Am I the only one thinking about summer? For many of us, the weather has us wishing for warmth and the ability to just walk out the door in the morning. Winter takes so much preparation. Well, so does summer – at least for ITS.
Winter Term is the point in the year where ITS starts thinking about our summer projects and sometimes even ones that will extend through next winter break. A year ago we decided to upgrade our wireless environment, to re-align telephone service functions in order to hire a dedicated business analyst and to move the classroom controls from AMX to Crestron, which is a more sustainable technology.
Our project planning process takes into account several types of needs: operational needs, community needs and strategic directions. Operational needs include regular vendor upgrades, compliance requirements and replacing aged infrastructure. Community needs lead to projects where ITS has a (small or large) role, projects that address needs that have emerged from satisfaction data or patterns identified from our ticket system. Strategic direction identifies potential projects based on the evolution of technology and the ways it will affect or could be leveraged by Carleton.
This year we are planning for a number of projects in each category. Here are three examples:
- Operational: the roll-out of a new Helpdesk ticket system with St. Olaf.
- Community: the relocation of several hundred computers and installation of networking and multimedia technology as part of the science renovation.
- Strategic: modernizing our network design to embrace the growth of the Internet of Things. For instance, our current network cannot accommodate smart home devices like Alexa or programmable light bulbs, which students are bringing to campus and wanting to use.
You can read more on page 14 of the ITS Annual Report and our Project Page.
We would like to hear from you if there are issues or innovations that you’d like to see ITS prioritize. Please use the form below to share your ideas. I bet it will be quicker than putting on your Yak Trax!
All my best for your safety and warmth during these challenging winter days.