STRATEGIC IT ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD

AGENDA

Wednesday November 6, 2013

1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

STARK LIBRARY

I. IT Strategic Priorities and ITS Capital Expenditures FY 2012-2013 – Accountability Update (Brad Englert)

II. IT Strategic Priorities and ITS Capital Budget FY 2013-2014 – Endorse (Brad Englert)

III. High Speed Connectivity Roadmap – Endorse (William Green)

IV. Addressing IT Risks – Discussion (Cam Beasley)

I. IT Strategic Priorities and ITS Capital Budget FY 2012-2013 – Accountability Update

Summary Status of IT Governance Priorities – FY 2012-2013

Complete / In Progress

Upgrade Core Campus Network and Develop Network Speed Plan

/ X

Create Educational Technology Roadmap

/ X

Enhance Research Computing Environment

/ X
Create Administrative Systems Replacement Roadmaps / X

Design the New Administrative Systems Technical Environment

/ X

Define Universal Institutional Data Access

/ X

Design for New Web Infrastructure

/ X

Complete Mobile Strategy

/ X
VoIP Deployment (Ongoing) / X

Drive Savings via Cooperative Software Purchasing

/ X
Begin to Develop Learning Analytics / X
Begin Creation of Big Data Policies / X

ITS Capital Expenditures in Support of Governance Priorities FY 2012-2013

Project / Total Budget / Total Expenditures / Notes
Core Campus Network Infrastructure Upgrades / $1,800,000-$2,000,000 / $1,900,000
Upgrade Web Infrastructure / $500,000-$750,000 / $250,000 / Additional $400,000 for Equipment
Design New Administrative Systems Technical Environment / $300,000-$500,000 / $135,000 / Additional $300,000
Implement Additional Disaster Recovery for Critical Services / $500,00-$600,000 / $147,000
VoIP Deployment / $750,000 / ITS Operating Funds
TOTAL / $3,182,000

II. IT Strategic Priorities and ITS Capital Budget FY 2013-2014 – Endorse

IT Strategic Priorities FY 2013-2014

  • Design and Begin to Implement IT Shared Services
  • Begin Replacementof Administrative Systems
  • Implement the Administrative Systems Integration Strategy
  • Update the Educational Technologies Governance Roadmap
  • Begin to Develop Learning Analytics
  • Create a Research Data Preservation Strategy
  • Create a Cloud Strategy
  • Create System Standards
  • Create a Building Security System Strategy
  • Implementation Projects
  • Responsive Web Redesign
  • Voice over Internet Protocol Deployment
  • Identity Management Strategy Implementation
  • Deploy Box Cloud Solution
  • Continue Office 365 (cloud-based email) Deployment

Estimated ITS Capital Budget in Support of Governance Priorities FY 2013-2014

Project / Estimated Budget / Notes
Mobile Strategy Implementation – Responsive Web Design / $1,250,000 / Includes $400,000 for Equipment
VoIP Continued Deployment / $1,500,000-$1,700,000
Identity Management Strategy Implementation / $1,400,000-$1,600,000
Design New Administrative Systems Technical Environment / $300,000
TOTAL / $4,850,000- $4,450,000

III. High Speed Connectivity Roadmap – Endorse

Overview

In August 2012, SITAB tasked AIC with developing a roadmap for high-speed external connectivity to support research computing. Primary drivers included: attracting and retaining faculty, grant requirements, TACC’s mission, and commodity IT services moving to the cloud utilizing research networks as the transport (e.g. Amazon, Box, etc.).

Recommendation

The Architecture and Infrastructure Committee recommends a phased approach due to:

  • High costs, which are rapidly declining
  • Uncertainty over advanced network feature requirements
  • Low current usages of research networks, outside of the Texas Advanced Computing Center

This approach can be modified with demand and opportunities at the UT System and state levels.

Year / Campus Research Uplink / Notes / Current Cost to execute
FY12-13 / 10G all /
  • Internal 40G capabilities (data center and border)
/ $1M
FY13-14 / 10G campus
100G TACC /
  • Upgrade TACC (only), lab environment for campus
/ $1M-$1.2M
FY14-15 / 40G campus
100G TACC /
  • “Science DMZ” for main campus researchers
  • External 40G capabilities for main campus
  • Large main campus buildings 40G capabilities supported
/ $1.2M-$1.5M
FY15-16 / 100G all /
  • External 100G capabilities added (with security upgrades)
  • Internal 100G capabilities added (data center and border)
/ $9M-$11M
FY16-17 / 100G all /
  • Large main and PRC campus building 100G capabilities supported
/ $6M-$7M

High Speed Connectivity Roadmap (cont.)

Considerations

  • Costs: The table shows current pricing at standard discounts, those will decrease over time. 100G network equipment has only recently been introduced to the enterprise market. The equipment is limited in capabilities and expensive. Over the next several years the equipment will become more capable and the prices will drop (optics for 40G connections, for example, are 1/6th of their price when introduced 3 years ago). Further, the university would leverage other arrangements through UT System and higher-ed partnerships, consortiums and discounts that present themselves. Decreases are also expected for the recurring charges incurred when purchasing 100G transport to research networks. Typically, ITS would wait for the appropriate inflection point to invest in these technologies.
  • Security: High speed security monitoring is very expensive – the security equipment often costs more than the network equipment, and the security industry has not caught up to 100G speeds. “Science DMZs” (de-militarized zones), where no security is implemented, are used to avoid exposing campus to security issues while allowing a handful of researchers to work with high speed networks. The reasoning is that only a handful of researchers utilize the DMZ, so the exposure is limited and contained. The cost of monitoring will decrease as 40G and 100G become more widely deployed.
  • Software Defined Networks (SDN): A new network technology paradigm is being developed to enable users to write software to interact and potentially change how the network operates. It is evolving very quickly, standards are still being developed and equipment interoperability is only beginning to be established. Because these new modalities could destabilize network operations used to deliver critical services, separate “Science DMZs” are typically created to isolate any impact to production services. By FY14-15, the roadmap plans to offer limited SDN capabilities due to 1) the need to share the cost of wide-area 100G circuits going to national R&E network providing SDN capabilities along with non-SDN production uses and 2) the lack of definition and offerings for SDN services (they have not been clearly defined). Should full SDN features be needed and still be considered a risk to operations, a slower 1Gbps or 10Gbps wide-area circuit could be established for a Science DMZ.
  • Demand: With the exception of TACC, there has been little use of the existing 10G research network capabilities. Incurring high fixed and recurring costs ahead of demand may not be an efficient use of funds. However, Internet2 experts have argued that a researcher may not be able to complete their tasks on slower 10G connections, or require advanced SDN capabilities, so the 10G connections would not show utilization that would occur if a 100G SDN capable network were installed.
  • Prestige: University rankings do take network speed into account. NSF awarded small grants to 27 universities to encourage them to invest in 100G capabilities last year, and is expected to award another 20 this year (covers only a portion of the costs based on current equipment expenses). TACC connecting in FY13-14 at 100G, and the addition of a Science DMZ in FY14-15 mirror strategies other large R&E universities are pursuing.

IV. Addressing IT Risks – Discussion

Using Centralized Virtual and Co-location Services

Challenge: UT System provided UT Austin $2.5M to help address decentralized IT risks identified in 2011 System-wide security review. UT Austin agreed to migrate1,000 physical or virtual servers to the University Data Center by Sept-2014.

Progress: 40% of the goal in 15-months
(600servers to go)

ITS Changes:

  1. Add More Capabilities to ITS Virtual Service (goal: Jan-2014)
  2. Add Customer Liaison for the ITS Virtual Service (goal: Dec-2013)

Ideas to Consider:

  1. ISO assesses and enforces campus management standards for servers.
  2. Deans/VPs to do their fair share (e.g., Move or virtualize 7 for Pharmacy, 54 for COLA, 30 for McCombs, 15 for University Ops)?
  1. Require CISO Signoff/Exception for all New Servers?
  2. No charge for Virtual Servers for next 2-yrs?
  3. Impose a Facilities Tax?
  4. Measure progress: mandate in Jun-2104, if goal not met?

1 | SITAB, November 6, 2013