Project: UCSB Campus Web Resources Integration Project
Sponsor: DECAF Committee of the ITPG with membership from Student Affairs, IS&C, IC, College of Letters and Science, Graduate Division, Housing, Communication Services, others
Summary
The UCSB Campus community is investing significantly in the development and implementation of complex Information Technology (IT) systems, with self-service, web browser based interfaces to perform increasingly complex transactions with UCSB. Examples of these are: Online course registration (SA), online Quizzing tool (L&S), Online Housing availability search tool, Graduate Division Portal, Financial Aid on the Web, and many others. Future examples of these are Electronic Grades submission, Degree Audit, New BA/RC application, Course Management applications.
The importance of these systems, and the criticality for data privacy and integrity drive the need for a solid and secure IT platform for the campus that will be available for all system developers to utilize when releasing secure web interfaces to campus computing resources. With limited IT staff on campus, and the importance of correctly leveraging new technologies in this area, it is expeditious to centralize some of the functions, which will allow for common authentication, organization and personalization.
This proposal identifies the overarching project structure needed to implement Campus integrated web services that can be used by all, and maintained consistently and effectively as a Campus Utility. This structure will provide a secure, personalizable and adaptable interface to campus web applications, to increase both ease of use, and ease of administration. It will consist of three sub-projects that are building blocks to the overall goal of integrated web resources that can be phased over time:
- LDAP/Campus Directory Services
- Security Services
- Middleware Services (Data Interfaces/Portal Engines/Application Server)
These projects need to be coordinated with participation from a wide range of College and Division Faculty, staff, Students, Graduate Students, campus IT service providers, and the UCOP New Business Architecture 2010 Initiative.
Another element, which needs to be coordinated within this overall effort, is the Portal User Interfaces for specific user groups on campus. The scope and breadth of this effort is not specifically addressed in this proposal. The people assigned to this project should become essential participants in the discussions concerning portal content based on user roles, and have responsibility for translating these into specifications for enhancement to the integrated web services.
How This Project Supports the Academic Mission
Growing numbers of faculty are using on-line resources to manage course content. The Office of the Registrar is also using on-line resources to register students, provide on-line access to student and course information, and provide information to faculty on course enrollment. Secure, coordinated management of these on-line resources is now essential to the academic mission. Without a centralized utility set as described above, each College or Division has funded and implemented duplicated web based user access solutions. This leads to an unnecessarily repetitive and confusing user account management problem for every College, Division, or Department and ultimately to a vulnerable set of systems and data, which we are bound by law to protect
Funding Source
Each College, Division, Department is currently funding their own systems, with on-line interfaces, which should continue. Centralized campus IT security structures, middleware, data interfaces, and portal engines do not have any current funding.
Costs
A project manager is required for the Campus Portal Integration Project to oversee overall effort – 1 FTE CNT III or CNT IV. Approximately $85K per year, escalating appropriately to cover merit, equity and range adjustments.
This person would have oversight and/or coordination responsibilities for all of the connected plans. We need for a dedicated project leader, and for approximately 3 years and 4 additional dedicated FTE(see detailed staffing support required section below), plus utilization of college and Division IT participants, and a minimum of $840,000 in addition to the continuing investment in web enabling key campus, college and division systems.
Further Requirements:
- LDAP Directory Services
- Existing, funded by IS&C
- With some contributions from OIT and SA
- Web Security Services
- Software outlay ~$80,000.00
- Software Maintenance ~$12,000.00 annually
- Middleware, Data Interfaces, Portal Engines, Application Server
- ~$500,000 software
- ~$100,000 annually software maintenance
- $210,000.00 hardware
Matching Opportunities
The systems managers in the DECAF committee can provide technical consulting and integration work with the systems they are responsible for as needed.
Staff Support Required
Campus Portal Integration Project Manager to oversee overall effort – 1 FTE CNT III or CNT IV.
Three sub-projects are identified.
- LDAP Directory Services – 1FTE shared with Security Service
- Web Security Services: 1 FTE shared with LDAP Directory Services
- Middleware Services (Data Interfaces, Portal Engines, Application Server): 3 FTE Development Staff for one year, followed by 2 FTE for production maintenance and development support
Existing Resources to Be Used
The existing UCSB Directory hardware, software and licenses can continue to be used for LDAP, and can also be used for #2 Web Security Services. A duplicate of this hardware should be purchased for the Middleware/Portal Engine/Application server software.
Project Timeline
Project 1, LDAP, is in production. Project 2, Security Services, needs to be in production within the next 6-12 months. Project 3 should begin as soon as the security services are in place, and will have a duration of approximately 3 years.
Life Cycle of Result
The proposed structure will be the basis for achieving the New Business Architecture 2010, and will be closely coordinated with the Office of the President NBA 2010 vision and the UC Task Force on the Future Delivery of Student Services.
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