Investing in the Core, Leveraging at the Edge

1. Investing in the Core, Leveraging at the Edge Randy Stiles, Colorado College NWACC June 9, 2006

2. The Conference Issue - and Question • CONSUMER TECHNOLOGIES • Phones • Music • Video • ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGIES • Instruction • Research • IT should allow natural evolution of converging products to drive strategies • IT should re-design technology resources to establish a convergent environment YES!

3. Overview • Frameworks • Colorado College context • Key arguments and strategy for change • Some network upgrade details • Evolution and intelligent design in IT

4. Frameworks

5. ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION Colorado College – System View INSTITUTIONAL MISSION, VALUES, AND IDENTITY GOVERNANCE INSTITUTIONAL SIZE INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRITY AND VISIBILITY RESOURCES PROGRAMS and PROCESSES OUTCOMES SCHOLARSHIP* - Teaching, discovery, integration, application • ACADEMIC • PROGRAM • General education reqts • Disciplinary majors/minors • Interdisciplinary pgms PEOPLE - Students, faculty, staff • EFFECTIVE WORLD CITIZENS • Graduates, faculty, staff (knowledge, • skills, abilities, attitudes) FUNDING - Tuition, gifts, grants INFORMATION -The collection, electronic, texts, institutional ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT STUDENT LIFE SERVICE and ENGAGEMENT - Communities of shared interest • Athletics • Co-curricular programs • Residential life • Admission • Advancement • Financial mgt INFRASTRUCTURE - Facilities, IT * Boyer: Scholarship Reconsidered

6. FOLLOWERS Values Norms Cohesiveness … Personality Position Expertise … LEADERS Task Stress Environment … SITUATION Leadership – Interactional Framework ALIGNMENT

7. IT Infrastructure – “core” and “edge” EDGE: Things users see, know, and experience E-mail, list serves, public folders Library electronic resources Web sites Shared hard drives Special academic software Student computers General purpose/public labs CORE:Things largely unseen and unknown to system users Faculty and staff computers Servers Data Storage Departmental labs The Network Phones Databases Internet Connection Other wireless devices “Smart” classrooms Electronic Security Systems • Administrative • Systems • C3po • Banner • Recruitment Plus • PFaids Performance venues • Auxiliary • Systems • Gold card • Door access • Heating and A/C controllers Networked printers & other peripherals

8. Colorado College Context

9. The Situation at CC • Colorado College • Founded in 1874 in Colorado Springs • Private, liberal arts, largely residential • 1990 students, 170 full-time faculty • The Block Plan • One course at a time since 1970 • Very low student faculty ratios • Off campus study, field work, experiential learning, team teaching, interdisciplinary programs, from volunteerism to civic engagement • A “unique intellectual adventure”

10. Some Block Plan Data “CC believes that small classes, the focus on one course at a time, and the depth of inquiry fostered by long class sessions and by field study create the most effective contexts for learning.” Susan Ashley, Dean of the Faculty Average student/faculty ratio = 13:1 About 3/4 of class of 2004 had independent study experience Adjunct and extended format classes Total undergraduate students = 9:1 Total FT and PT Faculty Class size – 1 and 2 block classes

11. Implications for IT Support • One class day in the Block Plan is roughly like one week in a semester system • System up time is especially important • Our students are quite nomadic – field study and adventurous character • They want to be untethered in their use of computers

12. Prospective Students and their Parents Students, Faculty Staff and Visitors Alums, BoT and Other Friends of the College Point of Service Support AV Services User Services & Telecom Academic Services Institutional Research & Planning Network & Systems Administrative Services Core mission/ Core infrastructure Decision Support Information Management – Organizational Chart 40.5 FTE

13. Benchmarking

14. Key Arguments and Strategies for Change

15. INTELLECTUAL and DIGITAL SPACE Abroad Field Locations PHYSICAL SPACE Main Campus Baca Campus BoT COMMITTEE (S) Academic Program Grounds/ Land Acquisition Disaster Preparedness Digital Space Learning Spaces Buildings Vision 2010: A 21st Century Campus President Richard F. Celeste

16. Policy Positions on IT CONSERVATIVE MODERATE AGGRESSIVE VALUE OF IT LEVEL OF SPENDING INFRASTRUCTURE SIZE QUALITY LIFE-CYCLE STANDARDS PERFORMANCE & IT

17. ITS Action Agenda – Planning Guidelines • IT support for experiential, interactive and authentic learning • Necessary and sufficient service – balancing staff capacity with community needs • Ubiquitous, reliable and fast access to information • Sustainable computing

18. Sustainability • Campus committee on sustainability • CLAC 2004 – “sustainable computing” • Regardless of our decision on the level of investment in IT, we must provide sustaining funds for both infrastructure and services. This is analogous and equally important to funding R&R for our buildings.

19. Strong Communication – Successes and Response to Problems Group leaders with strong communication skills Renewed investment in Division newsletter Faculty technology showcase Bi-annual publication by our Academic Technology Services team Timely, high quality reporting of network and Web downtime and our response to President, Dean, CFO, and the whole campus IT dashboard indicators developed in coordination with trustees

20. Outside Support • External review in 2002 • Presidential Advisory Council in 2005 • New Trustee committee on IT “We recommend that you hire a consultant to help you develop a comprehensive strategy for the various networks at CC (data, voice, and auxiliary systems) and that you pursue the use of wireless technologies aggressively as your systems evolve.”

21. Investing in the Core • Mission • Connecting our work to the mission and the academic program • Integrated Learning Support Services – with Library and Learning Commons • Staff • Working manager positions; professional development plans • Infrastructure • Data, voice, video networks; Web site; server fleet; Internet connection; data storage - funded as utilities

22. Building a Learning Commons Welcome to The Learning Commons Synergy through Proximity

24. Leveraging at the Edge • Mission • Outsourcing, partnering, eliminating services/processes • Staff • Tech Directors, “Friends of ITS,” student workers, decentralized reporting, … • Infrastructure • Student-owned devices, departmental labs, use of restricted funds

25. Some Network Upgrade Details

26. CC’s Network History and Future

27. Consulting • Some no-cost consulting with Cisco • Collaboration with Western Telecommunications • Consulting, Inc.: • Master Plan for Telecommunications and Networking • Wireless Network Alternatives • Outside Cable Plant Assessment • Data Network Request for Proposal

28. Academic/Administrative Network Bridge Residential Network Existing CC Network Topology

29. Distribution Distribution Edge Edge Core Distribution Distribution Distribution Edge Edge Edge Proposed CC Network Topology

30. Wireless Technical Reviews

31. Wired and Wireless Evolution 802.11b “wi-fi” Multiple cellular vendors 802.11 a/b/g “wi-fi” with thin access points and controllers Limited cellular vendors WIRELESS 802.11n “wi-fi” with thin access points and controllers 802.16 “wi-max” services in Colorado Springs Traditional phones VOIP phones WIRED (cable and electronics) 5 to 10 years Now Don’t change phone switch for ~ 5 years Don’t replace category 3 wiring in dorms until major renovation Do upgrade telecommunication rooms Do reduce wired ports in dorms over time – migrate electronics to new construction Do work on building penetration issues

32. Request for Proposal for Wired Network Upgrade • Goal • Solicit ideas from a wide range of vendors through fair and open competition • Compare “apples to apples” with a highly structured RFP • Primary features • 10 Gb/sec backbone • Layered design (core, distribution, edge) with redundancy • Many VLANs possible (segmentation) • “Easily” manageable (small staff)

33. Request for Proposal for Wired Network Upgrade • Key variables • Separate (but linked) estimates for academic/administrative and residential space • Number of nodes in the distribution layer • Degree of redundancy • Plan for wired or wireless only in residence halls

34. Preliminary Cost Estimates

35. Preliminary Cost Estimates

36. Final Design and Implementation • Two finalists for further proposal development with consultant support • Cisco/Flair Data and Foundry • Revisit specifications • Continue competition for most favorable contract terms, conditions, and pricing • Project completion spring/summer 2007

37. Evolutionary Edge – Designed Core EDGE: Things users see, know, and experience E-mail, list serves, public folders Library electronic resources Web sites Shared hard drives Special academic software Student computers General purpose/public labs CORE:Things largely unseen and unknown to system users Faculty and staff computers Servers Data Storage Departmental labs The Network Phones Databases Internet Connection Other wireless devices “Smart” classrooms Electronic Security Systems • Administrative • Systems • C3po • Banner • Recruitment Plus • PFaids Performance venues • Auxiliary • Systems • Gold card • Door access • Heating and A/C controllers Networked printers & other peripherals

38. The Conference Issue - and Question – and an Answer • CONSUMER TECHNOLOGIES • Phones • Music • Video • ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGIES • Instruction • Research • IT should allow natural evolution of converging products to drive strategies • IT should re-design technology resources to establish a convergent environment • IT should note that the core/edge distinction may not be clear for all services • All of the above • Some of the above • Some of the above, some of the time • It depends

39. Questions? • rstiles@coloradocollege.edu