The Information Technology Department continues to examine the benefits and pitfalls of having UCCS computing services provided by off-campus providers.
Jerry Wilson, director, Information Technology, recently reported to Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak that IT has adopted one off-site provider to serve the burgeoning campus technology demands and is exploring more. Often called cloud computing, the concept embraces computing as a service where shared resources are provided over the Internet, often by a privately-owned company.
“Computing is becoming like an electric grid,” Wilson said. “Users are not particularly concerned where the computing resources are coming from as long as it is reliable and helps them do their jobs effectively. We understand that desire and seek to find the most secure and efficient ways to deliver resource.”
As a result, IT helped with the implementation of Blackboard, a tool used by faculty members to communicate with students. The Washington, D.C.-based company provides services for hundreds of universities and is responsible for ensuring the software works correctly in addition to providing regular updates and new features. Data generated on Blackboard is stored on the company’s computer servers, not those housed at UCCS.
The department is also exploring having student email, now currently maintained on campus, to an off-site provider such as Microsoft. The department is also looking to use an off-campus provider of software that will be used by the Office of Residence Life and Student Housing to track maintenance issues as well as room assignments and scheduling.
“While cloud computing is the latest rage in the IT world, the implementations need to be based on functionality not technology,” Wilson said. “There are valid issues around putting important university data on servers that are not controlled by university departments. Putting your data into the cloud can have risks and those risks must be considered when making decisions.”
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