ITSS improves security
by Sharron Walls
Information Technology Support and Services has been very busy. And that’s good news for everyone on campus as improvements in security, technical infrastructure, systems and services are under way.
Numerous nationally reported cases of sensitive personal data lost or stolen from private and government institutions created a heightened sense of the risks of identity theft and the need for securing personal information. MCG is addressing these risks by modifying all systems to use non-Social Security number identifiers.
“This is a major milestone for us as a campus,” said Beth Brigdon, vice president for information technology, chief information officer and associate provost. “It’s a major accomplishment for everyone involved.” The conversion was achieved through the implementation of PULSE (formerly known as Banner) and involved the Identity Management Project, the IT Security Program and the Identity Protection Initiative.
It’s the latest in a string of ITSS advancements in the last three years. Highlights include:
- Wireless access in all campus buildings (with green space hot spots planned for next spring)
- Upgrading a decade-old network and decommissioning older servers
- Stabilizing PeopleSoft Financial and upgrading PeopleSoft Human Resources, with more employee self-service access to records
- Fully implementing PULSE, with records and registration going live this fall
- Improving support for Apple Macs and laptops
- Video conferencing
- Remote access to file storage
- Supporting POP & IMAP e-mail
- Blackberry-integrated services
- combining IT Service Desk for faculty, staff and students centrally relocated in the Greenblatt Library
In addition, the Clinical Research Business Process Standardization Project is near completion, and the newly remodeled large classrooms in the Hamilton Wing of the R&E Building have had desktop wiring installed and will soon connect directly to the network, allowing students faster access to computer resources, testing and Web-based curricula.
“We have been focused on building and stabilizing an infrastructure that can sustain the needs of the university,” said Ms. Brigdon. “Now, with that in place, the addition of value-added systems and services becomes possible.”
To create a strategic plan for the next three years, ITSS conducted a planning process over the summer that included interviews and focus group discussions with 124 campus faculty, senior administrators, staff and students; a campus survey with 888 respondents; an ITSS task force to perform a fit/gap analysis on operations; and an IT risk assessment. The result identified 18 initiatives spanning all areas of the university, including commitments to research, teaching and clinical missions.
ITSS continues to move forward with these goals in mind:
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