Top Issues Facing Information Technology at UAB

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Top Issues Facing Information Technology at UAB

• Sheila M. Sanders
• UAB Vice President Information Technology
• February 8, 2007

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Areas of Focus

• Top Issues Facing IT in Higher Education
• Top IT Priorities and Plans at UAB
• IT Organizational Changes to reflect priorities
• IT Vision

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Top IT Concerns in Higher Ed

• Campus Computing ProjectTop Five Concerns
• Network and data security
• Helping faculty integrate technology into
  instruction
• Upgrading/replacing ERP systems
• User support
• Funding hardware and software replacement

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Top IT Issues in Higher Education

• 2006 EDUCAUSE Current Issues Survey
• Critical for Institutions Strategic Success
• Security and identity management
• Funding IT
• Administrative/ERP/Information systems
• Disaster recovery/Business continuity
• Faculty development, support, and training
• Expenditure of Most Human and/or Financial
  Resources
• Administrative/ERP/Information Systems
• Infrastructure
• Support Services/Service Delivery Models
• Security and Identity Management
• Electronic classrooms/Technology Buildings Models
  

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Top Trends in IT (Educause Current Issues)
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Top IT Priorities at UAB

• Data Security Program
• Replacement of our Administrative Systems
• Support for Research
• Support for Teaching and Learning
• Portal and Web Strategy

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UAB Data Security Program

• Developed a data security program in 2006 with
  the following key elements
• Appointed a Data Security Officer and recruited
  staff
• Began revising of our Data Security Policy
• Defined the roles and responsibilities for all
  members of the UAB community
• Added responsibilities for those maintaining
  sensitive information
• Developed a standard for data security incident
  response
• Appointed a Incident Response Committee
• Published a process for reporting incidents on
  the Data Security web site
• Weekly review of incidents
• Developed a Security Training Plan
• General training and awareness for all employees
• Purchased an on line security module
• Will be made available through BlazerNET to all
  faculty, staff and students
• Targeted IT Security training
• Charged IT Directors with documenting employees
  responsibilities for security in job description
  and review annually

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Replacement of our Administrative Systems

• Recent Successes
• Oracle HR/Payroll and Finance modules
• Development, Alumni and Equipment Accounting
  Systems
• Underway
• Student Information System
• Implement for the Fall Class of 2007
• Important ancillary projects
• Operational Data Store
• Xtender imaging system
• Integration with BlazerNET portal for single sign
  on
• Improved reporting environment

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Research(Support Systems)

• Research Support Systems
• Trends
• Increased regulatory environment
• New requirements for online grant submissions
• Competition for research dollars
• Underway and under consideration
• Replacing paper forms and routing for grant
  documentation, IRB, IACUC
• Web access to the ESYS grants pre-award budget
  system
• Review products on the market
• Oracle pre-awards
• External grant submissions systems
• Oracle workflow
• No one vendor solution

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Research(Networks and Computing)

• High Performance Networks
• Continue to invest in on campus upgrades and
  infrastructure
• Evolution of the Internet
• 1980s UAB joins BITNET which evolves into the
  Commodity Internet
• 1990s UAB becomes an Internet2 member
• Today -
• Final Stages of completing our connection to the
  Southern Light Rail and the National Lambda Rail
  (Internet 3)
• Dark fiber obtained by UA, UAB, and UAH
• Partnered with NASA and Georgia Board of Regents
• Lower cost Internet and Internet 2 connectivity
• Extends the boundaries of the campus network for
  external collaborations

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Research(Networks and Computing)

• High Performance Computing Today
• Enabling Technology Lab and the Shared High
  Performance Computing Lab
• Expertise in Grid Computing on Campus
• In the process of connecting the CS cluster with
  the ETL (eng) cluster
• Participant of SURA Grid
• Academic Computing middleware research
  scheduling and identity management
• Recently added to our compute power by purchasing
  the IBM Blue GeneL Supercomputer

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Research(Networks and Computing)

• Next Steps
• Organize a strategic planning effort sponsored by
  the VPs for Research and IT
• Widespread involvement of stakeholders
• Direction and validation for infrastructure
  planning, networks, computing, tools and support

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Support for Teaching and Learning

• Recent successes
• Moved to one standard for all course management
  systems at UAB WebCT Vista
• Increased use in employee training
• Hospital Compliance
• Data Security
• Research Compliance
• Integrated with BlazerNET on my courses and
  training tab
• Next steps
• Organize for better support of online and in
  person classes
• Initiated a Classroom Enhancement Project
• Joint Charge by Provost and VP IT
• Make recommendations for the following areas
• Room layout and design
• Standards for technology
• Support (technology and training faculty)

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Portal and Web Strategy

• Critical to our image and in the way we
  communicate with our constituents
• Next Steps
• Continue role based service delivery
• Continue to implement single sign for most
  systems at UAB through BlazerNET
• Continue to refine our search capabilities
• Support standards for external facing pages
• Development of dark sites for emergencies
• Web site contingency plan

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The Vision for IT at UAB

• Information will be easy to find and easy to use
• IT will be a partner in Research, Teaching,
  Learning, and HealthCare at UAB