Office of
information
technology
year in review 2007–2008
American University
CONTENTS
1
Foreword
2
CIO’s Message
3
Mission
4
Management Team
5
Organizational Overview
7
Goals for 2007–2008
9
Three-Year Roadmap
10
Investing in New Directions
14
Investing in a Service-Oriented Architecture
20
Investing in Service Delivery and Support
24
Resources
26
Benchmarking
28
What’s Coming
30
Publications, Presentations, and Professional Service
33
Collaboration and Advisory Roles
43
OIT Internal Committees
Foreword
It is a pleasure and a privilege for me to present the annual report for American University’s
Office of Information Technology (OIT) for 2007–2008. The distribution of OIT’s first annual
report is a reflection of how the past year has indeed been one of new energy and new direction.
Contributing factors to this energy were, of course, our new president, our new provost, our
campus-wide AnewAU campaign, and the initial activities of our strategic planning committee.
I believe that perpetual technical advancements and our increasing reliance upon a modern
infrastructure are evidence of how this new energy both draws from and drives our information
technology. On February 8, 2008, in his inaugural address, President Neil Kerwin offered an
observation about the critical role of technology within American University’s framework:
“Technology and the techniques of information dissemination and retrieval—the lifeblood of
our work—command a special place in the university’s future. We must anticipate the demands
for new modes of access and standards of reliability and continue to encourage and support
innovations and experimentations in all areas of university operations.” Information technology
is a cornerstone of our strategy, and a necessity for our daily operations.
We have some additions in OIT’s senior leadership team. Joining chief information officer and
assistant vice president Dave Swartz and senior director of enterprise systems Kamalika Sandell
in the past year were Cathy Hubbs, chief information security officer, and Ed Martin, deputy CIO
and senior director of technology operations. Critical service functions need strong leadership,
fresh perspectives, and the introduction of best practices. I believe the OIT team can now meet
these needs. Of course, the new energy and direction in OIT aligns well with the broader change
already underway at AU. OIT’s successes from the past year are evident and measurable, and
you will find many of them in this report. Going forward, please join me with confidence in OIT
as it continues to help lead us into AU’s tomorrow.
FOREWORD
I have immense pride in AU’s high-quality service departments and the dedicated, skilled, and
experienced individuals who serve us all. OIT, as one of these service departments, has brought
distinctive value to the university over the past year. OIT’s leadership team recognizes its
multiple roles within the AU community: its responsibility to protect our information assets and
its position of information service delivery to the enterprise consumers, including our students,
faculty, and staff. AU is both a consumer of and a catalyst for the information age.
Don Myers
Vice President for Finance and Treasurer
1
CIO’s Message
On behalf of the Office of Information Technology (OIT), I would like to invite
you to review our annual report for 2007–2008. I am excited to share with you
OIT’s initiatives for our enterprise systems and technology infrastructure, as well
as a summary of progress made in my first full year since arriving at American
University in January of 2007.
CIO’S MESSAGE
OIT is in fact one team with three distinctive service functions: Technology
Operations, Enterprise Systems, and Information Security. Over the past two
years, AU has hired new senior leadership to help further develop and enhance
our organization. Our report includes an organizational overview to describe our
groups and introduce our new leadership team to you.
Many significant initiatives were successfully completed in the past year, several of which are highlighted
in this report. One of the most significant was the establishment of a formal project portfolio management
process to help add structure, review, and transparency to the prioritization of information technology
resource requests. This is a best practice in information technology service delivery, and I am confident that
its continued usage at AU will assist in harmonizing priorities, resources, and strategy going forward. Another
best practice showcased in this report is that of service level agreements (SLAs) with some of OIT’s partners in
the university. SLAs help define roles, responsibilities, service levels, and expectations. While we put several
agreements into place last year, I expect the number to grow rapidly in the coming year, as we work with our
partners to sustain and increase quality service levels and best value to AU. Furthermore, AU is one of a select
few universities that perform a “health check” on workstations before permitting access to the network. This
demonstrates our strong community appreciation of risk mitigation efforts needed to protect private data.
Though not mentioned specifically in the report, the work that has been completed to bring the university into
compliance with the audit recommendations of the university’s voluntary Sarbanes-Oxley program should be
noted. OIT had 55 open audit items when I arrived. I am proud to share with the community that, in addition to
the projects noted in this publication, we were able to close 52 of these items with the final three scheduled for
closure during publishing.
Within this report, you will also find a summary of OIT’s Three-Year Roadmap and our process for creating it.
Through the early part of the 2008–2009 academic year, we will be working within the university strategic
planning framework to blend this roadmap into the overall strategic plan, adapting and aligning as appropriate.
AU’s positioning amongst its peer institutions is part of our direction and organizational strategy, and
information technology as a subset is no different. A summary dashboard of key benchmark indicators
is included in this report to show how AU’s IT infrastructure compares to similar peer universities.
Finally, a distinctive part of our vision is to develop OIT through individual and collective professional
networking and information sharing. Included is a summary list of the publications and engagements
that OIT staff have developed and participated in throughout the past year.
We strive to support the university’s core mission and objectives. This report is our way of inviting you to
share in our successes and continued progress. Thank you on behalf of OIT; it is our pleasure to serve you.
Respectfully,
Dave Swartz
Chief Information Officer and Assistant Vice President
2
Mission
The Office of Information Technology’s mission is to align with and
facilitate progress toward the university’s strategic goals, improve
enterprise technology services, and partner with distributed campus
technology groups.
MISSION
“Our challenges in OIT over the next few
years are many, but our goals and desire
to succeed are high. . . . Through our
endeavors and innovation, may we in turn
help American University attain unparalleled
new levels of achievement and success!”
—Dave Swartz
3
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Don Myers
Vice President for Finance
and Treasurer
DavE Swartz
Chief Information Officer
and Assistant Vice President
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Kamalika Sandell
Chief Information
Security Officer
Mohammad Mirzabeigy
Eric Weakland
Associate Director of
Application Management
Paul Langhan
Director of Business
Applications
Francesco de Leo
Director of Emerging
Technologies Program
Joyce Deroy
Director of Information
services
Sharjil Hasan
IT Projects Manager,
Project Office
Laurie Ambach
Director of Student
Applications
Michele Handlir
Director of Web Development
4
Cathy Hubbs
Senior Director of
Enterprise Systems
Director of
Information Security
Ed Martin
Deputy CIO and Senior Director
of Technology Operations
chris
geHring
Director of Systems
Engineering Services
Terry Fernandez
Director of Customer
Services and Support
Hassan Marvi
Director of Network
Operations
Peter
Schline
Director of Communications
Organizational Overview
Enterprise Systems
The Enterprise Systems group is responsible for providing a comprehensive,
integrated set of technology solutions that enables American University to
improve the way we conduct business, supporting various staff and academic
functions. Managing the university’s technology portfolio continues to be a
fine balance among modernizing existing solutions, charging ahead with new
solutions, and continuing to operationalize best practices. The group is organized
to provide a single point of contact to the staff and academic units, with
specialized focus on the university’s data infrastructure and Web site.
The Enterprise Systems group includes:
>
the application management team—provides application
administration and third-level technical support for all enterprise systems applications,
through the formulation of a well-defined quality assurance function.
> the business applications team—shapes and furthers enterprise solutions in support
of university business functions in the areas of finance, accounting, budget, human
resources, payroll, facilities, and risk management.
> the emerging technologies program team—defines an enterprise architecture program
and provides innovative solutions by introducing and formalizing new technologies
across all enterprise applications.
> the information services team—defines the university’s data infrastructure, thereby
providing reliable, accurate, secure, and accessible data to the campus community through
organizational overview
Kamalika Sandell
Senior Director of
Enterprise Systems
management of the university’s data warehouse and analytical reporting functions.
> the project office—institutionalizes best practices in several IT management service
areas, building a reusable framework related to technology project and portfolio
management practices.
>
the student applications team—shapes and furthers enterprise solutions in support
of all schools, departments in the provost division, the Office of Campus Life, and
the Office of Development.
> the Web development team—realizes an effective and compelling university Web site
and a high-quality, Web-enabled campus, integrating Web technologies to support
learning, teaching, and communications through the Web.
5
Information Security
The Information Security group is responsible for protecting and defending
American University’s data resources by implementing industry-accepted security
practices in IT planning, implementation, management, and operations, while
ensuring confidentiality, integrity, authenticity, and availability.
The team works to accomplish this through:
>
> enforcing university policies and standards
> highlighting sources of risk to university management
> implementing technologies that increase the visibility
ensuring compliance with applicable policies, laws, and regulations
Cathy Hubbs
Chief Information
Security Officer
of potential risks to our data
organizational overview
> developing repeatable processes that validate security
in IT systems and services
> contributing to awareness, training, and education programs
> initiating partnerships with departments to evaluate and improve their computer
security practices
> safeguarding new technologies and services
Technology Operations
The Technology Operations group is responsible for reliable and effective
information technology services management and delivery to the AU community.
We continually strive for the balance of efficient applications of human resources,
repeatable processes, and technology investment. Our three teams work together to
administer the university information technology infrastructure and provide effective
customer services, such as technical support, technical training, and publications.
The Technology Operations group includes:
> the customer services and support team—supplies technical support
services, including the Help Desk, service management, change
Ed Martin
Deputy Chief Information
Officer and Senior Director
of Technology Operations
management, and performance measurement. The team also designs,
administers, and delivers the technical training curriculum and provides communications
services for OIT, including the lifecycle management of our various publications.
> the network operations team—provides operations management and monitoring, afterhours Help Desk assistance, information technology facilities management, and network
engineering. The team also furnishes telecommunications services, desk-side technical
support, and workstation lifecycle management.
> the systems engineering services team—provides directory architecture management and
engineering, systems engineering and operations, and database administration. The team also
administers the e-mail and collaboration software environment and server and storage platforms
architecture, engineering, and operations.
6
Goals for 2007–2008
OIT has mapped and aligned its portfolio closely with the university’s overall
goals—campaign, retention, communications and technology, diversity, and global outreach.
While we have projects and initiatives aligning with each of these goals, we would like to take this
opportunity to highlight some of our efforts supporting retention and communications and technology.
Supporting University’s Goal: Retention
To support retention, OIT focused on addressing major areas of student concern, as well as developing
better accountability, communications, and partnership with campus technology groups to foster
improved end-to-end service. One of the major concerns voiced by our student community had been
Internet speed. In response, OIT upgraded campus Internet bandwidth from 100 Mbps to 200 Mbps.
Additionally, AU became a member of the Internet2 consortium (an exclusive research and education
network) in January of 2008. AU faculty immediately utilized the increased dedicated bandwidth by
We also successfully migrated student e-mail accounts from Lotus Notes to Google Applications
“G-Mail” to increase storage and improve overall reliability and speed. Working with the University
Library, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and the school IT managers, we developed an overall
technology service catalog that helps us all understand our accountability in serving the campus.
Service Level Agreements help further refine our accountability by defining service expectations.
We realize the need to continually work to improve communications and the exchange of information
goals for 2007–2008
incorporating leading-edge technologies in the classroom.
between users and IT distributed support personnel. To that effect, we implemented a Help Desk instant
messaging chat service, designed and delivered a new semiannual newsletter, implemented realtime system alerts and status notices, and created cross-functional advisory and collaborative work
committees. We continue working closely with the members of the retention workgroup to analyze
data and identify critical new applications and services that can help to improve retention.
Campus Internet Bandwidth
In response to increasing demands for the Internet, OIT upgraded the university’s Internet connections over the summer
of 2007 to two 100 megabit-per-second connections. AU’s connections continue to be provided by two different Internet
service providers, RCN and Cogent, to minimize the possibility of a campus-wide service interruption. OIT will closely
monitor Internet utilization and further expand capacity as needed. Moreover, in January of 2008, AU joined the Internet2
community. This high-speed Internet connection provides numerous benefits, such as: improving the quality and capacity
of video-conferencing on campus; enhancing distance learning opportunities; accessing remote guest speakers; offering
greater business continuity possibilities; expanding venues for outreach to students, staff, and faculty off site; providing
powerful workspaces for collaboration on multimedia ventures; and improving relations with study abroad programs.
“Within the first few days of AU joining the Internet2 consortium, I used the new connection for a video conference
between my Cross-Cultural Film and Video Production class and the Film and Video class at Tec De Monterrey in
Mexico. The video quality was significantly improved over our earlier capabilities. There was also only very little delay
in the audio flow of the conversation. This has significantly improved our video-conferencing capabilities.” —Sarah
Menke-Fish, Assistant Professor of Communication
7
Supporting University’s Goal: Communications and Technology
Several of our critical systems needed to be upgraded and modernized. We focused much effort
on upgrading the university’s enterprise resource planning system, Datatel. The upgrade involved
a major overhaul of the legacy code and re-architecture of Datatel to provide better stability.
More than 350 users across campus were organized into teams to thoroughly test the system.
Additional technology improvements include:
> upgrading the campus PBX telephone system
> re-architecting the university’s core network
> installing a campus Virtual Private Network (VPN) to offer secure access to AU
goals for 2007–2008
resources from remote locations
>
encrypting more than 130 university-owned laptops to protect sensitive data
>
implementing the AU Campus Connect program to facilitate emergency communications
Finally, OIT has partnered with the Office of the President on an exciting journey to redesign and redefine
AU’s Web presence. We have come a long way, with major accomplishments—Web site designs have
been completed and an enterprise content management system has been selected. We are now moving
forward with a thorough implementation plan that includes a major effort to establish a distributed
authoring and publishing system, with a central structure and tools to enable the effort.
AU Campus Connect Program Launched
AU Campus Connect is a mobile device program designed specifically to help members of the AU
community stay safe, informed, and connected. Through a partnership among AU, Sprint, and Rave
Wireless, AU Campus Connect provides a suite of Web applications that brings campus information to a
mobile device or phone. Some of the applications expected to be available this fall through AU Campus
Connect are: Rave Alerts—receive AU emergency broadcast alerts; Rave Guardian—send your GPS
location to AU’s campus police (specific mobile devices are required); and Rave Transit—track the location
of the AU shuttle buses via GPS. Many more applications will be added over time. This project was a
collaborative effort among OIT, Public Safety, Sprint, and Rave Wireless.
“Here at AU, we are committed to making the campus more safe and secure for our students, staff, and
faculty. The AU Campus Connect program is just one tool that we can use to help achieve that goal. With
AU Campus Connect, members of the AU community can use their cell phone to maintain vital connections
with AU security and safety services, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, on and off campus. At Public
Safety, we are extremely excited about this technological innovation, and we believe it will become the
new model for other campuses in the future. We invite all students, staff, and faculty to sign up for AU
Campus Connect and join us in our quest to make the campus safer.”—Chief Michael McNair, Director
of Public Safety
8
Three-Year Roadmap
Started last year, the OIT Three-Year Roadmap provides a vision for the next several
years of enterprise technology development at American University. It builds upon a robust
environmental scan; a review of key IT trends in higher education; a peer benchmark comparison;
an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT); and core values. Shaped
through a total of 33 campus interviews, six months of on-site observations, and experience meeting
similar challenges and needs at other universities, the roadmap is organized around six themes that
collectively provide an overview of the evolving plan for enterprise technology at AU:
1. ready and able—providing a reliable and sustainable technology platform
2. diligent and vigilant—protecting confidential information and university
information assets and complying with laws and regulations
3. nimble and flexible—modernizing IT applications architecture with a focus
4. aware and responsive—improving customer services through improved
coordination of distributed campus support IT personnel
5. organized and optimized—adopting best practices in IT management
and promoting improved efficiency and effectiveness
6. innovative and visionary—exploring technology innovations that keep
AU on the leading edge of technology among its peers
To help us realize this conceptual roadmap, we developed more-detailed operational plans, including
three-year roadmap
on self-service and collaboration
a capital plan, a staffing plan, a Datatel roadmap, and a project management maturity plan. Additional
operational plans are in the works (e.g., business continuity and disaster recovery, business intelligence
and data warehouse, security and compliance, and change control).
We will continue using this roadmap as a directional guide, and we are currently working with the
strategic planning committee across campus to align this roadmap with the university’s strategic vision.
Upgrade to Datatel R18
In 2007–2008, the entire Enterprise Systems team took on the huge challenge of upgrading the university’s
Datatel Enterprise Resource Planning system to R18. This product had been completely reengineered with
an entirely new underlying architecture. The team spent countless hours learning about the new system,
building development and test servers, setting up the architecture, migrating code and data, thoroughly
testing functionality in partnership with offices across campus, and working through many dress rehearsals
of the changeover. At the same time, they maintained the R17 system. The results of all the hard work paid
off with a seamless transition to the new R18 system.
“I want to take this opportunity to recognize the technical expertise, managerial skill, professionalism,
and diligence of the entire team for their excellent work and congratulate them on a job well done!
This implementation continues to pave the way and serve as a model for many future large-scale
endeavors as AU continues to advance.” —Don Myers, Vice President for Finance and Treasurer
9
Investing in New Directions
Throughout the year, OIT’s dedicated and professional staff responded to more
than 695 project requests generated from all units across the campus. The portfolio is balanced
well among maintaining existing infrastructure, nurturing existing applications, investing in new
functionality, and responding to quick service requests. To manage these projects, we developed
a well-defined portfolio management process with representatives across campus. Portfolio owners
prioritize projects in their respective domains and as a group across all divisions to determine campuswide priorities. OIT teams collaborate extensively, both with internal staff and with functional users
in staff and academic units across campus to manage scope, protect sensitive data, define schedules,
determine budgets, and deliver on commitments. To see a listing of all large projects completed
investing in new directions
in 2007–2008 sorted by division, visit www.american.edu/technology/projectportfolio.
OIT Portfolio by Project Type
(Total Projects Managed = 695)
13%
32%
This graph indicates the
percentage of the OIT labor
allocation by project
type during 2007–2008.
27%
28%
New Functionality
Quick Responses
Maintenance
Enhancements
Wait List for Course Registration
In March of 2008, OIT developed an automated method for students to join the wait list for a given course when
that course’s enrollment capacity has been reached. Wait-listed students are systematically offered a place in
the course when one becomes available.
“This is a service the administration has desired for several years now, but it became possible with the upgrade of
our student system, Datatel’s Colleague, last summer. We were fortunate to work with the OIT staff, who dedicated
many hours to making this process available to students via the Web registration system.” —Linda Bolden-Pitcher,
University Registrar
New Functionality
10
Responses
Maintenance
NewQuick
Functionality
Quick Responses
Maintenance
Enhancements
Enhancements
Campus Technology Project Prioritization Process Instituted
The campus technology project prioritization process relies on a group of functional owners
across campus, which collectively prioritizes projects within and among their divisions to create
the overall campus technology priorities for the academic year. This process was instituted last
year by members of the Enterprise Systems Project Team (see page 34). The process ensures that
the division of technology resources focuses on the right set of campus priorities in the right order,
which helps manage technology investments. Additionally, we developed and rolled out formal
project management practices, referred to as Systems Development Life Cycle guidelines, to help
manage our large projects. The first project leveraging these practices was the successful Datatel
R18 implementation. Following the success of R18, we have begun to apply the same principles
to other large projects.
(Total Projects Managed = 695)
2% 1%
8%
8%
49%
32%
Academic Affairs
Finance & Treasurer
Development
Technology Infrastructure
This graph indicates the
percentage of projects
completed for each of the
university divisions during
2007–2008.
investing in new directions
OIT Portfolio by University Division
Campus Life
President
Major Prospects Database and Views
The Major Prospects Database is a robust reporting and query system in the data warehouse available
to development directors, deans, and university administration. The database provides enhanced access
to information about major prospects to assist in fund-raising activities.
“The Major Prospects Database project is a result of strong communication and partnership between
the Office of Development and OIT. The system that was created allows staff to directly access important
data on donors and prospects and allows for development and alumni staff to quickly and easily pull their
own lists and mine their own data. We value our relationship with OIT and the projects that we have built
together.” —Jenine Rabin, Director of Development, University Initiatives
11
Information Security Focus Expanded
What’s in a name? This past year, OIT’s Network Security staff changed their name to Information Security,
signaling an expansion beyond technology solutions alone for controlling risk. Building a strong information
security program that can be benchmarked against industry-recognized standards requires that security is
incorporated into AU’s processes and technologies and the habits of our people. OIT’s efforts began with
a request to reconstitute the IT Security Projects Team (see page 36) to provide a venue for stakeholder
contributions to the information security program. We then proposed a template for all university policies
and companion procedures, to provide a consistent format for our university community to read and respond
to, and we introduced a data classification policy. Additionally, we revised the Systems Development Life
Cycle and the IT project request process to emphasize protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability
of AU’s digital data. Lastly, we adopted a systematic security assessment process for Web applications
and network vulnerability assessments. Next, we will begin a campaign to expand awareness and training
investing in new directions
opportunities to provide guidance on how to securely handle and process sensitive data.
Highlights of efforts to be diligent and vigilant, a theme from the OIT Three-Year
Roadmap focusing on information security:
> completed computer “health check” enforcement for
all faculty, staff, and students
> made available Virtual Private Network (VPN) secure
remote access to AU systems
> deployed whole-disk encryption for AU-owned laptops
(phase one completed)
>
>
introduced data classification policy
located sensitive data stores via a private and sensitive
data audit
> standardized vulnerability assessments for both the
> closed 49 of 51 identified Web application vulnerabilities
> instituted information security advisories
> improved monthly privileged account audit
report process
> enforced use of secure transfer protocol on Datatel’s
Colleague and Benefactor systems
> created information security Web page
> incorporated security awareness messages in the
OIT newsletter, new staff technology orientation,
Today@AU, and elsewhere
network and application levels
> closed 52 of 55 audit items
Virtual Private Network (VPN)
In January of 2008, OIT introduced a new service called a VPN, which stands for a Virtual Private Network.
The VPN provides the AU community with a user-friendly way to connect securely back to AU resources,
ensuring that all of the data traveling to and from computers is protected from prying eyes. Similar to the
on-campus experience, the system will perform a health check of all computers before granting access to
the network. If remediation is required, the system will provide guidance. Once connected to the VPN, the
computer is recognized as an AU computer, which allows access to AU restricted resources, the Novell
servers, all of the standard Novell network drives, and printers.
“I am very pleased with the VPN service. It is easy to sign in to and offers me the ability to work at home just
as if I was in my office. I use this service almost every day and find it to be consistent in operation
and rarely unavailable.” —Carol Wisniewski, Director of Payroll
12
Health Check Results in Reduction of Malware Infections (2004–2008)
Faculty
800
Staff
600
CCA
Ado
ptio
n
500
Residence
Halls
400
300
200
100
FALL 2004
SPRING 2005
FALL 2005
SPRING 2006
FALL 2006
SPRING 2007
FALL 2007
SPRING 2008
This graph indicates AU’s historical trend of malware (virus or spyware/adware) infection reports by major semester
for the past four academic years. It is noteworthy that AU experienced a steady reduction of malware infection reports,
while infections at peer institutions nationally were increasing exponentially. AU’s reduction is attributed to the phased
roll out of the Cisco Clean Access (CCA) “health check” system. It was implemented for residential students in the fall
of 2005, for staff in the spring of 2007, and for faculty in the spring of 2008.
investing in new directions
# of Reported Malware Infections
700
omputer Health Check System Implemented
C
Campus Wide
efore a computer is allowed to connect to AU’s network, a system “health check” is required to verify that the computer is not in a state that
B
could result in disruption to the network, therefore other users. The health check system, known as Cisco Clean Access (CCA), automatically
leads AU faculty, staff, and students through the steps necessary to update their computer configuration, including antivirus and protective
patches. As a result of this project, AU has recognized a significant reduction in malware infections, as well as other security risks.
“The computer health check system has allowed American University to enforce important security policies, reduce overall university
risk, and comply with important regulatory requirements—all in a way that is supportable in the challenging university environment.”
—Doug Kudravetz, Assistant Vice President of Finance
13
Investing in a Service-Oriented
Architecture
OIT is committed to providing secure, sustainable technology platforms and consistent
service delivery. The necessary ingredients are having the right platform technologies, system software
updates, and application architecture in place and ready at the appropriate time. To that end, OIT
investing in a service-oriented architecture
adopted several industry-standard best practices: identifying and eliminating as many single points
14
of failure as possible; formalizing change management processes to minimize unplanned service
interruptions; utilizing standard maintenance windows to perform preventative maintenance to make
the servers more stable; and developing service level agreements to define the agreed-upon levels
of service and support for a given system.
Formal Change Management Process Adopted
OIT’s adoption of a change management strategy brought cross-functional focus to the need to
communicate, plan, learn from, and collectively assess changes to AU’s complex systems environment.
While certain groups were previously practicing change management with varied maturity levels,
there was no cross-functional practice or visibility until OIT recently formalized the process. Weekly
meetings are now held to review, discuss, and approve change requests.
Service Level Agreements Established
along with a concise and measurable description of the service provided to the customer. The roles
and responsibilities of everyone involved in a particular service or system are also defined. The SLA
matches perceptions of expected service with actual service support and delivery.
SLAs offer many benefits to both customers and providers. For example, SLAs establish a baseline,
which leads to continuous improvement and better service. With meetings and frequent discussions,
the collaborative process required to develop an SLA strengthens relationships between OIT and the
service owner from another campus department. The SLA also helps to establish a shared language
that can be useful for managing expectations and providing clarity, because the scope of services
and division of responsibilities are clearly defined. The goals of any service are balance and optimum
performance; an SLA helps us achieve these goals by examining and defining the interaction among
people, products, and processes.
investing in a service-oriented architecture
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) provide a clear reference to service ownership and accountability,
Initial Service Level Agreements Signed
In early 2008, OIT defined a collaborative process for developing Service Level Agreements (SLAs). To date,
SLAs have been formalized with Housing and Dining Programs in support of the Blackboard Transaction
System, the Center for Teaching Excellence in support of the Blackboard Academic Suite, Public Safety
and Housing and Dining Programs in support of the C-CURE access system, and the University Library and
Housing and Dining Programs in support of the Pharos Uniprint System.
“The Blackboard Learning System, serving more than 90 percent of all course sections offered, is one
of AU’s most mission-critical applications. Through extensive discussions between OIT and CTE staff
members, we deepened our appreciation of what was needed to have Blackboard serve AU students
and faculty most effectively. Our SLA documents a genuine shared commitment to high performance of a
system that supports one of AU’s most important missions, teaching and learning. It is a model of how staff
members from different divisions can work effectively and collegially together in the interests of our larger
community.”—John Richardson, Director, Center for Teaching Excellence
15
Web Site and Network Numbers
Visitors to the Web site (www.american.edu)
1,200,000
# of Unique Visitors
investing in a service-oriented architecture
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
M
AY
JU
NE
JU
LY
AU
GU
ST
BER
P
SE
TEM
OCT
OB
BER
ER
VEM
NO
BER
DECEM
JA
NU
ARY
FE
BR
UA
RY
M
ARCH
RIL
This graph indicates
the number of unique visits to American University’s Web site, www.american.edu, during
2007–2008. A visit is defined as a series of actions that begins when a visitor views his or her first AU Web page
and ends when he or she leaves the site.
Did you know?
> Visits per Year: 20,960,488
> Average Unique Visits per Day: 57,269
> Average Visit Duration: 11:44 minutes
> International Visits: 16.9%
Did you know?
> The least active time for AU’s Web
site is Saturday from 4 to 5 a.m.
> The most active time is Monday
from 2 to 3 p.m.
Online Freshman Guide
In May of 2008, OIT activated an online mechanism for incoming freshmen to enter their academic
history and intentions for their first year at American University. Academic advisors use this information
to help ensure a successful first year for each student. The implementation of the online freshman
guide greatly reduced the administrative burden for the academic advisors.
“Building the Online Freshman Guide entailed taking a big, complex vision and engineering it into a smooth,
seamless application. OIT delivered this major, cross-division project right on the mark. I was incredibly
impressed throughout the process by OIT’s meticulous, innovative, responsive, and dedicated approach to
the challenging work. Their care and expertise produced a smart online service with great benefits to the
university.” —Nathan Price, Former Special Assistant to the Provost
16
AP
Log-ins to Web Portal (my.american.edu)
500,000
450,000
400,000
# of Log-ins
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
M
AY
JU
NE
JU
LY
AU
GU
ST
BER
P
SE
TEM
OCT
OB
BER
ER
VEM
NO
BER
DECEM
JA
NU
ARY
FE
BR
UA
RY
M
ARCH
AP
RIL
This graph indicates the number of individual log-ins to American University’s internal Web portal,
my.american.edu,
during 2007–2008.
investing in a service-oriented architecture
350,000
Student E-mail Services Migrated to Google
uring the summer, AU migrated student e-mail services to a solution hosted by Google. This new
D
service offers AU students reliable access to the suite of online applications that Google provides,
including e-mail, calendar, and contacts. This change benefits the entire community, as students will
appreciate the familiar interface and expanded disk storage, and the former student e-mail servers
will be repurposed to create back-up e-mail servers for faculty and staff.
“Earlier this year, when AU announced the transition to the Google application suite, it was a welcome
sight for many AU students. The transition is a testimonial to American University’s commitment to
a student-centered institution.”—Joe Vidulich, Student Government President, 2007–2008
17
1200
1000
800
# of Users
investing in A service-oriented architecture
Average Concurrent Wireless Network Users
600
400
200
M
AY
JU
NE
JU
LY
AU
GU
ST
BER
P
SE
TEM
OCT
OB
BER
ER
VEM
NO
BER
DECEM
JA
NU
ARY
FE
BR
UA
RY
M
ARCH
AP
RIL
This graph indicates the average number of concurrent users taking advantage of AU’s wireless
network infrastructure
during 2007–2008.
18
AU Network Users by Operating System
1%
17%
19%
63%
Macintosh
Windows Vista
Other
This graph indicates the percentage of users logging in to the AU network with each
of the various operating systems during 2007–2008. There has been rapid growth in the
number of Windows Vista users over the past year. OIT plans to expand support for Vista
in the upcoming year by developing factory-imaged Vista computers configured for the
AU community. In addition, there has been an upward trend in the number of Macintosh
users at AU. OIT continues to monitor this usage and is expanding support for this
specialized community.
Results of Spam Filtering System (Spring 2008)
26%
74%
Quarantined Spam and Viruses
investing in A service-oriented architecture
Windows XP
Delivered E-mail
This graph indicates the percentage of delivered and quarantined e-mail messages
during spring 2008.
Did you know?
The AU network is made up of:
> 90 servers
> 150 switches and routers
> 200 wireless access points
> 680 wireless antennas
> more than 13 miles of wire
(enabling wireless connections)
19
Investing in Service
Delivery and Support
OIT strives to meet and exceed the service delivery and support needs of our customers,
namely AU faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni, and administrators. The customer services and
support and network operations teams within Technology Operations work around the clock to support
our customers, and we are constantly looking for ways to improve our service offerings and delivery.
investing in service delivery and support
The following metrics showcase the enormous volume and complexity of IT training and service requests.
20
OIT Training Program
OIT’s training program offers more than 30 scheduled classes per month in our dedicated training
facility to develop the technical skills of university administrative staff and thereby assist them in
achieving the university’s goals. In 2007–2008, more than 850 staff members attended OIT training
courses for new staff technology orientation and on university-supported software applications,
including: Adobe Acrobat Professional, Adobe Photoshop, Corporate Express Eway, Datatel’s
Colleague system, Lotus Notes, Macromedia Dreamweaver and Fireworks, and Microsoft Office.
View our training offerings or register for classes at www.american.edu/techtraining.
OIT Help Desk
The OIT Help Desk serves as the first point of contact for any IT-related issues for AU students, faculty, staff,
alumni, and guests. Customers may contact the OIT Help Desk via telephone, e-mail, or instant message
to request assistance. The Help Desk staff have been empowered with the rights and training to resolve
most issues by phone on the initial contact. In the event that an on-site visit is required, an analyst from our
network operations team is dispatched. The six-person Help Desk team is supplemented by staff from the
Network Operations Center to offer service around the clock. In 2007–2008, a total of 36,752 service requests
were fulfilled, a 19 percent increase over the previous year. Please see the metrics that follow for more details.
investing in service delivery and support
Help Desk Chat Service
In January 2008, the OIT Help Desk expanded its service offerings to include real-time assistance via
instant messaging. This new service provides an additional channel of communication for students,
faculty, and staff. Customers can easily access a Help Desk analyst through the help.american.edu
Web site or through a variety of instant message software applications.
“As the primary point of contact for my office, I speak with the OIT Help Desk on behalf of many coworkers.
The instant messaging feature has become my preferred method of contacting the Help Desk, since
service is always prompt. Instead of holding for an analyst by phone, this new method of communication
is an immediate answer to all my concerns. I thank all the OIT representatives who have worked with me
in such a timely manner and will continue to use the chat feature on a regular basis.” —Claire Schleiffer,
Administrative Assistant, Human Resources
21
Help Desk Service Requests by Submission Method
1%
38%
61%
investing in service delivery and support
63%
Telephone
E-mail
Instant Message
This graph indicates the percentage of service requests submitted to the Help Desk
via telephone, e-mail, or instant message during 2007–2008. Please note: The Help
Desk began offering the instant message service option only in January of 2008; since
then, the number of people utilizing this submission method has steadily increased.
Help Desk Service Requests by User Group
15%
46%
61%
63%
39%
Staff
Telephone E-Mail
Students
Instant Message
Faculty
This graph indicates the percentage of service requests made by different user groups
during 2007–2008.
22
Help Desk Service Requests by Category
Residence Hall
Installations 6%
General
Requests 8%
Telecommunications 5%
Hardware 4%
Virus 1%
Operating System and Office
Applications 17%
All Others 18%
Accounts 10%
my.american.edu 10%
Software 30%
E-mail 39%
Blackboard 8%
Network 12%
Information
Security 13%
Datatel 8%
This graph indicates the percentage of the 36,752 total service requests that fell into each
major category during 2007–2008. The smaller graph indicates the percentage of service
requests pertaining to highlighted AU software applications.
Help Desk Customer Satisfaction Levels on Point-of-Service Surveys 2004–2008
% Satisfied with Overall Support
96
95
94
93
investing in service delivery and support
Password 11%
92
91
2004–2005
2005–2006
2006–2007
2007–2008
This graph indicates the historical trend over the past four years of customers who stated on point-of-service surveys that
they were satisfied with the overall support provided by the OIT Help Desk. Please note: Point-of-service surveys are
sent at random to every tenth customer at the time of the service request closure.
23
resources
With more than 14 million dollars in total expenditures last year, OIT accounts for
approximately 3.6 percent of the university’s overall budget. Like most organizations, the largest
expenditure is for personnel. The highly trained and dedicated professionals who work in OIT
leverage the remaining funds to manage the infrastructure, hardware and software maintenance,
external support, and supplies necessary to ensure reliable, secure, and effective information
technology services management and delivery.
OIT Expenditures (FYs2005–2008)
$9,000,000
8,000,000
7,000,000
Expenditure
Expenditures
RESOURCES
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
Personnel
Software, Maintenance,
Communications, and Other
FY2005
FY2006
FY2007
Computer Equipment
FY2008
This graph indicates the historical trend of OIT expenditures over the past four years. The FY2008 personnel expenditure
represents the salaries and fringe benefits of 88 full-time employees.
utomated Accounting Processes for the
A
Controller’s Office
OIT’s business applications team designed, developed, and implemented automated processes for the
Controller’s Office that eliminated many hours of accounting staff time and reduced the risk of error due
to manual calculations. These processes were completed and implemented in several phases over the
past year. These and other ongoing projects for the Controller’s Office help ensure the sound fiscal
management of the university, provide enhanced reporting capabilities, and increase staff productivity.
“The automation of several grant and contract accounting processes has saved immeasurable staff
time and effort. It has assisted the Controller’s Office accounting staff in recording monthly transactions
in a more accurate and timely fashion. By automating these processes, the accounting staff has been
able to perform more analyses to ensure compliance with the ever-changing federal audit requirements
and regulations.” —John Smiell, Controller
24
OIT Expenses by Expense Type
Total Actuals = $14,720,515
6%
3%
7%
8%
60%
16%
Personnel
Software
Hardware
Maintenance
Communications
Other
This graph indicates the percentage of the OIT total actuals
for FY2008 by expense type.
RESOURCES
25
Benchmarking
National Studies of Information Technology in Higher Education
The following national studies provide useful benchmark data to help us compare American
University’s information technology offerings to those of its peer market schools:
The Campus Computing Project
Started in 1990, the Campus Computing Project is the largest continuing study of the role of
information technology in American higher education. Each year, some 600 two- and four-year
public and private colleges and universities in the United States participate in the annual survey,
which focuses on campus planning and policy issues affecting the role of information technology
in teaching, learning, and scholarship.
benchmarking
EDUCAUSE Core Data Service
The EDUCAUSE Core Data Service began in 2002 in response to the ongoing need for comparison
data about campus information technology environments and practices to help schools benchmark,
plan, and make IT decisions. Approximately 1,000 participating institutions are given access to the
online data reporting tool.
AU’s Peer Market Schools
> Boston College
> Boston University
> Catholic University
of America
> Emory University
> Fordham University
26
> Georgetown University
> George Washington
University
> Lehigh University
> New York University
> Northeastern University
> Syracuse University
> Tufts University
> Tulane University
> University of Miami
> Villanova University
Highlights of Benchmarking Data
The data shown in the AU column below indicates AU’s responses to the EDUCAUSE Core Data
Survey for fiscal year 2007. Please refer to the comments section for present status.
Benchmarking Category
Peers
AU
Comments
Total IT Budget as % of University Budget
5.0%
3.6% In FY2008, this figure was 4.22%.
Ratio of Total IT Staff to Students
1:201
1:220
Central IT Staff as % of Total IT Staff
60%
43%AU’s IT support is highly decentralized with
125 full-time equivalent IT support positions
in other areas of the university compared
to 88 positions internally within OIT.
1
Wireless Coverage of All Campus Spaces
~50%
98%
AU offers wireless coverage in all buildings
and several outdoor areas.
3.5–4 years
3 years
Health Check Coverage of Workstations
50%
100%AU is one of the few universities in the
country that performs a health check of all
computers before they are granted access
to the network.
Second Factor Authentication for Confidential Data
Secure Remote Access Offered through VPN
Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
33%No
Emergency Notification System
(Text Alerts over Cell Phones)
100%NoDC Alert subscriptions were encouraged
in 2007–2008. AU Campus Connect currently
being deployed for 2008–2009.
Online Music Offered
33%YesAU has licensed Napster for all
residential students.
U is currently researching second factor
A
authentication options.
83%Yes
benchmarking
Replacement Life Cycle for Faculty, Staff, and Laboratory Computers
100%NoIn 2008, AU established SLAs for the Blackboard
Academic Suite, the Blackboard Transaction
System (Envision), the C-CURE Access System,
and the Pharos Printing System.
1. Based on FY2007 data.
Note: Peer median is derived from AU’s 15 peer market schools. For more details,
visit www.american.edu/technology/benchmarking.
27
What’s Coming
As the previous pages clearly show, the last year was a productive one for OIT.
However, it may pale in comparison to what lies ahead. We successfully completed the first year
of our Three-Year Roadmap, and as we embark on the second year, we will realign the plan with
any new goals and objectives identified in the university’s strategic planning process.
One of the important goals for the year ahead is the development of a comprehensive business
continuity and disaster recovery plan to cover enterprise systems and technology. We need to
remove single points of failure and other major sources of risk for the university to make our
technology platform a reliable utility that is there when and where our users need it. And to help
manage risks, we are starting a proactive security monitoring service to identify vulnerabilities
in our software and infrastructure and to mitigate the risks before a hacker can exploit them.
what’s coming
OIT continues to introduce new student-centered Web portal applications to simplify administrative
processes and reduce the need for paper form submissions to campus offices. Last spring, we
implemented an automated method for students to join the wait list for a given course when that
course’s enrollment capacity had been reached. Wait-listed students were systematically offered
a place in the desired course when one became available. We are now developing several new
portal applications. The first allows students to submit their refund requests online and facilitates
the processing by the Office of Student Accounts. Another application allows students to update
their in-session contact information themselves, eliminating the manual data entry by staff in the
Office of the Registrar. Finally, in response to the many requests we received last year for an online
course catalog, OIT is now working with the Office of the Registrar to create one, which will be
available in the next year.
Perhaps one of the most exciting events this coming year will be the launch of the new AU Web
presence, along with a content management system (CMS) that will make it much easier for the
community to keep Web pages current. OIT is going to start redesigning our internal Web presence,
the my.american.edu portal, so that it’s better integrated into the new AU Web presence and
customizable to the needs of different communities, rather than a one-size-fits-all model.
To facilitate access to much-needed information and reduce the need for departments to build their
own shadow systems, we are in the preliminary stages of assessing requirements for a modern data
warehouse with sophisticated business intelligence reporting tools that are easy to use and do not
require OIT programmers to build reports to mine information. From this process, we will identify
places to start building out an exciting new capability that should help to close the gaps in access
to critical information.
28
OIT will also continue to modernize the campus network. Last year, we upgraded the core portion of
our network and modified the architecture to make it more redundant. We will now shift our focus to
the transport, or middle layer, of our network. We are also upgrading our wireless network to support
roaming and make it more robust, so it can handle higher speeds and more users. We are starting with
critical areas, such as the University Library, Anderson Computing Complex, and Mary Graydon Center.
Last year, we linked our network to Internet2 and began using it for innovative applications. This year,
we will further our collaboration with other Internet2 institutions, bringing new ideas and approaches
on collaboration and online learning back to AU.
For a full list of projects planned for the upcoming year, visit www.american.edu/technology/
projectportfolio. If you have an idea for a project not mentioned there, please contact us.
Through our new project portfolio management process, we can add additional projects
to our queue for the coming year.
can improve on our enterprise IT systems and services.
what’s coming
We thank you for your support, and we appreciate your feedback and ideas on how we
29
Publications, Presentations,
and Professional Service
PUBLICATIONS, PRESENTATIONS, AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Publications
Getting Connected: Your Guide to Information
Technology Resources at American University
The award-winning Getting Connected guide introduces faculty,
staff, and students to the information technology resources
available to them at AU. The detailed guide is distributed at
the start of the academic year to all faculty and staff, as well as
all residential undergraduate students and incoming graduate
students. It tells them when, where, and how to begin using
AU’s network to communicate with their family, friends, and members of the AU community and to
accomplish their academic or administrative tasks.
The Getting Connected guide has been recognized for the third time by SIGUCCS, the Association for
Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on University and College Computing Services. SIGUCCS
provides a forum for those involved in supplying information technology services on a college or
university campus, and most major universities from the United States and Canada participate. In 2008,
Getting Connected won the communications award for excellence in the customer service how-to guide
category. In 2005 and 2003, it was also awarded as the best publication in that category.
Information Technology@AU
The Information Technology@AU brochure introduces incoming students
and their parents to AU’s critical information technology services and
requirements. Distributed during the summer New Student Orientation
sessions, it provides “just-in-time” information on key topics, such as: what
to bring to campus in August and “how to” instructions for creating their
computer accounts, accessing the AU Web portal, using their AU e-mail
account, managing their password, granting their parents access to their
portal information, and safely configuring their computer to use
AU’s network.
Information Technology Faculty and Staff Newsletter
An electronic newsletter is distributed to all AU faculty and staff at the
start of each semester to introduce them to OIT’s exciting new services
and technology offerings.
30
Conference Participation
Terry Fernandez
Homer Manila
Coauthor, “Poof: No more viruses,” in Electronic
Presenter, “Deploying CCA in Administrative
Proceedings of the 35th Annual ACM SIGUCCS
Departments,” Annual ResNet Symposium,
Conference on User Services, October 2007
June 2007
Annual ACM SIGUCCS Conference on User
Services, October 2007
Reviewer, Leadership Track, EDUCAUSE 2008
Annual Conference
Michael Grinnell
Presenter, “Deploying CCA in Administrative
Departments,” Annual ResNet Symposium,
June 2007
Dave Swartz
Session Facilitator, “Business Continuity: Maintaining
Functionality in Times of Crisis,” EDUCAUSE MidAtlantic Regional Conference, January 2007
Panel Presenter, “New IT—Changes Every CIO Can
Make to Boost Its Image,” CIO Forum and Executive
IT Summit for Washington, D.C., October 2007
Eric Weakland
Coauthor, “Poof: No more viruses,” in Electronic
Coauthor, “Poof: No more viruses,” in Electronic
Proceedings of the 35th Annual ACM SIGUCCS
Proceedings of the 35th Annual ACM SIGUCCS
Conference on User Services, October 2007
Conference on User Services, October 2007
Panel Presenter, “NAC Technologies,” Virginia
Poster Presenter, “Poof: No More Viruses,”
Alliance for Secure Computing and Networking
Annual ACM SIGUCCS Conference on User
Annual Conference, October 2007
Services, October 2007
Cathy Hubbs
Member, Program Planning Committee,
Poster Presenter, “Poof: No More Viruses,”
Annual ACM SIGUCCS Conference on User
Services, October 2007
Virginia Alliance for Secure Computing
Panel Presenter, “Network Access Control through
and Networking Annual Conference, 2007
Quarantine, Remediation, and Verification,”
Member, EDUCAUSE Security Professionals
Conference Program Committee, EDUCAUSE
Security Professionals Annual Conference, 2008
Reviewer, Security, Privacy, and Policy Track
Proposals, EDUCAUSE 2008 Annual Conference
EDUCAUSE Security Professionals Conference,
May 2008
Presenter, “Network Access Control (NAC)—
PUBLICATIONS, PRESENTATIONS, AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Poster Presenter, “Poof: No More Viruses,”
Lessons Learned,” Information Systems Security
Association—Central Virginia, May 2008
31
Professional Service
Francesco de Leo
Representative, World-Wide Web Advisory Committee, W3C
Cathy Hubbs
PUBLICATIONS, PRESENTATIONS, AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Vice President of Programs, Information Systems Security Association—Northern Virginia, 2007
32
Director of Education and Scholarship, Information Systems Security Association—Northern
Virginia, 2007–Present
Collaboration
and Advisory Roles
To facilitate communication and technology decisions across a distributed
campus, OIT chairs and participates in many committees. Some of these committees are formal, with
members appointed by the university leadership (Enterprise Systems Project Team, IT Security Project
Team), while others are cross-functional work groups (AU Technical Team, Lab Printing Working Group,
Macintosh Support Working Group, Change Management Forum, Project Management Committee, and
Webmasters Forum). Regardless of the form of appointment, the purpose of the committees is to come
formulating shared goals, resolving issues, and reaching outcome-based solutions.
collaboration and advisory roles
together as one technology team across campus to focus and target energy and critical thinking in
33
Enterprise Systems Project Team
The Enterprise Systems Project Team is charged with the following:
> making recommendations and providing advice with respect to policy, procedures,
and standards related to the maintenance and update of the enterprise IT systems
> reviewing appropriate enterprise IT-related topics and providing recommendations
to the university
> recommending technologies that will serve as “foundations” for department-wide systems
> evaluating major opportunities for technology improvement and making recommendations
> recommending technology priorities across campus and managing the university’s
collaboration and advisory roles
technology portfolio
34
> identifying improved technology practices as they relate to enterprise systems and
promoting their adoption throughout the university
> sharing experiences, ideas, and promising practices with the university community at large
2007–2008 Members:
Kamalika Sandell, Chair Office of Information Technology
Nana An
Budget and Payroll
Brian YatesCollege of Arts and Sciences
Jorge Abud Facilities and Administrative Services
Beth MuhaHuman Resources
Bernard Schulz
Office of Campus Life
Christopher Rael
Office of Development
Doug Kudravetz Office of Finance and Treasurer
Dave Swartz
Office of Information Technology
Karen Froslid Jones
Office of Institutional Research and Assessment
Violeta Ettle
Office of the Provost
Linda Bolden-Pitcher Office of the Registrar
Kevin Grasty
University Publications
Bill Mayer
University Library
Faculty Senate’s Committee on Information Services
The committee liaises with the director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, the university librarian,
and OIT’s assistant vice president and chief information officer about current activities, programs, and
plans affecting the provision of information services. The committee examines the adequacy of the
delivery of information services to students and faculty—in particular, facilities, budget support, and
staff. As appropriate, the committee reports its findings and recommendations to the Committee on
Instructional Budget and Benefits—including recommendations about long-range financial planning—
and to the Faculty Senate if a matter needs legislative or oversight attention.
2007–2008 Members:
Brian Yates, ChairCollege of Arts and Sciences
John Richardson, Resource PersonCenter for Teaching Excellence
Zoe CarltonCollege of Arts and Sciences
Randall PackerCollege of Arts and Sciences
Larry SawersCollege of Arts and Sciences
Alberto EspinosaKogod School of Business
Terry Fernandez, Resource Person
Office of Information Technology
Christopher Simpson
School of Communication
John Picarelli
School of International Service
Todd Eisenstadt
School of Public Affairs
Bill Mayer, Resource Person
University Library
Patricia West
University Library
John SmithWashington College of Law
collaboration and advisory roles
Initial Phase of Whole-Disk Encryption
To reduce the reputational and legal risks of data exposure, OIT began encrypting university-owned Windows XP
laptops that may store highly confidential data. The initial phase of encrypting 137 laptops for faculty and staff
members with a Datatel or EagleData account was completed in April of 2008. OIT selected Utimaco’s SafeGuard
Easy whole-disk encryption solution for Windows XP computers and recommends FileVault file and folder encryption
for Macintosh computers.
“As a highly mobile computing administrator, I’m on the go all day every day with my laptop. Information security is
an essential component to my working environment, and having OIT’s encryption service has helped me enormously.
The encryption software is completely transparent to my operations, and I can happily say I would never notice
it was there, if I hadn’t requested encryption in the first place.” —Bill Mayer, University Librarian
35
IT Security Project Team
The Information Technology Security Project Team is charged with the following:
> establishing policies, principles, criteria, and best practices for information systems
security institution-wide
> overseeing the review of university information systems with respect to security
> advising responsible parties regarding security requirements
> monitoring compliance
> updating security guidelines as systems, technologies, and threats evolve
collaboration and advisory roles
2007–2008 Members:
Doug Kudravetz, Chair
Office of Finance and Treasurer
John RichardsonCenter for Teaching Excellence
Brian YatesCollege of Arts and Sciences
William DeLone
Kogod School of Business
Faith Leonard Office of Campus Life
Christopher Rael
Office of Development
Sharon Alston Office of Enrollment
Barbara Logan, Resource Person
Office of Finance and Treasurer
Cathy Hubbs
Office of Information Technology
Dave Swartz
Office of Information Technology
Thi Nguyen-Southern, Resource Person
Office of the General Counsel
Linda Bolden-Pitcher
Office of the Registrar
Carol Wisniewski
Payroll Office
Pat KelshianRisk Management and Safety Services
Diana Vogelsong
University Library
Billie Jo KaufmanWashington College of Law
36
AU Technical Team
The AU Technical Team is a group of decentralized computing professionals responsible for providing
IT support within their department, school, or college. Members serve as a liaison between the
centralized OIT and their department to coordinate service delivery. Regular meetings and electronic
communication tools are used to share information and solicit feedback on major IT initiatives.
2007–2008 Members:
Nancy BarkerCareer Center
Colin LambertCareer Center
Assen AssenovCenter for Teaching Excellence
Jason DieblerCenter for Teaching Excellence
John Doolittle Center for Teaching Excellence
James LeeCenter for Teaching Excellence
James McCabeCenter for Teaching Excellence
Kelly NolinCenter for Teaching Excellence
John RichardsonCenter for Teaching Excellence
Beth ScudderCenter for Teaching Excellence
Ken LavolpeCollege of Arts and Sciences
Thomas MealCollege of Arts and Sciences
James MerrifieldCollege of Arts and Sciences
Brian BlairController’s Office
Mary GreenController’s Office
collaboration and advisory roles
Robert BrownleeCenter for Teaching Excellence
Sarah BayneHuman Resources
Firouz Bahrampour Kogod School of Business
Adrian Mihailescu
Kogod School of Business
Adam Enatsky
Office of Campus Life
Karen Gerlach
Office of Campus Life
Chad Ladue
Office of Campus Life
Bernard Schulz
Office of Campus Life
Christopher Rael
Office of Development
Gerold Cameron
Office of Enrollment
37
collaboration and advisory roles
Hossein Modarres
Office of Enrollment
Zeritu Woldemichael Office of Enrollment
Matt Zembrzuski
Office of Institutional Research and Assessment
Phil Brannen
Office of the Provost
Raul Guzman
Office of the Registrar
Bradley Boeke
School of Communication
Glenn Luther
School of Communication
Sean White
School of Communication
Ali Ghobadi
School of International Service
Alan Metelko
School of Public Affairs
Evgeny Bisk
University Library
Sean Casey
University Library
Bill Mayer
University Library
Daniel Musisi
University Library
Andrew Scalise
University Library
Mike Shubbuck
University Library
Kelvin Wilson
University Library
Michelle Fleitz
University Publications
Colleen Mahoney
University Publications
Richard CassidyWAMU
Virendra SilvaWAMU
Trevor WhitneyWAMU
Mark BurrowesWashington College of Law
Greta DawsonWashington College of Law
Billie Jo KaufmanWashington College of Law
Korin MunstermanWashington College of Law
Antoaneta TilevaWashington Semester Programs
38
Lab Printing Working Group
The Lab Printing Working Group is a cross-functional team with the shared objective of strengthening
and solidifying printing services within the University Library and campus computing labs. Regular
meetings and electronic communication tools are used to share information and solicit feedback.
2007–2008 Members:
David Stillwell, Chair
Office of Information Technology
Assen AssenovCenter for Teaching Excellence
Jason DieblerCenter for Teaching Excellence
Chris ArmstongHousing and Dining Programs
Paul LynchHousing and Dining Programs
Chris MoodyHousing and Dining Programs
Adrian MihailescuKogod School of Business
Nahlah Al-Siryani
Office of Information Technology
Terry Fernandez
Office of Information Technology
William Fleitz
Office of Information Technology
CaroLyn Jimenez
Office of Information Technology
Hassan Marvi Office of Information Technology
Thomas Nguyen
Office of Information Technology
Vanessa Sampay
Office of Information Technology
Prashant Sinha
Office of Information Technology
Office of Information Technology
Eric Weakland Office of Information Technology
Glenn Luther
School of Communication
Evgeny Bisk
University Library
Bill Mayer
University Library
University Library
Kelvin Wilson University Library
Dave Swartz
Andrew Scalise
collaboration and advisory roles
John RichardsonCenter for Teaching Excellence
Korin MunstermanWashington College of Law
Antoaneta TilevaWashington Semester Programs
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Macintosh Support Working Group
The Macintosh Support Working Group is a cross-functional team that represents the interests of Macintosh
users within the AU community. The working group participates in pilot testing of campus-wide initiatives,
identifies areas of concern, and proposes solutions whenever possible. Regular meetings and electronic
communication tools are used to share information and solicit feedback on major IT initiatives.
2007–2008 Members:
Terry Fernandez, Chair
Office of Information Technology
Jason DieblerCenter for Teaching Excellence
collaboration and advisory roles
Matthew BoerumCollege of Arts and Sciences
Bryan Fantie
College of Arts and Sciences
James MerrifieldCollege of Arts and Sciences
Matthew WeinerCollege of Arts and Sciences
Brian YatesCollege of Arts and Sciences
William Fleitz
Office of Information Technology
Isabelle Graham
Office of Information Technology
CaroLyn Jimenez
Office of Information Technology
Filemon Palero
Office of Information Technology
Prashant Sinha
Office of Information Technology
Hung Tran
Office of Information Technology
Dan Veloce
Office of Information Technology
Ben Wall
Office of Information Technology
Eric Weakland
Office of Information Technology
Glenn Luther
School of Communication
Sean White
School of Communication
Patrick Jackson
School of International Service, General Education
William White Student
Evgeny Bisk
University Library
Sean Casey
University Library
Mike Shubbuck
University Library
Kelvin Wilson University Library
Michelle Fleitz
University Publications
Jason RauchWashington College of Law
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Webmasters Forum
The Webmasters Forum is a cross-functional working group of webmasters and Web developers
across campus responsible for updating and managing Web site content and applications for staff
and academic units. The purpose of this cross-functional group is primarily knowledge sharing
through regular collaboration.
2007–2008 Members:
Michele Handlir, Chair
Alison Luberski
Office of Information Technology
Athletics
Christine LamCareer Center
Thomas MealCollege of Arts and Sciences
James MerrifieldCollege of Arts and Sciences
Jennifer FreyKogod School of Business
Clark GregorMedia Relations
Adam Enatsky Office of Campus Life
Bernard Schulz
Office of Campus Life
Christopher Rael
Office of Development
Melissa Reichley
Office of Development
James Raby
Office of Enrollment
Kabo Botlhole
Office of Information Technology
collaboration and advisory roles
John RichardsonCenter for Teaching Excellence
Enhanced Spam Filtering System
In January of 2008, OIT launched a new spam filtering system, which blocks junk mail at the border of the AU network.
All tagged junk messages are held in quarantine, and members of the AU community receive a daily spam digest.
Individuals can review the blocked messages and select whether they want certain messages to be released to their
inbox. This new system has dramatically reduced the load on the AU mail servers, as tagged junk mail is no longer sent
to outside e-mail addresses for those who forward their mail to other Internet service providers.
“I would like to express thanks for the significant improvement in the reduction/elimination of unwanted e-mail
spam as a result of OIT’s activation several months ago of its new anti-spam program. You have been saving
me considerable time.” —Donald Hester, Faculty Fellow, School of International Service
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collaboration and advisory roles
Felix Klimpacher
Office of Information Technology
Sergey Korsakov
Office of Information Technology
David Kaib
Office of Institutional Research and Assessment
Leslie Wong
Office of the President
Nathan Price
Office of the Provost
Raul Guzman
Office of the Registrar
Bradley Boeke
School of Communication
Wes Schauble
School of Communication
Daniel Yu
School of International Service
Jeremy Lupoli
School of Public Affairs
Anthony Luffredo
University Library
Kevin Grasty
University Publications
Marico HawesWashington College of Law
Mary LopezWashington Semester
elf-Service Visitor Account System and
S
Bulk Account Creation System
In January of 2008, OIT launched a system to enable users to create secure, restricted-access guest accounts
for AU’s network. The project had two major deliverables:
1. A system that allowed the library staff to give credential sets to authorized non-AU users of their facilities.
This was important to satisfy CALEA (Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act) compliance.
2.A system that allowed AU staff and faculty to create a limited number of temporary guest accounts
tied to their AU account.
“The visitor account creation application has been excellent for customer service in the library. We get a high number
of alumni and consortium students who want to do research, and stopping at the front desk to get a log-in slip takes
less than a minute. They are free to move around the building and not worry about going back to the front desk for
another log-in.” —Sidney Osborne, Library Stacks and Monitors Coordinator
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OIT Internal Committees
The following committees are examples of best practices and while they are
currently limited to members within the OIT staff, there is potential for expansion campus wide.
Change Management Forum
The Change Management Forum is a cross-functional working group of OIT staff responsible for
defining, evaluating, approving, and tracking changes through to completion to ensure that OIT
maintains the highest possible level of service for our customers. Examples of changes include:
hardware and software installations, new versions of system software, new application software
or hardware configurations, bug fixes, new releases, and hardware and software maintenance.
Alexander Nyce
Jacqueline Palumbo
Project Management Committee
The main functions of the Project Management Committee are the following:
> defining and publishing portfolio, program, and project management policies,
standards, methodologies, and metrics
> monitoring progress against and managing changes to the project office roadmap,
which focuses on establishing and increasing portfolio, program, and project
OIT INTERNAL COMMITTEES
2007–2008 Chairs:
management maturity and capability throughout OIT and AU
> reviewing compliance with portfolio, program, and project management policies
and sponsoring or approving the implementation of new controls as required
> reviewing and providing feedback on the performance of projects and making
recommendations as necessary
> encouraging the sharing of best practices, continuous improvement, and innovation
2007–2008 Chair:
Sharjil Hasan
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Office of Information Technology
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202-885-1000. UP09-179