Annual Report 2022-2023

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Annual Report 2022-2023

Information Technology Services is pleased to present the Annual Report for 2022 - 2023. It was another noteworthy year, with many significant goals achieved. We continue to make improvements to new and existing technology resources as we strive to meet the growing demands of the College. Our achievements continue to build a solid foundation for future progress.  

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HIGHLIGHTS 

The Information Technology Strategic Plan provides the goals and objectives that align with the technology initiatives implemented as well as future projects. 

M365 

2783 mailboxes have been successfully migrated from an on-premise Exchange environment to M365. This was a significant undertaking and the entire IT team worked collaboratively to accomplish this goal with minimum challenges. As part of this initiative, voice mail was also migrated, which supports the ability for voice messages to appear in your inbox. CSI provided their knowledge and expertise to other CUNY schools who were planning for the migration and received recognition from the central office on our approach, teamwork, and rollout strategy.  

Hyflex 

Additional, state-of-the-art Hyflex rooms were installed in 3S-109,1P-109, and St. George, SG-112. These rooms are equipped with enhanced technology integrated with Zoom in order to support flexible learning environments. Technology includes PTZ cameras, touch screen controls, enhanced microphone arrays, and document cameras. Contact Mark Lewental (mark.lewental@csi.cuny.edu, x2650) if you are interested in using Hyflex in your courses. 

Website Enhancements 

Additional features were added to the CSI home page and academic department pages including updated slider images, videos, and a new integrated college calendar. One of the greatest achievements was implementing the “student success” stories module on the home page that will allow prospective students to hear directly from current CSI students and alumni about their experiences. Student Success story videos were also added to academic departmental pages. Finally, job opportunities are now more prominently displayed, and RSS feeds are being utilized to receive automatic updates from Handshake, the College’s career opportunity software. This is a beneficial resource for students looking for jobs based on their academic plan.  

Security – new policies, procedures, risk assessment reports 

In order to adhere to security policies and mitigate potential vulnerabilities at the College of Staten Island, the Information Technology Services (ITS) department has implemented a "script" to address these challenges. CSI is continuously implementing remediation steps, as well as ongoing procedures and processes to tackle critical and high vulnerabilities. A report detailing the outstanding vulnerabilities and a mitigation strategy is submitted to the central office. While significant progress has been made, there are still additional security vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. These include removing unsupported software, operating systems, and outdated hardware, which will be handled by the life cycle replacement project. To ensure the security of your office machines, please make sure to regularly restart them in order to apply security patches to Internet browsers and software.    

Computer Labs 

As part of the life cycle replacement for computer labs, new equipment was installed in various rooms, equipping them with high performance computers, faster solid-state drives, as well as new displays. Some rooms that were upgraded are 1S110, 2S114, 2N115, 3N109, 3N113, and 5N108. 

  • Device distribution and asset management continues to remain a high priority. Students who are taking an online course are still eligible to receive a device. In addition, as students graduate or do not continue their studies, IT updates the inventory to reflect devices that are being returned. IT also works closely with the Business Office to maintain accurate records. 
  • Life Cycle Replacement of desktop computers continues. The remaining academic units will be completed by the end of 2023.  IT is working very closely with the Business Office to confirm the distribution of new computers. Furthermore, this project aligns with the IT’s requirement to address security vulnerabilities. 
  • Network upgrades have been performed on both the Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN). Respective upgrades include switch replacements and the installation of additional access points (AP’s). Areas of installation have been prioritized based on reports that identify life cycle replacement of hardware, bandwidth usage, and security vulnerabilities. IT is working closely with CSI’s electricians to assist with the AP deployment. 
  • The College relies heavily on virtualization in order to deliver flexible and reliable IT services. This technology reduces the physical server footprint, which allows for the improved provisioning of applications and resources, the simplification of data center management, and greater efficiency and agility of data center systems. Currently, the vendor partner VMWare, which is used to license this infrastructure is end of contract. IT continues to explore alternative solutions that will allow for future growth and greater efficiencies. 
  • Virtual Reality (VR) at CSI continues to gain popularity. Specifically, students are leveraging a VR application called, OvationVR,  to improve their presentation and interview skills. The Career Center, The Chazanoff School of Business, ASAP, and Physical Therapy are just a few areas that are leveraging VR technology. 
  • The Web Development division has been providing training sessions on updating webpages and teaching departments how to prepare ADA compliant departments.   
  • Training and support have been particularly busy with the rollout of M365 and providing sessions on TEAMS. In addition, departments, faculty, and staff have requested customized sessions, including Excel pivot tables, M365, Outlook, hyflex, etc. Virtual sessions have proven to be very successful as we continue to train staff. During 2022 over 1000 staff members attended the training.   

The IT Team has been quite busy presenting at conferences and sharing knowledge on a variety of topics:  

  • CUNY IT; “Scripting IT Security Resilience” 
  • EdgeCon; Flexibility is the Key 
  • Campus Technology; Technology Predictions for Higher Education in 2023 
  • Tech Day 2023; ChatGPT; TEAMS; VR; Hyflex 
  • NSF-ICorp; Building Confidence Using VR Technology 
  • LCR:   225 computers were upgraded/replaced. 
  • Student Use Computers: 301 computers were upgraded 
  • HelpDesk: 
    • Faculty/Staff 
      • 9800 – Total number of tickets (all divisions) 
        • 5702 – Total number of HD tickets 
          • 397 – M365 Go-Live Support  
    • Student 
      • 6785– Total number of Student assists. 
        • 6417 – Assisted at the HelpDesk 
        • 101 – Assisted at the St. George 
        • 267 – Assisted at IT Doctor 
  • Technology Training:
    • Number of Classes for Faculty & Staff – 268
    • Faculty & Staff Participants - 1067 
    • Number of Classes for Students - 47 
    • Student Participants - 273

70 people responded to the IT Survey, and results were positive in all areas. However, feedback did provide insight on certain areas for improvement, which we are working on.

Network upgrades 

The College of Staten Island and CUNY Computing and Information Services (CIS) have started a project to deal with outdated network infrastructure that is no longer supported. The goal of the project is to help design, purchase, and deploy new network infrastructure that not only replaces old equipment but also improves network resiliency, network speed, reduces cybersecurity risk, and allows for centralized campus network monitoring. To ensure that the upgrades meet these goals, a formal process was put in place to validate campus network requirements and designs. We worked closely to modify network requirements and designs as needed. Once the network designs were finalized, installation and deployment plans were created. To minimize disruptions to campus network availability, the upgrades are scheduled for weekends and other times with minimal usage. The project is expected to take 18-24 months to complete once approved by CUNY Central. 

Additionally, Networking Services continues to deploy additional Wireless Access Points across campus including outdoor access points for additional coverage. Results from the survey will determine where AP’s will be deployed. 

Disaster Recovery 

Servers were relocated from the Library over to the 2A server room. Next steps will include installing secondary backup servers in 1M for critical applications.  

VMware upgrades 

Expanding our virtual environment to include additional memory and hardware in order to provide greater efficiencies continues to be a priority. In addition, we will be exploring alternative vendors that can support our operations. 

Security 

Security continues to remain on the forefront of IT initiatives. Life Cycle Replacement of computers and servers, system updates, MFA, enforcement of policies, etc. will continue as IT adheres to CUNY policy.

CUNYFirst Upgrade

IT will work closely with the Central office to implement a new ERP system for the Financial and HR modules. 

Website 

  • Upgrade CMS to Drupal 10.
  • Research redesign of CSI homepage 

Telecom

IT will continue working with CUNY and our vendor partners in order to fully integrate with MSTeams. As part of this initiative, telecom has migrated voicemail to MSTeams and is exploring various phone system upgrade options.

 In the upcoming months, the Technology Training Team will create new ways for the College community to participate in training activities. The Team is also working on new course materials as Microsoft continues to expand the applications within M365. 

Supporting Academic Technologies 

OITS will continue to work with Academic Units and the Faculty Center as we look to expand online learning and hyflex initiatives, while we continue to support existing technology for effective pedagogy. In addition, OITS will continue to provide the appropriate hardware and software necessary for optimal performance in computer labs and student public access stations.  

VR expansion 

As VR gains popularity with its soft skills application (OvationVR), OITS will continue to extend this solution to other disciplines, while also exploring new VR technology with practical teaching/learning outcomes.