MOS V: Information Technology Infrastructure Initiatives
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVES
Two major Integrated Technology Strategy (ITS) initiatives focus on upgrading the CSU technology infrastructure: the
Technology Infrastructure Initiative (TII) and the Baseline Access, Training and Support Initiative (BATS). The aim of
the TII is to ensure that every CSU campus has a telecommunications infrastructure capable of meeting current and
anticipated information technology demands for academic programs and institutional operations. The goal of the
BATS Initiative is to improve the personal productivity of all members of the university community by providing access
to a baseline level of information technology resources and services.
_____________________________________ Baseline Telecommunications Infrastructure.
The physical telecommunications infrastructure comprises the combination of intra- and inter-building pathways,
closets, hubs and routers, and media (cables) that link individual workstations to the campus backbone, and the
campus backbone to the inter-campus network and the Internet. The campus pathways, network electronics and
network media are the unseen, behind-the-faceplate prerequisites that ultimately determine when, or whether, the
outcomes of the Integrated Technology Strategy can be achieved.
The benefits of access to current generation computing resources and services can be realized only if workstations
are linked to each other and to campus information systems, and to the Internet, by a high-capacity, high-speed
telecommunications infrastructure. Interactions over the Internet or the World Wide Web cannot be accomplished
faster than the intra-campus and the inter-campus backbone networks allow, regardless of the capabilities of end-user
equipment or applications. For this reason, the TII is a prerequisite for achieving the outcomes of the academic,
student services and administrative initiatives.
Intra-Campus Networks
By the early nineties, it became clear to CSU campus and system leaders that the limitations of the
telecommunications infrastructures on almost all CSU campuses constituted an impediment to maintaining and
improving the quality of academic programs and the efficiency of institutional operations. Unless improvements across
the system were made, the technology gap between campuses in the system, and between the CSU system and
national higher education community, would very soon have a negative affect on the entire CSU. Demands for
bandwidth associated with the explosive growth of multimedia and network applications, the transition from standalone to integrated information systems and their conversion to Web-based architecture, and the transition to
electronic commerce, far exceeded available resources. Upgrading campus telecommunications infrastructures to
meet these demands thus became an urgent priority for the system. The TII was the solution adopted to accomplish
this goal.
Baseline Telecommunications Infrastructure Standards
A common set of network performance specifications was adopted to assure that each campus would have, at a
minimum, a baseline telecommunications infrastructure capability adequate to meet the bandwidth demands of the
present and near-term future. The progress made to date in upgrading the campus telecommunications networks is
shown in Figure 7A. As of the end of the second year of construction and replacement, six campuses have attained
baseline telecommunications infrastructure capability.
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Percent of Network Connections (Outlets)
at Standard
Figure 7A - Campus Profile: Progress Toward Baseline Telecommunications Infrastructure
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
FY 2001-2002
50%
FY 2002-2003
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Campus
Intra-Campus Network Performance
Two measures serve as indicators of campus network performance for this report: 1) the greatest number of minutes
of “downtime” for a campus network in the best and worst months during the 12-month fiscal year; and 2) the average
and the highest (peak) utilization of the campus network capacity expressed as a percent of total bandwidth.
“Downtime” means that a user cannot send or receive information because of a problem in the network itself; i.e., not
because of problems originating within the user’s desktop equipment or because of interruptions of service provided
by local power and telephone utilities. For all campuses in the system, the median “best-month” downtime has
remained at zero minutes since Measures of Success reporting began in 1999-2000; median “worst-month” downtime
has not exceeded 90 minutes (Figure 7B).
Number of Minutes in Worst
Month
Figure 7B - System Profile: Median Downtime of Campus
Network
100
80
60
Best Month
Worst Month (x10)
40
20
0
1999-2000
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
Fiscal Year
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The percent of available bandwidth utilized at peak and non-peak periods is another important measure of network
capability. Generally, the lower the percent of available bandwidth required to support network uses, the better will be
the performance of the network and the lower the risk of interruptions to network access. * The median percentage for
peak network utilization for all CSU campuses has remained at roughly 40 percent of capacity despite increases in
network traffic (Figure 7C).
Figure 7C - System Profile: Median Utilization of Campus Network
45%
Percent of Capacity
40%
35%
30%
25%
Non-Peak
20%
Peak
15%
10%
5%
0%
1999-2000
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
Fiscal Year
Inter-Campus Network
Funding to maintain and improve the CSU inter-campus network is outside of the scope of the Technology
Infrastructure Initiative. However, because inter-campus and Internet connection are vital to achieving the outcomes
of the ITS, and because campus network capacity and traffic directly impact the operations of the inter-campus
network, pertinent information about the inter-campus network is included in the Measures of Success.
4CNet is the high-speed statewide backbone network that connects CSU campuses to each other and to the
campuses of the California Community Colleges and over 30 K-12 sites. CSU sites include 23 campuses, five offcampus centers, the office of Government Affairs, and the Chancellor’s Office.
The performance indicator of greatest interest to network users is the absence of service interruptions, or “unplanned
downtime.”** Interruptions of service scheduled to permit network maintenance occur infrequently and are not included
in this report. The chart below shows the number of minutes of unplanned downtime experienced by all campuses in
the best and worst months of each year since reporting began in 2000-2001 (Figure 17D).
*
Individual campus methods for calculating these indicators may differ. Utilization rates are usually established by sampling network traffic on a
specific day(s) and time(s) of the week associated with average usage patterns and with high usage patterns.
**
As it relates to the inter-campus network, “downtime” means that data connectivity is unavailable between any CSU campus border router (or
other key network electronic component) and an adjacent 4CNet router because of an unplanned 4CNet problem or circuit problem. If a campus is
redundantly connected to 4CNet, a failure of one connection that leaves another (or others) intact—and does not cause interruption in Internet
access—does not count as “downtime.”
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Figure 7D - Cumulative Unplanned Downtime for All Campuses
Number of Minutes
57,600
2,500
1,710
2,000
1,500
Best Mo.
Worst Mo.
1,000
500
200
314
0
0
0
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
Fiscal Year
The percentage of total bandwidth capacity required to support data traffic is a second useful measure of the
network’s ability to meet the demands of users on the individual campuses. In general, the lower the percentage of
capacity utilization, the better is the network performance and the lower the risk of service interruptions. Non-peak
utilization rates have been approximately 10 percent, and peak utilization has remained under 50 percent since 20002001.
In 2002-2003 the CSU decided to transfer 4CNet network operations to the Corporation for Education Network
Initiatives in California (CENIC). CENIC is building a new 2.5 gigabit/second optical backbone network, known as
CalREN, to serve California’s K-20 education community. The 4CNet backbone will no longer exist once the new
backbone network is operational.
The 2002 MOS report stated that “CSU enjoys a robust inter-campus network environment as evidenced by the
performance indicators.” In addition to quality, the system also has a quantitative advantage over most institutions.
The 2003 Campus Computing Survey once again found that the CSU was solidly ahead of comparison institutions
nationally in percentage of classroom connections, high-speed video, ATM, gigabit Ethernet, wireless networks, and
voice-over IP, among others. Some of the specific percentage comparisons are contained in the Conclusion section
of this report (Table 9A).
____________________________ . Baseline Access, Training and Support Initiative (BATS).
The BATS initiative seeks to improve personal productivity by providing CSU faculty, staff and administrators, and
students with a baseline quantity and quality of computing and network technologies, and of related training and
support services. Through this initiative campuses have since 1996 received additional resources for assistance in
upgrading the quality of computer workstations and network connectivity and for expanding availability of technical
support and technology training services.
This section of Measures of Success tracks progress in providing end-user access to baseline technology resources
and services in four areas: workstations (hardware and software), network connectivity, technical support, and
technology training.
Workstations
Access and Quality
CSU campuses have made substantial progress toward providing members of their communities access to a currentgeneration computer workstation equipped with up-to-date, personal productivity software applications. The
systemwide improvements in quantity and quality of the equipment and services that occurred in the years 1996
through 1999 established the generally high level of accessibility and of hardware and software quality.
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The indicator for hardware and software access (quantity) is the percentage of workstations assigned to each user
group that meets CSU baseline currency standards. Purchase date was selected as a surrogate measure for
currency: i.e., hardware and software purchased within three years of the reporting period is deemed to meet CSU
quality standards. For the system as a whole in 2002-2003, workstations were available in sufficient quantity to
provide access to all faculty and staff, and roughly eight out 10 of these workstations met hardware and software
currency standards for both user groups (Figure 7E).
Percent of Workstations
Figure 7E - System Profile: Access, Hardware and Software Quality
by User Group
140%
120%
100%
Faculty
80%
Staff/Admin
60%
Students
40%
20%
0%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2000 2001 2002 2003 2000 2001 2002 2003
Access
|
Hardware
|
Software
The profiles of individual campuses closely parallel the picture for the system as a whole. Typically, the number of
workstations available to faculty and staff and administrators equals or exceeds somewhat the total number of
personnel. Increasingly, faculty use a laptop computer in addition to a desktop workstation. In some disciplines, the
natural sciences, for example, faculty are responsible for computing equipment used in ongoing laboratory
experiments or to operate other equipment.
To a lesser extent, much the same is true for staff and administrators. The majority of nonfaculty university employees
use computers daily as the principal tool for performing their work. Some staff members (those responsible for
monitoring and maintaining information systems, for example) often have an additional, dedicated workstation.
Increasingly, administrators use both a desktop and a laptop computer in connection with their work.
Student access to university-provided workstations is generally offered in two types of computer laboratories: openaccess labs and departmental labs. Students studying subjects that require specialized software applications typically
use departmental or discipline-specific computer laboratories. Such laboratories are outside of the Integrated
Technology Strategy framework and are not included in the annual campus technology survey. Workstations counted
as available for student use in this report are those provided by the university for general use only. The ratio of
students to university-provided computer workstations available in open access venues averages 17 to 1 for all
campuses in the system. On individual campuses the ratios range from 10 or less to 1 (for about one-fourth of the
campuses) to 50 or more to 1 (for two campuses at the opposite extreme). Actual student access, however, is much
higher for reasons noted below.
User Findings
The number of open-access workstations available to students has begun to decrease, although student satisfaction
with the university-provided workstations remains high. The reason for the declining need correlates with a steady
increase in personal student computer ownership documented in the biennial student technology surveys. The 2003
survey reveals that more than nine out of 10 CSU students own operational computers; three-fourths of which are less
than three years old. Roughly one-third own a laptop computer, and almost half are equipped with wireless capability.
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The student survey findings suggest that the intent of CSU’s policy on 24-hour student access to a computer and the
network, adopted in 1995, has largely been achieved. (The policy documents can be viewed on the ITS Planning
Documents website: http://its.calstate.edu/systemwide_it_resources/its_planning_documents.shtml.)
Network Connectivity
The baseline workstation standards established in the ITS call for network connectivity capable of supporting fullmotion video. Such high bandwidth capability can support multimedia applications routinely used in science, visual
arts and music instruction, for example, and the high data transmission requirements of administrative information
systems.
Substantial progress has been achieved since the baseline year 1999-2000 in upgrading high-speed network access
for CSU employees and students. The median percentage of workstations with high-speed network capability has
increased substantially each year from less than 10 percent of workstations in 1999-2000 to between 80 and 90
percent in 2002-2003. (Figure 7F)
Figure 7F - System Profile: Median High-Speed Connectivity
Median Percentage of Available
Workstations
100%
90%
80%
70%
Faculty
60%
Staff/Admin
50%
Students
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1999-2000
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
Fiscal Year
About one-third of the campuses report that all of the university-provided workstations available to faculty,
staff/administrators and students are capable of high-speed network connectivity. About the same number of
campuses report only 10 to 20 percent of the workstations have such capability. The number of workstations with
high-speed connectivity can be expected to increase as the remaining campuses complete the TII buildout.
User Findings
Surveys in 2001 and 2003 asked students about the ways they access the Internet (including e-mail and the Web)
and their satisfaction with each option. Over four-fifths in both years reported using campus access to the Internet with
a rather high level of satisfaction. Only about one-half of CSU students use a campus-provided e-mail account,
although their satisfaction with it is also high. About three-fourths of students access the campus network from offcampus, a dramatic increase from 2001 when only one-half did so.
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Technical Support
Access
Technical support is an essential component of the ITS baseline information technology infrastructure. Gains in quality
and efficiency cannot be expected from the acquisition of new technologies if people cannot use them effectively.
Although no funding sources for this purpose have been found beyond the technology augmentation, all CSU
campuses provide at least basic technical support to members of CSU campus communities for university-provided
equipment and software. On most campuses, faculty, staff/administrators and students have a choice in the way they
request help. Options include telephoning a central campus call center, visiting a central or a divisional help desk, or
using e-mail/Web (Figure 7G).
Faculty | Staff/Administrators |
Students
2000-2001
2001-2002
EMail/Web
Help
Desk
Call
Center
EMail/Web
Help
Desk
Call
Center
EMail/Web
Help
Desk
22
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Call
Center
Number of Campuses
Figure 7G - System Profile: Technical Support Availability by Mode of
Access and User Group
2002-2003
In addition to the modes or sources of assistance listed above, students often receive help from staff in computer
laboratories or the library. Faculty, staff and administrators on some campuses can receive support from technicians
in their own divisions or departments.
Call centers are generally the most immediate and widely available means of dealing with computing and network
problems. There has been a steady increase in the average hours per week that call-center help is available to
faculty, staff/administrators and students (Figure 7H). Campus-by-campus variance ranges from 40 hours per week at
the low end to 24 x 7 access (168 hours per week) at the high end.
Average Hours per
Week
Figure 7H - System Profile: Call Center
Technical Support Availability
80
75
70
65
60
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
Fiscal Year
Faculty
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Students
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MOS V: Information Technology Infrastructure Initiatives
Quality of Service
In 2001-2002, metrics for gauging the quality of support services were incorporated into the Measures of Success.
These metrics are a set of institutional policies and practices that, when adhered to in total, suggest the campus is
providing support services of the quality envisioned in the Integrated Technology Strategy.  Baseline capability in the
area of end- user technical support is attained when a campus meets all five policy/practice standards for all three
user groups. There has been modest, but uneven, progress in meeting quality of service goals for the three user
groups (Figure 7I).
Number of Campuses
Figure 7I - System & Campus Profile: Support Quality
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Faculty
Staff/Adm
Students
All Groups
User Group & Baseline
2001-2002
2002-2003
User Findings
In 2001, and again in the 2003 survey, students were asked about several types of technical support available to
them. In general, they gave very positive satisfaction ratings to all of the support services, although their levels of use
varied considerably. The most striking trend is the obvious preference for immediate personal assistance. Use of
telephone call centers rose from 19 to 35 percent and requests for computer lab staff assistance increased from 40 to
61 percent.
Technology Training
Access
Availability of end-user training in the use of computer workstations, common personal productivity software and basic
network applications is an integral component of the ITS baseline technology infrastructure. Training to upgrade and
maintain the currency of the knowledge and skills needed by the information technology staff who support end users
is also included in the scope of the initiative.

The five support standards are:
1. The campus has policy or guidelines defining the kind and level of end-user technical support to which members of each user group are
entitled.
2. The campus has, and periodically employs, a mechanism for assessing the baseline technical support needs of faculty, staff/administrators
and students.
3. The campus communicates effectively to members of each user group comprehensive information about the technical support services
available to them.
4. The campus has, and periodically employs, a mechanism for measuring the satisfaction of user group members with the technical support
they receive from the campus.
5. The campus tracks the use of technical support services by members of each user group.
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A decline in training opportunities has occurred over the past three years for all user groups except IT staff
(Figure 7J). The sharp drop in number of campuses offering self-paced learning materials is attributable to the
expiration, in December 2001, of an enterprise agreement providing access to computer-based training programs to
all campuses and all user groups. The increase in IT staff training parallels growing demands for support services
associated with the expanding use of information technology in both academic and administrative operations.
Figure 7J - System Profile: Technology Training Availability by Mode and User Group
Off-Site
IT
Workshops
|
Self-Paced
Off-Site
Workshops
Self-Paced
Off-Site
Students
Off-Site
|
Staff
Workshops
Staff/Admin
Self-Paced
|
Workshops
Self-Paced
Number of Campuses
Faculty
22
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
Reductions in the type and quantity of training opportunities are reflected in the declining training participation rates
for faculty and students (Figure 7K) and in reductions in the level of available dollars to fund these activities
(Figure
7L). The rise in the number of staff and administrators who participated in training is attributable largely to the
conversion from legacy information systems to Common Management Systems applications. (See the preceding
section of this report.)
Number of Participants
Figure 7K - System Profile: Total Training Participation
25,000
20,000
Faculty
Staff/Admin
15,000
Students (x10)
10,000
IT Staff
5,000
0
1999-2000
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
Fiscal Year
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MOS V: Information Technology Infrastructure Initiatives
Annual Expenditure in
Thousands
Figure 7L - System Profile: Total Training Support
$1,750
$1,500
$1,250
Faculty
$1,000
Staff/Admin
$750
Students
$500
IT Staff
$250
$0
1999-2000
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
Fiscal Year
Disparities among campuses are greater in the area of training than in any other component of the technology
infrastructure. Large differences exist between the kinds and quantity of training opportunities available to members of
the principal user groups on individual campuses, and between like user groups across campuses.
Quality of Service
In 2001-2002, metrics for gauging the quality of technology training were incorporated into the Measures of Success.
These metrics are a set of institutional policies and practices that, when adhered to in total, suggest the campus is
providing end-user training services of the quality envisioned in the Integrated Technology Strategy.  Baseline
capability in the area of end-user training is attained when a campus meets all five policy/practice standards for all
groups. There has been modest progress in meeting quality of service goals for most user groups (Figure 7M).
Number of Campuses Meeting
Baseline Standards
Figure 7M - System & Campus Profile: Training Quality
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Faculty
Staff/Adm
Students
IT Staff
All Groups
User Group and Baseline
2001-2002
2002-2003

The five training standards are:
1. The campus has policy or guidelines defining “baseline” end-user technology training for faculty, staff/administrators, students, and IT
professionals who provide end-user technical support.
2. The campus has, and periodically employs, a mechanism for assessing the baseline technology training needs for each user group.
3. The campus communicates effectively to members of each user group comprehensive information about technology training opportunities
available to them.
4. The campus has, and periodically employs, a mechanism for measuring user satisfaction with the baseline technology training programs and
activities provided by the campus.
5. The campus tracks participation by members of each user group in baseline technology training programs and activities.
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User Findings
In both technology surveys, students gave high ratings to the importance of training opportunities although only a
small percentage (14 percent) said that they had participated in campus-based training programs. Those that did
participate were generally satisfied.
Institutional Progress Toward Baseline Capability
The components of the Baselines Access, Training and Support Initiative, discussed previously, focus on individual
students, faculty and staff and administrators. Baseline infrastructure can also be examined at the institutional level.
Access to “smart classrooms” is one indicator of institutional progress in baseline attainment.
“Smart Classroom” Access
The need to equip classrooms for instruction that employs network resources and multimedia presentations has
grown with the increased availability of technology-mediated instructional materials and with greater reliance on Webbased learning activities. For the CSU system as a whole, over one-half of the classrooms and instructional
laboratories were equipped with multimedia presentation equipment and network connectivity as of the end of fiscal
year 2002-2003 (Figure 7N).
Figure 7N - System Profile - "Smart Classroom" Availability
Percent of All Classrooms
60%
53.6%
50%
42.1%
40%
28.6%
30%
20%
18.5%
10%
1999-2000
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
Year
The number of such so-called “smart classrooms” on individual CSU campuses as of the end of fiscal year 2002-2003
varied from about a quarter of all classrooms at the low end to all classrooms at the opposite end. Almost all
campuses reported that at least 40 percent of their classrooms were equipped with multimedia capability and network
connectivity; six campuses were above 80 percent.
Baseline Information Technology Infrastructure Capability
As noted earlier, the baseline technology infrastructure is the prerequisite for achieving all of the outcomes of the ITS.
The system’s overall progress in achieving that baseline on each campus is, therefore, an important benchmark for
measuring success.
The essential components of the baseline technology infrastructure are a physical telecommunications infrastructure
(pathways, spaces, media, outlets, and network electronics); workstations (hardware and software); network access;
training; and support, all of which must meet established baseline standards. These components are represented by
bolded sections in the base of the ITS pyramid shown on the next page.
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For purposes of conveying an overall sense of the progress the CSU is making toward baseline, Measures of
Success has adopted a model based on the percentage of standards achieved on each campus in each of the five
infrastructure components. For each component, “baseline capability” is defined as meeting standards at the level of
90 percent or higher. Progress toward baseline capability from 2001 to 2003 is displayed in the following two charts
(Figures 7O and 7P).
For the physical infrastructure, for example, Figure 7O shows that in 2001-2002 no campus had standards—compliant
network outlets equal to 90 percent or more of the total number of applicable outlets on campus. On only one campus
could three-fourths or more of the outlets meet CSU baseline standards. Less than one-fourth of the outlets on 15
campuses met the standards. On four campuses in that same year, 90 percent or more of the full-time faculty and fulland part-time staff and administrators had access to workstations that met CSU standards for hardware and software
currency.
Figure 7O - System & Campus Profile:
Baseline Information Technology Capability 2001-2002
24
22
1
20
3
4
3
4
2
1
2
Number of Campuses
18
16
3
14
3
5
5
90-100%
12
75-89%
10
8
12
9
15
2
0
PhysInfr
Measures of Success-November 2003
< 25%
3
3
2
2
Wkst
Ntwk
Infrastructure Component
50-74%
25-49%
13
6
4
7
Supp
3
1
Trng
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In 2002-2003, campuses reported significant progress toward baseline capability in four of the five technology
infrastructure components. For example, the number of campuses on which 90 percent or more of the network outlets
met baseline or higher standards jumped from zero to six, owing to completion of TII construction. The number of
campuses providing 90 percent or higher access to standards-compliant workstations doubled from four to eight.
Number of Campuses
Figure 7P - System & Campus Profile:
Baseline Information Technology Capability 2002-2003
24
22
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
6
2
2
2
8
3
5
11
1
3
90-100%
2
75-89%
0
2
8
14
7
11
10
Wkst
25-49%
< 25%
4
1
PhysInfr
50-74%
Ntwk
6
1
2
2
Supp
Trng
Infrastructure Component
Baseline technology infrastructure capability for the system will be achieved when all five columns are entirely white.
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