Enterprise Information Systems Infrastructure

Information Technology supports two major enterprise information systems: Banner and a central directory.

Roadmaps

Banner roadmap	Identity management roadmap

Banner

IT maintains and operates a complex, integrated series of information systems that support the administrative activities of the multi-campus University.

Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) services cover a full range of support for the administrative systems that provide functions such as admissions application processing, student registration and grading, financial aid processing, student fee assessment and billing, accounting, payroll, purchasing, personnel
management, and a variety of reporting, planning, and decision support functions.  These systems utilize Sungard Higher Education's Banner series of Oracle database applications: Banner Student, Financial Aid, Human Resources (HR), Finance, and Alumni/Development, together with a variety of Banner web interfaces. Staff from EIS work closely with University offices to help select administrative applications such as these; then implements, operates, and provides ongoing
support for them.

Banner priorities

• Continue high levels of functional support and system availability for Banner.

• Upgrade hardware and software.

• Transition to new operating system

Tactical plans in support of Banner

• Transition Banner from OpenVMS to RedHat/Linux operating system 

• Implement NetID as login credential for CyberBear 

• Build Banner interface to (external) Moodle and Pearson systems 

• Continue Banner 8 software and process enhancements 

• Participate in OCHE Banner data standardization effort 

• Begin specific planning for additional multicampus Banner hardware consolidation 

• Continue support for Miles City/Dawson Banner systems

Central Directory

An identity management system comprises a system of directories and access control based on policies. It includes the maintenance of the system (adds, changes, deletes) that controls authentication and authorization to the network and various computing systems.

IT's Directory Services group, formed in 2007-08, manages a central directory and other pre-existing directories. The group also manages the strategic implementation of Central Authentication Services (CAS) which allows for single sign-on to multiple systems, and is working toward federated identity management capabilities that will enable sharing of resources across institutions.

Central directory priorities

• Expand the use of the central directory in identity management and systematic control of access to electronic resources.

• Raise system availability for central directory by upgrading hardware and staff support.

Tactical plans in support of central directory

• Cut costs by transitioning Directory software from Oracle product to OpenLDAP

• Revamp hardware implementation to enhance Directory fault tolerance and availability

• Implement NetID as login credential for CyberBear and (external) Moodle and Pearson systems

• Continue Directory attribute enhancements

• Transition from Educause Identity Management Group to InCommon membership

• Cut costs by transitioning from use of VeriSign to InCommon security certificates