GapAnalysisforInformationTechnology

AtSacramentoState:
ASelfStudy

February,2008

LarryGilbert
VicePresidentandCIO
InformationResources&Technology

February20,2007

Introduction
TheCaliforniaStateUniversitysystemseesinformationtechnologyasacriticalresource,
woventhroughoutthefabricofbothsystemandinstitutionalpriorities.TheCSUstudy,IT
StrategicPlanningintheCSU:AStudyofBestPracticesreflectsthisviewinthestatement:
ITplanningshouldbeanintegralpartoftheinstitutionalplanning
process.ITcanandshouldbeatransformativeelementthatsupports
campusstrategicprioritiesandinitiatives.
Thisfocusoninstitutionalstrategicplanningforinformationtechnologyhasbeen
notedrepeatedlyinexternalreviewsofinformationtechnologyatSacramento
State.In1998,theIBM/Blackwellconsultinggroupnotedtheneedforthe
universitytocreateanewITleadershipandstrategicplanningstructurethat
addressesthekeyITpolicyandplanningchallengesfacingCSUS.Aconsulting
reportauthoredbyNormNicholsonin2004recommendedthatThePresident
shoulddirectthataUniversitywideInformationTechnologyStrategicPlanning
effortshouldbeinitiated.Theworkofthisgroupshouldbereported
periodically,perhapsquarterly,tothePresidentsCabinet.Asrecentlyas2006,
theWTCconsultinggroupassessedinformationtechnologyservicesontheSac
Statecampusandidentifiedacriticalneedto:
Createaformal,institutionalITplanninginfrastructure.Move
prioritizationandfundingoftechnologyinitiativestothePresidentialand
VicePresidentiallevels.
OfmajorimportanceforsuchinstitutionalplanningforITistheCSUwide
strategicshiftawayfromaprimaryfocusondevelopmentofadministrative
systemsandinfrastructuretoafocusonprocessesthatalsosupport:
academictransformation,i.e.usingtechnologytocreateefficienciesin
instructionaldelivery,improvestudentoutcomes,whilefreeingfaculty
frommoremundaneadministrativetaskstoconcentrateonscholarship.
ThisnewfocusisalsoconsistentwiththeStrategicPlanningGoalsoftheFaculty
SenatesAcademicInformationTechnologyCommittee(2004),whichencouraged
useofinformationtechnologyto:
3

encourageandsupportexcellenceinteachingandlearningensurethat
pedagogicusesoftechnologyareconsidered[and]supportthecreation
andexpansionofnewformsofscholarlycommunicationandknowledge
acquisition.
Thisfocusonacademicapplicationsofinformationtechnologyiscritical,butdoes
notsignifythatotherinformationtechnologyfunctionsareunimportant.If
anything,mostITresourcesarenowsowovenintothefabricofalluniversity
functionsthattheyoftenrepresentutilityservicesthatarepresumedtobe
baselineinstitutionalpriorities.Thus,manyITresourcesareconsideredtobe
institutionwideresources,notresourcesbelongingtoanyparticulardivisionor
individualunit(e.g.networks,email,studentdatabases).Duetothecampus
widenatureofITresources,ITplanningmustalsobecomprehensiveand
campuswideandthereforeshouldencompassplanningforthefollowingfour
broadcategoriesofuniversityservice:

Excellenceinteachingandlearning

Qualityofthestudentexperience

Administrativeproductivityandquality

Personalproductivity

StrategicPlanningforITatSacramentoState
ThemodelforCSUITstrategicplanningisshowngraphicallyinAppendixA.Therecently
completedSacramentoStateStrategicPlanformsthebasisfortheprerequisiteinstitutional
vision.ThisGapAnalysis,describingthecurrentITenvironmentoncampus,comprisesthe
secondstepinthemodel.UsingthisGapAnalysisasabaseline,therecentlyformedIRT
SteeringCommittee,workingwiththeIRTAcademicandAdministrativeadvisory
committees,willmakerecommendationsfordevelopmentofastrategicplanforITat
SacramentoStatethatbroadlydefinesourfutureITenvironment.Inaddition,those
advisorycommittees,inconsultationwiththeentirecampus,willdevelopneeded
communicationplansandprocessesformeasuringaccountability.
RecentReorganizationofIT

In2007,SacramentoStateformallycommittedtothemaintenetsoftheCSUstrategicplan
fortheorganizationofinformationtechnologybyimplementingthefollowing
recommendedactions:

CreatedaChiefInformationOfficerposition(CIO)toprovideinstitutionwide
leadershipoverITresources

Reflectedthehighinstitutionalpriorityplacedoninformationtechnologybyhaving
theCIOreporttothePresidentandserveasaCabinetmember

Begantotreatinformationtechnologyasacriticalinstitutionalresource

CreatedanewInformationResourcesandTechnologydivision(IRT)atSacramento
StatebycombiningtheexistingresourcesoftheformerUCCS,UMS,CMS,andBIS
organizations.

TheprimaryroleofboththeChiefInformationOfficerandtheIRTdivisionistoalign
campuswideinformationtechnologyresourceswiththenewStrategicPlanforthecampus.
PurposeoftheGapAnalysis
Thepurposeofthisgapanalysisistouseselfstudytoquicklyidentifythemostobvious
gapsinITservicesoncampusandthentouseexistingresourcestobegintofillthosegaps.
Thestudyalsoservestoestablishbaselinemeasuresfromwhichtomeasureprogress
towardfutureITgoalsandplans.Thisselfstudyisnotintendedtoreplacedevelopmentof
acomprehensivestrategicplanforITatSacramentoState,butisrathermeantasa
prerequisitetoensurethattherequiredresourcesandconditionsareinplacefor
implementationofastrategicplanforITbythetimethatplaniscompletedinspring,2008.
Agapanalysisisalsoneededtoinformplanningforcampusbudgeting,assuchbudget
planningfor20072008willtakeplacewellpriortocompletionoftheITstrategicplan.
CriticalITneedsareongoingoncampusandwillnotwaitforcompletionofaformal
strategicplanbeforemyriadITorganizationalandsupportissuesmustberesolved.For
example,progressmustbemadeduringthiscurrentacademicyearonarangeofstrategic
ITissuesnotedinthisreport,includingenrollmentplanning,enhancementofclassrooms,
enhancedtechnologysupportforfacultyandstudents,ongoingsupportandenhancement
ofCMS,replacementofcriticalITinfrastructure,andahostofotherissues.
Methodology

TheapproachusedinthisstudyisasimpleSWOTanalysisthatreviewsstrengths,
weaknesses,opportunities,andchallengesforIToncampus,withthemainpurposeof
identifyinggapsinITsupportandservices.ThisreportextendsthattraditionalSWOT
analysisbyalsoprovidingbackgroundinformation,outliningatargetenvironment,and
makingrecommendationsforquickactiontoclosecriticalgaps.Thisanalysisisdonefor
eachofsixteencategoriesofinformationtechnologyservice.
Oneespeciallydifficulttaskatthisstageofplanningistheidentificationofthetarget
environmentforeachcategory,intheabsenceofcompletedstrategicplanningforIT.
Fortunately,therearenumerousexistingresourcesthatclearlyidentifybothgapsinservice
andinformationtechnologygoalsthatarelikelytobeprioritiesforthecampus.These
resourcesinclude:

TheCSUITStrategicPlan

TheEducauseCoreDataSurveyofITinhighereducation

StudiesofITorganizationatSacStatebythreeseparateexternalconsultants

CabinetdiscussionofITprioritiesbydivision,and

FacultySenatestrategicplanningforacademicIT(2004)

TheChiefInformationOfficerhasculledthroughthesedocumentstoidentifybothgaps
andgoalsforeachoftheinformationtechnologyfunctionslisted.TheCIOalsosought
reviewofthedraftGapAnalysisdocumentbymembersofthethreeIRTadvisory
committees,withparticularfocusonensuringtheaccuracyofthedescriptionsof
SacramentoStateinformationtechnologyservices.
AlignmentWithStrategicPlanningandPreviousStudies
AlthoughthenewIRTdivisionwasformedpriortoformalcompletionofSacramento
StatesnewStrategicPlan,theoutlinesofthedraftstrategicplanwerealreadyinplacein
timetoguidebothorganizationandhiringduringtheinitialformationofthenewdivision.
Inparticular,theplansvisionstatementhighlightedthestrategicemphasisonuseofITfor
academictransformationbystatingthatSacramentoStatewillutilizethebestin
teachingandlearningtechnology.Theinformationsystemsmanagedbythenewdivision
wereseenasintegraltoimplementationofthethreecriticalprioritiesoftheStrategicPlan.
ParticularattentionwaspaidtomatchingtheresourcesoftheIRTdivisionwitha
strategicallyfocused,campuswideefforttoimproverecruitment,retention,andgraduation
rates[strategicpriority#1].Thisleadtotheearlyidentificationofaneedforanewfocus
onbothadatawarehouseandbusinessanalysistoolstoassistwithimprovementofour
6

enrollmentmanagement.Inpursuitofthisgoal,IRThasalreadyrefocusedresourcesto
improvebothfinancialaidandadvisingprocessesandhasusedstaffvacanciestorecruit
specialistsinITareascriticaltoeffectiveenrollmentmanagement.
Asthehandlerofcriticaldataelementsforallaspectsofuniversityplanning(e.g.finance,
budget,studentrecords,humanresources,coursescheduling,etc)IRTwasalsoinagood
positiontoimmediatelyenhancesupportforanorganizationalstructureandculturethat
facilitatesevidencebaseddecisionmakingandpurposefulplanning.[strategicpriority
#2].OrganizationalchangesandhiringduringtheformationoftheIRTdivisionwere
alignedwiththisprioritythroughplanningforacampuswideapproachtoperformance
management,theadditionofenterprisedatastoragesystems,andplanningforacquisition
ofenterprisebudgetandplanningmanagementsystems.IRTresourceswerealsoclosely
alignedwithstrategicpriority#3,whichistoEnhancecampuswideengagementinand
responsibilityfortheresolutionofcomplexissuesandintheplanningandimplementation
ofcampuspolicies,withspecialemphasisonthesubgoalofImplementingeffective
communicationchannelsacrossalllevelsofthecampus.InformationResources&
Technologyfocusedonthisthirdstrategicgoalbymarshallingresourcesforenhancement
ofwebservices,campusemail,webportalservices,andwebbasedservicesforboth
academicandadministrativefunctions.TheaboveeffortstoalignIRTwithkeycampus
strategicprioritieswasalsoguidedbyinputfromeachcampusdivision,basedonthe
CabinetsassessmentofdivisionITprioritiesbasedonthenewStrategicPlan.
InadditiontotheguidanceprovidedbythenewStrategicPlan,severalprevious
assessmentsofITservicesatSacramentoStateprovidedanexcellentheadstartforboththe
GapAnalysisandtheearlyorganizationofIRTresources.Sincethesereportswerebased
oncopiousamountsoffeedbackfromfaculty,staff,andadministratorscampuswide,these
reportswereanespeciallyvaluableplanningresource.Recommendationsfromthose
reportsspecificallyrelatedtostrategicplanninghavealreadybeennotedabove.Otherkey
findingsandrecommendationsrelatedtothisITGapAnalysisarenotedbelow:
IBM/BlackwellReport(1998)
RecommendationsoftheIBM/BlackwellreportthatidentifiedgapsinITservices
included:

CSUSshouldexpanditscurrentfacultyinstructionaltechnologyeffortsfor
integratingtechnologyintoteachingandlearning.
7

CSUSshoulddevelopastudentcomputingstrategythatfocusesondefined
outcomes,fundingmechanisms,support,remoteaccessandresponsible
usage.

CSUSshoulddevelopandimplementaUniversitywideITcommunication
process.and

CSUSshouldclearlydefinetherolesandresponsibilitiesofallITproviders
andITusers.Acriticalcomponentofrolesandresponsibilitiesis
developingaprocessforprovidingconsistentandreliabletechnicalsupport
foreveryoneatCSUS.

TomcheckReport(2000)
Atthetimeofthewritingofhisreport,DavidTomcheckwasAssistantVice
ChancellorforAdministrativeComputingatUCIrvine.Thisreportespecially
focusedontherolesandresponsibilitiesofthethencurrentUCCSITsupport
organizationatSacramentoState.Theconsultantconcludedthat,Basedon
interviewsandmyownobservations,UCCSexhibitsmanyofthetraditional
thinkingpatternsappliedintheearlierdaysofcomputing.Anyinitiativeheaded
byUCCSismetwithseriousdistrust.PertinentrecommendationsoftheTomcheck
reportincluded:

ReviewcampusITpoliciesandprocedures

Developtheappropriatemodelforfacultysupportintheclassrooms

Reviewcurrentchargebackmodelforservices

Developanduseperformancemeasuresforunitswithdirectsupport
responsibilitiesforcampususers

Facilitatetheselectionanddisseminationofcampusandsystemwide
hardwareandsoftwaresitelicenses

Providebaselineemailservices

NicolsonReport(2004)
NormNicolsonwasaseniorITexecutivefromCaliforniaStateUniversity,San
Marcos.Hisreporthighlightedthefollowingrecommendations:

Clarifylevelofservicethatcanbeexpectedfromvariousservices.
Developmetricsforeachserviceandmonitorperformanceagainstthose
metrics,withregularreportingofthisdatatothecampuscommunity.
8

ConsiderallocatingUniversitywidefundstoaprogramtobuildoutand
maintainsmartclassrooms.establishcleardefinitionsofwhatfacultyneed
withregardtosmartclassrooms.

Asthedemandforinstructionalandinformationtechnologyservices
continuestogrow,theUniversityshouldattempttobenefitfromeconomies
ofscalebyprovidingresourcestomeetthoseneedsfromacentralized
computingorganizationwheneverpossible,usingmutuallyagreedupon,
clearlydefinedlevelofserviceagreements.

allocatefundsfortechnologyasabudgetallocationfromtheUniversity
budgettotheextentpossible,buildtrustthatallchargebacksarenecessary
andappropriateandconsiderimplementingastudenttechnologyfee.

WTCReport(2006)
Finally,thereportoftheWTCconsultinggroupfromLosAngelesmadethe
followingpertinentrecommendations:

Integrateacollaborativeapproachthatactivelyinvolvesrepresentatives
fromacrosstheUniversityandleadershipattheVicePresidentiallevelto
addresshighlycriticalissuesrelatedtosecuringtheUniversitys
informationassets.
DevelopanoperatingbudgetframeworkforITservicesthatincludes
identificationofcostsaswellasfactorsthatpotentiallyimpactcost
performance.
Establishformal,ongoingfeedback,assessment,andresponseprocessesfor
theHumanResources,Financial,[andStudent]systems.
Establishformal,ongoingfeedbackandassessmentprocessesfor
deploymentanduseofstudentcomputerlabsincludingbothopenand
disciplinespecificlabs.Alsoincludeintheseassessmentprocessesperiodic
evaluationofpoliciesgoverningsizeandconfigurationoftheselabs.Usethe
resultstoimproveoverallefficiencyandeffectivenessoftheservices
supportingtheselabs.
Establishformal,ongoingfeedbackandassessmentprocessesfor
deploymentanduseofclassroomtechnology.Includeintheseassessment
processesevaluationofrelatedpracticessuchasassignmentofclassroomsto
determinetheextenttowhichthesepracticesfacilitateorimpedehigh
utilizationofclassroomtechnology.
Initiateacollaborativeeffortthatactivelyinvolvesrepresentativesfrom
acrosstheUniversityandleadershipattheVicePresidentialleveltoaddress
9

campusemailservices.Thelargenumberofdifferentemailserviceson
campusrepresentsunnecessaryduplicationofefforts.
Conductastrategicplanningefforttoaddressfunding,refresh,and
managementoffacultyandstaffdesktopsandlaptops,servers,and
studentsystems.
ConductastrategicplanningefforttodevelopacomprehensiveHelpDesk
andtechnicalsupportmodel.

Theservicegapsidentifiedintheabovereportswerecarefullyfactoredintothefollowing
GapAnalysis.Inadditiontothefourexternalstudiesnotedabove,theAcademic
InformationTechnologyCommittee(AITC)oftheFacultySenaterecommendedstrategic
planninggoalsforITatSacramentoStatein2004(FS0430/AITC).Thefirstcategoryof
goalsfromtheSenatefocusedontheneedforconsultationandcollaborationoncampus
widetechnologyinitiatives;theserecommendationsareparticularlygermanetothe
Governancesectionbelow.ThesecondcategoryofgoalscloselyreflectstheincreasedCSU
emphasisonacademictransformation.Specificgoalsrelatedtotechnologyand
teaching/learningincluded:

Developandmaintaincollaborativeeffortsamongfaculty,staff,students,and
campusadministratorsinshapingtechnologyservicesandresourcesthatencourage
andsupportexcellenceinteachingandlearning.

Maintainastronginstitutionalcultureofsupportforteachingandlearningwhich
demonstrablyintegratestechnologyandpedagogy.

Supportthecreationandexpansionofnewformsofscholarlycommunicationand
knowledgeacquisition,retrieval,andpublishing.

Supportthecreationofcomputerbasedstudentadvisementsystems.

Provideappropriatetechnologytofacilitatecommunicationbetweenmembersof
thecampuscommunityand

Providetechnologythatenhancesworkproductivityforbothstaffandfaculty.

ThethirdandfinalcategorytheFacultySenateaddressedwasAccesstoTechnology
Resources,includingrecommendationsto:

Providestudentaccesstoacademictechnologyresourcesthatfacilitatesand
enhanceslearning.

provideacademic/programaccessforstudentswithdisabilitiesinaccordance
withallfederalandStatelegislationandCSUpolicies.
10

Providetrainingandresourcestomeetstudentneedsforinformation
competency.

Provideanytime/anywherestudentaccesstotechnologythatfacilitatesand
enhanceslearning.

Providestudents,staff,andfacultywithuserfriendlyonline,Webbasedprocesses
foradministrativeservices,and

Establishafacultyfriendlyprocesswhereinstaffassistanceiseasilyobtained.

Finally,in2004theAITCprovidedacomprehensivesetofrecommendationsregarding
informationtechnologyinclassrooms.Highlightsoftheserecommendationsare:

Recommendequippingclassroomswithtechnologythatwillminimizethe
equipmenttheinstructormustbringtotheclassroomandalsothetimerequiredto
setupthetechnologyforuse.

Recommendclarificationoftheprocessforrequestingandbeingscheduledintoa
classroomthatcontainstheITequipmentneededbythefacultymember.

Recommendthatplansbedevelopedtoprovideforregularmaintenanceand
replacementofclassroomtechnology.

Recommendthataclassroomhelpsystembeestablishedthatprovidestimely
accessandresponseandhasaoneperson,onenumberimplementationand

RecommendthatanannualITbudgetreportforclassroomsand[computer]labsbe
developed.

BoththeexternalreportsandtheAITCrecommendationsrelatedtoITatSacramentoState
wereinvaluableinthepreparationofthefollowingGapAnalysis.

CampuswideITIssues
Governance

Background:InstitutionalinformationtechnologyservicesatSacramentoStatehad
formanyyearsbeensplitbetweentheProvostsoffice(Computing,Communications,and
MediaServices;AcademicTechnologyandCreativeServices),AdministrationandBusiness
Affairs(BusinessInformationServices),andlargelyindependentcollegeanddepartmentIT
groups(about45%ofcampuswideITstaffing).ThisdisparateorganizationofITon
campusmadeestablishingacampuswidegovernancestructureforITdifficult,atbest.
PreviousattemptsatestablishingcampuswideITgovernancehavebeenwidelyperceived
11

aseitherineffectiveorcaptiveofthesponsoringorganization.In2004,theCSUTechnical
ExecutiveCommitteerecommendedthatallCSUcampusestreatinformationtechnologyas
astrategicinstitutionalresource,withleadershipcomingfromtheexecutivelevel.
SacramentoStatefollowedthisrecommendationbycreatingbothaChiefInformation
OfficerpositionandanewITdivisioninearly2007.Acomprehensive2003studyofIT
governancebyWeilandRossindicatesthateffectiveITgovernanceisthesinglemost
importantpredictorofthevalueanorganizationgeneratesfromIT.
TargetEnvironment:ResearchindicatesthateffectiveITgovernanceinhigher
educationhasthefollowingcomponents:a)clear,easilydescribedstructure;b)leadership
byaChiefInformationOfficerwhoisamemberoftheuniversityscabinet;c)involvement
bystakeholdersrepresentingallmajordivisionsoncampus;d)clearalignmentwith
campusstrategicplanninginallactivities;e)activeinvolvementbydeans,facultyandother
academicleaders,andf)clearandconsistentfeedbacktothecampusonoutcomes.
Strengths:SacramentoStatehadarobustadvisorycommitteestructurefor
implementationoftheCMSprojectoverthelastseveralyears,withstrongrepresentation
fromfunctionalareasacrosscampus.Theseadvisorycommitteessoughtregularfeedback
fromkeyconstituenciesandreportedregularlytothecampusonoutcomes.Aclear
strengthofthenewlycreatedcampuswideITgovernanceenvironmentatSacStateisthe
presenceofanexecutivestructurethatfollowsguidelinesrecommendedbybothEducause
andtheCSUITplan,ITStrategicPlanningintheCSU:AStudyofBestPractices.Thatis,the
campushasaChiefInformationOfficerwithclearauthorityoverinstitutionalITissues.
ThisCIOhasbeengiventheadditionaltitleofVicePresident,reportsdirectlytothe
President,andisamemberofthePresidentsCabinet.InstitutionalITissuesareregularly
discussedattheCabinetlevelandtheVicePresident&CIOisdirectlyinvolvedinboth
campuswidestrategicplanningandbudgeting.AnadvisorystructureforcampuswideIT
hasrecentlybeencreated,withcommitteesforacademicinformationtechnology,
administrativeinformationtechnology,andcampuswidepolicyandsecurityissues.This
advisorystructureincludesclearliaisonwiththeexistingFacultySenateITcommitteeand
includesrepresentationfromallkeycampusstakeholdergroups.
Weaknesses:SacramentoStatehasgoneatleastfouryearswithoutaclear
governancestructureforinformationtechnology.Thepreviouscampuswidegovernance
groupwaswidelyperceivedasbeingineffectiveandoverlycaptivetotheinterestsofthe
previouscentralITorganization.Decentralizeddivision,college,anddepartmentalIT
12

supportgroupsexperiencedsignificantgrowth,withlittleinstitutionaloversightto
establishstandards,fosterefficiency,andeliminateduplicationofeffort.Nocampuswide
advisorygroupsexistingtoprovideguidanceandoversightforthecentralITgroup.Much
ofthedirectionforadministrativecomputingandnetworkingatSacStatecamefromCSU
systemcommitteesandstaff,withnoclearandeffectivecampusITgovernancetoadapt
systemplanningtolocalcampusneeds.AlthoughcampusCMSadvisorycommitteeswere
veryeffectiveinoverseeingandlocalizingcampusimplementationofthePeopleSoft
migration,theireffortswereoftenconstrainedbyCSUsystemmandatesandwerelimited
toreviewofCMSspecificissues.
OpportunitiesandThreats:SacramentoStatehasprovidedexecutivesupportfor
developmentofeffectiveITgovernanceandplanning,withthissupportand
encouragementextendingtotheChancellorsOffice.Thisopportunitywillbethreatenedif
thenewgovernancestructuredoesnotproduceoutcomesforITthatareperceivedbythe
campusatlargeasbeingbeneficial.
GapAnalysis:Thecampushasalreadymadesignificantstridesinreachingthe
targetenvironmentforITgovernancebybothcreatingamodelexecutivestructurefor
informationtechnologymanagementandbycreatinganadvisorystructureforinformation
technologygovernancethatfollowsbestpractices.AllCabinetmembersareactively
engagedinstrategicITplanning,withalldivisionsexpressingwillingnesstoparticipatein
thenewITadvisorystructure.Whiletheseinitialstepsareverypositivesigns,advisory
committeesarejustgettingstartedanddevelopmentofastrategicplanforinformation
technology,tiedtothecampusstrategicplan,isstillseveralmonthsaway.
RecommendationsToCloseTheGap:a)Developaplanandschedulethatwill
allowIRTadvisorycommitteestodraftanITstrategicplannolaterthanJune,2008;andb)
ProvideadvisorycommitteeswithacompletedGapAnalysisthatwillidentifykeyissues
forconsiderationintheITstrategicplan.

ITBudgets

Background:BudgetsforinformationtechnologyatSacramentoStatehave

historicallybeenhighlydecentralized.SeparatebudgetslongexistedfortheComputer
Center,UniversityMediaServices,TelecommunicationsServices,andBusinessInformation
Services.In2004,separatebudgetswerealsosplitoutforAcademicTechnologyand
CreativeServicesandtheCommonManagementSystemproject(CMS).Inaddition,upto
13

45%ofcampuswideITfundinghasbeendistributedthroughcolleges,departments,and
auxiliaryenterprises.AcquisitionofmillionsofdollarsofITequipmentandinfrastructure
wasrarelycoordinatedtotakeadvantageofstandardizationandeconomiesofscale.
InSeptember,2007,thistrendwasreversed,whentheexistingbudgetsofCCMS,BIS,and
CMSwerecombinedintoasinglebudgetforanewInformationResources&Technology
division(IR&T).The20072008budgetrequestfortheIR&Tdivisionresultedinadditional
institutionalfundingbeingprovidedforbothcampuswideinformationsecurityandthe
AccessibleTechnologyInitiative(seedetailsbelow).
TargetEnvironment:Operatingfundingshouldbeprovidedatorabovetheaverage
foruniversitiesofsimilarsize,asfoundinthelatestEducauseCoreDatasurvey.Funding
shouldbeadequatetopermitallocationorreallocationtomeetstrategicITpriorities.
BudgetplanningforITshouldallowforbotheliminationofduplicationofeffortandtaking
advantageofeconomiesofscale.AnnualizedfundingforreplacementofclassroomIT,
computerlabs,andotherkeyITinfrastructureshouldbebuiltintotheuniversitys
budgetingatacampuswidelevel,ratherthanprovidedthroughunitbudgetsoccasional
onetimefunding.

Strengths:CurrentcampuswideITfunctions(e.g.administrativecomputing,

networking)arebudgetedatabouttheaverageforhighereducationinstitutionsofsimilar
size,accordingtotheEducauseCoreDatasurvey.Arelativelylargecarryforwardbalance
intheoperatingfundforthenewdivisionprovidedacushionforneededstartupactivity
forthenewIRTdivision.NearlyhalfoffundingforIRTisprovidedinAllUniversity
Expenseaccounts,providingincreasedstabilityforcorefunctions.TheCSUsystemhas
providedsubstantialfundingforbothrebuildingthecampusnetworkandenhancing
networksecurity,whilealsooperatingcentralPeopleSoftcomputingservices.

Weaknesses:PreexistingITbudgetswereoftenallocatedforprioritiesthatarenot

consistentwithcurrentneeds(e.g.mediaproductionservices,cableTVoperations).
FundingforCMShasbeenheavilyallocatedtowardconsultingservicesthatarenot
appropriateforsupportofongoingadministrativecomputingfunctions.Thereisno
existingcampusprocessforroutinelyidentifyingreplacementfundingforcomputers,
classrooms,computerlabs,orcriticalITinfrastructure.Littleornoemphasishasbeen
placedonusingCSUcapitalfundingforclassroomtechnology,classroomrenovation,orIT
infrastructure.LargecomponentsofessentialITservice(e.g.classroomscheduling,anti
virus)haveneverbeenbuiltintoidentifiedongoingbudgets.
14

OpportunitiesandThreats:Thecampushastheopportunitytotakeadvantageofa

possiblenewcompactfor20082009fundingofacademicITinitiatives.Athreatexistsin
thatthecampusmustdemonstrateacommitmenttoprovidingadequatebaselineIT
fundinginordertobeconsideredforsuchadditionalITfundingfromtheCSU.The
decliningstatebudgetsituationmakesthisnewcompactincreasinglyunlikely.
GapAnalysis:AlthoughoverallITfundingprovidedtothenewdivisionwas
averagewhencomparedwithpeerinstitutions,thatfundingwasalsounbalancedacross
neededinformationtechnologyfunctions.Forexample,themajorityofpreexistingIT
fundingwasprovidedinsupportofnetworkingandservermanagement,ratherthaninthe
academicsupportareashighlightedinstrategicplans.Littlefundingwasprovidedfor
staffingandotherresourcesforacademicsupportservicessuchasclassroomsupport,
computerlabs,orstudenttechnologyservices.EntireITfunctionsthatareextremely
commonthroughouthighereducationIT(e.g.computerhardwaresupport,classroom
support,databaseadministration,datawarehousing)havereceivedlittleornofundingin
thepast.AdequatefundingwasprovidedfortheactualtransitiontoCMSfromlegacy
systems,butlittleattentionwaspaidtotheneededsubsequenttransitiontoongoing
operationalsupportforcriticalcampusadministrativecomputingneeds.

RecommendationsToCloseGaps:1)Rebalanceexistingfundingawayfromlittle

usedlegacyservicesandtowardsunderfundedareas,withanemphasisonenhancement
ofacademicsupport;2)RebalanceexistingCMSfundingawayfromlargescaleconsulting
neededforprojectimplementationandtowardslongtermstrategicstaffingneeds;3)
Conductcomprehensivecampuswidebudgetplanningforreplacementofcomputers,
classrooms,computerlabs,andothercriticalITinfrastructure;4)Conductanalysisof
capitalfundingneededforenhancementofclassroomsandotheracademicITfacilities;5)
PlanforeffectiveutilizationofnewfundingforinformationsecurityandtheAccessible
TechnologyInitiative;and6)PlanforreallocationofexistingAllUniversityExpensefunds
towardcurrentpriorities(i.e.realignthosefundswithITinfrastructurerefresh,classroom
support,computerlabreplacement,andacademicsupportneedsnotedabove).

AccessibleTechnologyInitiative(ATI)

Background:AllCSUcampusesareunderanexecutivemandatetotakespecificactionto
correctdeficienciesintheaccessibilityofwebresources,instructionalmaterials,andIT
procurementprocesses.Inaddition,SacramentoStateiscommittedtoexpandingaccessto
15

thecampusbyallstudentsonanequitablebasis.TheVicePresident&ChiefInformation
OfficeristheExecutiveSponsorforSacramentoStatesATIinitiative,whileallthreeofthe
areasofemphasisoftheATIfallprimarilywithinthepurviewofthecampuswideIT
organization.ThecampusATIinitiativewasinitiallyplannedwithadviceandassistance
fromtheUniversityCommitteeonInformationTechnologyAccessibility(UCITA);during
fallsemester,2007,theUCITAassistedtheExecutiveSponsorwithpreparationofdetailed
plansforcampusimplementationoftheweb,instructionalmaterials,andprocurement
initiativesoftheATI.Morerecently,anATISteeringCommitteeandthreeATIworking
groupswereorganizedtoprovideassistancewithimplementationofthoseplans.Inorder
tofundimplementationoftheATIinitiativeatSacState,abudgetrequestforalluniversity
fundingwassubmittedandfundedbeginningin20072008.

TargetEnvironment:ThetargetenvironmentisdefinedindetailinthethreeATIplans
notedabove.Specifictargetsaresetinthoseplansforimprovingtheaccessibilityofall
campuswebsitesandallinstructionalmaterials,aswellasforimprovingtheaccessibilityof
ITprocurement.Ultimately,thetargetenvironmentistoensurethatallsuchmaterialsand
processesareequallyaccessibletoallstudents,staff,andfaculty.

Strengths:SacramentoStateisoneofthefewCSUcampusestodatethathasprovidedon
goingfundingforsupportoftheATI.Thisfundingallowedfortheimmediatehiringofan
interimATICoordinatorandthedefinitionoftwonewpositionstosupportbothaccessible
webdevelopmentandaccessibleinstructionalmaterials;thosepositionsareexpectedtobe
inplacebyApril,2008.Remainingfundingwillbeusedtocreateanaccessible
procurementpositionandacquisitionofhardwareandsoftwarerequiredforimprovement
oftheaccessibilityoftechnologycampuswide.TheExecutiveSponsorhasthefullsupport
ofthePresident,whilemostATIprogramsatSacStatehavebeenintroducedcooperatively
withtheProvostandotherCabinetmembers(e.g.accessibletextbookadoptionwiththe
Provost).AnATIforumheldduringthefallsemester,wascosponsoredbytheFaculty
SenateandProvostandwasbothwellattendedandwellreceived.

Weaknesses:TheATIistrulyacampuswideinitiativethatrequirestheactive
involvementofallfacultyandstaff.Suchinvolvementisdifficulttoobtain,given
competingpriorities.WhilethenewATIstaffingwillcertainlyhelp,manyotherfacultyand
staffmembersfromacrosscampuswillneedtocooperatebyparticipatinginrequiredwork

16

toimprovetheaccessibilityofwebsites,instructionalmaterials,andprocurementina
timelymanner.

OpportunitiesandThreats:SacramentoStatesstrategiccommitmenttotheATIisentirely
consistentwiththecampuscommitmenttoimprovingaccessandretentionofstudents.
TheChancellorsOfficeplacesstrongemphasisonimplementationoftheATIandhas
providedsomeadditionalcentralresourcestoassistcampuseswithimplementation.The
mainthreatisthesheerscopeoftheATIproject.Forexample,therearemorethan10,000
existingbaselinewebsitesthatmustberetrofittedonourcampusinthenextyear.This
hugetaskrepresentsonlyafractionofthetotalworkthatsrequiredundertheATI.

GapAnalysis:SacramentoStatehasalreadyclosedmuchofthegapinresourcesrequired
toachievethetargetenvironment,throughappropriationofanongoingbudgetforthe
campusATI.However,hugegapsstillexistbetweenthespecifictargetsnotedinthethree
ATIimplementationplansandactualprogressoncampus.Evenexceptionaleffortoverthe
remainderofthisschoolyearwilllikelyfailatachievingthoseambitiousgoals.Muchwork
willbeneededtobuildadditionalspecificsupportfortheATIwithincollegesand
departmentsforthegaptobeclosed.

RecommendationstoCloseGaps:1)CompletehiringofnewATIstaffasquicklyas
possible;2)ATIworkingcommitteesshoulddefineaworkplanthatallowsforsubstantial
progressonweb,instructional,andprocurementplangoalsforthisschoolyear;3)A
permanentATICoordinatorroleshouldbecreatedbytheendofthisschoolyear;4)A
communicationsplanshouldbecreatedtoinvolveincreasingnumbersoffacultyandstaff
inATIwork.

HelpDesk

Background:ThecentralITorganizationhaslongoperatedaHelpDeskthatprovides
technicalsupportforcomputerrelatedproblems.ThatHelpDeskprovisionsandsupports
emailandotheraccountsforallSacStatestudents,providesonlinechatandremote
desktopsupport,maintainsaworkordertrackingsystem,andaccommodateswalkin,
phone,andemailrequestsforclientsfromacrosscampus.TheHelpDeskisopenmore
thansixtyhourseachweek,includingsomeeveningandweekendhours.StrongHelpDesk
17

software(HEAT)isusedbyHelpDeskstaffandisalsomadeavailabletoothertechnical
supportusersacrosscampus.

TargetEnvironment:ThegoalistocreateaHelpDeskthatprovidesasinglepointof
contactforallusersforallrelevanttechnicalquestions.Ideally,auserwouldnothaveto
figureoutwhotocalltoobtainsupportforaparticulargeographiclocationortechnical
problemtheHelpDeskwouldsortthisoutforthemandprovidequickaccesstothemost
appropriateresources.

Strengths:Thecampusalreadyhasaccesstoprofessionalhelpdesksoftwarethathas
robustfeaturesfortrackingandreferringproblems,providingaknowledgebaseof
answers,andbeingdistributedtootherusersacrosscampus.TheHelpDeskhasextended
hoursofoperation,threefulltimestaffmembersandnumerousexperiencedstudent
employees.Awelldevelopedwebsiteprovidesusefulfeaturestousersacrosscampus.
Finally,anextsingIRTstaffmemberhasrecentlybeenreassignedtospendfulltime
enhancingoperationoftheHEATHelpDesksoftware.

Weaknesses:Bothexternalandinternalstudieshaveindicatedweaknessesinprevious
HelpDeskservicesandrelatedtechnicalsupport.Multiplehelpdesksacrosscampuscreate
confusionforbothusersandtechnicalconsultants.VacanciesincentralHelpDeskstaffing
havepreventedenhancementstobothhelpdesksoftwareandhelpdeskservices.Minimal
trainingcoursesandapplicationsupporthavebeenofferedtothecampus.Fewunits
outsidethecentralITgrouphaveadoptedcooperativeuseofHelpDeskservicesand
software.

OpportunitiesandThreats:IR&ThasalreadyconsolidatedCMSHelpDeskstaffand
servicesintothecentralHelpDeskandhasalsoconsolidatedHelpDeskandClassroom
ServicesfirsttiersupportintoasinglelocationintheAIRCBuilding.Thiswillallowfor
substantialsynergiesandcrossfertilizationamongtheincreasedstaffassignedtoHelp
Deskduties.Inaddition,IR&Thasbeenabletouseanexistingpositionvacancytocreatean
additionalexpertlevelHelpDeskposition.TheseenhancementstoHelpDeskstaffing
providesubstantialopportunityforIR&Ttomovetowardthetargetenvironment.The
mainthreatsaretheconfusionthatexistsamongusersaboutwheretheyshouldgotoget
technicalsupportandthelegacyperceptionofinadequateHelpDeskservice.

18

GapAnalysis:AdditionalstaffingassignedtotheHelpDeskwillallowthecentralIT
organizationtomakerapidprogresstowardcreatingthetargetenvironment,improving
servicesforthosewhousethecentralHelpDesk.However,gapsinservicewillcontinueto
existacrosscampus,unlessprogressisalsomadeincreatingasinglepointofcontactfor
technicalsupportthatsequallyeffectiveforallusersregardlessoflocationandproblem.

RecommendationstoCloseGaps:1)CompletehiringofexpertHelpDeskpositionas
quicklyaspossible;2)CreateworkflowprocessestoimproveCMSsupportforfaculty;3)
RepurposeexistingseniorHelpDeskpositiontofocusondevelopment,support,and
disseminationoftheHEATsoftware.;and4)Focusonthecreationofcoordinatedliaison
withotherunitsforeffectivereferralofinquiriestoappropriatefunctionalstaff.

InformationSecurity

Background:FollowingastrongrecommendationfromtheCSUChancellor,Sacramento
StatecreatedanInformationSecurityOfficer(ISO)positionwithintheformerCCMS
organizationinmid2006.ThispositionwastransferredundertheChiefInformationOfficer
andthenewIRTdivisionbeginninginMarch,2007.TheCIOrequestedandreceivedall
universityfundingforcampuswideinformationsecuritysupportbeginninginAugust,
2007.Thisnewsupportwillbeusedtocreatetwocriticalinformationsecuritystaff
positionsthatwillreporttotheISO,aswellasoperatingfundingforsecurityoperations,
software,andconsulting.TheoriginalISOdecidedtoreturntoworkoutsideofhigher
educationinlatesummer,2007;asearchwascompletedforherreplacementinJanuary,
2008.AgainfollowingguidelinesfromtheChancellorsOffice,SacStateconducteditsfirst
informationRiskAssessmentQuestionnairesurveyinOctober,2007,withfullresults
expectedtobereportedlaterthismonth.DuringNovembertoJanuary,2007,thecampus
CenterforInformationAssuranceandSecurityconductedacomprehensivevulnerability
scanofthecampusnetwork.Thisvulnerabilityscanhasbeencompleted,withmitigation
effortsunderwayatthetimeofthewritingofthisreport.

TargetEnvironment:Thetargetenvironmentisoneinwhichcriticalinformationstored
andusedoncampusisprotectedfromdisclosureandcompromiseatanextremelyhighrate
ofprobability(e.g.99.9%).Thecampuswillhavecomprehensiveandstronginformation
securitypoliciesandpractices,alongwiththeresourcestoeffectivemonitorandimplement
thosepoliciesandpractices.SacramentoStatewillconductannualriskandvulnerability
19

assessmentsandwillfollowuptoremoveanyandallrisksandvulnerabilitiesdetected.A
culturewilldeveloponcampuswhereineveryoneparticipatesintheprotectionof
informationsecurity.

Strengths:SacramentoStateisoneofafewCSUcampusestohavebothanISOposition
andadedicatedinformationsecuritybudgetthatsupportsadditionalsecuritystaffand
operations.Wearealsooneofthefewcampusestohavecompletedaselfassessmentof
informationsecurityriskandvulnerability.Informationsecurityeffortshavethefull
supportofthePresidentandCabinet.

Weaknesses:Twoinformationsecuritypositionsarevacantandarenotexpectedtobe
filleduntilMarch,2008.Itwasinitiallyquitedifficulttogetmanycollegeanddepartment
ITpersonneltoengagewiththerecentriskandvulnerabilityassessments.Information
securityisnotgenerallytreatedasaprioritybymanyoncampus.The2007riskassessment
showedsignificantdeficitsinkeyareasofinformationsecuritypractice,whilethe
vulnerabilityassessmentshowedahighnumber(>700)ofcriticalvulnerabilitiesoncampus
computers,includingvulnerabilitiesonservershousingconfidentialidentitydata.

OpportunitiesandThreats:SacramentoStatewasfortunatetohireanexperienced
informationsecurityprofessional(ISO)thisyearandalsohastheopportunitytohire
additionalexperiencedstaffmembersforhandlingspecificinformationsecuritytasks.Sac
StatecantakequickadvantageofCSUresourcesbyadoptingbothnewsystemwide
informationsecuritytrainingandsystemwideinformationsecuritypolicies(bothdueby
June,2008).TheChancellorcontinuestomakeinformationsecurityacriticalsystemwide
priority.Thechiefthreatisthegenerallackofpriorityplacedoninformationsecurityby
bothusersandITstaffmembersacrosscampus,aswellasthelackoffollowthroughin
implementationofsecuritypolicyandpractice.

GapAnalysis:TheadditionalresourcesprovidedbyboththecampusandtheCSUshould
allowthecentralITorganizationtomakerapidprogressindevelopingcampuswide
securitypoliciesandprocedures.However,strongcampuswidecooperationwillbe
requiredforeffectiveimplementationofthosenewpolicies.Experiencethisyearhasshown
thatwecaneffectivelyimplementannualriskandvulnerabilityassessments,although
greatercooperationfromITsupportgroupsacrosscampuswillberequired.Muchwork
willbeneededtoclosethegapinunderstandingoftheimportanceofinformationsecurity
20

acrosscampus.Campusleadersacrosstheboardwillhavetobecomemoreinvolvedin
activelysupportingimplementationofinformationsecuritypoliciesandpractice.

RecommendationstoCloseGaps:1)Completehiringofnewsecuritystaffassoonas
possible;2)Completereportsonriskandvulnerabilityassessmentsanddisseminatewidely
acrosscampus;3)FormallyadoptCSUinformationsecuritypoliciesanddisseminateacross
campus.

WebServices
Background:Fromtheinceptionofthewww.csus.eduwebsitein1995untilmid2007,there
hasbeenonlyonewebsupportpositionintheuniversitywideITsupportgroup.Although
asocalledWebmasterpositionwasfilledin1999,thiswascreatedasamidlevelclassified
positionthathadlittleauthorityovercampuswebpolicies,standards,orprocedures.While
acentralwebserverandwebsupportstructureexistsandisusedbyalargenumberof
campusdepartments,thelackofrobustcentralwebservicesandstaffcausedmanygroups
toeitherputuptheirownwebserversorseekoffcampuswebhostingsolutions.Few
departmentalstaffmemberswhosupportwebserviceshaveformaltraininginweb
development;mostcampuswebsitesaresupportedbypositionsthatarenotfocusedon
websupport,suchasadministrativeassistants,studentassistants,generalITsupportstaff,
andfacultymembers.Thus,theimplementationanduseoftheWebatSacramentoState
hasgrownorganicallyratherthaninplannedfashion.Webservers,sites,andapplications
havebeenbuiltacrosscampusonanasneeded,reactivebasisformorethantenyears.In
general,theSacramentoStatewebinfrastructurehasdevelopedwithoutcampuswide
support,organizationalstructure,orcoordination.Therecentadditionofrequirementsfor
accessiblewebsiteshasaddedtothechallengesfacingWebServices.

TargetEnvironment:Arecentsurveyoftheinformationtechnologyneedsofthe
universitysdivisionsindicatedthatwebservicesarecriticaltonearlyallaspectsof
universityfunction.Webservicesarementionedfrequentlyasbeingcriticaltoneeded
improvementsincampuscommunications,whilebothexternalandinternalevaluationsof
ITatSacStatehavenotedthestrategicneedfortheimprovementofadministrativeand
academicservicesusingtheWeb.Giventhispriority,SacramentoStaterequiresaweb
supportstructurethat,ataminimum:1)Providescampuswideleadershipinthecreation
ofwebpoliciesandstandards,webcommunicationsstrategies,andtheidentificationof
21

campuswidestrategicprioritiesfortheimprovementofbusinessprocessesusingtheweb;
and2)Providestheinfrastructureandexpertisetomeetthetrainingandsupportneedsfor
webdevelopmentwithincampusdepartments.

Strengths:ThesinglecentralwebpositionatSacramentoStatewasstaffedbyahighly
qualifiedindividualwithaMastersDegreeinthewebdevelopmentfield;thepositionwas
alsorecentlyupgradedbytheCIOtotruecampuswideWebmasterstatus.Although
workingwithlimitedresources,eachdivisionatSacStateisstronglycommittedtothe
developmentofqualitywebservicesforfaculty,staff,students,andotherclients.The
Webmasterhascreatedstandardwebdevelopmenttemplatesthathavebeenused
effectivelybymanydepartmentsacrosscampus.ApositionfromtheformerBusiness
InformationServicesthatwaslargelyfocusedonwebdevelopmentwasrecentlymoved
undertheWebmaster,immediatelyprovidinganadditionalstaffmemberforcampuswide
WebServices.UsingnewfundingprovidedtotheAccessibleTechnologyInitiative,the
divisionwasalsoabletocreateathirdwebpositiontofocusontheretrofittingand
developmentofwebsitesforaccessibility.

Weaknesses:Webexpertiseincollegesanddepartmentscontinuestobespottyandlacking
inspecificwebdevelopmentexpertise.UniversityAdvancement,whichworkswithIRTto
developandsupportexternalfacingwebsites,iscurrentlydowntwokeypositions
involvedinthecoordinationofcampuswebsites.Existingwebpoliciesoncampusareat
leastelevenyearsoldandareseriouslylackingfortodaysneeds.Nogrouponcampusis
officiallyassignedtocreateorenforcecampuswebpolicies,campuswebbranding
guidelines,orwebusabilitystandards.Althoughcentralwebsupportservicesaregrowing,
neededservicesaretoonewtohaveyethadasignificantimpactonthecampus.Themain
webdevelopmenttoolusedmostcommonlybythecampus(Dreamweaver)iscomplexand
mostsuitedonlyforprofessionalwebdesigners.Thelackofasystemforwebcontent
managementisasignificantbarriertodevelopmentofefficient,coordinatedweb
developmentacrosscampus.Thesignificantdecentralizationofwebdevelopmenthaslead
toalackofcoordinationandthedevelopmentofredundanciesandinefficienciesinweb
deployment.Thelackofwebexpertisehasalsoleadtoafocusonstaticwebpages,with
littleinteractivityandsophistication.

OpportunitiesandThreats:TheChancellorsOfficehasprovidedopportunitiesbyplacing
significantemphasisonenhancementofwebservicesthroughattentiontotheAccessible
22

TechnologyInitiative,emergencywebservices,andthedevelopmentofasystemRFPfor
webcontentservices.Increasedemphasisonthedevelopmentofselfservicefunctionsfor
faculty,staff,andstudentsprovidessignificantopportunityfordevelopmentofinteractive
webserviceslikelytobeheavilyused.Studentinterestintheuseofwebservicesis
extremelyhigh,withfaculty/staffinterestrapidlygrowing.Externalthreatsincludethe
competitivejobmarketforqualitywebdevelopments,lackofresourcesfornewpositions,
theheavyandgrowingdemandfortheapplicationofwebresourcestoaccessibilityissues,
andalackoftrainedresourcesfordepartmentalwebdevelopment.

GapAnalysis:Giventhewidelyshared,almostassumed,criticalityandpriorityofweb
servicestoeverycampusdivision,itshardtoavoidtheconclusionthatcurrentweb
resourcesatSacramentoStateareseriouslydeficient.Thetwopositionscurrentlyavailable
forcampuswidewebsupportareinadequateevenformeetinginstitutionalanddivision
needsforstrategicuseofwebresources.Giventhatgapforevenstrategicpriorities,thereis
littleifanyresourceavailabletomeetthecriticalneedsofcampusdepartmentsforweb
expertiseandsupport.Whilecurrentwebserversareadequateforimmediateneeds,
contentmanagementtoolsformakingthoseresourcesreadilyavailableandeasytousefor
usersacrosscampusarelacking.Inparticular,thecampushasfewresourcesavailablefor
creatingthetypeofinteractive,userfriendlywebservicesneededforqualitycustomer
service.

Recommendations:1)Staffingshouldbeincreasedforinstitutionalwebservicesas
quicklyasfeasible;2)Anorganizationalstructureshouldbecreatedadequateforthe
creationofinstitutionalpoliciesforwebcommunicationsandwebdevelopment;3)Tools
forwebcontentmanagementshouldbeprovidedtothecampus,adequatetosupportthe
webdevelopmentneedsofallusers;and4)Resourcesshouldbeprovidedtoallowforthe
developmentofinteractiveweb2.0servicesthatenhanceselfserviceandcustomersupport.

AcademicITIssues

AcademicComputing

Background:MostofSacramentoStatespeerinstitutionshavedefinedacademic
computingunitsthatconcentrateITresourcesonsupportofcomputerlabs,operationof
23

instructionalcomputingsystems(e.g.LearningManagementSystems,webportals,
classroomcomputing,etc),emailandfilesystemsforfaculty/studentuse,research
computing,andotheracademicfunctions.Infact,72%ofpeerinstitutionsnationwidehave
suchacademiccomputingunits,accordingtothelatestEducauseCoreDataSurvey.
Historically,SacramentoStatehasratherorganizedallITresourcesunderaComputing
Centerconcept,withoutparticularemphasisonsupportingacademicneeds.Theresultof
thistendencywasthatfewpositionswithintheComputingCenterwerededicatedto
supportofcomputingspecifictoacademics.Overatleastthelasttenyears,supportof
academiccomputingoncampushasbecomehighlydecentralized,withnearlyallcolleges
developingtheirowncomputerlabs,filestoragesystems,classroomcomputing,andeven
emailsystems.Assupportedbyexternalstudiesnotedintheintroductiontothisreport,a
commonperceptioninthecollegesisthattheComputingCenterwasnotwillinglyinclined
toprovideservicestoacademicareasand,iftheydid,wantedtochargecollegesand
departmentstoomuchfortheprivilege.

TargetEnvironment:Inshort,resourcesforsupportofacademiccomputingshouldbe
robustandshouldpredominateinthecentralinformationtechnologysupportorganization.
Supportofcomputingresourcesfortheenhancementofteachingandlearningshould
receiveparticularemphasiswithrobustsupportforuseofcomputerlabs,learning
managementsystems,useofclassroomtechnology,portalservices,instructionalsoftware,
digitalstorage,transmissionandcommunicationsofinstructionalcontent,academic
communication,wirelesscomputing,onlinelearning,andfaculty/studentuseofcomputers
andtechnologyforteachingandlearning.

Strengths:Centralcomputerlabsarewellmanagedandrelativelymodern,whilemany
collegecomputerlabsreceiveconcentratedsupportfromlocalITstaff.Amajorrefreshof
keycomputerlabstookplaceduring20062007.Wirelesscomputinghasalreadybeen
enhancedandexpandedtocovermostofthecampus,whileawirelesslaptoploanprogram
forstudentsissetforlaunchwithinafewweeks.A24hourstudyareaforstudentuseof
bothcomputerlabandwirelesscomputingresourceshasbeenestablishedintheAIRCand
isalreadyheavilyusedbystudents.

Weaknesses:FewcentralordecentralizedITpositionshavebeenfocusedexclusivelyon
supportofacademiccomputingorclassroomuseoftechnology.CentralComputingCenter
staffmembersweretypicallyfocusedontechnicalissuesandsupportofbasicinfrastructure
24

andhaverarelybeeninvolvedindirectsupportoftheneedsofacademicusers.Onlyone
preexistingpositionexistsforsupportofcentralcomputerlabsthataresomeofthemost
heavilyusedcomputingfacilitiesoncampus.CollegeITstaffarenotprovidedcentral
supportforacademicsupportfunctionsthroughthedevelopmentofstandardsforsoftware
andhardwareforacademicuseandhavehadchargesimposedbythecentralIT
organizationforprovisionofthemostbasicservicesforservermanagementandstorage.
Supportforuseofacademicsoftwareoncampushasbeenextremelyspotty.

OpportunitiesandThreats:SacramentoStatehashadtheuniqueopportunitytofillalarge
numberofexistingvacanciescreatedbybothnormalturnover(elevenpositions)andthe
retirementofelevenpreviousemployeesoftheComputerCenter.Workingwiththe
AcademicInformationTechnologyCommittee,thenewCIOfirstdefinedapositionforan
AssistantVicePresidentforAcademicComputingandfilledthatpositioninAugust,2007
withamanagerwithmorethantwentyyearsexperiencefocusedonacademicITsupport.
ThismanagerservesastheseniormanagementexecutiveundertheCIO,inordertoensure
apriorityisplacedonacademicsupport.Althoughotherareasofacademiccomputingare
treatedseparatelyintheanalysisbelow,theywillallbecarefullycoordinatedbythenew
AVP(i.e.classroomandcomputerlabservices,desktopsupport,studenttechnology
support,andwebservices)toensureenhancementofthesupportofcomputingand
technologyforteachingandlearning.Anadditionalpotentialopportunityisprovidebythe
emphasisonacademiccomputingresourcesplannedinthenewCSUcompactforthe
comingfiscalyear,althoughthestatesfiscalcrisisisseriouslythreateningthispromising
initiative.Threatsarepresentedbothinthelegacyofweakstaffingforsupportofacademic
computingandinthelonghiringprocessrequiredtofillvacancieswithnewskillsrequired
forsupportofthetargetenvironment.

GapAnalysis:Asnotedabove,gapsexistinnearlyeveryareaofacademiccomputing
support.Staffingisinadequateforsupportofcomputerlabs,classroomuseoftechnology,
operationofacademicservers,academicsoftwareoperations,anddevelopmentand
supportofLMSandportalservices(separatelydiscussedbelow).

RecommendationstoCloseGaps:1)Completereorganizationbymovingstafffromother
areastorefocusthosepositionsonacademicsupport;2)reallocatepositionstocreate
neededleadershipforthecreationofrobustclassroom,softwareandwebservicesunits;3)
consolidateClassroomServicesandHelpDeskfunctionstocreatestaffingsynergies;and4)
25

Immediatelyreallocateresourcesforcreationofprototypeclassrooms,alaptoploan
program,andanewStudentTechnologyCenter.

AcademicTechnology&Multimedia

Background:FortwentyyearsatSacState,technologyservicesforfacultywerelargely
providedbyUniversityMediaServices(UMS).SuchUMSserviceswereprimarilyfocused
onmultimediaproductionandaudiovisualsupportforclassrooms,butwerelater
supplementedbymorecomputerbasedacademictechnologyservicessuchassupportfor
onlinelearningandconsultation/trainingonuseofcomputersoftwareapplications.Inlate
2004,threesmallunitsthatwerepreviouslypartofUMS(i.e.ProductionandCreative
Services,Academic&InformationTechnology,andDistanceandDistributedEducation)
weremovedtocreatethenewAcademicAffairsdepartmentofAcademicTechnologyand
CreativeServices(ATCS).TheprimarypurposeofATCSistoassistfacultywiththe
creationofinstructionalmaterialsandtheuseoftechnologyinsupportofinstruction.
ApproximatelytwentyofthepositionsinthecurrentATCSarestatesupported,whilean
additionalnineintheCreativeServicesareaaresupportedprimarilybycontractworkwith
externalstateagencies.ATCSutilizesitsstatesupportedstaffprimarilyforonlinecourse
developmentandsupport(6FTE),multimediaproductionsupport(5FTE)andtraining,
instructionaldesignandconsultation(4FTE).ATCSstaffmembersareavailabletohelp
facultywithonlinecoursedevelopment,developmentoflearningmaterials,andtrainingin
techniquesforusingtechnologyintheteaching/learningprocess.Consultationservicesare
providedthroughthepresenceofconsultantsintheFaculty/StaffResourceCenterand
throughanopenlabforfacultyeachFridayintheCenter.Specifictrainingisalsoofferedin
webdesign,anduseofofficeproductivitytools,interactivemultimediatools,anddigital
imaging.

TargetEnvironment:Facultymembersshouldhaveaccesstosupportservicesthatmeeta
widevarietyofteachingstylesforthepreparationofbothmultimediaandonline
instructionalandresearchmaterials.Robusttrainingshouldbeavailableforthosefaculty
memberswhochoosetopreparetheirowninstructionalmaterials.Expertinstructional
designstaffandservicesshouldbeavailabletoassistfacultywithmatchingthosematerials
topedagogicalneeds.Trainingservicesshouldbeextendedtostudents,asresourcesallow.

26

Strengths:FacultymembersatSacStatehaveaccesstorobustsupportthroughATCSfor
bothtraininganduseofWebCTandfordevelopmentofmultimediainstructional
materials.TrainingservicesareprovidedtofacultythroughthewellequippedFaculty/Staff
ResourceCenterintheAIRC.SeveralATCSstaffmembershavesignificantinterestin
additionaltrainingonpedagogicalaspectsofthedesignofinstructionalmaterials.Faculty
useofandsatisfactionwithsupportofonlinelearningthroughWebCTappeartobehigh.

Weaknesses:Servicesandstafftendtobeweightedtowardssupportoftraditional
multimedia,alegacyofthatsameemphasiswithinthepreviousUniversityMediaServices.
Whilesomefacultymemberscontinuetomakeheavyuseofthesetraditionalservices,
overallfacultyawarenessandutilizationofsuchservicesislow.Academictechnology
staffingisheavilybasedontechnicallyorientedITCpositions,whereassuchpositions
throughouthighereducationtendtoratherbefilledwithmoreeducationallyfocused
professionals.Many,ifnotmost,oftheinstructionalmaterialsusedtodayareontheweb,
yetservicesfocusedonwebdevelopmenthavenotgrowninproportiontodemand.

OpportunitiesandThreats:Useofonlineandwebbasedlearningmaterialsisgrowing
rapidly.Accreditationrequirementsthatlearningoutcomesbebothdefinedandassessed
willrapidlygrowtheneedforinstructionaldesignassistance(asopposedtoassistancewith
justdevelopmentofinteractivemultimedia).Atthetimeofwritingthisanalysis,all
academicdepartmentsareworkingonthedefinitionofsuchlearningoutcomes.
AccessibilityrequirementsforinstructionalmaterialsimposedbytheAccessible
TechnologyInitiativewillplacenewburdensonfacultythatwillrequireconcerted
assistancefromacademictechnologysupportservices.Whileboththeassessmentand
accessibilityissuesprovideopportunitiesfortheprofileofthoseacademictechnology
supportservicestoberaised,theyalsopresentasignificantthreatiffacultymembersdont
feeltheirneedsforservicearebeingmet.

GapAnalysis:Facultyawarenessoftheavailabilityofassistanceforbothpreparationof
instructionalmaterialsandinstructionaldesignneedstoberaised.Concertedeffortsshould
bemadetofindoutthetypesofsupportandmeansofdeliverymostneededbyfaculty.
Resourcesforplacinginstructionalmaterialsonthewebandforinstructionaldesignshould
beenhanced,withspecialemphasisonresourcestohelpfacultyanddepartmentsmeet
accreditationandaccessibilityrequirements.

27

RecommendationstoCloseGaps:1)Developandcreateasurveytodiscernfacultyneed
forassistanceinthepreparationofinstructionalmaterials;2)InvolveATCSinacooperative
venturetoenhancetechnologytrainingforbothfacultyandstudents;3)InvolveATCSin
thecreationandoperationofanewStudentTechnologyCenter;and4)CreateanAccessible
InstructionalMaterialspositiontoassistfaculty.

ClassroomServices

Background:ServicestoclassroomswereprovidedbyUniversityMediaServicesfrom1984
throughmid2007.Overthattimeperiod,staffingdedicatedtodirectlysupportingfaculty
intheclassroomsdroppedfromsevenstaffpositionstoonlyfourstaffpositions.Through
the1980sand1990s,emphasiswasplacedalmostexclusivelyontheuseofaudiovisual
equipmentinclassrooms(e.g.video,slides,16mmfilms);infact,SacStatehada
sophisticatedsysteminplacetofacilitatesemiautomatedplaybackofaudiovisual
materialsfromacentrallocationduringthattimeperiod.Partofthereasonforthe
aforementioneddropinstaffingisattributedtothewaytechnologyuseinclassroomshas
changed.While,inthe1980s1520deliveriesofequipmenttoclassroomsoccurredduring
eachhouroftheday,bythe1990ssuchdeliverieshaddwindledduetotheinstallationof
computerprojectorsandDVDplayersinmanyclassrooms.Asuseofthecomputerfor
instructionwasincreasinglyemphasizedinlieuofaudiovisualmediaduringthe1990s,
SacramentoStatealsoexperimentedwithinstallationofcomputersinafewclassrooms
beginningin1997.Whilemostinstitutionsofhighereducationacceleratedsuchuseof
computersinclassrooms,SacStateabandonedsuchinstallationsinclassroomsshortlyafter
thisinitialexperiment.Itwasdecidedinsteadtoencourageuseoflaptopsinclassrooms,
althoughlittleeffortwasmadetoprovideadequatenumbersoflaptopsforusebyall
facultymemberswhowantedthemforclassroomuse.Manyfacultymemberscomplained
abouttheneedtocarryandsetupcomputersinclassrooms,whileotherscomplainedthey
didnothavelaptopcomputersorneededsoftwareavailabletothemforclassroomuse.

Asocalledsmartclassroomstandardwasdevelopedoncampusinthe1990sthat
includedaceilingmountedcomputerprojector,awallpanelforconnectionofalaptop
computerandotherdevices,ascreen,andaDVD/VCRplayer.Thisstandardwasprovided
toabout150ofthe230generaluniversityclassroomsoncampusby2006.However,little
workwasdonetoenhancethepoorphysicalqualityofthoseclassroomsinwhichtheso
calledsmarttechnologywasplaced.SacStateslongtimemanagerofclassroomservices
28

describesSacramentoStatesclassroomsasdesignedwithabareboneslookthatwas
modernatthetime,butallowedforlittleconsiderationofactualteachingconditions.The
buildingsareconstructedofconcrete,bothfloorsandwalls.Mostroomsstillhave
chalkboards.Theroomsare,tobeplainspoken,dustmagnets.

TargetEnvironment:Inshort,classroomservicesshouldbecapableofmeetingthepriority
needsofallfacultymemberswhoteachinthoseclassrooms.Classroomteaching
technologiesshouldbeeasytouse,flexibleenoughtomeetawidevarietyoffaculty
teachingstylesandstudentlearningstyles,andadequateinquantitytomeetscheduled
needs.Classroomsupportstaffingshouldbeadequatetobothmaintainallclassroomsin
excellentworkingorderandtosupportemergentfacultyneedsfordaytodaysupportin
theuseofteachingtechnologies.Schedulingprocessesformatchingfacultywithclassrooms
thatmatchtheirneedforteachingtechnologiesshouldbehighlyreliable.Ongoing
institutionalfundsshouldbeidentifiedforbothmaintenanceandrenovationofcampus
classrooms.

Strengths:SacramentoStatehasalargenumberofgeneraluniversityclassroomsequipped
withcomputerprojectors,screens,andDVD/VCRplayers.Manyofthoseprojectorswere
replacedin20062007.Fundshavealreadybeencommittedfortheenhancementofboth
infrastructureandteachingtechnologyintwoprototypeclassroomsinSequoiaHall.
Planningisunderwaytoprovidesimilarinfrastructureandtechnologyfornewclassrooms
inBeneciaHallandtheOldBookstore.

Weaknesses:Thefrequentmentionofinadequateclassroomsandclassroomteaching
technologyinbothinternalandexternalreviewsofIToncampusissolidevidencethatour
classroominfrastructureisweak.Lessthan5%ofclassroomsatSacramentoStatehave
builtincomputersforusebyfaculty,whiletheaverageincidenceofclassroomcomputers
amongpeerinstitutionsintheEducausecoredatasurveyis64%.Theavailabilityoflaptop
computersforfacultyuseinclassroomsisspottyatbest,whiletherequirementforfaculty
tocarryandsetuplaptopsandotherequipmenttoclassroomsisunacceptable,running
countertorecommendationsoftheFacultySenatesAITC.Inaddition,thislackofbuiltin
computersinclassroomsmakesusecomputersdifficultandinequitableandoftenleaves
facultymemberslackinginthepropersoftwareforclassuse.Classroomphysical
infrastructureisweak,especiallyinareasrequiredforadequateuseofteaching
technologies(e.g.lightingcontrolsandacoustics).Designofnewclassroomsandrepairof
29

classroomsistypicallyhandledbySpaceManagement,withoutadequateacademicinput.
Bothprocessesforfacultyschedulingofclassroomsandthenumberofsmartclassrooms
areinadequatetoassurefacultyaccesstoclassroomsthatmeettheirneeds.Staffingfor
classroomsupporthasdecreasedatthesametimebothfacultydemandforsuchsupport
andthenumberofclassroomshaveincreaseddramatically.Resourcesforsupportof
classroomshavebeenoverlyconcentratedontheuseofvideoservicesandotheroldline
mediaservices,ratherthanontheuseofcomputersandnetworkingincreasinglyneededby
faculty.

OpportunitiesandThreats:AstheCaliforniaStateUniversitysystemplansforanew
compactwithemphasisonteachingandlearningtechnologies,theopportunityexiststo
identifynewresourcesforclassroomteachingtechnologies.Thecreationofseveralnew
modelclassroomsoncampusthisyearwillallowforincreasedfacultyinputonthe
adequacyoftheimproveddesign.Inthecurrentpoorbudgetenvironment,theeisa
significantthreatthatnewresourcesrequiredforimprovementofthephysical
infrastructureofexistingclassroomswillbedifficulttoobtain.Capitalresourcesfromthe
CSUhavenottraditionallybeenprovidedinlargequantityforclassroominfrastructure
needs.

GapAnalysis:TheincidenceofteachingtechnologiesinSacramentoStatesclassrooms
ranksinthebottomtentotwentypercentofinstitutionsacrosshighereducation,atbest.
Thisfactisreflectedintheinabilityoffacultymemberstogetaccesstotheteaching
technologiestheyneedincampusclassrooms.Theuniversitymustplantomovetowardat
leastthemedianincidenceofteachingtechnologiesinclassroomsamongpeerinstitutions.
Classroomsupportstaffingmustbeenhancedtoallowmeetingfacultyneeds.Resources
needtoberealignedtowardsupportoftheuseofcomputerbasedandnetwork
technologiesforteachingandlearning.Processesfortheidentificationanddesignofnew
andrenovatedclassroomsneedtobechangedtoincludedirectionandfeedbackfromboth
academicandinformationtechnologyareas.

RecommendationstoCloseGaps:1)PrototypeclassroomsinSequoiaandBeneciahalls
shouldbeusedasanopportunitytoworkwithfacultytocreatecampuswidestandardsfor
furtherenhancementofclassrooms;2)Planningshouldtakeplaceassoonaspossibleto
definebaselinefundingrequiredtorepairandreplacetheexistingclassroominfrastructure
andtechnology,topreventfurtherdeterioration;3)Bothshortandlongtermfunding
30

shouldbeidentifiedfortheadditionofenhancedteachingtechnologiesinclassrooms
acrosscampus;4)Immediateactionshouldbetakentoimprovetheorganizationand
staffingofclassroomsupportservices;5)Immediateactionshouldbetakentoimproveboth
schedulingprocessesandtheidentificationanddesignofclassroomsatSacramentoState.

DesktopSupportandComputerLabs

Background:Desktopandlabcomputershavebecomesimplyanessentialtoolformost
faculty,staff,andstudents.Whenourcampuscomputersfailtooperateproperly,ourwork
tendstogrindtoahaltandwealllookforanalmostimmediatefix.Supportofdesktop
computersatSacramentoStateishighlydecentralized.ThecentralITorganization
managesonly500ofthemorethan3,000staffcomputersoncampus,withtheremainder
supportedbycollegeanddepartmentstaffmembers.Sincecampusdesktopcomputersare
splitintomultiple,locallycontrolleddomains(i.e.groupsformanagementandcontrol),it
isdifficultorimpossibleforeithereconomiesofscaleorsecuritycontrolstobeattained
throughcentraldistributionofservicessuchasantivirusoroperatingsystemupdates.
MaintenanceofdesktopcomputersisalsohighlydecentralizedatSacState,witheachunit
handlingitsownwarrantywork,maintenance,andpartsordering.Noformalstandards
existforspecificationofdesktopcomputersorlaptopsandlittleorganizedcoordinationof
equipmentreplacementorsoftwarelicensingoccurs.

Manystudentsarehighlydependentoncampuscomputerlabsandthesoftwareandhigh
speednetworkconnectionstheyprovide.Ofthenearly3,000studentcomputerlabseatson
campus,justmorethan500areavailabletoallstudentsandfacultyasgeneraluniversity
computerlabs.Alooseassociationofcomputerlabtechniciansmeetsirregularlytofind
commonalitiesinlabmanagement,butnoformalprocessesexisttoprioritizeneedsand
allocatecampuswideresourcesforessentialstudentcomputerlabs.

Whilesomecomputersoftwareisacquiredandmanagedcentrally(e.g.MicrosoftOffice),
mostcomputersoftwareisacquiredonanadhocbasisbyindividualdepartments.Little
campuswidelicensingorcostreductionisdoneonaplannedbasis.

TargetEnvironment:Simplyput,theserviceenvironmentshouldbeadequateto
guaranteetheavailabilityandgoodworkingorderoffaculty/staffdesktopandstudent
computerlabcomputersnearly100%ofthetime.Bothdesktopsupportandcomputerlab
personnelcampuswideshouldworktogethertoeliminateduplicationofeffort,improve
31

efficiency,reducecosts,andgaineconomiesofscale.Servicesthatcanbestbeimplemented
campuswide(e.g.networking,storage,authentication,accountmanagement)shouldbe
offeredsotheyflexiblymeettheneedsofpersonnelwhoprovidelocalITsupportto
departmentsandcolleges.Softwareacquisitionshouldbecoordinatedcampuswideto
allowforcostsavingsthroughstandardization,bulkbuying,andothereconomiesofscale.

Strengths:Desktopsupportservicesaregenerallylocatedindepartmentsclosetousers,
makingcontactwithsupportstaffeasyformanyusers.Computerlabsareoftenmanaged
bystaffmemberswhoworkcloselywithfacultymembersusingthelabforteaching,
ensuringgoodlocalknowledgeofcurricularneeds.Centralprocurementandlicensing
occursforsomeessentialsoftware(e.g.Microsoftproductsandantivirus).ITstaff
memberstendtopurchasecommontypesofcomputers,makingmanycomputersupport
issuessimilaracrosscampus.ThecentralITorganizationhasvendorcertifiedcomputer
techniciansandsomeaccesstodesktopmanagementtools(e.g.Altiris,E*Policy
Orchestrator).Computerlabmanagerscampuswidehaveagreedtocooperatively
implementbothlabutilizationsoftwareandacommoncomputerlabinventory.

Weaknesses:Decentralizationofdesktopandcomputerlabsupportisofteninefficientin
useofscarceresources,duetolackofstandardization,lackofbulkprocurementandthe
failuretolicensesoftwarecampuswide.Thelackofasinglenetworkdomainfordesktop
computersmakesitdifficultorimpossibletoefficientlyimplementdistributionofsoftware
anddesktopmanagementandsecuritytools.Decentralizationofsupportoftenleaves
individualusersconfusedaboutwhotocallforadesktopproblem.Thelackofcoordinated
warrantycoverageanddesktopmaintenancecausesthecampustopaysubstantiallymore
thanitshouldforcomputermaintenance.Lackofcoordinationofsoftwarelicensinggrossly
inflatesthecostofacademicsoftwareandcreatestheundesirableoutcomeofhavesand
havenotsacrossdepartments.Replacementofbothdesktopandcomputerlabcomputers
isdoneinanadhoc,uncoordinatedfashion,leavingmanyoutdatedcomputerswithno
replacementresourceidentified.

OpportunitiesandThreats:ThenewInformationResources&Technologydivisionhas
identifiedexistingresourcesthatallowedcreationofanewManagerforHardwareand
Softwaresupport,plusadedicatedcomputerhardwaresupportstaffposition.Avacancy
duetoaretirementwillbeusedtoadditionallycreateanewcampuswideSoftware
Coordinatorposition.TheProvostandChiefInformationOfficerhaveagreedtocooperate
32

inthecreationofaplanforreplacementofbothfaculty/staffdesktopsandpriority
computerlabequipment.ThemainthreatsinthisareaaretheCSUwidebudgetshortfalls
andthestrongcampuscultureofbothautonomyanddecentralizationindesktopand
computerlabsupport.

GapAnalysis:Littleresourcecurrentlyexistsforneededplanningandcoordinationof
desktopsupportoncampus.Untilthisresourcegapisfilled,itwillnotbepossibletomake
progressonincreasingcoordinationandefficiencyofdesktopandlabprocurement,
softwareacquisition,maintenance,andsupport.Evenwithprovisionofsomeofthe
neededresourcesidentifiedabove,thelackofacommoncampusnetworkdomain
preventseffectiveimplementationofcoordinatedandefficientdesktop,software,and
securityservicesforall.Whilesomecollegesanddepartmentshavestrongdesktopsupport
services,othersareseriouslylacking.Closingthesegapswillbedifficultunlessadditional
resourcesareallocatedtoassisthavenotdepartments.

RecommendationstoCloseGaps:1)CompletehiringofManagerofHardwareand
SoftwareServicesandadditionalhardwaresupportpositioninIR&T;2)Complete
implementationofcomputerlabinventoryandutilizationtoolsandreportresultsto
campusonaregularbasis;3)CompletehiringofSoftwareCoordinatorandidentifylow
hangingfruitthatcanrapidlydecreasecostsandincreaseefficiency;4)Completestudyof
campuswidedesktopandcomputerlabreplacement.

DistanceLearning

Background:Distancelearningtechnologieshavebeenusedforthedeliveryofcredit
coursesatSacramentoStatefornearlytwentyfiveyears.Duringthe1980sand1990s,
microwavevideotransmissionandcabletelevisiondistributionweretheprimarymeansof
delivery.ThecampusstartedastrongworkingrelationshipwiththeSacramentoCableTV
Consortium(SECC)in1984thathaslastedformorethantwentyyears.Inaddition,the
campusoperatedasatellitevideouplinktruckfororiginationofprogramming.SacState
builtthreevideobasedstudioclassroomsinLibraryIIandalsooperatedcomprehensive
videoproductionservicesinthatsamefacilitytosupportlocalvideoorigination.Two
additionalvideostudioclassroomswereopenedintheAIRCbuildingin2006.More
recently,videostreaminghasbeguntosupplantlivevideodeliveryasthepreferredmeans
33

studentsusetoreceivevideocourses.Onlinelearninghasbeenslowtocatchonat
SacramentoState,butisstillusedforthedeliveryofuptotenonlinecourseseachyear.

TheDDEprogramwasmanagedsinceitsinceptiononcampus(1984)byUniversityMedia
Services,butwasmovedunderAcademicTechnology&CreativeServicesin2004.Apart
timefacultycoordinatordirectsdaytodayplanning,supportedbyotherstaffmembers
andnumerousstudentassistantswhoprovidelogisticalsupport.TheIR&Tdivision
providessupportforalldistancelearninginfrastructure,includingvideodistribution
services,onlinelearningsystems,andonlinestreamingservices.

TargetEnvironment:TheCSUisnowfocusingonthedevelopmentanddeliveryof
asynchronousonlinelearning,inordertoimproveaccessandrelievepressureonthe
physicalinfrastructureofgrowingcampuses.SacramentoStatewouldliketoincreaseits
useofonlinelearningbyfirstemphasizingincreaseduseofhybridlearningmodelsthat
combinefacetofaceandasynchronousonlinelearning.Planningiscurrentlyjust
underwaytodefinethelongtermcampusapproachtoonlinelearning,sotheultimate
targetenvironmentfordistancelearningisstillilldefined.Itisclear,however,thatthe
trendistowardonlinedistancelearningresourcesdeliveredinasynchronousmode.

Strengths:SacramentoStatehasalongtraditionofusingdistancelearningforthedelivery
ofcreditcourses.Whilesmall,astrongcadreoffacultymemberscontinuestobeinterested
inteachingdistancelearningcourses.Thesupplyofvideofacilitiesfordeliveryof
programmingexceedsthedemand.

Weaknesses:SacramentoStatehascontinuedtoemphasizerealtimedeliveryofvideo
basedcourses,whilethevastmajorityofotherhighereducationinstitutionshavechanged
toanemphasisonasynchronousonlinedelivery.Thus,whilethecampushasstrong
resourcestosupportvideobasededucation,resourcesforasynchronousonlinedistance
learningarerelativelyweak.Maintainingtheexistingvideoinfrastructureoncampus(both
equipmentandfacilities)isexpensiveandincreasinglydifficulttojustifyasstudentsshiftto
useofcomputerbasedvideostreamingevenforvideocourses.Nationaltrendsclearly
showhighgrowthinonlinelearningandagradualdeclineinuseofvideobasedlearning.

OpportunitiesandThreats:TheadventofCSUwideonlineresourcesforremedialmath
andChemistryprovidesasignificantopportunity.TheProvost,DirectorofAcademic
34

Technology,andCIOareactivelyengagedincreatingaplanfordistancelearningtomeet
strategicneedsforthefutureatSacState.TheopportunitytohireanewfacultyDDE
coordinatorinearly2008providedasignificantopportunitytoengageinresearchand
analysisthatwillhelptorepositionDDEforthefuture.Thelongemphasisonvideo
delivery,thecostofmaintainingandreplacingthatinfrastructure,anddeclinesintheuseof
synchronousvideodeliveryareallthreatstorepositioningSacramentoStatesDDE
program.

GapAnalysis:AlargegapexistsbetweenthecurrentDDEresourcesavailableandthe
targetenvironmentofincreasedonlineandhybridlearning.Resourcesforonlinelearning
willneedtobecreatedorrepositioned.AplanforfutureuseofDDEneedstobecreated
quicklysoneededrepositioningcanbegin.

RecommendationstoCloseGaps:1)DevelopaplanforDDEthatisconsistentwiththe
campusstrategicplan;2)HireanewDDEcoordinatorwhocanbothmaintainenrollments
inexistingDDEprogramsandassistwiththetransitiontoonlinelearning;3)Planto
reducecoststooperateSECCandelectronicdistributionsystemsthataredeclininginuse,
whilerepurposingfundingtowardonlinelearning.

LearningManagementandPortalSystems

Background:LearningManagementSystems(LMS)andwebportalserviceshavebecome
nearlyubiquitousonhighereducationcampuses.SacramentoStateisnoexception,asithas
beenusingtheWebCTLMSfornearlytenyearsandintroducedtheMySacStateportal
serviceinmid2007.WebCTisnowusedbymorethanhalfofteachingfacultymembers
andbymorethanthreequartersofSacStatestudents.AcademicTechnologyandCreative
Servicesregularlyoffersacomprehensiveseriesoftrainingworkshopsforfacultyonthe
useofWebCT,includingtrainingoncommunicationtools,blogs,journals,assessmentand
quizzes,gradebook,andotherspecializedfunctions.InformationResources&Technology
providescomprehensiveservicesformanagementofthedaytodayoperationofWebCT
systems,whichcomprisemanagementofapplicationservers,databases,andlinksto
studentinformation.IR&TfundedamajorupgradeoftheWebCTsystemfromabasic
versiontoarobustandredundantenterpriseversionoverthesummerof2007.Inshort,
SacramentoStatesLMShasbecomeamissioncriticalresourcethatissupported
accordingly.
35


Whilemosthighereducationcampuseshavehadwebportalservicesforstudentsforat
leastseveralyears,SacramentoStatedidnotintroducestudentportalservicesuntilmid
2007.TheportalthatwasintroducedasMySacStatewasanextensionofthePeopleSoft
software(i.e.CMS)andwasfocusedonlyonprovidingwebaccesstostudentandhuman
resourcesinformationovertheweb.Thisportalwasnotdesignedtooffercampuswide
webportalservicesfocusedonthestudentsacademicandstudentlife,typicalofthose
foundatotherCSUcampuses(e.g.SanLuisObispoandChico).

TargetEnvironment:Thecampusshouldoperatealearningmanagementsystemthatis
capableofprovidinghighlyreliableusebyallfacultyandallstudents.ThisLMSshould
providearangeofservicesbasedoncarefulassessmentoffaculty/studentneedsand
shouldbeeasytouseandupdate.Trainingandsupportshouldbeprovidedthatis
adequateforallcriticalcampusneeds.SacramentoStateshouldalsooperatea
comprehensivecampuswidestudentwebportal.Theportalshouldbeaonestopshop
wherestudentscangainaccesstoallcriticalacademic,financial,andstudentlife
information.Theportalshouldalsoserveasacentraltoolforaccesstoemail,campus
announcements,andofficialcampusinformation.TheLMSandwebportalshouldbe
closelyandseamlesslyintegrated.

Strengths:SacStatenowhasanenterpriseclassLMSsystemthatiscapableofhandling
greatlyincreasedusagebybothfacultyandstudents.Thatsystemhasgoodstaffsupport
bothforusersandforthesystemitself.TheMySacStateportalinPeoplesoftwas
successfullyintroducedandprovidesgoodselfserviceaccesstostudentandhuman
resourcesinformation.

Weaknesses:ThedatabasesystemthatisintegraltoWebCThasasinglepointoffailure
andneedstobeupgradedtoaredundantsystem.Mechanismsfordisasterrecoveryneedto
beprovidedforWebCT,sinceitisamissioncriticalsystem.TheMySacStateportalis
limitedinscopeandisnotintendedtofunctionasatrueenterprisestudentwebportal.
Currentstaffingforportaldevelopmentandsupportisweak.

OpportunitiesandThreats:FundinghasbeenidentifiedforbothimprovementofWebCT
databasesandcreationofatrueenterpriseportalforstudents.Timingoftheintroduction
oftheportaliscrucial,inthatfailuretointroducealongwithmandatorystudentemailby
36

latespringwillthreatenthesuccessoftheproject.TheChancellorsOfficehasinitiatedan
RFPforpossiblereplacementofcampusLearningManagementSystems.WhilethisRFP
providesasignificantopportunitytoevaluatealternativestoWebCT,italsothreatensto
increasecampuscostsforWebCT,whilealsocreatingconsiderableuncertaintyforfaculty
andstudents.

GapAnalysis:Planningneedstobecompletedforbothredundantdatabasesanddistaster
recoveryforthecampusLMS.CarefulevaluationoftheresultsoftheLMSRFPneedsto
takeplaceinconsultationwithfacultyandstudents.Acomprehensivecampuswebportal
forstudentsneedstobedevelopedforintroductionnolaterthanfallsemester,2008.

RecommendationsToCloseGaps:1)InstituteredundantLMSdatabasesbyFebruary1,
2008;2)DeveloppilotversionofastudentportalforintroductionbyApril1,2008.

StudentTechnologySupport

Background:Supportofstudentuseofinformationtechnologyhasnotreceivedsignificant
emphasisatSacramentoState.Wehaveoneofthelowestratiosofcampuswidecomputers
percapitaofanyCSUcampus.PreviouspoliciesofbothCCMSandATCSfocusedalmost
entirelyonsupportoffacultyandstaffITneedsandinsomecasesevenprohibitedsupport
ofstudents.TheonlyareasofITsupportthatconsistentlyfocusedonstudentswerethe
HelpDeskandcomputerlabs(bothcentralandcollege).

ThenewITdivisionisbeingcreatedwithanentirelydifferentfocusthatconsiderssupport
ofstudentuseoftechnologytobecentraltothemissionofboththecampusandthe
division.

TargetEnvironment:Studentswillhaveaccesstotechnologysupportthatisatleast
equivalenttothatprovidedtofacultyandstaff.Studentswillbesupportedintheiruseof
technologyasassignedbyfacultymembersforcompletionofcoursework.Studentswillbe
abletoaccesstechnologyresourcesatanytimeandfromanyplacebyusingasingleall
purpose,universityprovidedaccount.Theywillhaveaccesstoaonestopstudentportal
thatwillprovidereadyaccesstoallormoststudentresources.Studentswillhaveaccessto
trainingandotherresourcesthatwillallowthemtousetechnologyeffectivelyforlearning.

37

Strengths:Bluntly,SacramentoStatehasfewstrengthsinstudenttechnologysupportat
thistime.Studentsdohaveaccesstowidespreadwirelessnetworking;therecentprovision
of24houraccesstosuchwirelessnetworkingintheAIRCstudyareashasbeenextremely
wellreceived.TheinterestoftheAssociatedStudentsinimprovingstudentaccessto
technologyisasignificantstrength.

Weaknesses:Inmostcases,SacramentoStatedoesnotmaketechnicalresourcesthatare
readilyavailabletofacultyavailabletostudents.Studentsdonothavereadyaccessto
supportintheuseofclassroomtechnologyanddonothavereadyaccesstoneeded
equipmentthroughtheclassroomequipmentpool.TheservicesofATCSarenotgenerally
availableforstudentuse.Campusemailservicesareusedbyfewstudentsandsuch
serviceshavenotbeenactivelypromotedtostudents.

OpportunitiesandThreats:Onetimefundingisavailabletoprovidestartupfundingfor
initiationofbothawirelesslaptoploanprogramforstudentsandaStudentTechnology
Center.Thecabinethasagreedtofocusonthedevelopmentofrobustemailandportal
servicesforstudentsthatwillgreatlyenhanceaccesstostudenttechnologyresources.The
principlethreatisthehugetaskofcommunicatingwithourlargestudentbodyaboutthose
serviceenhancementsandconvincingstudentstousethoseservices.Thecampuswillhave
toplancarefullytoensurebeingabletokeepupwithexpectedrobuststudentdemand.

GapAnalysis:Averylargegapexistsbetweenthetargetenvironmentdescribedaboveand
currentresourcesandpracticeatSacramentoState.ResourcesfrommostcentralITunits
notedinthisdocumentmustberedirectedtocontributetosupportofstudenttechnology
initiatives.Gapsinongoingfundingforsupportofnewstudenttechnologyinitiativesmust
befilled.

RecommendationstoCloseGaps:1)Provideinitialrolloutofnewstudentemailandportal
servicesbyApril1,2008;2)Openandexpandaccessto24hourHornetLoungefacilitiesin
theAIRCBuilding;3)InitiateasoftopeningofanewStudentTechnologyCenterbylate
spring,2008;4)Initiateanewstudentlaptoploanprogrambymidspring,2008.

AdministrativeITServices

AdministrativeComputing
38

Background:Nearlyallhighereducationinstitutionsownandoperatesocalledenterprise
resourceplanning(ERP)systemsthatprovidemissioncriticalsupportforhuman
resources,finance,andstudentinformationsystems.Formanyyearsduringthe1980sand
1990s,SacramentoStateoperateditsownERPsystems,thelatestbeingtheSIS+system
operatedonanoncampusIBMmainframecomputer.Thissystemwassupersededbythe
newCSUoperatedCommonManagementSystem(CMS/Peoplesoft)platformbeginningin
2003.TheCMSFinanceandHumanResourcesmoduleswerethefirstmodulestocomeon
lineinApril,2003,followedbyimplementationoftheCMSStudentAdministrationsystem
in20062007.ImplementationofeachoftheseCMSsystemstookmanymonthsand
enormousamountsofstafftimee,involvingmultipleupgradesanditerative
implementationofnewservicemodules.ThefinalphasesofimplementationoftheCMS
transitionarestillinprocess,withcompletionofthefinalStudentAdministration,Human
Resources,andFinanceupgradesandenhancementstobecompletedbyspring,2008.
UpgradesofexistingCMSmodulesarealreadyplanned,withupgradetothe9.0versionof
Financeplannedformid2008.

Whileessentialtomissioncriticalservicesthroughoutcampus,theCMSbaselinesystem
runbytheCSUChancellorsOfficedoesnotbyanymeansencompasstheentiretyof
administrativecomputingservicesrequiredoncampus.Firstofall,eachCSUcampusmust
implementenhancementsandlocalcustomizationsofCMSbaselineservicesonitsown.
Second,criticalfunctionsrequiredtofullyimplementthePeopleSoftsoftwareoncampus
(e.g.datawarehouseandperformancemanagementservices)arenotplannedtobe
implementedbytheChancellorsOfficeforatleasttwoyearsandthereforemustbe
handledbythecampus.Finally,numerouscriticaladministrativecomputingfunctionsare
notpartofCMSatall,includingtheAdAstraclassroomschedulingsystem,faculty
evaluations,testscoring,theMySacStatestudentportal,parkingservices,andmanyother
functions.

TargetEnvironment:Likeanyhighereducationcampus,SacramentoStateneedstohave
administrativeITresourcesthatarecapableofsupportingongoingoperationofessential
financial,humanresources,andstudentservicessystemsusedbyfaculty,staffandstudents
onadailybasis.Inaddition,ITresourcesneedtobeprovidedtoallowthecampustoadapt
thebaselinePeopleSoftsystemtomeetlocalstrategicneeds(e.g.modificationstosupport
ourenrollmentandadvisinginitiatives,supportofessentialbusinessfunctions,and
39

creationofenhancedportalservicesforselfservice).Itscriticalthatthisenhanced
environmentforadministrativecomputingallowfortheintroductionofdatamining
servicesandbusinessanalyticsthatwillprovidecriticalinformationforstrategic
enrollment,humanresources,andbudgetplanning.Inaddition,theadministrative
computingenvironmentmustbecapableofcontinuingsupportforcriticalservicesnot
supportedbyCMS(e.g.classroomscheduling,parking,andtrackingoflearningoutcomes).
Finally,administrativecomputingservicesmustbeabletosupportcriticalidentity
managementinitiativesthatareessentialtocampusinformationsecurity.

Strengths:ThecampushasexperiencedaverysuccessfultransitionfromtheoldERP
systemtothenewCMSsystem,whencomparedtomostotherinstitutions.AllnewCMS
functionswillbeinoperationbymid2008,providingsignificantnewenhancementsfor
studentservices,financialandhumanresourcesfunctions.Astrongcadreoffacultyand
stafffromacrosscampushavebeentrainedintheuseofCMS,whilenumerousITstaff
membershavegainedvaluableskillsinthedevelopmentofcustomizationsthatwillbe
requiredoncampus.

Weaknesses:ThealmostexclusivefocusontransitiontothenewCMSbaselineasrequired
bytheChancellorsOfficehaspreventedthecampusfromattendingtocritical
enhancementsandcustomizationsofmanyadministrativefunctions,creatingaserious
backlogofsuchprojects.SincemuchoftheimplementationofCMSwasdonethrough
intensiveuseofexpensiveexternalconsultants,thecampusisunavoidablysaddledwitha
substantialbondpayoffplantopaythecostofthoseconsultants.ThedependenceonCMS
consultantshasinmanycasesleftbothITstaffandfunctionalstaffillpreparedtotakeover
functionspreviouslyperformedbyconsultants.Manyfacultyandstaffareexperiencing
fatiguefromthelongprocessoftransitioningtoCMSandarefrustratedbythechanges
imposedontheirdailyworkhabits.Thereisalsoawidespreadperceptiononcampusthat
CSUmanagementfocusedtoomuchonsupportingCMSinfrastructureandtechnology,
ratherthanoncustomerservice.ThisleadtoarelatedconcernthatCMSstaffwerenot
concernedwithsupportinguseradministrativeneeds.

OpportunitiesandThreats:Thecampusisfortunatetohaveadequatebudgetresources
alreadyidentifiedfortheoperationofCMSandotheradministrativesupportfunctions.
Theaccompanyingthreatisthatresourcesthathavebeenusedforyearstosupport
consultingfortheCMStransitionmustbequicklyrepurposedtocreatestaffpositionsand
40

otherresourcesthatareessentialforongoingoperationofadministrativecomputing
services.

GapAnalysis:Thecampuswasseverelylackinginstaffresourcesrequiredforadequate
supportofbothongoingCMSoperationsandcriticalcustomizationsofCMStomeetlocal
needs.Essentialfunctionssuchasdatabaseadministration,programming,data
warehousing,businessanalytics,anddatareportingwereseverelylackinginbothstaffand
operatingresourcesandwerefurtherweakenedbyretirementsincriticalareas.Inmany
cases(e.g.datawarehousing)substantialonetimeinvestmentinsoftwareandhardware
resourceswillalsoberequired.Additionalrequirementsalreadyincludedinthecampus
strategicplanwillexacerbatethealreadyapparentgaps(e.g.greatlyincreased
requirementsforenrollmentreportingandimprovementofcampuscommunications).

RecommendationstoCloseGaps:1)LeadershipoftheAdministrativeComputingServices
unitmustbequicklysolidifiedandmadepermanent;2)Vacanciesinkeyareasof
administrativecomputingsupport(studentservices,humanresources,finance,anddata
services)mustbefilledquicklywithqualifiedstaff;3)Fundingpreviouslyusedforcritical
skillsprovidedbyCMSconsultantsmustbequicklytransitionedintopermanentstaff
positionsforbothongoingadministrativecomputingsupportandforenhancementof
baselineCMSfunctions;4)Thecampusmustproceedtodevelopalocaldatawarehouse
andtheresourcestousethatdatawarehouseforstrategicplanning;5)Staffingandother
resourcesmustbequicklyalignedwiththestrategicprioritiesforenrollmentmanagement,
advising,evidencebaseddecisionmaking,andcommunications.

TelecommunicationsServices

Background:SacramentoStatehasoperateditsowntelephoneservicesformanyyears,
undertheauspicesoftheformerUniversityTelecommunicationsServices(UTS).InMarch
2007,UTSbecamepartoftheInformationResources&Technologydivisionunderthenew
ChiefInformationOfficer.Oncampustelephoneservicesarehandledthrough
comprehensivefacilitieslocatedintheAIRCbuilding,whereTelecommunicationsServices
operatesalargetelephoneswitchingsystem,callaccountingsystems,callinmodem
services,voicemailandintelligentvoiceresponsesystems,andteleconferencingsystems.
41

Allcampustelephoneservice,maintenanceandbillingishandledthrough
TelecommunicationsServices,includingnationalandinternationallongdistanceservices
andcellphoneservices.Contractsandfacilitiesexistwithallmajorcellphoneprovidersfor
enhancementofcellphoneserviceoncampus.

Inadditiontohandlingallcampustelephoneservices,TelecommunicationsServicesalsois
responsibleforalltelephoneandnetworkinfrastructure,bothoncampusandatauxiliary
locations.Themajorityofthatinfrastructureisstateoftheart,followingimplementationof
theITRPbuildoutoftelecommunicationswiringin20062007.Thetelecommunications
unitrecentlyassistedwithdesignandinstallationofanewcampuspolicedispatchsystem
andalsopurchasedcomprehensiveemergencycommunicationssoftwareandhardware.

TargetEnvironment:Alltelecommunicationsfacilitiesandservicesshouldoperateatthe
socalled5nineslevelofreliability(i.e.99.999%reliability).Servicesshouldbeuptodate
andshouldreflectthelatestuserneeds.Asallcommunicationservicesmovetothe
network,traditionaltelecommunicationsservicesshouldbealignedwithnetworkservices
togainefficiencies.

Strengths:Campustelecommunicationsservicescurrentlymeetthestringent99.999%
uptimestandardcitedforthetargetenvironment.Mostofthetelecommunicationswiring
oncampusisofthelatest,mostcapabledesign.Telecommunicationssystemsfornew
facilities(e.g.RecreationandWellness,newresidences)havebeendesignedtothelatest
standards.Modernservices,suchasPDAcellphones,emergencycommunications,
sophisticatedcallmanagement,andintelligentvoiceresponsehavebeenintroducedina
timelymanner.

Weaknesses:Fundingwasinsufficienttocompletemodernizationoftheentirecampus
wiringinfrastructure.Severalcriticalbuildings,suchasSacramentoHall,wereomitted
fromupgrades.Inaddition,muchofthetelecommunicationsinfrastructureinauxiliary
buildingshasnotbeenupgradedinmanyyearsandwillbegintocreatecriticalproblemsin
comingyears.PlansforintroductionofVoiceOverIPtelephoneservicesacrosscampus
havebeendelayed.Neededconvergenceoftelecommunicationsandnetworkserviceshas
notoccurred,leavingthosesimilarservicesinseparateorganizationalsilos.Nofundinghas
beenidentifiedfornewlyidentifiedneedsforemergencycommunicationscampuswide.

42

OpportunitiesandThreats:SacramentoStatehasprovidedongoingfundingforcritical
telecommunicationsinfrastructureprimarilythroughreliablealluniversityexpense
appropriations.Individualdepartmentphoneservicesareprimarilysupportedwithself
supportcharges,asistypicalofmosthighereducationcampuses.Thisstablefunding
providestheopportunityfortelecommunicationsplanningtodependonareliable,long
termsourceoffunding.Theprimarythreatisthatreplacementofexistingtelephone
infrastructure(e.g.telephoneswitches)representsoneofthelargestexpendituresfacingthe
universityoverthenextfewyears.

GapAnalysis:Significantgapsexistinonlythreeareasoftelecommunicationsservice:1)
VoiceOverIPServiceshavebeensubstantiallydelayed;2)Infrastructureinseveralcritical
campusandauxiliarybuildingsisbecomingoutmodedandneedstobereplaced;3)
Fundingforemergencycommunicationsservicesneedstobestabilizedandservices
enhanced.

RecommendationsToCloseGaps:1)PlanwiththeBudgetOfficeforathreeyear
replacementcycleforcriticaltelecommunicationsequipment;2)Planwithauxiliariesfor
replacementofoutmodedtelecommunicationsinfrastructure;3)Rapidlyimplementfirst
threephasesofcampusemergencycommunications.

ITInfrastructureServices

NetworkServices

Background:Duetoitsstrongnetworksupportstaffing,SacramentoStatehaslongbeen
recognizedasaleaderamongtheCSUinstitutionsinthequalityofitsnetworkfacilitiesand
support.PrimarynetworksupportcomesfromboththeNetworkServicesgroupandthe
TelecommunicationsServicesgroup,bothwithinthenewIR&Tdivision.Thankstothe
CSUsponsoredITRPnetworkreplacementproject,thecampushasrobustnetworkservices
throughoutmostofthecampus,Inaddition,newstateoftheartnetworkequipmentand
facilitiesintheAIRCbuildingprovideaninfrastructurethatisoftentheenvyofother
highereducationinstitutions.Thisinfrastructurefornetworkingwillbefurtherenhanced
throughtheupcomingITRPPhase2implementation,whichwillupgradecampuscore
routers,enhancenetworksecurity,andimproveredundancyofservice.Inaddition,
43

SacramentoStatewillbethealphacampusforimplementationandtestingofinternal
networksecurityprocedures.

CampusresidencehallsarefullynetworkedandupgradedtoITRPstandardsused
elsewhereoncampus.Planshavealreadybeenmadetoaddstateoftheartnetwork
servicestobothplannednewresidencehallsandtothenewcampusRecreationCenter.At
thesametimewirednetworkedhasbeenenhancedoncampus,wirelessnetworkinghas
alsobeendramaticallyimproved.Wirelessnetworkingcampuswidehasbeenrecently
replacedwiththelatestCSUstandardequipment,providinggreatlyenhancedcoverage,
security,andmanagementfeatures.Demandfornetworkservicesandbandwidth
continuestoincrease,butnetworkresourcesappearadequatetomeetthisgrowingdemand
foryearstocome.

TargetEnvironment:Thecampusshouldprovidereadilyavailable,highlyreliable,and
securehighspeednetworkservicestoalluserswhorequireit.Theentirecampusnetwork
shouldbeabletobemanagedandcoordinatedfromacentrallocation,toensurehighly
reliableserviceforall.Networkservicesshouldbeconvergedasappropriatewith
telecommunicationsservices,eliminatingduplicationofserviceandgainingeconomiesof
scale.

Strengths:SacramentoStatetrulyhasastateoftheart,highspeed,robustandreliable
networkinfrastructure.Thenetworksupportstaffisrecognizedasoneofthemostskilled
andexperiencedwithintheCSU.Networksecurityhasbeengood,withnoseriousnetwork
intrusionsexperienced.

Weaknesses:Networkservicessufferfromthesameproblemsofdecentralizationandlack
ofcoordinationasmanyotherITservicesnotedabove.Numerouscollegesand
departmentshaveshowedreluctancetostandardizeandcoordinateoncampuswide
directory,identitymanagement,email,andnetworksecurityinitiatives.Inthecaseofone
college,thenetworkitselfisseparatefromthecampusnetwork;thisalonemaycostthe
campussignificantnewdollarsforCSUfundednetworkrefresh.Severalkeyauxiliary
entitiesusecampusnetworkservices,butdonotreimbursethecampusforbandwidthuse
andservice.TheITRPprojectdidnotfundupgradeofsignificantportionsofcampus
buildingsandauxiliaryfacilities,leavingislandsoffairtopoornetworkservice.

44

OpportunitiesandThreats:SinceSacramentoStatestaffmembershavebeenheavily
involvedinrolloutofCSUsupportednetworkservices,weareinaverygoodpositionto
takeadvantageofITRP2,networksecurityandothercentrallyprovidedservices.The
additionofcampusinformationsecurityfundingallowsfortheadditionofanetwork
securityspecialistposition,whileanadditionalvacancyallowsforadditionofbackup
networkinfrastructurestaff.Primarythreatsarethepresenceoflargepocketsofold
networkinfrastructure(particularlyinauxiliaryareas)andthecontinuedpracticeof
collegesanddepartmentsduplicatingnetworkservices.Inaddition,migrationtoVoice
OverIPServices(VOIP)fortelephoneswillcreatesignificantnewpressuresonnetwork
services.Annualnetworkvulnerabilityassessmentswillalsoplacesignificantpressureson
networkstaff.

GapAnalysis:Althoughfewseriousgapsexistincentralnetworkservices,thelackof
completionofnetworkbuildoutinsomestatesupportedbuildingsandmanyauxiliary
buildingsisaseriousgapthatmustbeaddressed.Asnotedabove,additionalgapsexistin
consistentcompliancewithcampuswidenetworkstandards.Inadequateutilizationof
CSUprovidednetworkports,causedbylackofstandardnetworkuseincollegesand
departmentscreatesaseriouspotentialgapinsystemprovidedfunding.

RecommendationstoCloseGaps:1)Planningshouldtakeplacequicklytoidentifythe
meanstoclosethegapsinnetworkinfrastructurebuildout;2)Thecampusshouldcreatea
singlenetworkdirectorystructure,withtheabilityforallareastocontinuetoeffectively
managelocalnetworkneeds;3)Cabinetconsiderationneedstobegiventopolicyrequiring
campuswideadherencetonetworkstandardsandsecuritypractices;4)Aplanshouldbe
createdtosignificantlyincreaseutilizationofnetworkportsoverthenextyear;and5)
Planningshouldtakeplacetoconsolidatenetworkandtelecommunicationsservices.

OperatingSystemServices

Background:Supportofcentralserversandsoftwareserviceswaslongtheprimaryfocus
oftheservicesoftheSacramentoStateComputerCenter.TogetherwithNetworkServices
staff,thecombinedOSNS(OperatingSystemsandNetworkServices)comprisednearlyhalf
ofthestaffoftheComputerCenterandabout25%ofthepreviouslycombinedComputer
CenterandMediaServicesgroup(CCMS).Thegroupalsoaccountedforthebulkof
ComputerCenterspending.Thiswasnotanunusualstateofaffairsinthe1990s,asnearly
45

allhighereducationcampusesfocusedonbuildingarobustandreliableITinfrastructure.
ThisemphasisonITinfrastructureitselfwasstronglysupportedbothbyinfrastructure
fundingprovidedbytheCSUandbytheemphasisonITinfrastructureduringconstruction
ofthenewAIRCbuildingatSacramentoState.ThatemphasisonbuildingITinfrastructure
requiredastrongcampusstafftocarryoutthoseinitiatives.SacramentoStatewasfortunate
tohaveoneofthemostskilledandexperiencedoperatingsystemsstaffsinthestateduring
thistimeperiod.

TheCSUITstrategicdocument,WhatCSUInformationTechnologyLeadersWillDo
(March,2005)notedthat:
TheCSUisundergoingatransitionfromaperiodofacquiringandinstalling
technologytooneofexpandingitsusesandintegrationthroughouttheentire
fabricoftheinstitution.
Thistransitionmeansthattheroleofoperatingsystemssupportwillneedtochangeasthe
newITdivisionisformedoncampus.Operatingsystemssupportmustchangefrombeing
thecentralfocusofITservicestobeingaservicefunctionfocusedonsupportofstrategicIT
initiativescampuswide.

TargetEnvironment:Operatingsystemssupportwillbecomealignedtomeettheserver
management,directoryservices,identitymanagement,applicationsupport,andstorage
needsofbothcentralITacademic/administrativeITunitsandtheneedsofITuserscampus
wide.

Strengths:TheOperatingSystemsunithassomeofthemostexperiencedandskilledIT
technicalstaffoncampus,withnumerousstaffmembersabletoprovideleadershiponkey
technicalissuescampuswide(e.g.email,storage,serveroperations).Thisstrongexpertise
willbefurtherenhancedbytheadditionofanexpertinidentitymanagement.Themajority
ofserversavailabletothegroupareinexcellentworkingorder,whileanewenterprise
storagesystemwillbeinstalledinearlyspring,2008.

Weaknesses:Theretirementofthelongtimemanagerofoperatingsystemssupport,as
wellastwoadditionalretirementsinOSNS,willleavesignificantgapsinskilland
experiencethatwillneedtobereplaced.Operatingsystemsstaffhavebeenabletoassume
fundingforoperationsandequipmentreplacementinthepast,butwillnowhavetoadapt
46

totheneedtodevelopcomprehensiveplansthatalignsuchpurchaseswithITstrategic
planning.Inparticular,operatingsystemsstaffwillneedtoplanstrategicallyfor
replacementofmachineroominfrastructure.Littleattentionhasbeenpaidinthepastto
thedevelopmentofautomatedmonitoringtoolsforsystemsmanagement.

OpportunitiesandThreats:Strategicdemandsforenhancementofcampus
communications(i.e.web,email,andportalservices)willplacesignificantnewdemands
onoperatingsystemsstaff,aswillincreaseddemandsforinformationsecurity.Demandis
increasingrapidlyformanagementofserversecuritybycampuswideITstaff.Theaddition
ofanenterprisestoragesystemintheAIRCislikelytoincreasethisdemandfurther.This
providessignificantopportunityfortheoperatingsystemsgrouptoshine,butwillalso
requireadaptionandchangeofcurrentpractices.

GapAnalysis:Aleadershipgapwillbecreatedwiththedepartureofthelongtime
managerofthisarea;significantattentionwillneedtobepaidtoreplacingthatposition
withleadershipconsistentwithchangingITsupportneeds.Significantgapsexistinthe
abilityoftheoperatingsystemsorganizationtomeetnewneedsforservicesintheareasof
identitymanagement,security,serverandapplicationmonitoring,andemail/portal
services.

RecommendationstoCloseGaps:1)HiremanagerforreconfiguredOSNSgroupbyApril,
2008;2)Hirenewstaffmembersforidentitymanagementandoperations;3)Complete
studyofresourcesneededtoprovidegreatlyenhancedemailandportalservicesto
students,aswellasserverandstorageservicesforcampuswideuse.

Conclusion

ThisGapAnalysisforInformationTechnologyatSacramentoStatewillformthebasisforthe
developmentofacampuswidestrategicplanforinformationtechnologyoncampus.
PrimaryresponsibilityfordevelopmentofthisplanwillrestwiththeIRTSteering
Committee,supportedbytheworkoftheIRTAcademicComputingAdvisoryCommittee
andtheIRTAdministrativeComputingAdvisoryCommittee.Inaddition,theGapAnalysis
willbedistributedwidelyacrosscampus,asabasisforwideinvolvementofthecampusat
47

largeinprovidingfeedbackandcommentonthedevelopmentofthestrategicplanfor
informationtechnology.

48

Appendix 1: Basic IT Strategic Planning Model

Institutional Vision: Establish the campus

mission, values, and strategic directions

Current IT Environment: Develop readiness

criteria to conduct strategic planning; document
IT capabilities by performing an internal
and external SWOT and gap analysis

Future IT Environment: Engage the campus

community in creating a new IT vision tied to the
campus mission; develop an IT strategic plan that
effectively organizes objectives, priorities, projects,
resources, and timelines to implement the vision

Communication Plan: Constantly inform the

campus community about the vision and
status of the IT strategic plan

Accountability: Develop a monitoring, evaluation,

feedback, and formal assessment mechanism to
constantly review and revise the plan

49