IT Strategic Plan

ITS is the centralized provider of campus technology. The mission of the organization is to anticipate and provide sophisticated information technology services that deliver inclusive and engaged user experiences to the campus community. Led by the Chief Information Officer (CIO), ITS employs 119 staff who provide a wide range of services and support. A central business office, project management office, service portfolio manager, and a communications strategist support ITS staff in these key areas. ITS is part of the division of Finance and Administration, with the CIO reporting to the division vice president. 

ITS has adopted the Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) industry standard for work management, which is used by many other IT organizations in higher education. This approach offers a holistic technology experience by focusing on customer needs and continuous improvement across eight service categories:

• Administrative and Business
• Communication and Collaboration
• Desktop and Mobile Computing
• Information Security
• Infrastructure
• Research
• Teaching and Learning
• IT Professional Services

Nearly all work in ITS is aligned by these service categories. Staff are assigned to dedicated service teams where they engage in a wide range of activities. Service management work encompasses the requests, incidents and other operational activities that support offerings provided by ITS. Projects, on the other hand, represent the initiation of new offerings and solutions, along with enhancements and improvements to existing services.

The ITS Project Portfolio currently contains over 300 projects. More than half of these were initiated by ITS to advance campus technologies; the remainder represent requests from other units to meet specific departmental goals and priorities. In nearly all cases, these departmental initiatives cannot succeed without significant commitment from ITS. As the demand for technology typically outpaces ITS staff availability, this often results in competing priorities. One of the most important benefits of the IT Strategic Plan is the opportunity it presents to secure agreement and unify the campus in establishing direction and priorities.

Over the last few years, ITS has made tremendous progress in capturing and reporting on our work. While these efforts are primarily internal, ITS expects that in the coming fiscal years, this evolving practice will further inform efforts to define goals, prioritize projects, and share new insights about IT decision-making and resource allocation.

The IT Strategic Plan forecasts campus IT direction for the next three years and is aligned with the University’s strategic plan and corresponding values. Technology is an integral part of the institution’s core priorities of student success, research excellence, diversity and inclusion, internationalization, and engagement and service, and ITS has a long history of supporting these critical areas.  

The following guiding principles strongly influence ITS’s tactical direction:

• Advance campus partnerships by increasing engagement, reporting, and transparency using a service-based focus.
• Improve responsiveness by introducing rapid delivery tools and reducing the use of technologies that require ITS staff to spend time on low-value work.
• Operate vendor-supported hardware and software.
• Workforce role realignments are expected in IT as both campus needs and technologies change.
• Support the University’s commitment to sustainability.

One of the most essential elements of the IT Strategic Plan is the opportunity it provides for campus engagement. Feedback is consistently gathered from campus partners on a wide range of topics, including updates or changes to existing services, projects in the ITS portfolio, resource availability, and other issues or concerns. Input routinely comes from the following sources:

The ITS Administrative and Business Advisory Committee: Established in 2021, this group is composed of representative stakeholders from several student- and employee-facing organizations across campus. The Committee meets twice a year, once in the fall to review key plans and initiatives, and again in the spring to review accomplishments and ensure continued goal alignment.

The Information Security Advisory Committee: Initially established over a decade ago, this group has broad University representation to include unique perspectives on information security. Discussions range from updates and briefings to SUNY-wide initiatives to policies, laws, and data governance, and compliance. Most recently, ITS determined this group will follow a similar agenda to the Administrative and Business Advisory Committee, reviewing and discussing the IT Strategic Plan twice a year. Additionally, SUNY Central Administration has established a new information security program and standards for all campuses; this group is positioned to provide feedback as ITS reviews and adjusts policy in this key area.  

DLE (Digital Learning Environment) Campus Work Group: Over the years, ITS has initiated various groups to continuously improve the academic experience. As faculty often have unique, specific needs, it can be challenging to facilitate an environment where professors are comfortable extrapolating their individual experiences to other faculty. In the last several months, Academic Affairs created a new DLE Campus Work Group, co-hosted by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Learning, and Online Education and ITS. The group is expected to meet 2-4 times per year and provide valuable input on enhancing the teaching and learning environment.  ITS will leverage this key stakeholder group to establish a cycle of continuous feedback and improvement for strategic planning purposes.

Similarly, ITS solicits input in Research by engaging existing campus groups. The Vice President of Research and Economic Development hosts a Research Coffee Hour, the Research Data Security Working Group, and the Research Data Governance Council; ITS is well represented in these activities and maintains relationships with various centers, institutes, labs, and individual researchers, who also provide information and feedback.

This service category, perhaps more than any other, directly impacts University priorities and initiatives related to recruitment, enrollment, and student success. These services encompass an enormous range of activities that impact every member of the campus. From students to faculty to researchers to staff, a tremendous number of transactions and processes are conducted every day, with many of them relying on aging, unsustainable technologies. Modern, faster, and more user-friendly systems and applications are needed to respond to demands more quickly and efficiently for the University to remain competitive.
 

Administrative and Business 3-Year Goals

Prepare to move PeopleSoft to a modern, cloud-based system by the end of this decade

Within the next several years, UAlbany will convert from using the complex PeopleSoft infrastructure installed in the campus data center to a cloud-based (vendor-hosted or vendor-provided systems outside the campus network) system or systems. The move is required, in part, because companies are fundamentally changing the way they provide applications.

Notable progress towards this goal was recently achieved with the implementation of MuleSoft, an integration platform that eliminates the need for a direct connection to PeopleSoft. This significantly enhances efficiencies in integration development, eliminating delays in data exchanged across systems. Reducing reliance on PeopleSoft and creating new ways to advance interoperability between systems is a critical step in moving forward.

Full transition to a new system will require significant campus commitment and take several years, as cloud-based systems cannot accommodate the type and scope of customizations currently in place for the on-premises system. Numerous campus offices must evaluate their business practices, gather requirements, and thoroughly assess their needs to assist ITS in defining the new technical environment and planning a successful migration. These preliminary efforts are critical in defining the new technical environment to successfully support necessary changes now and well into the future.

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Finalize and release RFP to engage ERP planning consultant; continue conversions of existing PeopleSoft integrations to MuleSoft.

FY 2025-27: Facilitate work with consultant to identify gaps and needs; facilitate campus decisions and establish campus ERP direction; continue conversions of existing PeopleSoft integrations to MuleSoft.
 

Drive growth and adoption of business process automation capabilities

Two years ago, ITS introduced this goal to provide the capabilities to support the automation and digitization of business processes. Today, these capabilities have been firmly established with the implementation of JotForm, an electronic alternative to paper-based forms, and Minerva ChatBot, a 24x7 digital assistant that uses AI to answer frequently asked questions.

Since the inception of this goal, the campus is using 1,440 active JotForms that have facilitated nearly 50,000 form submissions. A total of 13 ChatBots have been implemented, supporting over 75,000 conversations. Data indicates that 70% of these are ‘high confidence’ responses, indicating the chatbot answered a customer’s questions successfully, and likely avoided an email, phone call, or support ticket to a specific office.

With automation capabilities firmly established, this goal has been revised to further promote the use of these and other tools, such as Microsoft Copilot and OnBase, to additional campus departments.

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Implement HR ChatBot, promote OnBase use in additional offices.

FY 2025-27: Promote business process automation tools to additional offices.
 

Cultivate a holistic administrative experience for students and parents

Many of the University’s administrative platforms and processes rely on older technologies that would benefit from faster, smoother input of student information from disparate systems, as well as a modern look and feel. ITS will partner with campus offices to identify ways to improve the administrative experience and minimize processing delays. These improvements are the result of infrastructure changes—such as the MuleSoft implementation—that increase the interoperability of various campus systems. Faster turnaround times in administrative processes will make the University more competitive with peers by providing students and their parents with real-time, accurate information and improving overall satisfaction with the administrative experience.

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Continue addressing and improving administrative processes for Financial Aid and Student Accounts.

FY 2025-27: Address and implement administrative improvements in other student-facing offices; work with Academic Affairs to advance the Parent/Family online courses offered to families of incoming students on topics to support the college transition and student success. As of October 2024, 500+ parents/family members have completed these courses.
 

Enhance reporting and analytics capabilities

The past several years has seen significant advancements in business intelligence. ITS has worked closely with several campus partners to develop and improve reporting capabilities across numerous campus systems. Attention is now turned towards establishing the broad, future direction of visualization and similar tools.  

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Evaluate Tableau, OAS, and Power BI for campus-wide strategic reporting.

FY 2025-26: Explore cloud-based BI solutions, evaluate campus data for possible implementation to BI.

FY 2026-27: Integrate cloud-based BI solution.
 

Retire/replace all unsupported systems

The University is proactively moving away from systems that have reached end of life and replacing them with modern, secure solutions. Reliance on old, unsupported technologies is a poor practice that invites a host of risks and vulnerabilities.

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Procure new MyUAlbany student and employee portal.

FY 2025-27: Implement and refine MyUAlbany portal.
 

Teaching and learning is at the heart of the academic mission. This exciting space is continuously evolving as the University introduces new areas of study, undertakes fresh initiatives, and explores innovative ideas to deeply engage students.
 

Teaching and Learning 3-Year Goals

Enhance the student experience through a modernized digital learning environment

Academic Affairs has established a new Digital Learning Environment Advisory Group to bring focus and attention to the student academic experience. Co-chaired by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Learning, and Online Education (CATLOE) and ITS, this group is expected to provide input on both pedagogy and the technologies supporting the academic experience.  Additionally, ITS will continue working directly with faculty to support unique technology needs, including the integration of AI and specific environments (i.e., Linux, Azure desktop) into coursework.

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Gather initial input on current technologies and conduct needs assessment.

FY 2025-27: Identify, prioritize, and implement new academic technologies.
 

Advance towards next generation classroom technology

Providing an immersive, engaging classroom environment is critical to the academic experience. Integrating technology in the classroom helps students develop 21st century skills, including digital literacy, problem-solving and critical thinking, and prepares them for a technology-driven future. Increasingly, colleges and schools rely on powerful tools and environments to maintain their competitive edge. ITS works closely with departments to identify unique solutions and deliver them in a timely manner.

Consistency across technologies in the classroom is an additional challenge. ITS maintains a cyclic replacement program that assures continuity across Registrar-scheduled classrooms. Departmental classrooms occasionally rely on older equipment, which can negatively impact the user experience. Increasingly, ITS is aware of the need to replace aging equipment in these locations to standardize the classroom technology experience irrespective of location.  

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Identify projects to address the current backlog in cyclic replacement of classroom technologies.

FY 2025-26: Implement equipment standards for Registrar-scheduled classrooms; identify standards for departmental classrooms.

FY 2026-27: Evaluate ability to standardize departmental classrooms and explore centralized funding for on-going cyclic replacement.
 

Strengthen the ability to support unique course technology needs

While ITS has a wealth of experience delivering enterprise-wide technologies for teaching and learning, supporting the unique needs of individual faculty members requires focused time and attention. ITS recently hired its first Educational Technology Analyst to assist with these efforts. This new position is designed to support faculty in using new technologies, including ways to infuse AI into the classroom.

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Continue efforts working with CATLOE to streamline the process of identifying unique requests and defining appropriate response strategies.

FY 2025-27: Identify and promote ways to incorporate AI into the classroom; prepare joint recommendation and present to Academic Affairs and ITS; update ITS Service Catalog to advance unique solutions.
 

There is tremendous growth in the research arena. In April 2022, President Rodriguez announced the inclusion of $75 million in the state budget for Albany AI Plus, a multifaceted plan to bring government, educational, and industry partners to expand AI supercomputing resources to the forefront of next-generation chip design. This initiative has continued to grow, with the University recently unveiling one of the most advanced AI supercomputers at a U.S. university. ITS continues to be committed to supporting the necessary facilities, equipment, knowledge, and expertise to support growth in this exciting area.

Research 3-Year Goals

Implement a charging model to advance AI Plus with the ability to scale across SUNY and foster business relationships.

The University’s AI Plus initiative has attracted attention across the SUNY system. Researchers from other institutions and entities have expressed interest in using this resource, and SUNY Central Administration is always supportive of collaborative efforts across institutions. UAlbany will develop a chargeback model to assist in distributing the costs for this evolving resource. This will provide financial transparency, assist in budgeting and forecasting growth, and assure accountability across the campus, the SUNY system, and other business partners.

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Develop chargeback model for UAlbany.

FY 2025-26: Develop chargeback model for SUNY System Administration.

FY 2026-27: Develop chargeback model for business partners.
 

Develop campus-wide asset inventory of research-funded equipment to advance security, consistency, and explore centralized funding

The University at Albany currently boasts over 200 labs conducting all manner of research. In many cases, specialized equipment and instruments are a critical success factor to these endeavors. It is imperative for ITS to foster a healthy research environment while protecting the reliability and integrity of the University network. As specialized equipment and instruments may be unable to comply with current security policies, it is important for ITS to work with researchers to understand their needs and identify flexible solutions.

As part of this process, ITS seeks to develop a campus-wide inventory of research funded equipment. A comprehensive inventory will educate the campus community on our full collection of assets, assist ITS in monitoring and protecting valuable equipment, and assure devices that do not meet current security standards are run in a reliable, secure environment. It may also highlight opportunities for a more strategic allocation of resources and a reduction in redundant purchases. Overall, this practice will support a secure, informed, and fiscally prudent research environment.

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Develop the inventory of research-funded equipment.

FY 2025-26: Explore and identify sustainable solutions to meet specific research needs.

FY 2026-27: Initiate projects to implement solutions in individual labs.
 

Continue to build and grow the environment and services to support the evolving research needs of AI Plus

In the last two years, ITS has worked with a variety of campus partners to establish the initial infrastructure environment for AI Plus and prepare for its long-term growth. ITS expects to continue working closely with the division of Research and Economic Development, specifically the AI Plus initiative, to inform and improve services in this critical area, including the ability for faculty conducting AI research to utilize those environments in the classroom.

High-Level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Implement data center upgrades; design and procure Phase 2 supercomputing infrastructure elements.

FY 2025-27: Continue to expand and support this service.
 

The University continues to advance an active information security program for the campus community. Failure to remain vigilant in this critical area would represent an unacceptable level of risk for the institution. The most successful programs are those that recognize and accept that information security is everyone’s responsibility.

Information Security 3-Year Goals

Improving security with advanced tools

Identity management is a critical aspect of any information security program. The University currently uses Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM), which allows organizations to manage user identities, credentials, related policies, and what systems everyone can access based on their institutional role (i.e., student, faculty, staff). As MIM is reaching end of life, ITS is identifying modern replacements to meet the University’s evolving needs. It is critical to select products that maintain the University’s information security posture.

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Procure and implement a new identity and access management platform.

FY 2025-26: Assess and identify a new system for creating and managing University accounts.

FY 2026-27: Procure and implement a new system for creating, claiming, and managing University accounts.
 

Strengthening information security program controls

UAlbany’s information security program encompasses a collection of administrative, technical, and operational controls to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of institutional data and systems. These controls require periodic review and updates, and collaboration with various campus partners. Additionally, SUNY Central Administration has issued a new policy that establishes a framework and specific standards for campus information security programs. ITS is working with Enterprise Risk Management and other campus offices to prioritize the review and update of these controls.

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Conduct gap analysis of current state of UAlbany’s information security program against SUNY’s new information security policy and initiate projects to update high priority controls. 

FY 2025-26: As high priority projects are completed, initiate projects to address lower priority controls.

FY 2026-27: Repeat gap analysis; continue the process of implementing and initiating new projects to address controls as needed.  
 

The University network, server, and storage infrastructure are the backbone of the campus. Every department relies on enterprise technologies, with many depending on specific platforms and applications unique to their area. This is true not only across the campus, but also in ITS, where staff with infrastructure responsibilities balance several activities, including membership across a variety of service teams.

It is imperative that ITS make wise decisions about deploying human resources and setting realistic expectations for what can be achieved in specific timeframes. It is equally important to recognize that infrastructure projects often represent critical dependencies for future campus-driven projects. While this may not always be readily apparent, seemingly innocuous technical projects may be precursors to implementing high-priority strategies for campus partners. Infrastructure is far-reaching, and it is vital to recognize the technical complexities involved in helping the University achieve its goals.

Infrastructure 3-Year Goals

Continued growth and improvement to the University wired and wireless networks

Reliance on the University network is exponential, and meeting demand is an on-going challenge. Capacity enhancements are critical to keep up with the increasing density of devices across campuses. While the University’s WiFi footprint continues to grow, the desire for expanded coverage remains strong amongst students, faculty, and staff. ITS continues to replace legacy wireless access points (WAPs), build redundancies, and increase functionality, capability, and performance to this critical service.

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Increase the campus wireless footprint by 4% and complete replacement of aging WAPs. 

FY 2025-27: Continue to grow the wireless footprint and replace aging equipment.
 

Implement off-site, cloud-based backups

All University data is stored on-site in either network attached storage (NAS) or in the storage area network (SAN). ITS currently keeps multiple copies of that data here on the campus network. Consistent with new industry standards, ITS has initiated a project to implement off-site, cloud-based backup and storage to protect copies of all enterprise data (non-research data) outside of the University network. This practice represents a crucial preparatory step in recovering from ransomware attacks, as it would be cost-prohibitive to store a copy of all research data in a cloud-based system.

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Complete the implementation of off-site, cloud-based backups for all non-research data.

Creating a consistent computing environment can be challenging, particularly in areas where desktop support has not been centrally managed. In recent years, ITS has taken on increasing responsibilities for campus computing, which will ultimately lead to a more consistent user experience, improve security and compliance, and define equipment lifecycles and standards. To accomplish this, ITS must understand the full range of academic, research, and business computing needs, and have an inventory of university-owned, ITS-managed devices. This information will position ITS to make continuous improvements to the campus user experience, provide equipment standards and lifecycles, and ultimately inform efforts to foster more efficient, effective spending strategies. An additional benefit is that much of this work will also advance on-going work with Facilities Management to meet energy and sustainability goals for university equipment.

Desktop and Mobile Computing 3-Year Goals

Develop campus-wide hardware asset inventory, equipment standards, and centralized funding to improve security and consistency on university-owned computers 

In FY 2022-23, ITS established equipment standards that broadly meet the needs of the campus community and began building an asset inventory to gather information about ITS-managed computers on the University network. This information is now being used to advance a centralized funding model and improve the user experience with increased consistency and security. Collectively, these activities allow the University to predict annual hardware replacement costs and adopt a lifecycle for on-going cyclic replacements.

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Implement and refine centralized funding model; advance standardized hardware configurations.

FY 2025-27: Complete asset inventory of ITS-managed computers; recommend lifecycle for university workstations.

Starting with the COVID 19 pandemic, the University has seen a significant uptick in the utilization of communication and collaboration services. Tools that enabled online meetings, document sharing, and other activities that enhanced interaction were quickly adopted, and are now firmly engrained in our campus culture. ITS will continue to promote and utilize a common, secure set of collaboration tools to develop standards and create a consistent user experience across the campus community.

Communication and Collaboration 3-Year Goals  

Advance towards next generation conference room technology

ITS is working closely with Facilities to assure that conference room technologies share common equipment standards, an established lifecycle, and an agreed-upon refresh schedule for updates. New technologies are being evaluated, including simplified touch panels, multiple screen integration, and new scheduling capabilities, to support a smaller number of conference rooms with more advanced technologies to meet specialized needs.

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Identify refresh schedule with Facilities; establish cyclic replacement. 

FY 2025-27: Explore new technologies, including 360 cameras, voice control, and changes to room scheduling and availability; define and establish standards for campus conference rooms, including a small number of specialized conference spaces.
 

Improve recruitment and grow the IT workforce to meet evolving technology needs and increase diversity

ITS continues to fill several vacancies due to retirements and new positions. Vacancies offer unique opportunities to evaluate job responsibilities and skillsets, ensuring that new hires have the right mix of talents to meet current and future IT needs. While the number of vacancies across ITS is slowly decreasing, the organization continues to identify strategies to attract qualified, experienced candidates and improve diversity within the department.

High-level Timeline

FY 2024-25: Assess the ITS search process, establish steps to ensure consistency and updating internal documentation to outline the process, provide instructions and resources, and set appropriate expectations.

FY 2024-27: Track progress on evolving staff diversity and identify additional improvements to recruitment process; continue to fill ITS vacancies.