The University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Information Resources Division – Compact 2009
Rev 11-14-2007
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I. Mission and Activities – The UTPB Information Resources Division
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin can anticipate a continued and
increasing reliance on information technologies for the accomplishment of University
goals and objectives. This increasing reliance on technology will span a broad
spectrum. Technology has impacted and will continue to impact every University
student, faculty member and staff member. From an increasing use of automation for
student recruitment to expanded delivery of instruction through distance learning
technologies, the institution will continue to rely on information technology for the
attainment of institutional goals and objectives.
This reliance on information technology must be tempered, however, with the
realization that such dependence gives rise to multiple challenges. The rate of
technological change makes faculty and staff training a significant challenge.
Additionally, continued investment in hardware and software technologies will be
required to maintain technological relevance in the installed technology base. Such
relevance is particularly important in the education enterprise since students must be
exposed to current technologies to receive a quality education. As demands for
technology continue to increase, the funding, recruiting and retention of additional
qualified technical support staff continues to be an increasing challenge. Additionally,
new federal, state and institutional priorities related to information security and
additional citizen concerns over information privacy represent significant new
demands for technical staffing. In fact, information security represents the most
significant technology challenge currently facing the institution.
Agency needs for information resources have historically been addressed through the
assignment of strategic planning, implementation and operational responsibilities to
the Information Resources Division (IRD). By providing a centralized resource for
information system and telecommunications expertise, IRD has been a primary
catalyst for institutional technology assimilation and utilization. In recent times,
responsibility for information resource development has been distributed to other
operational units within the university. This distribution will further complicate the
coordination and management of information security enhancements.
Like many institutional support areas the current quantity of IRD technical staff is
inadequate. Staff depth and the ability of the division to absorb staff turnover is
minimal. Additional staffing will be necessary to build organizational depth and to
address many of the strategic initiatives outlined by the IRD compact. Specific
staffing requirements are identified under corresponding departmental objectives.
Information resource planning responsibilities are vested in the Information Resources
Division (IRD). Coordination between planning activities and the university
community is achieved through the actions of a formal Computer Committee structure
and by placing the agency Information Resources Manager (IRM) on University
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planning and budget committees. Members of the committees are appointed by the
President and Vice Presidents each year. Members typically include representatives
from each major academic division and representatives from major administrative
areas. Priorities for information resource utilization and deployment are established
through interactions between the Computer Committee and IRD. Resulting strategic
planning documents are reviewed and approved by executive management.
The overall mission of the UTPB Information Resources Division is to provide
Information Resource vision, planning, design, implementation, operations
support, security, compliance monitoring and management necessary for the
support of the University’s mission and in support of the rules, regulations and
initiatives of the UT System and the State of Texas.
II. Environmental Factors
A. Regulatory/Compliance Environment
In 1967, the Texas Legislature began its efforts to contend with the challenges
associated with the management of information resources. Starting with the State
Auditor’s Office, several agencies have had responsibility for reviewing state
expenditures for information technology. In 1989, the Department of Information
Resources (DIR) was established in a comprehensive state statute that addressed
the major aspects of information technology management. Since its creation,
DIR’s responsibilities have evolved. Through its statewide planning, rulemaking
and service structure, DIR provides an overall vision for statewide information
resource utilization. All information resource procurement, implementation and
operations of the university are subject to the monitoring and regulatory
environment established through DIR and the Texas Information Resources
Management Act.
B. Information Security
Information security and the protection of personal information continue to have a
high priority within the state, within UT System and with the public at large.
Significant new requirements for security monitoring and compliance have been
promulgated by UT System, State and Federal sources. Meeting these
requirements is fundamental to the preservation of citizen trust and asset
stewardship and will require a significant commitment of additional financial and
personnel resources.
III. Major Short-Term Initiatives
A. Support of Institutional Growth
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The growth of any institution must involve more than just the addition of students
and faculty. In order for systemic growth to occur consideration must be given to
infrastructure growth components. These infrastructure growth components
include not only bricks and mortar but also support facilities and information
resources designed to service the growing number of faculty and students.
1. Objective A1 – Network Cost Allocation & Bandwidth Maintenance
The university’s computer network has become an increasingly important
strategic asset. Over the years, this communication resource has evolved
from a text-based e-mail “convenience” to a mission-critical information
delivery resource responsible for everything from environmental control to
academic course delivery. The expansion of this resource such that
adequate network bandwidth continues to be available in the face of
constantly increasing demand is essential to the growth of the institution.
a. Strategy A11
Establish a bandwidth management/funding model that insures
adequate bandwidth in the face of anticipated increases in
bandwidth demand. This model should map bandwidth costs to
bandwidth consumers.
b. Strategy A12
Ensure that available bandwidth both on the local area network and
to wide area network destinations beyond the campus boundary is
adequate for the needs of the university.
c. Strategy A13
Establish a high bandwidth interconnect between the UTPB main
campus and the CEED site.
d. Strategy A14
Insure that UT Permian Basin is a full participant in the LEARN
network.
Performance Measure A1: Bandwidth utilization at peak demand.
2. Objective A2 – Strengthen Desktop Computer Support And Planning
The university’s growth and the growth in per capita information resource
consumption combine to produce a phenomenal growth rate in the
installed microcomputer base. This growth rate has not been matched by
an expansion in either staffing for user support or funding for ongoing
equipment replacement. The situation is made worse by the fact that
increases in computer population have no direct or indirect impact on the
budgets of requesting budget heads. Consequently, no rationalization or
evaluation of need occurs. While this model may be appropriate for early
stages of technology assimilation, the model is inappropriate for the
control phase of technology utilization. The existing allocation model
must be replaced with a model that more carefully scrutinizes the growth
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rate of desktop computers.
a. Strategy A21
Establish a desktop computer cost allocation and funding model
that transfers the life-cycle cost of equipment ownership to the
using budget.
b. Strategy A22
Separate funding for growth of the installed base from funding for
replacement of existing units and insure that replacement funding
allocations grow proportionally with the installed base
c. Strategy A23
Enhance and streamline the user service request system through
the addition of web-based facilities for the submission and tracking
of service requests.
d. Strategy A24
Improve client support through the addition of at least one FTE for
client desktop support.
Performance Measure A2: Average time to resolution for service requests
and problem reports.
3. Objective A3 – Grow Student Computing Resources
As student enrollment increases, the demand for on-campus computing
resources also increases. Industry trends suggest that more and more
students arrive at college with their own computers. However in order to
insure that all students have access to appropriate computing resources,
the campus must continue to offer high quality computing facilities for
students. This strategy will minimize the digital divide and insure that the
lack of technology is not a barrier to success for economically
disadvantaged students.
a. Strategy A31
Expand the number of seats available in both walk-in computer lab
environments and in formal computer classroom environments.
b. Strategy A32
Insure that computing resources available to students are
maintained at current hardware and software levels.
Performance Measure A3: Number of general access computers per
student FTE enrollment.
4. Objective A4 – Improve Information Storage and Management
As the demand for on-line information storage increases, the current
technical implementation for network-accessible data storage becomes
less and less adequate. The current implementation associates primary
storage resources with specific physical server resources. This
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configuration does not scale well. To cope with the increasing demand for
on-line storage, newer storage technologies will be required. These
technologies such as fiber channel disk arrays and network attached
storage arrays will be required.
a. Strategy A41
Utilize fiber channel and network storage technologies to establish
scalable network storage resources for multiple server platforms.
b. Strategy A42
Provide IRD professional staff with advanced training on storage
technologies.
c. Strategy A43
Utilize advanced disk mirroring techniques to eliminate the need
for routine backup of information to tape.
d. Implement server virtualization strategy to make multiple server
images available from a single physical platform.
Performance Measure A4: Percentage of total available storage
implemented in storage array facilities.
B. Support of Quality
Quality and growth are closely related. This relationship stems from the fact that
the quality of information services is frequently dependent on how close to
capacity the delivery system must operate in order to meet the demand for
services. This is true for technical systems as well as institutional processes.
1. Objective B1 – Enhance Network Stability
A stable, secure and responsive network is fundamental to the delivery of
high quality services. Toward these objectives additional resources will
need to be devoted to the management and monitoring of this vital
university asset.
a. Strategy B11
Enhance network security and reliability through the use of
advanced technology, staff training, policy development and policy
enforcement.
b. Strategy B12
In support of the incident response plan, construct, equip and
document a network incident response console capable of
providing command and control capabilities for network defense.
c. Strategy B13
Improve network support staff depth through the addition of at
least one FTE for network support, monitoring and management.
Performance Measure B1: Number of network outages per unit of time.
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2. Objective B2 – Stabilize Client Environment
A stable and consistent client workstation environment is fundamental to
the quality of university programs. The workstation hardware
environment and associated office automation software provide the basis
for much of what university employees produce in the way of
administrative and academic output.
a. Strategy B21
Enhance the ability to manage client software configurations
through the mandatory participation of all client stations in a
Windows Server domain structure
b. Strategy B22
Enforce defined group policy restrictions at each domain client to
enhance the stability and security of domain workstations.
c. Strategy B23
Implement automated client configuration control to insure that
appropriate software patches are applied in a timely manner to all
machines connected to the network.
d. Strategy B24
Implement client configuration lockdown technology to
aggressively control client software configuration.
Performance Measure B2: Percentage of network client stations that
implement explicit configuration control.
3. Objective B3 – Improve Classroom Instructional Technology
The university currently enjoys multimedia instructional technology in
every classroom. This technology has been embraced by faculty and is
routinely used to improve the quality of instruction. However, the existing
technology can be made more effective and reliable through the
introduction of “next generation” (nextgen) designs.
a. Strategy B31 – Build And Deploy Nextgen Instructional Pods
Deplot nextgen instructional technology to simplify the use,
improve the reliability and increase the availability of in-room
instructional technology.
b. Strategy B32 – Provide Additional Support Staff
Provide at least one additional FTE in IRD dedicated to the support
of multimedia and instructional television technologies.
Performance Measure B3: Number of classrooms equipped with nextgen
equipment.
4. Objective B4 - Unified Messaging
Upgrade the institutions various messaging functions to improve the
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quality of communication between university employees and between
faculty and their students.
a. Strategy B41 – Central Fax & Voicemail
Implement a unified fax, e-mail and voicemail messaging service.
Performance Measure B4: Number of users supported by a unified
messaging system.
5. Objective B5 – Establish Identity Management System
With the continued growth of on-line services, organizations are
wrestling with the challenge of managing secure access to information
and applications scattered across a wide range of internal and external
computing systems. Furthermore, access must be provided to a growing
number of users, both inside and outside of the organization, without
diminishing security or exposing sensitive information. The
management of multiple versions of user identities across multiple
applications makes the task even more daunting. The systems being
built to address these issues are frequently referred to as Identity
Management Systems. The systems typically include facilities to assist
users with password change, password synchronization, unified sign-on,
and access management. The availability of Identity Management
services is essential to the delivery of high quality user experiences in
the evolving on-line environment.
a. Strategy B51
Complete the deployment of an institutional LDAP directory
system including the integration of automated directory data feeds
from the DEFINE personnel system and the POISE student
information system.
b. Strategy B52
Integrate the LDAP directory system with the Windows Active
Directory to achieve a single point of password administration
between the two directory systems.
c. Strategy B53
Utilize the integrated directory system in conjunction with
Shibboleth technologies to facilitate single sign-on capabilities for
multiple web-based applications.
Performance Measure B5: Number of applications in the installed base
capable of Shibbolized authentication.
6. Objective B6 – Enhanced Administrative Software
UTPB IRD must continue to reduce the backlog of administrative software
system implementations. Each of these administrative applications is
intended to improve the utility and quality of institutional information
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systems in specific functional areas.
a. Strategy B61
Assist the Registrar’s Office in the implementation of the Astra
Schedule classroom scheduling system.
b. Strategy B62
Begin the conceptual design and concept demonstration of an
institutional data warehouse.
Performance Measure B6: Number of purchased but non-implemented
applications in the application implementation portfolio.
7. Objective B7 – Improve Institutional Collaboration Tools
The university has an increasing need for improved collaboration tools.
These tools would facilitate the collaborative development of a variety of
materials ranging from the university catalog to material for accreditation.
a. Strategy B71
Establish storage space for the storage of collaborative
information.
b. Strategy B72
Implement collaboration software tools.
C. Support of Research
UTPB IRD is poorly staffed and poorly equipped to directly assist faculty with
research efforts. Considering the existing backlogs in application implementation
and development and the current crush of ongoing service requests, it is unlikely
that significant IRD manpower can be made available to directly assist faculty in
their research efforts. However, there are several process items that could be used
to assist in this area.
1. Objective C1 – Consultation
Review of faculty research proposals by IRD is no longer required by the
existing proposal review process. Historically, research proposals have
tended to fall into one of two categories. Proposals from faculty who are
highly knowledgeable in the areas of information technology tend to
propose reasonable and feasible technology utilization as one element in
the research effort. These proposals frequently result in successful
research efforts. Proposals from faculty who are not highly
knowledgeable in the areas of information technology tend to place
unreasonable expectations on technology and tend to view technology as a
black box capable of resolving any difficulty. These proposals, if funded
at all, frequently produce high levels of frustration, consume
disproportionate amounts of technical support resources and result in less
than acceptable outcomes.
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a. Strategy C11
Insure that all research proposals are evaluated with respect to
technical feasibility prior to being issued.
b. Strategy C12
Insure that all research proposals are evaluated with respect to
technical support feasibility prior to being issued. Insure that all
technical support implied by the proposed activities has a
designated source of funding and that the technical skill sets
implied by the proposal are actually available.
Performance Measure C1: Number of grant proposals reviewed.
2. Objective C2 – Enhanced Network Services
For some research activities (particularly NSF-funded activities),
enhanced wide-area networking resources will be an important factor.
These “next generation” networks are increasingly being used to facilitate
information exchange and to coordinate research efforts across a broad
spectrum of research topics. In some cases, the advanced networks
themselves are a significant part of the research.
a. Strategy C21
Insure that the institution can achieve connection to the Internet 2
network (I2) should a research proposal establish a need for such a
connection and obtain funding for such a connection.
b. Strategy C22
Insure that the institution can achieve a high-bandwidth connection
to the Lonestar Education and Research Network (LEARN) should
a research proposal establish a need for such a connection and
obtain funding for such a connection.
Performance Measure C2: Number of grant proposals submitted requiring
I2 or similar high-speed network access.
3. Objective C3 – Compliance With Research Data Security Requirements
UTS165 includes significant requirements for digital research data to
insure the security and integrity of such data. The university will be
required to meet these requirements.
a. Strategy C31
Provide researchers with a spectrum of local and central data
storage resources for the protection of appropriately classified
research data.
b. Strategy C32
Assist research faculty in properly classifying digital research data.
D. Support of Partnerships
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UTPB IRD supports the development and use of partnerships in a number of
ways. Through the operation of the REACH interactive television system, UTPB
IRD is able to establish interactive instructional communications connections
between UTPB and a number of education partners. In addition to providing
channels for the delivery of instruction, this approach also establishes a
“presence” for the university at the remote site. This is an advantage offered by
ITV not available through other distance learning technologies. UTPB IRD also
partners with other entities in order to exploit networking cost reductions
available through bandwidth aggregation. These partnerships not only establish
good will among the cooperating entities but also serve to significantly reduce the
unit cost of bandwidths in the wide area network. The overall approach to
partnership support is to continue existing partnerships and to expand the
partnerships where demonstrated programmatic need warrants such expansion.
1. Objective D1- Interactive Instruction
Continue the utilization of existing interactive television and explore other
interactive instructional technologies.
a. Strategy D11
Establish a funding source for and implement dialup
videoconferencing capabilities.
b. Strategy D12
Explore new technologies for interactive, real time instruction
including IP-based remote computer control and web-based real
time meeting technologies.
Performance Measure D1: The number of hours of ITV production
completed.
2. Objective D2 – Remote Teaching Sites
Support existing and emerging remote teaching sites through
standardization of hardware and software and through the provisioning of
TheNet network connectivity where appropriate.
a. Strategy D21
Insure that instructional technology available to UTPB faculty at
remote teaching sites is comparable to equipment available at the
main campus.
b. Objective D22
Insure that software available to UTPB faculty at remote teaching
sites is comparable to software available at the main campus.
c. Objective D23
Insure that technical support is available at remote teaching sites.
Performance Measure D2: The number of remote teaching sites supported.
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3. Objective D3 – Cooperative Technology Partnerships
Continue existing cooperative networking partnerships and search for
additional opportunities.
a. Strategy D31
Continue existing hardware co-location agreement with the Texas
Attorney General’s office.
b. Strategy D32
Continue existing agreement with UT System Office of
Telecommunications Services for primary campus Internet
connectivity.
c. Strategy D33
Explore other opportunities for cooperative partnerships with area
junior colleges and school districts for TheNet, I2 and LEARN
connectivity initiatives.
d. Strategy D34
Establish equipment co-location agreement with UT Lands office
in Midland.
Performance Measure D3: The number of cooperative technology
agreements in place.
E. Support For Graduation Rate Improvement
Improvements in graduation rates can be achieved through improved management
of the advising and degree planning process. Additionally, the early identification
of and assistance for at-risk students can also help to reduce the number of
dropouts.
1. Objective E1 – Improve degree plan and student progress tracking
a. Strategy E11
Complete the implementation of the POISE Degree Audit System.
b. Strategy E12
Provide hardware and O/S support for the Early Alert System
(EAS) to identify at-risk students and work to incorporate EAS
data into the data warehouse.
F. Public Trust And Accountability
As previously mentioned, information resource expenditures and management in
the state of Texas are subject special statutory scrutiny. Consequently, a portion
of UTPB IRD resources will be devoted to specific compliance activities. A
significant commitment of staff resources will need to be committed to enhancing
the university’s information security posture.
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1. Objective F1 – Improve Information Confidentiality and Security
Growing concerns about identity theft and the increasing use of Internet
technologies for e-commerce have given rise to an increasing number of
federal, state and UT System regulations related to information system
security. Most significantly UT System has released a revised and unified
policy on information resource use and security. This new document
(UTS165) combines previous BPMs related to information resource
security, Social Security number confidentiality and integrity of research
data. Compliance with the new UTS165 will require a significant and
ongoing commitment of resources.
a. Strategy F11
Continue efforts to improve information security through the
development and implementation of a detailed security
enhancement plan as defined by the UT System information
security initiative.
b. Strategy F12
Continue efforts to reduce the use of Social Security numbers and
to improve the security of Social Security number data.
c. Strategy F13
Initiate efforts to improve the confidentiality and integrity of
digital research data.
Performance Measure F1: The number of UTS165 requirements fulfilled.
2. Objective F2 – Improve Software Licensing Compliance
Continue efforts toward improved software licensing compliance.
a. Strategy F21
Complete deployment of automated software licensing audit
facility.
b. Strategy F22
Provide enhanced training opportunities for faculty, staff and
student with respect to software licensing.
Performance Measure F2: The number of client computers in the installed
base for which detailed software inventory data is maintained.
3. Objective F3 – Improve Business Continuity Planning
Continue efforts toward the establishment of a disaster recovery hot site at
the CEED facility.
a. Strategy F31
Establish high-capacity network interconnect between CEED
facility and main campus.
b. Strategy F32
Relocate backup web server and backup on-line course server to
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CEED facility.
b. Strategy F33
Replace existing air conditioning equipment serving the CEED
equipment room with a new, redundant system.
c. Strategy F34
Establish backup power facilities for the CEED equipment room
which will allow continued operation in the event of a loss of onsite power.
Performance Measure F3: The number of backup applications for which
alternate hardware/software resources are maintained at the CEED
recovery facility.
4. Objective F4 – Federal Discovery Compliance
a. Strategy F41
Identify, procure, install and test e-mail archival hardware and
software necessary to achieve compliance with Federal discovery
rules.
IV. Long Range Plans
The rate of technological advancement and the dynamics of a web-centric word make
technology planning beyond the 3 year horizon very difficult. However, given current
technology trends, the university’s current situation, and reasonable expectations for
growth, quality, research and partnerships; several long-range requirements quickly
emerge.
A. Data Center Consolidation
Amid continuing pressures to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of stateowned data centers, the Texas Department of Information Resources has
aggressively embraced a consolidation of state-owned data centers. Under this
concept, operational efficiency improvements and cost savings are believed to be
available through the creation and operation of a small number of large data
centers rather than having each state agency own and operate its own data center.
Conceptually, the centralized data center implementation can reduce the number
of redundant production operations and save money. In response to this trend, the
UT System has also embraced the data center consolidation concept and is
currently moving aggressively in this direction. Regional UT System data centers
have now been established in Arlington and in Houston. A third regional data
center is also being considered to serve the Austin area. Given these significant
investments in infrastructure, it seems likely that UTPB will eventually have the
opportunity to move the bulk of its information system operations to one of these
regional facilities. Planning should begin now for this eventuality.
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B. Identity Management
The ability to establish and maintain digital identities for various university
stakeholders will be essential enabling technology for the future delivery of
services. Consequently, attention to the technological infrastructure necessary to
establish, verify and maintain digital identities for students, faculty and staff is
essential to the future of the university.
C. Physical Facilities
Current Mesa Building facilities used to house the central computing and
telecommunications systems of the university are inadequate. While significant
effort and expense have gone into retrofitting standard office space into the type
of specialty space needed for a reliable central computing facility, the existing
space continues to have a number of serious deficiencies. Many of these
deficiencies including the need for physical monitoring, security, power
redundancy, HVAC redundancy, signal distribution, environmental monitoring
and fire suppression are being addressed during the design phase of a new facility.
Care must be taken to insure that adequate funding for fundamental information
facility infrastructure and equipment is preserved during the detail design phase of
the new buildings.
D. High Bandwidth Networking
The amount of digital information that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of
time will continue to be one of the most significant determinants of technology
utility. Advances in instructional technology can only be as effective as the
delivery mechanism. As the content for on-line course material becomes more
sophisticated (through the inclusion of advanced content such as audio and video)
and as the delivery mode for on-line instruction evolves from a one-to-many
topology to a web or mesh topology where all learners can directly interact with
each other and with the instructor, the demand for transmission capacity or
bandwidth will continue to grow at a significant rate. This growth in bandwidth
demand will impact not only the campus network but perhaps more significantly,
the wide area network. The institution must actively identify and pursue every
opportunity to address the bandwidth issue. This will include insuring that the
next generation of campus network is defined, funded and under construction well
before the practical capacities of the existing network are reached. Similarly,
opportunities to participate in high capacity, wide area networking systems such
as the LEARN network and future networks must be identified and exploited.
E. Local Area Network Technology Refresh
The primary equipment used to provide basic network data transport services for
the campus local area network is nearing the end of its life. Some of the critical
equipment is already at end of life. Because maintenance services are generally
no longer available from equipment manufacturers when equipment reaches end
of life, plans for funding new network infrastructure should be developed now.
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