Basic technology infrastructure is the essential to delivery of quality services. Basic infrastructure includes the common technologies that support general usage by faculty, staff and students across the university, including

• Campus and intercampus networks
• Wireless networks
• E-mail services (servers and spam filtering)
• Printing and data storage services
• Security infrastructure (firewalls, monitoring, safeguards and remedies)
• Internet and Intenet2 networks
• Television and video infrastructure
• Web servers and services
• Datacenter and enterprise operations, including public computing centers

The proposed substantial enrollment increase at UofL will cause growth in infrastructure needs that will require additional resources; however enrollment will not be the only reason for a rise in basic infrastructure requirements. The technologies used to provide today’s services will change over the next decade and for UofL to remain competitive in student and faculty recruitment, UofL must stay current in its technology infrastructure. For example, UofL is becoming a regional connection point for Internet2 which provides a competitive advantage in terms of high speed, large bandwidth, and dedicated network resources that will enhance UofL researchers’ ability to collaborate regionally, nationally and globally.

The university must maintain a robust infrastructure, and stay ahead of the demand for new infrastructure services so that basic infrastructure is never an issue or an obstacle to faculty or student needs. In the future:

• The IT datacenter must incorporate fully redundant systems in two locations so that maintenance and equipment outages will not impact service availability.
• IT will complete the FCC mandated digital television conversion by February 17, 2009.
• IT will handle the ongoing migration of operating systems as new versions are released.
• Use of wireless networks will continue to grow, requiring greater capacity and coverage. An initiative may be needed to improve in-building coverage and capacity for cellular networks.
• Over time, today’s wireless networks will be supplemented by next generation wireless networks such as WiMax which provides wireless access over long distances.
• Handheld devices and cell phones will benefit from faster broadband cellular networks.
• Consumer and ad hoc technologies (iPods, peer-to-peer networking, etc.) will be a driver of technology change.
• With multi-media files, storage requirements for individual faculty and staff will continue to increase.

Security continues to be a substantial issue, especially for the data network and server infrastructure. Information Technology must:

• Provide secure access for wired, wireless and remote users
• Implement monitoring and detection to identify security breaches
• Implement safeguards and remedies to lessen the possibility of security exploits in applications and systems, especially for the residence halls
• Provide encryption for mobile data
• Continue with the implementation of automated (personalized role-based) security that allows individual users to access only those systems or functions that they are permitted to use
• Continue training and communications efforts
• Offer a standardized, secure desktop management platform

These efforts are important to protect university information from unauthorized access, and to ensure that the campus network and systems are not corrupted by computer viruses or external attacks.

As good stewards, practices that consider energy use and environmental issues must also be implemented, including:

• Monitor and manage ongoing energy use
• Ensure unused equipment is turned off
• Look for opportunities to save energy and recycle
• Minimize unnecessary printing
• Identify management practices that reduce power consumption
• When purchasing new IT equipment, consider energy-saving devices
• Dispose of old hardware responsibly, and send old PC’s to be reconditioned and recycled

IT Goal X: Enhance datacenter and network infrastructure

a. Implement datacenter redundancy. IT is in the process of establishing a second datacenter at the MedCenter Three building downtown. This data center will provide system and data redundancy to support high availability and disaster recovery needs.

b. Position the network for future technology changes. The high-speed campus backbone network may require increased capacity in the next few years, and the wireless network may be migrating to new technologies, such as WiMax, that provide increased speed and capabilities. Optical technology will be used to make better use of fiber links in the metropolitan area network. Networks and associated equipment must be upgraded to be compatible with the FCC mandated digital television conversion by February 17, 2009.

IT Goal XI: Enhance security infrastructure

a. Implement security enhancements for the campus network and datacenter. An effective security infrastructure is essential to the daily operations of the university systems and servers. IT must also implement the security recommendations highlighted in audit reports and required for compliance. These security enhancements will include:

• Provide enhancements to the wireless network to simplify authentication especially for guest access
• Develop a secure remote access process for users who require direct access to enterprise infrastructure
• Implement methods to identify possible security breaches in real time to improve monitoring of activities and network attacks
• Provide encryption for mobile devices to ensure that data cannot be accessed if lost or stolen
• Encourage centralization of university computing resources to ensure security of critical data and compliance with current regulations
• Improve access assignments to allow automation of access to particular systems and functions
• Continue communications and training efforts to improve security awareness and expertise
• Offer a standardized, secure, centrally managed desktop management solution for university faculty and staff

b. Maintain and expand security initiatives for the residence halls. The residence network is frequently the source of much of the virus and intrusion activity. The university has implemented safeguards in the residence halls to ensure that desktops attaching to the network are protected with anti-virus software, and all operating systems updates have been installed.