We define core applications as the user applications that are provided universally to the campus community—the layer just below the permeable membrane in Fig. 4.1. While some might argue that pure technology infrastructure ends at a lower layer of the model,
we choose to include core applications and services as IT infrastructure for several reasons.
First, implementing any core application places a significant burden on the lower layers of the infrastructure to maintain acceptable performance levels. Before an application is deployed across the campus, the infrastructure often must be upgraded to just support it. Second, moving a specialized application down to the core application layer generally involves scaling and perhaps redesigning the application system to accommodate a larger number of users, higher transaction rates, and increased storage requirements. Third, a system migrating into the core application layer will often be handed off from the original IT provider to another that is better suited to administer the application at a production-service level. Finally, it is common that the funding available for operating a specialized application is not sufficient to supports its migration to production status. A commitment to move any service into the core application layer must be accompanied by thoughtful budgeting decisions to ensure the long-term viability and performance of both the application and the infrastructure needed to support it.
At the University of Michigan, we have defined a set of core applications and services as part of the basic computing package available to all faculty, staff, and students. The applications in the basic computing package include:
• A unique user account and Kerberos password
• Electronic mail service with 20 Megabytes of storage
• Access to general purpose Unix computing services
• An Institutional File Storage account with 10 Megabytes of storage
• Access to campuswide directory services
• Laser printing in the campus computing sites (400 pages per term)
• Dial-in access (100 hours of prime time use per term, unlimited night and weekend access)
• Internet access, including Usenet News
• Web-based computer conferencing
• Use of networked workstations in any of 14 campus computing sites
• Help desk, documentation, and online help services
The services in the basic computing package are designed to provide adequate services for 95 percent of the campus population, with specific service levels negotiated between the CIO and the Provost. Users needing additional services can purchase them at a marginal cost.
In addition to the basic computing package, two other core applications and services are funded centrally. The University Library, with the CIO providing operational support, funds the university’s automated library system. The Provost and Chief Financial Officer mutually fund the university’s administrative computing systems.
Clearly, the components of the core applications and services layer will vary widely from campus to campus and will change significantly over time. It is important to establish a long-range plan for the implementation of new campuswide core applications, their anticipated use over time, their retirement, their life cycle-cost, and the impact they will have on the underlying layers of IT infrastructure. Some core applications may be deployed at the unit level rather than campuswide, but CIOs need to be aware of these
plans as well, as many of these applications are Internet-based or are dependent on other campuswide infrastructure services.
Help Desk, Documentation, and Training Programs
In addition to the IT infrastructure and the technical staff required to maintain its components, a certain amount of consulting, documentation, and training is required to ensure that infrastructure services are efficiently and effectively used. Most infrastructure services are often underutilized. Poor selection of infrastructure elements, inadequate integration among the elements, and substandard availability and reliability of the elements all contribute to this underutilization. However, many users also are not sufficiently knowledgeable about the infrastructure services available to them, and have not been trained to use them effectively. Most users know how to use only a few of the many IT tools available, and generally are familiar with only the basic features of those tools.
For example, many users are not familiar with how to maintain their campus directory entry, which reduces the accuracy and effectiveness of the directory. Many users do not know how to transfer an incoming telephone call to another telephone number, forcing the caller to place a second call to reach their intended party. Few users know how to establish and maintain a distribution list of e-mail addresses, and therefore select individual names from the directory each time they need to send a group message. Some do not know how to effectively manage their electronic mail or voicemail in-boxes, raising disk storage requirements. Others may spend time developing inefficient work- arounds in response to relatively simple problems. While each of these examples represents an extremely small suboptimization of the campus IT infrastructure, the net effect of many such incidents reduces the return on the investment required to build and maintain the IT infrastructure.
Help desk, documentation, and training programs can help the campus realize additional benefits from its investment in IT infrastructure. These services help users stay connected to the network, effectively use access and authentication protocols, better manage their e-mail and files, and use Internet search tools to improve their productivity.
These services also reduce demands on technical staff by reducing the number of problems active at any one time—what can be referred to as the level of background noise in the campus IT infrastructure. All of these subtle improvements in user skills result in a more effective use of campus IT resources.
Most campuses maintain at least one IT help desk for users, and many maintain help desks within individual colleges or departments in addition to central help desks. In most cases, the primary mission of these local help desks usually is to provide user support for the various specialized applications that are unique to a school, college, or department—
the applications comprising the top layer in Fig. 4.1. In some cases, however, these local help desks also attempt to provide support for core applications and services, help users connect to the network, and troubleshoot other problems in the lower layers of the IT architecture. In these cases, help desk services typically are not well coordinated with each other or with the central technical staff who support the campuswide IT infrastructure. This can result in a proliferation of standard procedures, the use of multiple diagnostic tools, and situations where multiple parties are—unbeknownst to
each other—working to solve the same problem. The net impact on the campus is less efficient help desks, and less effective operation of the campus IT infrastructure.
Using automated help desk software can help coordinate the activities of multiple help desks by keeping track of user problems, usage trends, and problem history. Such systems can also help identify problem areas in the campus IT infrastructure requiring broader attention. For example, if half the calls arriving at the help desk involve problems establishing dial-in connections to the campus network, this area would appear ripe for attention by technical and help desk staff to correct technical problems, improve documentation, or develop new training programs. Effectively tracking all problems to closure is central to improving the overall effectiveness of the campus IT infrastructure.
Because a problem may need to be addressed by multiple parties before it can be resolved, automated help desk software can track referrals and ensure that problems are resolved within standard time limits.
Automated help desk software also supports a closed loop problem management system where user problems are tracked to closure, ideally with a positive acknowledgment of problem resolution from the user before the problem is officially closed. Often, technical staff will declare a problem to be closed while the user is still experiencing a problem. Usually this gap between technical and user closure is due to documentation, training, and communication. Without hearing from the user that a problem is resolved, then by definition the problem still exists and the effectiveness of the IT infrastructure is diminished. By returning responsibility for problem resolution to the help desk staff after the technical issues have been addressed, help desk staff are able to work further with users to ensure that they have the information and skills to accomplish their tasks. Users who experience IT problems value the personal help of professional IT staff to resolve their problems. Establishing an effective help desk service where each contact results in the user saying, “Thanks for helping me solve my problem!” will significantly improve user satisfaction with campus IT services.
Note that the help desk service should be closely integrated with self-help facilities and online documentation. This aspect is more for the benefit of help desk staff than for users, as many users do not take advantage of the documentation and training materials available to them online. Establishing an online knowledge base and training your help desk staff thoroughly in its use, will improve the reliability of the advice provided to users. A search engine attached to an online knowledge base does not ensure that the information in the knowledge base is appropriately organized and indexed. Campus library professionals can help ensure that the information is appropriately organized, indexed, and displayed for users and help desk staff to find the information needed to solve problems.
User training programs should be directly associated with help desk and documentation services, with IT infrastructure capabilities and problem analysis reports used to help develop the training agenda. Training programs can take many forms, from non-credit short courses to informal brown-bag sessions to computer-based training programs. Training should be provided in several forms and at several venues to maximize the possibility that a program will match the learning styles and schedules of your users. All publications and documentation associated with training programs should be made available in multiple formats and integrated with the online knowledge base
available to users and help desk staff. There should be no such thing as privileged information when it comes to user training.
Performance and Service Metrics
We believe that you can best manage what you measure. Infrastructure services can be significantly improved by instituting a thorough program of service level measurement.
CIOs should select appropriate metrics to accurately reflect the quantity and quality of IT infrastructure services delivered to the campus. Metrics can be used to report service quality to users, identify areas for infrastructure improvement, and verify the effectiveness of support activities such as problem and change management. Examples of useful performance metrics for infrastructure services include graphs or tables showing:
• Network performance statistics (traffic, response time at defined intervals);
• Availability percentages for core applications;
• Number and type of problems reported, resolution rate, and time to resolution;
• Type of changes implemented, success rate, and effort measures;
• Historic and current number of LANs, workstations, and other network devices;
• Number of work orders completed, in progress, and waiting to begin;
• Maintenance level for each service, installed date, next maintenance level, and projected date;
• Distribution of problems to physical infrastructure, facilities, and core services; and
• User satisfaction based on the overall perceived level of performance and responsiveness.