Information Technology at SFU

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Information Technology at SFU

• July 25, 2002

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Agenda

• Information Technology at Simon Fraser University
• Comprehensive IT Services to Students
• Administrative Systems
• Support to Research
• e-Learning Issues From an IT Perspective

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IT Reporting Relationship
President
VP FA
VP Academic
VP Research
VP Development
CIO
Chief Librarian
Deans
Depts
IT Support Groups
Library Systems
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CIO Mandate

• Management Administration
• Responsible for ACS/OTS/ASG/SSS
• Delivery of Core Systems Infrastructure
• Strategic Planning of common IT services
• Campus Wide
• Influencing, coordination role
• IT Governance, Policy Standards
• Advocacy Role for IT
• Practical Innovation
• Last resort support to Faculty/Staff

5
Stats
High Speed Connections
Active Accounts
Internet Traffic
E-mail Messages By Quarter
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Central IT Budget(ACS/OTS/SSS/ASG)
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IT Across SFU
Central IT
Distributed IT
Coordinated IT
Core Admin Systems Library SFU Services -
e-mail - accounts - top portal Network
Specific Research Specialized Teaching Local
Research Networks
Desktop Support Departmental Applications Shared
Research
Standards, Training, Interaction
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Excessive Diversity
Balance Technical Simplification vs. User
Diversity Cant stretch too far. Inhibits
ability to progress
Potential Eliminations?
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Key Issues from CIO Perspective

• Replacement of Core Systems Student, HR/Pay,
  Finance
• Unacceptable risk people, equipment, big
• IT Staffing
• Retirements (15 eligible)
• Hiring, retention, training, career path
• Salary levels in very competitive market
• Introduction/Support of Learning Technology -
  eLearning
• Potentially bigger than conventional IT
• Equipment Renewal Policy
• Need for annual investment, not one-time funding
• Eliminate Boom then Bust cycle

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Key Issues from CIO Perspective 2

• Increasing reliance on IT
• Strategic service, Constant innovation,
  Increasing cost
• How do we keep up? How does CIO convince
  Community?
• Inefficient Delivery of Basic IT desktop
  support
• May be effective but costly?
• Decentralization a cultural issue
• Security virus, hacking
• Questions Answers

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Comprehensive Services for Students

• e-Mail
• 2 MB attachment limit -gt 15MB
• virus scanned, can restrict by packet type (DVD,
  mp3)
• more and bigger equipment - 2 x Sun V880 servers
  Fall 02
• Workstations in Computer Labs
• 1500 computers (PCs, Macs, Linux, Sun)
  available to students
• specialized software, depending upon course
• Safe, secure, shared data storage
• 50 MB Space need to expand
• Special programs _at_ Surrey campus students 9 GB
• Personal Web space
• increasingly web-centric community

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Comprehensive Services for Students 2

• Collaborative Tools
• Mail Lists, Caucus, WebCT
• Printing services
• central queues, printing pay cards
• UNIX services
• Statistical , mathematical software
• usage declined dramatically
• Wireless Wired Connections on Campus
• seamless, wired corridor Fall 02
• changes how we manage our network

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Comprehensive Services for Students 3

• Modem, High Speed (DSL, Cable) access from off
  campus
• new security demands with High Speed connections
• seamless work environment
• Student Administration
• Admissions, Registration, Records IVR, Web
• comprehensive legacy system
• implementing PeopleSoft Fall 03
• Departments
• many departments offer specific facilities to
  students
• GIS, Computer Science, Engineering, Math,
  Chemistry, etc

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Student e-Business Services

• Online Inquiry
• Registered courses, Books, Exam schedule,
  Tutorial/lab times
• A/R statement, News/events, Clubs
  organizations, Calendar
• Online Payments
• Library fines, Tuition refunds, Enrollment
  applications
• Parking renewal/fines, Conference
  registration/payment, Modem time
• Residence application/payment
• Online Forms
• Advancement Online Donation, Campus Orientation
  Registration
• Parking Change of Registration, Parking Lottery
  Entry
• Professional Designation Course Registration (HC)
• Science Store Requisition Form
• Writing Publishing Program Course Registration
  (HC)

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SFU Online Library Services Our Library is
where YOU are

• Full support for off-campus, multi-campus,
  distance users, online courses
• Fully integrated online services
• Over 200 index/abstracts
• Over 8,000 journals
• Online library catalogue (1.5 mill. print, 8,000
  eBooks)
• Many partner library catalogues Interlibrary
  loan form
• dbWiz searches across indexes, catalogues, web
  pages
• Citation Manager stores search results for later
  use
• GODOT sends request for item to identified
  library
• Online reference service (LSSI - Version of
  eGain call centre sw)
• Email referencehelp service

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SFU Library Technology Infrastructure

• SFU Library SW links Search, location finder,
  full text online, request to branch/other
  institutions
• reduces staff, delivery time
• 400 increase in ILL over 5 years w. 1 new staff
  (fulfilled an unmet demand)
• SFU Library dev. SW for West Cdn. Univ, BC
  Postsec. libraries
• Charge for installation/maintenance
• Use/contribute to Open Source software,
  standards Z39.50, XML, OAI, jake, perl, linux
• 175 public, 150 staff PCs, variety of servers,
  software

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Integrated Account ManagementAMAINT

• Obtains student information from student system
• Generates and Maintains Student Accounts
• 42,000 accounts, 28,000 active, 6 different
  account types
• sets directories, quotas, access rights by policy
• Passes student/account information to various
  systems
• Unix NIS database permits access to Unix hosts
• WebCT e-Learning, e-Mail, Mail Lists (course),
  Corporate Time (scheduling), Active Directory
  (Windows)
• Information passed to Departments, Library,
  groups, ad hoc requests
• Controls e-Business services

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Integrated Account Management 2

• Automatic maintenance
• driven by student status, courses registrations,
  password changes
• Basis for Single Sign-On
• policy issues to be resolved
• Essential Tool
• manual account administration not an option
• 1 2 FTE inquiry staff manage all accounts

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IT Services For StudentsConclusions

• There is never enough equipment
• Integral part of student life at SFU
• assignment submission, e-mail
• if you lose computer access you would probably
  fail
• Abuse, Security Always a Problem but Manageable
• full time security role, extensive log
  collection/analysis
• Diligence students know we are watching for
  abuse
• Three year computer lab lease renewal policy
• Trying to encourage use of Student owned
  computers
• connectivity vs. SFU supplied equipment -
  savings
• problem with specialized software too expensive
  for students
• Questions Answers about IT Student Services

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Administrative SystemsStudent Administration,
HR/Payroll, Finance, Facilities, Small
Departmental Applications (e.g. Parking, Health,
Residence)

• Core Systems (Student, HR/Pay, Finance) Need
  Replacing
• Custom developed early 80s now obsolete
  technology
• Highly tailored to SFUs unique business
  practices
• Common look and feel and technology
• Inflexible, risk of failure to respond to changes
• Replacement Approach
• Custom developed systems -gt Package Solutions
• PeopleSoft ERP (Student, HR/Pay, Finance)
  selected
• maintain advantages of Common look and feel and
  technology
• 3 4 year effort, very expensive, big impact on
  all CIOs IT resources

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Administrative System Strategies at SFU

• From Client/Server to Web Systems
• broader deployment, lower maintenance ,
  improved security
• Standard Three Tier Architectural Approach
• Web server, Application Server, Database Server
• Typically physically as well as logically
  distinct
• CITRIX\Terminal Services
• Easier deployment and maintenance of
  client/server applications,
• easier to secure (?)
• Less Custom Development ... More Packages, More
  System Integration/Interfaces
• Wider use of vLans, VPNs, Switched Networks for
  Security
• adds complexity
• greater burden on IT staff

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Administrative System Conclusions

• Because our systems are highly tuned to our
  current business processes, there will be a big
  change impact and some initial productivity loss
• difficult to justify spend while losing
  functionality
• Implement smaller systems in similar
  architecture
• Windows Servers need to be managed like Unix
  Environment
• separate Application group from O/S, Network and
  Infrastructure Security
• Data security difficult in a Student centric
  environment
• common backbone

Questions and Answers
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Research Computing at SFU

• Changes in Research Computing
• Increasingly decentralized, individual systems,
  since M/F
• Now, moving to much larger, shared equipment
• Recent Research Computing Events at SFU
• Beowulf Cluster
• Beowulf cluster uses inexpensive, common parts
  connected by low costs LAN
• 192 CPU, parallel processing machine built at SFU
  for US 200,000
• Performance 145 Gflops in comparison a 1 GHZ PC
  
• Currently 465 on worlds fastest list very
  impressive price/performance
• used to capacity within 3 weeks of availability
• Grid Computing
• 5 Participating Universities in Western Canada
• Distributed components e.g, storage at SFU, CPU
  in Alberta
• connected by very high speed network

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Supporting Research ComputingSome Challenges

• Cultural change
• Independent to shared
• defining common policies and procedures
• Scale Up Issues
• decentralized management practices wont work
• increasing complexity monitoring,
  backup/recovery, security, network, system admin,
  account admin
• facilities UPS, Air Conditioning
• Ongoing Equipment Operations and Maintenance
• who pays when research grant runs out?

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e-Learning Issues From an IT Perspective

• Pray for an evolution, not a revolution
• huge potential impact on networks
• pilot systems may not scale very well
• how to support a truly collaborative community?
• Managing Diversity
• expensive and difficult to run numerous different
  systems
• how can a diverse university agree on 1 or 2
  systems?
• Integration with Administrative Systems
• need interfaces
• automate account changes
• System Availability, Reliability Essential
• immature products
• Roles
• faculty vs instructional support vs IT

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Thank You!
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Jim Cranston CIO Simon Fraser University

• Engineer, MBA by academic background
• Joined SFU September 2001
• Previously Management Consultant specializing in
  IT
• Worked in Indonesia on projects from 1987 1995
• University environment different from other
  organizations, but the IT issues are essentially
  the same

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Indonesian Projects

• 1997 88 Medium Term Marine and Coastal
  Planning KLH
• Management and IT Specialist
• 1998 94 Environmental Management and
  Development Indonesia (EMDI)
• Information Technology Advisor to KLH
• 1993 - 94 Master Training Plan Agency for
  Industrial Research and Development Department
  of Industry
• IT/Environmental Training Needs
• Balai Basar dan Balai Industri