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Information Technology services at the University of Montana consist of a centralized organization (Information Technology or IT) and a number of distributed services controlled by various colleges and organizations. IT provides a broad computing, network, and telecommunications infrastructure, supports enterprise level software, and offers a range of technology support services for the Missoula campus. This organization also coordinates with the other Montana University System campuses, the local community, and the state to ensure consistency of offerings and policy.
Distributed IT organizations include UM Continuing Education which runs UM Online, Student Affairs Information Technology which offers computing services to the dorms and various departments in academic affairs, The Mansfield Library which offers electronic resources and public labs, and the Colleges of Forestry and Conservation, The Gallagher Business School, the Law School, and the College of Arts and Sciences all of which offer a variety of services to their constituents. Coordination of efforts is conducted through the Technology Partners organization and the campus system administrator's forum called “sysgroup,”
Information Technology policies are set in place by the IT Advisory Council consisting of the President, Provost, and Vice Presidents. The Academic IT Advisory Board and Faculty Senate provide input into the use of computing resources for academic purposes and ModSquad provides guidance for the use of resources for administrative and financial purposes.
The University of Montana levies technology fees on students to support the IT infrastructure. These include the Student Computer Fee and The Academic Facilities and Technology Fee as defined below:
- Computer Fees
Fee is used for the purchase or lease of computer equipment, software, maintenance, or related items which will benefit the instructional program.
- Academic Facilities and Technology Fee
The Academic Facility Fee was approved by students for the repayment of bonds. The proceeds from the bonds will be used to remodel classrooms and laboratories. The Technology Fee is used to support the technology infrastructure for Academic and Administrative Systems.
Mission
Information Technology (IT) reports to the President of The University of Montana. IT is a campus service organization that provides computing and communication resources in support of the instructional, research, administrative, and public service activities of The University of Montana. IT maintains and operates complex information systems to support the University's administrative activities and offers a variety of technology support services to assist the University in using the resources and services that IT is responsible for providing.
Information Technology is led by the Associate Vice President for Information Technology, Ray Ford, also known as the Chief Information Officer. Three Assistant CIOs help in the general management of IT and cover the areas of campus computing, network and telecommunication services, enterprise information systems, and technology support services.
The IT Office provides a single point of contact for all IT business matters for all those items both internal and external to the University. IT Office staff manage all personnel, budget, purchasing, contracts, policy, and other such issues. The IT Office also oversees security issues as they relate to computing and information services. Finally the IT office is the primary point of contact with other groups on campus including Technology Partners, the Student Computer Fee Committee, the IT Advisory Council, and the Academic IT Advisory Committee.
Computing, Network, and Telecommunication Services (CN&TS) is led by a Senior Associate CIO, Steve Henry, who supervises the managers and staff of four groups: Central Computing Services, Network Services, Telecommunication Services, and the newly formed Directory and Middleware Services group. Central Computing Services is primarily responsible for providing technical support (systems administration, operating system and database support) for enterprise-level computing platforms and also operates the systems and network operations center. Network Services has primary responsibility for the design, implementation, operation, and support of the University's campus and wide area data networks, including management of the primary firewall, traffic shaping equipment, H.323 video gateway, DNS, etc. Telecommunication Services manages, operates, and supports the University's large-scale campus PBX. Telecommunication Services also currently provides a variety of ancillary services, most notably campus alarm monitoring and police dispatch. Directory and Middleware Services manages and supports the University's central automated directory services applications, including the Oracle Internet Directory (OID), Microsoft Active Directory (AD), and Sun/iPlanet LDAP. Through CN&TS, IT also maintains campus-wide license agreements for some widely-used software, such as the Microsoft Campus Agreement (offering a wide variety of Microsoft Windows operating system and application software), Apple Mac OS software, Symantec anti-virus software, etc.
IT offers a variety of network-based services such as e-mail, ftp and sftp, World Wide Web (WWW) publishing, the UM Portal, etc. for which Central Computing Service (CCS) has management, operational, and support responsibility. CCS operates and supports the central computing facility that hosts the University's multi-campus Banner enterprise information system and the Blackboard On-line Course Management System that is currently used by more than 10,000 students. CCS also provides database administration support for these systems. CCS maintains SMTP mail interfaces with the Internet and with major Montana sites, and provides host-based Microsoft Exchange, POP3, and IMAP4 mail services to the UM-Missoula campuses. These services are used heavily by nearly 17,000 UM students, faculty, and staff. CCS maintains and supports the principal Web servers that provide the University with a presence on the World Wide Web. The CCS Systems & Network Operations Center operates from approximately 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. with additional coverage hours as needed.
IT manages the UM-Missoula campus network and the University's multi-campus wide area network including links with the Internet and Internet2. The UM-Missoula campus network currently supports with more than 6,500 individual campus connections and more than 2,500 connections in University housing locations. The campus network also offers a growing number of wireless “hotspot” locations (notably in the Library, University Center , and “Griz Central,” and has a network core that provides a bandwidth of between 2- and 3 Gbits/second. Currently, the “commodity” Internet link is a DS3 (45Mbits/sec.) link to Vision Net that terminates at the University's central demark location at the head-end of the UM-Missoula campus network. The University's Internet2 connection is currently a DS3 (45Mbits/sec.) link to the Pacific Northwest Gigapop (PNWGP) facility located in Seattle , Washington . Network Services also manages the University's wide-area network links to the State of Montana 's state-wide SummitNet network and to the University's affiliated campuses in Butte , Dillon, and Helena . Currently Network Services is working with the Northern Tier Network Consortium, PNWGP, and others to connect various Montana University System and State of Montana to locations to Internet2 via light wave (lambda) technology to provide substantially increased capacity of 10Gbits/second or more. Network Services is also engaged in a multi-year process to upgrade the UM-Missoula campus network to provide enhanced bandwidth and network services throughout the UM-M campus.
Telecommunication Services (Telecom) provides telephone services to the three UM-Missoula campuses (the main “mountain” campus and the College of Technology east and west campuses) and to a variety of remote locations such as UM's Lubrecht Forest research facility and the Center at Salmon Lake conference facility. Telecommunication Services also serves a variety of non-University locations such as the State Department of Lands / State Forestry facility in Missoula and other state offices throughout western Montana . Telecom provides “full service” telecommunication services offering local and long distance services, voice mail, automated attendant services, etc., for which Telecom manages, operates, and maintains a large Nortel PBX (central telephone switch) and two subsidiary PBXes with nearly 5,000 attached stations. Telecom also coordinates cellular telephone services for the campus through the University's participation in State of Montana term contracts. Telecom currently offers a variety of ancillary services, most notably after-hours police and emergency dispatch, Criminal Justice Information Network (CJIN) access, and monitoring of campus building and safety alarms (intrusion, fire, environmental, etc.).
Directory and Middleware Services (D&MS) is a newly formed group that manages and supports central directory services (the OID, AD, and iPlanet LDAP) that control access to most UM IT resources. The services provided by D&MS provide user authentication and authorization, allowing access (or not) to the University's Portal, e-mail, wireless network, Blackboard on-line CMS, Mansfield Library resources, student computer labs, campus network assets, and other such resources. This group is currently working to implement a full, single-sign-on facility for virtually all UM network-based resources.
IT maintains and operates a complex, integrated series of information systems that support the administrative activities of the multi-campus University. Led by an Assistant Chief Information Officer, Jan Pruyn, Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) support 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.
Technology Support Services (TSS) is led by Assistant Chief Information Officer Loey Knapp and comprises three groups: Client Support Services (CSS), Presentation and Technology Services (P&TS), and Web Technologies (WT). CSS is primarily responsible for IT Central, the designated initial point of contact for all user issues (AKA “help desk”). CSS also supports five public computer labs, provides IT training and serves as the communications arm of IT. P&TS has primary responsibility for instructional technology equipment placed in the University's general issue classrooms, as well as an inventory of equipment available for check-out by users. P&TS also has staff that provides the desktop PC support for the public labs, groups within IT that choose not to do their own support, and units outside of IT on a contract service basis. The WT group provides central support for the central UM Web server, the new campus-wide portal system, and related tools and technologies.
- IT Central
IT provides a primary point of contact for “walk-in/call-in” support through IT Central, located on the first floor of Social Science. Walk-in/call-in support is provided related to UM accounts, campus IT capabilities (e.g., connection to campus wireless), and general PC productivity applications (e.g., M/S Office). IT Central also distributes software made available through campus programs. It provides limited trouble shooting and desktop/laptop support
- Computer Labs
Client Support Services supports the general access student computer labs that are available to all currently-enrolled UM students. The labs are operated as open facilities where students may “drop in” and use computers as needed. Instructors may reserve labs for specific times to permit class demonstrations or hands-on instruction. (However, reserving the labs either as a general meeting place for classes or far in advance of actual need is discouraged.) The labs are open in accordance with demand and available budget. Currently, there are five labs with one hundred and eighty computers available for student and instructional use.
- Training
Numerous free, non-credit short courses are offered to students, faculty, and staff every semester and during summer session. These classes are announced on the IT Web pages and in bulletins sent to all departments at the beginning of each academic session. Other training opportunities, such as user groups, brown bag sessions, and special workshops for faculty, are scheduled periodically. Short course offerings are varied from time to time depending upon demand and changing technology. Over time, IT short courses have covered topics such as Microsoft Office applications, E-Mail, Banner navigation and Banner applications, Web browsing and accessing Internet resources and Blackboard.
- Multimedia Classrooms
Presentation and Technology Services (P&TS) supports multimedia classrooms that are scheduled by the Registrar. These include seven high technology rooms, twenty mid level technology rooms, and 5 lower level technology rooms. The Registrar schedules these rooms for classes but they can be used for events organized by the campus or by the public, depending on availability. P&TS provides design, implementation, and training services relative to these rooms. Additional technology-equipped rooms are available on campus through the various colleges.
- Audio Visual Equipment and Production
Presentation & Technology Services offers rental and delivery of mobile audio visual equipment such as LCD projectors, laptops, slide projectors and other presentation tools. P&TS staff can also record lectures, seminars or other events and produce CDs, DVDs or other final media.
- Adaptive Services
Working in association with Disability Services P&TS provides some adaptive hardware and software for use by students with disabilities. These services can be arranged through IT Central.
- Web Application Support
The IT Web Technologies Group supports the University of Montana 's public web presence in several ways, including:
- Central leadership and coordination of a distributed web development environment through work with the University Web Committee and direct contact with schools and departments
- Design, development and management of the UM homepage, landing pages, navigation and search tools under the guidance of the UM homepage committee
- Management of a central web server and user account management in compliance with University policies
- Identification, purchase and support of web tools and services that benefit the entire campus and user community
- Development and support of a web template system that complies with University standards
- Website design services for departments
- Training and support for web development, site management and content management using tools such as Macromedia Dreamweaver and Dreamweaver Contribute
- Custom database-driven web application development on a cost-recovery basis
- The Portal
The IT Web Technologies Group is managing and developing an enterprise web portal. Portals represent the next generation of web technologies. The foundation of an enterprise portal is a sophisticated identity management system. Portals provide a single web environment to access, integrate and aggregate data from disparate campus computing systems. Portals also offer a secure environment for delivery of personalized content and data, and will challenge the traditional way in which web content is managed.
UM is developing its portal in collaboration with more than 100 other institutions worldwide as part of the CampusEAI consortium.
- Departmental Support
P&TS provides departmental IT support on a case by case basis for those organizations that do not have access to IT resources of their own. This service includes desktop support, server management, data backup and account management.
Continuing Education offers a full online courseware program called UMOnline. These courses are conducted through the use of Blackboard software. Students in The University of Montana system may register for campus courses, online courses, or a combination of the two. The follow degree programs are offered through UMOnline.
Student Affairs Information Technology (SAIT) and the DirectConnect Office provide technology processes, maintenance, and support for the various departments within the division of Student Affairs. SAIT provides the technology solutions that allow Student Affairs to provide useful and effective services to the students at the University of Montana . DirectConnect Office staff also provides technical support for all students living in Residence Life housing.
There is a wide range of auxiliary IT support services available to the students and employees of the University of Montana .
- Mansfield Library: the library supports those affiliated with the university as well as the public. Public computers are available for access to state and national electronic library resources. The library also loans laptops and can deliver a full networked ‘classroom in a cart' upon request.
- College of Arts and Sciences: CAS maintains its own servers and provides staff and student support through the GrizTech help desk. CAS also oversees Spectral Fusion, a web site development organization. CAS manages a number of labs and electronically equipped classrooms and seminar rooms.
- Other Colleges: the Gallagher Business School , the Law School , and the College of Forestry and Conservation offer their own network-based services such as e-mail and ftp that are localized to their constituents. Labs and support staff are also provided for college specific purposes.
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