity to job shadow in three areas of Information Technology Services.

The ITS Help Desk area employs several student workers affording them technology experience in a work environment.  At various times, ITS provides graduate assistants the opportunity to experience the technology field.

Does the program contribute to the delivery of academic programs (e.g., providing professional expertise, serving as adjunct faculty)? Please describe.

Information Technology Services contributes to the delivery of academic programs in numerous ways. ITS provides services such as VDI for academic computer labs, virtualized departmental servers, networking for classrooms, academic areas/programs as well as desktop and laptop support for academic departments.

Several members of ITS staff serve as adjunct faculty for EIU and Lake Land College.

ITS staff advise academic departments in the replacement of outdated equipment. A recent example is the work completed in conjunction with Dr. Chinchilla to update equipment and network access for telecommunication courses. ITS also provides hardware and software support for CATS.

The Assistant Director for Information Security participates weekly in the College of Education’s Tech Talk4Teachers podcast.

Communication Disorders and Sciences is supported by ITS in their use of the OnBase imaging system providing realistic clinical experiences for their students.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the internal demand for the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., curriculum changes made by another program) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Is the program accredited or approved by a recognized external agency or otherwise certified to meet established professional standards? Provide an executive summary of and link to the program’s most recent accreditation or certification report, if available.

No accrediation or certification programs exist for ITS departments.  As indicated below, several regualtory acts and agencies set standards and compliance regulations.

Is the program required to meet any regulatory or legal requirements? Is the program subject to any special auditing requirements?

Information Technology Services is regularly audited by EIU’s internal auditors, the state’s Office of the Auditor General, and the university’s external auditors. Additionally, ITS staff must insure compliance with HIPAA, FERPA, PCI, HEOA, and DMCA.

What are the most important outreach or public service activities supported by the program?

In conjunction with the Illinois Century Network, EIU ITS has become a Point of Presence on the network, providing connectivity to the surrounding state funded institutions that include libraries, cities and municipalities, community colleges and public school districts.

How do the local community and the region benefit from the program?

This is part of the state wide effort to bring Internet connectivity and high capacity bandwidth to public institutions throughout the state.

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the external demand for the program.

What are the two or three more important measureable outcomes tracked to assess program quality? Does the program conduct an outcomes assessment, and if so, what has been the impact?

 Information Technology Services internally uses several assessments. As the network is of critical importance to every member of the university community and all academic programs, network availability is one of the most vital measurements. During fiscal year 2013, network availability was 99.8%.

Other assessments used are number of calls received by Campus Technology Support, number of projects requested, number of projects completed, time to project completion, and availability of systems such as email, PAWS, Banner.

ITS resources are aligned and allocated based on demand and outcomes from assessments.

What are the two or three most effective best practices that the program has implemented? What benefits have been gained from implementing these best practices?

Information Technology Services partnered with CATS and Procurement in the implementation of the annual bulk ordering of desktops/laptops process. Benefits gained by this practice include cost and time savings for the university. Vendors offer discounts on the cost of the machines and due to the number of similar machines ordered, delivery time is typically shortened. ITS and CATS staff are able to streamline the setup process resulting in a quicker delivery time of the machines from ITS to their final destinations. By standardizing the models ordered, software installation and problem resolution times are reduced, benefits that are continued to be realized for the life of the machines.

The Enterprise Systems area of ITS implemented and supports server virtualization.   Virtualization benefits include reduction in physical server requirements, reduction in cooling and overall power requirements, maximized server and storage utilization, failover capabilities, favorable licensing structure and improved performance. This affords departments the ability to have the benefits of the server without the expense of providing a physical machine and the ability to utilize ITS expertise for maintenance tasks. 

Particularly during the past two years, the staff of ITS have been able to script and roll out updates on an automated basis to networked desktops/laptops, eliminating the need for every machine to be visited and updated individually. This process has resulted in machines that are updated in a more timely manner and reduction in interruptions to faculty and staff. Not only is it a time savings for ITS, but also for the various technology personnel in academic and administrative departments who also would have performed the changes manually.

The staff of ITS in collaboration with various academic and administrative offices, have developed workflows to reduce time and faculty/staff involvement in processes. The student grade change workflow replaced a completely manual, paper based processed that involved numerous approvals across campus. The implementation of the workflow increased efficiency, accuracy and provided better service for the academic and administrative offices involved.

The scholarship verification process was another completely manual, paper driven process selected for workflow implementation. Much time was being spent at the end of the process verifying appropriate personnel had approved it and that accurate amounts had been awarded. Utilizing web-based forms and workflow, the new process increased efficiency, simplified scholarship maintenance, provided increased accuracy, and reduced the use of paper.

What external recognitions (e.g., awards, accommodations, professional certifications, references in trade publications) have the program and its staff received in the past three years?

At the Ellucian Summit conference held in March, 2013, the scholarship verification workflow created by ITS received an honorable mention for the Ellucian Inspire award. The award is given in recognition of improving operational efficiency, better serving constituents, and improving student success.

Numerous certifications are available for technology staff to attain. Lack of funding has eliminated the ability for ITS to provide the training, travel, and sponsorship for those certifications. Several recently hired members of ITS have various certifications achieved prior to becoming EIU employees.

Is the program active with any regional, national, or international professional organizations?

Information Technology Services has a seat on the Illinois Century Network – Advanced Engineering Task Force. This task force is involved in policy and technology deployed as part of the state wide effort to bring Internet connectivity and high capacity bandwidth to public institutions throughout the state.

ITS is a member of IPATHE, the Illinois Partnership to Advance Technology in Higher Education. The organization consists of technology representatives from each of the state’s higher education institutions. Goals of the organization include: encouraging research into common problems, developing increased cooperation between Illinois state university IT organizations, serving as a resource for addressing state-wide IT issues, and exchanging information concerning problems, procedures and experiences.

ITS has a staff member holding a seat on the advisory board for Ellucian Commons. The group advises Ellucian regarding the user interface and content of the Commons, a website used by all Ellucian clients for product support and information. (Ellucian is the vendor for Banner/PAWS.)

Note any presentations, publications, or offices held in the last three years.

During 2012, Information Technology Services’ Assistant Vice-President was elected secretary for IPATHE. Terms of office for IPATHE are two years.

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the quality of program outcomes.

Note any special benefits (e.g., personnel support, equipment, permanent improvements) that the program has received in the past three years from its grants and other sponsored programs.

How does the program benefit from donor gifts (e.g., scholarships, endowed chairs)? Does donor support provide a significant percentage of the program’s overall funding?

Information Technology Services does not typically receive donor gifts from any persons or organizations other than ITS staff. These gifts do not provide a significant percentage of funding.

List two or three key relationships that the program maintains with external constituencies (e.g., community colleges, other universities, government bodies). How do these relationships advance the university mission or otherwise benefit the university?

ITS is a member of IPATHE. The organization provides a forum for Illinois’ state universities to understand common issues and realize efficiencies when possible. Disaster recovery, avoiding disruptions in time of problems or disaster and exploration of cost and time efficiencies in the purchasing process are current topics.

ITS has several staff members who are former technology employees or have been adjunct faculty for Lake Land College and continue to maintain relationships with LLC faculty/staff. Through these relationships, we encourage the community college to teach technologies that are needed by EIU ITS employees. In turn, ITS often hosts Lake Land College interns and have been very successful hiring graduates of the community college.

ITS has worked with Illinois Century Network and become a Point of Presence, providing connectivity to the surrounding state funded institutions. Working with Illinois Century Network has resulted in additional internet bandwidth at a reduced rate for the university.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the resources generated by the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., revenue pass-throughs) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

As can be viewed in the figures above, the revenues have declined each of the past three years. However the services provided with the use of those revenues cannot decline or decrease. For example, while ITS is receiving less revenue through the computer network fee, the network has not decreased in size or availability. Quite the opposite is the expectation of the university community. The demand and expectation for wireless accessibility across campus has and is continually increasing.

In an effort to assist university departments during difficult budget times, ITS also declined to implement the typically annual percentage increase for fees for the three years depicted.

Provide an executive summary of and link to any metrics or benchmarks that the program tracks to measure productivity.

Metrics that are used internally include:

• Wireless network coverage for classrooms
• Number of calls received by Campus Technology Support
• Number of remote sessions utilized by Campus Technology Support
• Number of tickets opened/closed by Campus Technology Support
• Length of calls by Campus Technology Support
• Number of projects requested
• Number of projects completed
• Duration of projects completed
• Number of copyright infringement notices
• Number of compromised accounts

What initiatives has the program implemented to enhance staff productivity (e.g., access to training, workflow improvements)? Briefly describe the costs and benefits of these initiatives.

Through the campus license for Lynda.com, all ITS staff have access to basic training in various technology topics. This not only results in cost savings of paying for individual classes, but affords the opportunity for all staff to receive the training and saves travel time and costs as well as reduced time away from EIU to receive the training. A concentrated effort has been made to allow staff regularly scheduled time from assigned duties to research new technologies and utilize training resources.

The Information Systems area of ITS was reorganized to align with technologies rather than functional areas. Three development units were created: database administration, PL/SQL/3rd party integration, and web/mobile/process automation. The reorganization provides an environment conducive to increased knowledge sharing, quicker problem resolution times, internal training, and increased teamwork on projects.

The bulk ordering of desktops/laptops/ process that was implemented with CATS and Procurement has resulted in process improvements and automations including: configuration automation for desktops, automation of configurations after deployment of desktops and improved inventory processes. Each of these process improvements results in reduced staff time maintaining the machines, reduction in problems due to the standardization of configurations, and reduced faculty/staff time during setup/maintenance and problem resolution.

Areas within Information Technology Services utilize various project management tools to effectively assign resources, track projects, and measure effectiveness.

With the implementation of Audible Magic, the university has experienced a 77% reduction in copyright infringement notices, allowing stronger compliance with Higher Education Opportunity Act and Digital Media Copyright Act. These efforts save not only time and effort for the Information Security staff of ITS but also allow the students to enjoy increased stability of internet access.

Efforts to increase phishing prevention have resulted in a 55% reduction in compromised accounts. The decrease results in less ITS staff time handling compromised accounts and less faculty/staff time involved due to having their account compromised.

Within the Information Security area, the Gilbert’s Behavior Engineering Model was utilized to identify staff performance gaps. Identifying and implementing tools that would facilitate the staff’s performance resulted in a staff productivity increase.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the productivity of the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., accreditation requirements, curricular changes, program restructuring) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the costs associated with the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., expenditures made centrally or externally, expenditures made on behalf of other units) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

How does the program seek to distinguish itself from similar programs at other institutions?

The services each university relies on Information Technology Services to provide are intrinsically the same. The differences that are readily apparent are the staffing, funding, and structure of the department for each university. EIU’s Information Technology Services must provide and has successfully provided the same level of network accessibility, internet accessibility, faculty/student/classroom access to technology, technology support, and enterprise services as other universities and have managed these accomplishments with fewer staff, less funding, and a more compact structure.

Note any unique and/or essential contributions that the program makes to the university.

 Every service ITS provides is an essential contribution to the university. As with other universities, EIU relies upon the technology infrastructure provided and supported by ITS.  It is difficult, if not impossible to imagine a university without campus-wide networking, internet access, numerous services available via the web, and faculty/sfaff access to computers. Students would certainly choose to attend universities other than EIU and faculty recruitment would be difficult at best were EIU to not have the technology resources available that are supported by ITS.

Provide any program-specific metrics that help to document program contributions or program quality. Examples of some commonly used program-specific metrics may be found here.

Metrics that are used internally include:

• Network availability
• Peak network usage
• Wireless network coverage for classrooms
• Number of calls received by Campus Technology Support
• Number of remote sessions utilized by Campus Technology Support
• Number of tickets opened/closed by Campus Technology Support
• Length of calls by Campus Technology Support
• Number of projects requested
• Number of projects completed
• Duration of projects completed
• System availability
• Number of copyright infringement notices
• Number of compromised accounts
• Applications supported

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program impact on the university mission.

Provide a link to or listing of the program’s goals and/or strategic plan.

Following are goals and objectives included in the ITS strategic plan:

Goal #1: Centralize and standardize select technology services with clear and uniform policies and procedures.                                                  

University Strategic Plan Actions:                                                  

          Complete a comprehensive inventory of technology assets

          Review and refine the core set of standardized technology services provided by ITS

       Additional ITS Actions:                                                       

           SCCM - inventory assets (System Center Configuration Manager) - allows inventory of computers in the domain

                   Develop services catalog                  

                   ITIL - IT Infrastructure Library - IT service management, best practices

                   Standardize project management methodology and processes                                                          

Goal #2: Increase transparency of technology funding                                                  

            University Strategic Plan Actions:                                                  

            Develop a dashboard that provides summary data on technology expenditures                               

     Analyze current technology funding model, determine systemic inequities  

                    Explore alternative models for administering technology funding and expenditures, and adopt changes that enhance end-user support and reduce overall costs

            Additional ITS Actions:                                                       

Research methods used by each college/department for technology funding/planning                                                         

Consider methods of cost reductions (bulk purchases, university-provided standard equipment, etc                       

Review sources of ITS funding, forecast availability of funds for prioritized infrastructure projects                                      

Goal #3: Make targeted investments in our technology infrastructure.                        

University Strategic Plan Actions:                                                  

Assess the trends in demand for learning technologies and the university's ability to respond to the growing demand for ubiquitous learning (anytime, anywhere, any device)

Research methods used by each college/department for technology funding/planning"                                                       

Develop a new technology investment plan that outlines the infrastructure investments required for continued support of best practices and innovation in learning technologies.                                                

Address identified infrastructure needs (e.g. expanded wireless access, off-site data disaster recovery) with support from consultants as needed                  

Additional ITS Actions:                                                       

Collaboration with IPATHE for co-location, necessary equipment and services for disaster recovery                                   

Additional phases of edge switch/network replacements

Replacement for end of life Mars (monitoring, analysis, and response system) for network                                      

Expansion of wireless in academic buildings                          

Further development of virtual application deployment and desktop management

Facilitate access to information and services from mobile devices including assessment, development of mobile apps, mobile device management

Implementation of 802.1x

Assess need for campus portal

Provide university solution for storage and file collaboration, i.e. Internet2 Net+Box

Investigate and prepare for movement to Banner 9     

Investigate and assess need for information management and BI environment

Assess and implement identity management solution                                                        

Goal #4: Continue to improve efficiencies of service both internally to ITS and externally to university community basing IT service decisions on collaborative planning, providing excellent, accessible, and efficient service                            

Objectives:                                                    

Provide ITS staff education and opportunities to stay current with technology trends and research.                                                  

Provide effective communications with the university community.

Effectively utilize limited resources.                                                       

Provide the university community an ITS plan that will be evaluated, revised as necessary and distributed annually.

Encourage colleges and departments to include ITS in their technology planning                                                           

ITS Action Items:                                                      

Continue improvements in bulk ordering process, availability of information regarding recommended equipment                                          

Research alternatives for provision of warranty work, student pc repair

Complete transition of authentication from OID to AD                        

Complete redesign of ITS web pages, resulting in easily found and accessed user information                                           

Complete and implement service level agreement process                

Establish baseline measures, create benchmarking criteria and assess the effectiveness of key ITS services                                 

Establish career advancement paths for IT pilot program positions     

Research viable ticketing systems for the university, allowing expansion of current ticketing system usage                                     

Complete and implement ITS communication plan.                                        

Develop requirements and research alternatives to current Pinnacle system.  

Research innovative ways to obtain training                   

What role will the program have in the implementation of the university’s strategic plan (provide link to strategic plan)?

With emerging technologies as one of the strategic themes in the university’s strategic plan, Information Technology Services is integrally involved in the implementation of the university’s strategic plan. Each of the goals and objectives of the emerging technologies theme involves and affects Information Technology Services and will be implemented and supported by the department.

Information Technology Services staff have already been and will continue to be involved in the achievement of the goals of this theme. ITS staff will be involved in the research, development, planning, and implementation of each of the objectives of the goals of the emerging technologies theme.

Due to the role of technology in daily university activities, Information Technology Services will be involved as the university community achieves the objectives of each of the themes in the strategic plan. ITS will provide services ranging from data gathering and reporting to improved networking.  The use of technology is pervasive in daily university life and plays a critical role in facets ranging from recruitment and retention of new students to being able to view the university’s strategic plan.

In the next two or three years, what best practices, improvements in operations, or other opportunities to advance the university’s mission are likely to be implemented?

The next few years will continue to see changes in Information Technology Services as plans are made to adopt best practices and make improvements that are in keeping with the university’s strategic plan and mission.

Of vital importance is the plan to assess and address the needs for increased wireless network coverage. Students, faculty, staff and prospective students expect an anywhere, anytime availability of network resources. To satisfy that expectation, increased infrastructure and funding will be required.  

As critical as the network infrastructure is, insuring a sound technology investment plan is just as vital. Needed is a plan that will enable ITS to continue the support and research needed for innovative technologies while making the best use of limited university resources. The plan will need to enhance end-user support while reducing overall costs.

Steps that will continue to be taken to insure the best use of university resources include: annual reviews of hardware/software licensing and maintenance to determine unrealized savings, evaluation of services with a view towards centralization and reduction of duplicate services.

Expansion of the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure initiative has the capability to enhance the student’s computer lab experience, reduce hardware costs, and reduce staff time necessary for ITS and CATS, in the maintenance of desktop machines and computer labs.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand future opportunities for the program.