We are a strategic asset for UMKC’s missions of leading in health sciences; deepening and expanding strength in the visual and performing arts; developing a professional workforce and collaborating in urban issues and education; and creating a vibrant learning and campus life experience. We continued to make progress toward our defined goals and this document details the progress we have made during 2019.

During the last 6 months of 2019, the amount of support requests received fluctuated with the academic calendar, however total support requests received were higher than in the previous 3 years due to an increase in requests submitted via phone and email during September and October.

Support requests pie chart.

 

SUPPORT SERVICES

UM-AD Migration

UMKC computer lab with Roo desktop imageSystem-wide IT is currently engaged in a project to consolidate each of the University campuses user accounts into a single, shared domain. This is an effort that will reduce costs, strengthen support infrastructure, increase security, and result in a more efficient IT environment. This consolidation will ease the adoption of cloud services, off-the-shelf software, and promote the sharing of common resources system-wide. As part of this initiative Information Services played a key role in ensuring success at UMKC. A few of these activities include:

  • Migrated 100% of faculty, staff and students to UM-AD Domain
  • Updated multiple online resources and FAQ to support the migration process
  • Updated default login domain on all UMKC computers to simplify login process
  • Expanded remote staffing levels by cross-training existing staff during the user migrations to assist faculty, staff and students
  • Participating in weekly System-wide calls

Office 365

Office365UM System is currently migrating on premise services to Office 365. Users will then have access to all files and servers that will live in the cloud. During this review period, planning for MFA implementation began, and employee accounts were synced with O365. UMKC project team members coordinated campus communication, including emails, web page creation and edits, and developed support processes and documentation related to new services and changes.

Windows 10

Windows 10IS has completed the Windows 7 -> Windows 10 Migration with all systems either being upgraded or moved to off network.

We continue to perform Windows 10 to Windows 10 build upgrades to keep our computing environment updated and stable. We have standardized on doing these upgrades annually to align with the major upgrades that Microsoft is releasing. Over 650 computers were upgraded. These upgrades are done over the network with limited Faculty/Staff downtime.

Cherwell

Cherwell SoftwareAfter going live on October 1 there has been continued efforts locally, and with UM System, to further develop and utilized this new shared IT Service Management Solution.

During this period continued work on Cherwell was made. One of the larger projects was the completion of the 9.6 upgrade. IS created additional specifics to streamline the request process from faculty, students and staff.

IS started a new process to completely revamp the Network and Infrastructure “Moves, Adds, Changes” process, which until now has been running on custom forms.

Mac OS

Apple  OSOver the last year, the campus standard has shifted to Mac OS 10.15. The support team built new processes to support this new version, including improved use of Apple’s Device Enrollment Program to improve security of UMKC owned Apple products.

In addition, we performed multiple JAMF upgrades, which is the back-end solution that enables us to image and deploy software over the network. The imaging process was reworked to allow for faster imaging with fewer manual touches.

 

SUPPORT SERVICES PROJECTS

AirWatch

students playing in the snowLeveraged our Mobile Device Management solution, AirWatch to manage numerous mobile devices across the campus. This tool is valuable for increasing efficiencies when managing mobile devices as well as protecting University data. As part of these efforts we upgraded AirWatch to version 9.7 to take advantage of the new version of iOS.

IS also completed a mobile device project for HR, which are used to help facilitate their search committees process.

Universal Image

Updated Windows 10 Universal Image to support current desktop and laptop standards. This also included updated software and security patches.

Creation of a new PCI compliant image based on Windows 10 1809 Long Term Services Branch.

Creation of a new beta image of Windows 10 1903, which will receive continued testing with University applications over the next period.

License Servers

Updated 25 individual license servers with updated daemons and/or license files. with updated daemons and/or license files. This is required to keep software, both for computer labs and researchers able to run the latest version of their software. Some of the servers updated include MatchCad, Ansys, FME, Comsol, and Oxygen.

Suport Services used SCCM to install 18,164 pieces of software across campus in 2019Lab Packaging

Considerable time was spent updating all the software applications used in the computer labs. Over 125 applications were updated, packaged with SCCM, and tested to ensure compatibility. This ensures that Faculty and Students have the latest versions of software, both in classrooms and in computer labs. While this is a significant amount of work to complete it greatly reduces the amount of time to update such a large number of computers.

Adobe Creative Cloud

Support Services worked with UM System and Adobe to renew our Adobe ELTA license agreement. This was a long and complicated process that directly impacts a large portion of Faculty and Staff that utilize this software. As part of the new agreement there were many changes put in place by Adobe that we had to account for, the most noticeable being the shift from computer-based licensing to named user licensing.

Over the last year we have completed the annual renewals for over 1,000 Adobe installations across campus. Included in this project was upgrading the Adobe CC software across campus to ensure students, faculty and staff had the latest version.

 

TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Migrated 100% of Faculty, Staff, and Students to UM-AD DomainAs a division, we have worked with several academic and business units to renovate, design, install, and provide ongoing support for multi-faceted information technology (IT) and audiovisual (AV) systems. The following sections discuss the key IT/AV projects,that consumed a significant amount of IS resources' time during this last review period.

P316 – Clear Scholar 

ClearScholar uses an approach called personas when coupled with the Civitas analytics insight make it a differentiator product. Other mobile solutions can provide content in a similar manner but usually to strictly defined groups. The algorithm and the overlapping approach make it unique. During this review period, we facilitated the ordering, testing, and installation of scanners at 8 dining registers and transitioned this project to the Provost’s Office as operational.

P220 – Data Center Switch Refresh (DSR) 

This project upgraded the existing Administrative Center and Newcomb Hall data center networks. The new networks utilize a “spine and leaf” design allowing us to purchase the needed number of interfaces while allowing for easy expansion for the future. The new network equipment greatly increased the number of available 10 GB copper and fiber interfaces and also supports 40 GB & 100 GB interfaces where needed. The new “spine” switches are geographically separated across the two data centers. This equipment also allows us to implement a software-defined network (SDN) features as needed in the future. The switches were installed and configured during this review period and the project was completed.

P332 – Ad Astra Cloud Hosting 

The project is to move Ad Astra from an onsite server to a cloud-hosted service and upgrade to the latest software version. This project was completed and closed during this review period.

students sitting in Student Union

P293 – ILE Classroom Upgrades FY19 IS Funded 

As part of our continual process in keeping the highest quality student experience in our student classrooms and learning spaces, IS upgraded 6 ILE rooms in FY19 to HD widescreen digital video systems with enhanced audio processing, web conferencing, and wireless collaboration features. During this review period, we partnered with Campus Facilities Management to install infrastructure for the systems and installed the new equipment in various spaces in Haag Hall, Royall Hall, Grant Hall and Cockefair Hall.

P342 – CBORD Upgrade to Gold 

This is a project upgraded the existing CBORD ID Works card production system, which was 12 years old, with Datacard TruCredential and Datacard SD460 card printers. New features and enhancements include TruCredential, which provides flexibility to capture student images and date anywhere on campus using remote stations, tablets, or smartphones. This software also enables us to issue ID cards with smart chips, magnetic stripe, radio frequency, or other machine-readable technologies. During this review period, we converted the card system to CS Gold, coordinating the training of staff, and decommissioned the old CS Odyssey servers.

P344 – WebEx to Zoom 

This project transitioned our primary supported web conferencing tool from Cisco WebEx to Zoom. UM System purchased Zoom for all four campuses, and as a result, UMKC expects cost savings associated with decommissioning WebEx on our campus. During this review period, we Information Services Accomplishments July - December 2019 31 communicated with existing WebEx users and helped to transition those users to Zoom. We also developed campus-wide communication and support documentation for use of Zoom as a web conferencing tool and the project was completed.

 

NETWORK ARCHITECTURE AND SECURITY

student at science labNNetwork Architecture is responsible for the installation and maintenance of departmental level firewalls. These firewalls protect specialized hardware or data (HIPPA, PCI, etc.) in specific locations across on the UMKC network. Activities include maintaining appliance firmware and security rules.

Equipment managed:

  • Cisco physical firewalls = 16
  • Cisco virtual firewalls = 16
  • Scofield Hall 3rd floor
  • Fortigate physical firewalls = 12

Wired Network

  • Migrated remote offices from Metro-E to SD-WAN connections to lower costs by 50%-80% and double bandwidth
  • Reconfigured data center uplinks to improve performance and resiliency
  • Completed migration of building networks to Cisco 6807 core routers to improve resiliency and increase uplink speeds to 20 Gigabit where possible

Wireless Network

  • Replaced the single Cisco Catalyst 6509 operating as the wireless core with a pair of Cisco Catalyst 6824 switches to provide much higher bandwidth to the wireless networks. The Cisco Catalyst 6824 switches are installed in both of the UMKC campus data centers for increased resiliency
  • Upgraded the software on the wireless controllers and 1300+ access points to improve performance

Voice

  • Installed 2N video door phones and 6 tablet answering units at 4747 Troost to provide video confirmation and controlled access for building guests

Servers

  • Replaced the existing blade servers with 4 x UCSB-B200-M5-U series blades
  • Upgraded the firmware on the Cisco UCS chassis and blade servers

 

INFORMATION ACCESS

student in Student Union doing work on laptopDatabase Server Design, Implementation and Administration

  • Migrated all critical central campus databases from version 2008 to version 2017
  • Implemented MySQL monitoring tool using Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control which allows for more timely and robust outage notifications of out critical campus servers
  • UMKC Center for Economic Insight (CEI) Health Care Foundation Grant
  • Worked with CEI team to implement the second phase (Year 2) goals establishing metadata and data warehouse for use in demonstrating the warehouse capabilities to new research institutions.
  • Worked with Data Warehouse staff on several implementations and enhancements to DW data availability and reliability
  • Created student MySQL user accounts for Fall semester SCE classes

Software Design and Development

Provided maintenance and support for 62 software applications, websites and services including:

  • Exam Scheduler
  • Commencement
  • ALEKS Exam Site
  • IS Change Management & Outages
  • Civics Exam Data Feed into UMDW - Multi-Campus Feed
  • dbTracker
  • RHLC Directory
  • CourseLeaf Catalog Data Feed

UM System IT Consolidation

Provided campus representation on the following working groups:

  • An Information Access representative serves as the chair for the Applications & Development committee.
  • UMS IT Integrations working group
  • UMS IT Custom Applications working group

Scanning Services

  • Served as technical contact for the CourseLeaf Catalog software
  • WordPress management, setup and administration
  • Trumba Calendar management, setup and administration
  • CVENT eCommerce
  • Weekly termination reports processing
  •  Generated detailed reports for departments based on their evaluation scan data

 

FOUNDATION SERVICES

Multiple application upgrades including Cadence, Synopsys, Redcap, Bitbucket, Confluence, and JIRAIS Foundation Services (ISFS) provides secure, professionally managed data centers to meet the growing information technology (IT) needs of academic and administrative units at UMKC. ISFS serves as the primary system administrators for 400+ servers, provides assistance and technical support for campus IT Liaisons, supports the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) for UMSystem, and provides research computing training and support.

  • Shibbolized multiple websites and new services allowing single sign-on
  • Deployed redundant IceCast streaming server setup for KCUR allowing for a more reliable streaming experience for listeners
  • Isolated ColdFusion to a single set of servers in preparation for decommissioning in January 2021
  • Installed new programming frameworks on CHI Insights platform: Anaconda Python, Strawberry Perl, Java JDK
  • Deployed new SUMA web application for the Library
  • Remedied and closed 550+ support tickets. Ticket completion times continue to be held low, and customer surveys show very high ratings.
  • Multiple server OS (Windows and Linux) and application upgrades including AIMS, CBORD, Cadence, Synopsys, Titanium, TutorTrac, TMA, Redcap, Bitbucket, RooBox, Confluence, and JIRA
  • A team member achieved Linux+ Certification
  • Worked on many aspects of the AD Consolidation Project including testing application compatibility with users spanning domains
  • Implemented new user storage quota on the Tux cluster to help control space usage
  • Multiple application upgrades including Cadence, Synopsys, Redcap, Bitbucket, Confluence, and JIRA
  • Assumed maintenance and support responsibility for Chemistry NMR Linux workstations and converted workstations from RedHat Enterprise Linux 6.x to CentOS 6.x saving licensing costs