Center for Information Technology Services FY 2023 Annual Report

Table of Contents

• CIO Statement/Mission Statement
• CITS Overview
• Featured Goals

CIO Statement/Mission Statement

The Center for Information Technology Services (CITS) is the central information technology organization for UMB. Our mission and focus is to treat UMB students, faculty, staff, colleagues, and co-workers as treasured customers. Excellence in service to the UMB community is our challenge and responsibility.

CITS Overview

Composed of six areas, the Center for Information Technology Services provides IT maintenance, support, and oversight to the entire University of Maryland, Baltimore campus. These areas are Technology Operations, Business Operations and Support Services, Central Administration IT Services, Information Security and Compliance, Enterprise Applications, and Data Analytics and Reporting, detailed below:

Technology Operations includes Infrastructure Services (which implements and maintains the central computing data centers and infrastructure [i.e., database services, messaging systems, Microsoft systems, UNIX systems, computer operations and data storage] for the campus enterprise computerized services), Networking and Communications Services (which maintains the University Unity communications systems, as well as the campus computer networking systems), Identity Management and System Integration, and Web Applications & Development

Business Operations and Support Services includes IT Support and Software Licensing.

Central Administration IT Services, includes Central Administration IT, IT Training and Communications.

Information Security and Compliance strengthens the security for all University-owned systems, with additional consideration for those systems that have access to sensitive data, monitor industry trends, investigate, locate, and mitigate IT security vulnerabilities, and ensure campus compliance with state and University System of Maryland audit and data security regulations.

Enterprise Applications implements and manages administrative systems, including Quantum Financials, eUMB, HRMS, and Banner; as well as academic systems, including Kuali Research, Blackboard, Philanthropy IT Systems and Services, DocuSign, ImageNow and MediaSite

Data Analytics and Reporting implements and manages data, analytics, and reporting systems including Quantum Analytics, Data Cookbook (data definitions, data quality, & report documentation), and the Data Warehouse. This office supports the entire University’s analytic needs and enables the university to leverage insight for data-driven decision making.

Featured Goals

Goal 1:

Reduce the server hardware and data storage equipment footprint on campus to achieve cost savings, efficiencies, and benefits associated with cloud-based technologies.

Summary – 20% achieved

CITS migrated 215 on-premises servers to Cloud infrastructure environments and will be migrating another 66 servers in FY 2024, reducing the number of on-campus servers by 281 (57%) since inception of the Cloud-first approach.

The School of Medicine Office of Information Services has also focused on migrating servers to the Cloud. In 2022-2023, the SOM IS provisioned all new servers in the Cloud, with now having 112 servers on-premises and 134 servers hosted in Microsoft Azure.

CITS and the SOM, potentially other UMB Schools/Depts., are actively combining and consolidating the remaining on-premises server infrastructure that will temporarily or possibly permanently remain on-campus for systems that are not “Cloud ready”. This new shared environment began being deployed in May 2023 and should be fully operational by August 2023.

Goal 2:

Leverage Microsoft’s computing infrastructure to develop and implement Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD).

Summary – 50% achieved

The Azure Virtual Desktop project items that have been completed or will be completed include:

• Deploying a high-speed Internet ExpressRoute to establish dedicated, high-speed connectivity between UMB and the Microsoft’s Azure Cloud infrastructure. This high-speed express route network will be fully implemented and available for use by all UMB schools and departments.
• Having additional IT staff education sessions with Microsoft experts.
• Developing an AVD infrastructure framework with help from Microsoft engineers that supports UMB needs and serves as a template to speed the deployment of AVD.
• Acquiring and completing the installation and setup of an AVD management system to automate tasks, provide expanded insights for better system administration, performance management, cost savings, and dashboard reporting on the usage of AVD.
• Identifying and enrolling pilot groups of users for the AVD computer replacement part of the project.
• Completing AVD pilot tests, which will allow for existing computers to be replaced with less expensive computers using Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) in FY 2024.

Project items currently in process or upcoming include:

• Implementing the AVD management tool for use by all school and department IT teams.
• Deploying the less expensive computers to CITS staff that were due for replacement. Once AVD is in full production, the less expensive computer will be deployed in other areas of the University. The new devices are ranging in cost from about $400 for desktops and approximately $700 for laptops.

Goal 3:

Support research programs and activities through the development and use of Microsoft cloud computing and cloud infrastructure solutions.

Summary – 80% achieved

Through the efforts of working teams made up of individuals in CITS, in the School of Medicine, the UMMS IT, the ICTR, and the Research Informatics Core, the Secure Research Environment (SRE) has been created. This is where research will be conducted with data intake and exit from this environment being monitored by the Research Informatics Core and the Honest Broker.

There are several other aspects of this project, including:

• The implementation of TriNetX, which is a research project feasibility system. Faculty researchers can now use this system to review and explore de-identified clinical data for potential use in a research project.
• Finish pilot use of the SRE by faculty researchers.
• Using previously purchased software licenses and transitioning them to the SRE and using the AVD management system to create the virtual computer software images.
• An SRE Request Form was created using Red Cap. The form will be further refined with the help of faculty input.
• Incorporating the SRE into the IRB, ORD, and Honest Broker processes.

Goal 4:

Strengthen UMB’s overall security posture by seeking and addressing vulnerabilities, assessing and mitigating risks, and heightening cybersecurity awareness.

Summary – 20% achieved

The following IT security events are occurring daily:

• Depending on the day and activity, the UMB IT security systems are currently recording between 850 million and 1.2 billion connection attempts per day. These are attempts to get access to UMB systems and data. Of those, between 250 million and 500 million connection attempts are being blocked because they are known security threats.
• Also depending on the day and activity, the UMB Microsoft 365 email system receives between 550 thousand and 800 thousand emails. Microsoft security technology categorizes and blocks between 10 thousand to 15 thousand of those emails because they are known phishing attempts and between 50 and 300 emails because they contain malware.
• The UMB multifactor authentication solution (DUO), manages approximately 25 thousand requests daily.

In strengthening UMB’s overall security posture, the CITS Security and Compliance team, in collaboration with the IT security teams in the School of Medicine and the UMMS, as well as contributions from IT professionals across all UMB schools, the following actions are occurring:

• Monthly meetings of the Information Security Collaborative (there are approximately forty individuals in UMB schools, departments, FPI, MIEMMS, and in the UMMS attending these meetings) to provide a forum for gathering information and to have discussions regarding IT security vulnerabilities and solutions for mitigating them.
• An electronic discussion forum is also being used to share information between the monthly ISC meetings. Activities and potential issues that occur between meetings are communicated to the members of the ISC to inform them and provide information solutions for mitigating any known issues.

Security awareness training is being delivered annually, and simulated phishing attempts are generated and sent monthly to test individual user security awareness.

A compliance management system (KnowBe4) is being sunset by KnowBe4. A replacement system is being evaluated by the USM IT Security Workgroup. The new State of Maryland privacy law will take effect October 2024. This compliance management system will help ensure UMB compliance with that law.

On November 14, 2022, an IT Security Tabletop Exercise was performed with assistance from a company called CampusGuard. The tabletop exercise was attended by approximately 40 IT staff from CITS and UMB schools and departments. Some of the objectives of the exercise were to:

• Identify strengths and areas for improvement in current incident response processes;
• Establish priorities for responding to a breach of critical processes or systems;
• Identify critical environments and associated IT support resources;
• Raise awareness about current level of threat activity and likely impacts of a targeted attack;
• Assess coordination and communication with institution stakeholders and external partners.

UMB has achieved compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) with respect to accepting credit card payments at over 50 individual merchants located across the UMB campus. UMB must attest annually that we are maintaining the security of our cardholder environment.

Goal 5:

Enhance and promote the UMB Data Analytics Program.

Summary – 25% achieved

A total of eighty-three new reports were added to the Data Analytics portfolio. The expansion of the data analytics program has focused on building strategic reporting capabilities for two areas of institutional data.

First, we have built dashboards and reports for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) metrics. 12 new public reports have already been soft-launched. They provide insights on personnel presence by various demographic factors (ethnicity, gender, job categories, etc.), hiring trends, promotions, and separations.

The second area of expansion is modernizing student reporting.

• Twelve reports for the Bursar’s office have been modernized and enhanced to streamline processes and provide information faster. These reports are enabling questions to be answered more efficiently regarding student billing and account balances.
• Efforts are underway to improve student reporting for each school with an initial focus on replacing legacy student reports. Modernization efforts for identified reports have begun and the plan is on-track for 48 reports to go into production by the end of this month (June 2023).
• Eight new reports to access archived financial data from the old eUMB Financials system were deployed. This work has contributed to the retirement of the eUMB Financials system.
• Three new reports to access archived travel data from the old eTravel system were deployed. This work contributed to the retirement of the eTravel system.
• One new Quantum Financials report (Schedule of Expenditures) was completed to combine Kuali Grant data with Quantum Financials data.

Goal 6:

Enhance education applications and systems for both in-classroom and remote teaching and learning.

Summary – 25% achieved

Educational applications and systems have been enhanced by:

• Providing close caption transcription for teaching video recordings via MediaSite.
• Installing seven additional Learning Tool Interoperability (LTI) protocols that expand the Blackboard functionality. Additional learning applications are integrated with the Blackboard Learning Management System as needed.
• Implementing Blackboard Ally to assist instructors with the presentation of educational content to ensure that it is following ADA guidelines for the formatting and structure of presentations.
• Migrating to the Cloud-based MediaSite application, which has newer functionality for capturing and recording lectures and other presentations.
• Developing “huddle spaces” with technology for students, e.g., SON and the SOM.
• Supporting the Leaders in Education: Academy of Presidential Scholars (LEAPS) by providing video conferencing assistance via MediaSite, Webex, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Blackboard Collaborate, etc., and providing technical support.
• Creating a University-wide Audio-Visual Working Group, comprised of participants from each UMB school and central administrative departments. The Group is meeting bi-weekly to meet the objectives of:

1. Sharing information regarding the current state of technology in classrooms and conference rooms;
2. Discussing needs, e.g., the technology needed for hybrid, hi-flex spaces, and video presentation studio(s);
3. Identifying where common technologies and configurations can be applied;
4. Leveraging collective buying power to reduce costs;
5. And, having the Working Group serve as a channel for members to communicate daily, if needed, regarding AV/IT questions, issues, needs, ideas, solutions, etc.

• A new employee online learning management system (LMS), Percipio, was implemented in late 2022. With Percipio, the campus now has a cloud-hosted platform to manage employee learning management functions, eLearning content libraries, and compliance training.

Goal 7:

Reimagine the future by implementing new and/or upgrading existing information systems and applications.

Summary – 25% achieved

Information systems projects completed and/or underway since the December 2022 status report include:

• The MyUMB Portal was successfully transitioned from an aging on-premises PeopleSoft application to a new, contemporary, Cloud-hosted campus Portal.
• A new Travel Expense System has been implemented using the Cloud-hosted SAP Concur application. The campus went live with online travel requests, booking, and expense reimbursement in April 2023.
• The eUMB HR/Payroll application will be replaced as part of major Oracle HCM Cloud project initiative. The vision for this project is to deliver a modern, robust integrated application with new capabilities for people management including recruiting, learning and performance management, position management and payroll among others.

1. Both the Discovery portion of the project and pre-implementation activities to plan for organizational readiness, lay the foundation for organizational structure and service delivery models, and address some functionality gaps within the application have been completed.
2. Implementation of the new system will commence in July 2023 with a target goal of an April 2025 go-live.

• Quantum Financial Systems continue to evolve as Quarterly enhancements are made to improve the application features and functions. Recent enhancements were made to sponsored projects functionality, and improved reporting capability for procurement and invoice payment processing.
• In the Student Systems area, enhancements were made by upgrading the Banner Self Service (SURFS) to the latest release with a greatly improved user interface. Additional initiatives include:

1. Updates and improvements to the Customer Relations Management and Degree Works applications were made.
2. A Student Data Analytics initiative is under way to replace the aging Crystal Reports with an interactive and dynamic reporting solution.

• In coordination with the UMB Foundation, an outside consulting firm was engaged to conduct a thorough needs assessment for a new Advancement fund-raising management software application. Evaluation of potential solutions and implementation planning is targeted for Fall 2023.

Goal 8:

Support the UMB Center for Global Engagement and global programs and initiatives via the availability and use of contemporary tools and technologies.

Summary – 20% achieved

Great progress has been made with the development of a UMB Global Hub, which is a one-stop shop for personalized support with all international activities and engagement by UMB personnel and units. It includes the following features:

• A web-based world map using mapped coordinates;
• A database for each country where activity is occurring;
• Interactivity to see content by hovering over links in the web-based Global Hub;
• Color coding in the Global Hub to make it easier to navigate and find a country.
• A new feature that has been added is the ability to see additional information when clicking on a link for each country where projects are being performed. After clicking on the link to the country, the viewer will be able to click on a link to each project in that respective country and see the title of the award, the sponsor, the principal investigators name, and the description of the project.

The IT Help Desk continues to work with the Global Hub team in utilizing the Incident Management System for their support operations.

Goal 9:

Support the UMB Community Engagement Center and local UMB community engagement activities in West Baltimore with technology resources.

Summary – 20% achieved

Additional printers and Wireless Access Points were purchased and installed in the CEC building lobby and in the parking lot next to the building. We have also purchased and installed new computer workstations and a new copier in the computer lab. We have also helped establish proper network connectivity to enable Center staff to offer Tax Prep Services to community residents.

Goal 10:

Develop new communication and customer support mechanisms.

Summary – 20% achieved

A new Communication Plan and Procedures has been developed in CITS for better informing the campus of technology events (upgrades, changes, issues, etc.).

A UMB Help Desk Working Group has been formed to help strengthen customer support across the University. The group will be discussing opportunities for collectively strengthening processes, procedures, operations, communications, and support systems. The group is currently reviewing existing help desk software on campus and has engaged scores of customers and technicians to discover business needs to define the requirements for uniting UMB under one system. Information regarding needs and requirements for a new Help Desk system is being gathered from six administrator/technician focus groups and dozens of help desk customers who will represent the breadth of the UMB community.

Goal 11:

Pursue additional opportunities for collaboration by acquiring, building, creating, and sharing technology in a collaborative way.

Summary – 20% achieved

Extensive work is being performed leveraging Microsoft technologies. The use of technologies under the “umbrella” of UMB Microsoft licensed products and services is helping consolidate and reduce the number of tools, technologies and systems that effectively do the same thing.

Other considerations for the future include reducing the number of communication and collaboration systems, e.g., video-conferencing systems and having standards for AV/IT technologies in UMB classrooms and conference rooms.

Goal 12:

Encourage the development and promote the use of advanced and emerging technologies for academic success and administrative effectiveness.

Summary – 30% achieved

The Microsoft Azure, Azure Virtual Desktop project is one example of a transformational IT project that UMB is currently undertaking. It will enhance IT security and the protection of data as well as provide UMB schools and departments the opportunity of buying less expensive computing devices.

Other projects that will introduce a growing commercial product portfolio of artificial intelligence capabilities will include the new Human Capital Management system, a new campus Help Desk system, and Microsoft 365 suite of applications

Goal 13:

Integrate the UMB Core Values into the CITS organization culture through education and demonstrated behaviors.

Summary – 20% achieved

We held a CITS All Hands meeting on November 4, 2022, which was devoted to both UMB Core Values and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). We held eight CITS small group sessions on the topics of both UMB Core Values and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). We plan to repeat this two or three times per year. The next round of small group meetings is planned for fall 2023.

Goal 14:

Create a CITS dashboard of specific metrics and indicators to assess progress with DE & I in CITS.

Summary – 75% achieved

The dashboard of metrics and indicators to assess progress with diversity, equity, and inclusion in CITS has been created and is in production use. Further adjustments and updates have been and continue to be made to the dashboard of metrics and indicators to assess progress with diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Goal 15:

In collaboration with the Office of EDI, CITS will increase awareness, enhance education and knowledge, and change attitudes and perceptions regarding items and issues pertaining to ED & I.

Summary – 20% achieved

We held a CITS All Hands meeting on November 4, 2022, which was devoted to both UMB Core Values and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). We held eight CITS small group sessions on the topics of both UMB Core Values and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). We plan to repeat this two or three times per year. The next round of small group meetings is planned for fall 2023.

Goal 16:

Promote knowledge, expertise, and career development in CITS.

Summary – 20% achieved

Approximately 93 percent of all CITS employees have participated in at least one professional development opportunity this fiscal year.