PENN PRINTOUT
The University of Pennsylvania's Online Computing Magazine

PENN PRINTOUT September 1992 - Volume 9:1

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Information Systems and Computing

Who we are...

Computing at Penn is exceptionally decentralized--the result of technological trends as well as Penn's responsibility center approach to budgeting. Schools, departments, and libraries provide almost all instructional and research computing at Penn, along with substantial local area networking, office automation, and administrative computing. Information Systems and Computing (ISC) provides the leadership and coordination that allow Penn to take advantage of decentralized information technology in this decentralized context. Headed by Vice Provost Peter C. Patton, ISC promotes standards, provides infrastructure and a core of central services, and facilitates school initiatives in research and instructional computing. ISC represents Penn to information technology vendors and external organizations and serves as an advocate for the sound management of information systems and computing within the University.

One crucial piece of infrastructure is PennNet, the University's data communications network. Once called "twelve schools connected by a steam pipe," Penn today has been called "twelve schools connected by a network."

Data Communications and Computing Services (DCCS) operates PennNet, along with a set of network-based services including PennInfo, a campus- wide online information resource. Promoting standards is the primary role of Data Administration, with a focus on data access, data security, and the University data dictionary.

Data Administration develops the University data model, a high-level blueprint of administrative data relationships.

The Computing Resource Center (CRC) offers computing support to supplement the services of individual schools and departments, including e-mail and telephone consulting, training and self-directed instruction, disk conversion, and antiviral software distribution.

The University Data Center (UDC) is a new ISC unit that provides mainframe services for academic, administrative, and library clients, as well as selected UNIX-based services.

University Management Information Services (UMIS) consults with administrative clients to identify information systems needs and implements, operates, and maintains administrative systems.

Academic Computing Services (ACS) is a new ISC organization with an initial focus on negotiating volume purchase agreements and site licenses for research and instructional software and providing high- level UNIX support to school computing staff.

The Vice Provost reports jointly to the Executive Vice President and the Provost. The ISC Advisory Council, drawn from faculty, staff, and students, helps ensure that ISC is responsive to University needs. Susan Shaman, Director of Planning Analysis and Institutional Research, chairs the administration committee of the Advisory Council and Professor of Physics Robert Hollebeek chairs the academic committee.


What we're doing

ISC focus objectives for 1993

  1. Access to Libraries resources. Identify and develop one new access method or service.

  2. Access to academic computing resources. Focus initially on negotiating instructional and research software site licenses.

  3. UNIX support. Take initial steps, including providing technical advice to campus computing staff and offering a campus-wide UNIX workstation maintenance program.

  4. Support services. Make greater use of technology-facilitated computing instruction. Create PennEXpertise, a campus-wide call referral system that allows providers of computing support to query each other online.

  5. Network services. Provide infrastructure support for the campus- wide initiative to bring e-mail to faculty and students, departmental deployment of local area networks, and PENNcard-related projects; provide "network navigator" tools to make network services more accessible.

  6. Network connectivity. Upgrade cabling, electronics, and software.

  7. SFS EASI. Implement Student Financial Services Enhanced Access to Student Information.

  8. Mainframe consolidation. Complete the consolidation of SAS, Libraries, and UMIS mainframe processing within ISC's newly formed University Data Center.

  9. Information architecture. Develop principles, models, and standards for data, applications, technology, and organization to guide future decision-making, including that for the next three objectives.

  10. Financial system requirements. Identify business requirements for a new financial system consistent with Penn's information architecture.

  11. Integrated administrative systems plan. Develop a plan to acquire an integrated suite of administrative applications over time.

  12. Office automation strategies and standards. Draw on the broad outlines of Penn's information architecture to develop office automation strategies and standards.