Mission Statement

Information Technology Services provides a wide range of information technology solutions and services to the University community that are innovative, accessible, timely, reliable, accurate, efficient, and responsive to customer needs. We collaborate to proactively identify opportunities, mitigate risks, plan future initiatives, and solve problems by leveraging all of our information technology resources and knowledge.

Strategic Priorities

The IT landscape is constantly evolving, and for UIS to thrive, ITS needs a clear vision for how technology will support our campus goals. ITS has developed a strategic roadmap, which is a dynamic document that serves as our compass, guiding our technology investments and ensuring they align with UIS' goals.

Critical Infrastructure

Why is this a priority?

IT infrastructure acts as the foundation for all our technology operations. Having a robust infrastructure allows us to enable core functions, boost productivity and efficiency, ensure data security and compliance, support innovation and growth, and provide a competitive edge.

Action Items

  • Firewall, VPN, and outside router replacement
    • Description: The firewall, VPN, and outside router together act as a security guard for our network, monitoring incoming and outgoing traffic. They essentially decide what gets in and what stays out, protecting our devices from malicious or unwanted activity.
    • Expected Outcomes:
    • Timeline: Summer/Fall 2024 - COMPLETE
  • Upgrade all door card readers
    • Description: The iCard office has been transitioning to Seos iCards, which has paved the way for us to upgrade card readers for these more secure cards.
    • Expected Outcomes: Improved security for door access.
    • Timeline: Spring/Summer 2024 - COMPLETE
  • Housing network upgrade
    • Description: Several housing units are running on equipment that has reached end of life. FRH, in particular, needs be upgraded before the campus-wide Wi-Fi can be upgraded.
    • Expected Outcomes: Increased Wi-Fi performance
    • Timeline: Dependent on Housing's availability of funds
  • UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) replacement/installation
    • Description: Power modules in HSB are nearing end of life. BRK and PAC need UPSs.
    • Expected Outcomes: UPSs allow network connections to remain running during brief power outages and downtime during maintenance.
    • Timeline: Summer 2024 - Summer 2025
  • Load balancer upgrade
    • Description: A load balancer acts like a traffic director for the network, distributing incoming requests across multiple servers in a pool. Our current load balancer is reaching end of life.
    • Expected Outcomes: Improved performance, increased scalability, and resilience.
    • Timeline:
  • Wi-Fi upgrades
    • Description: Wi-Fi standards 6/7 are the latest advancements in wireless networking technology, providing faster speeds, improved capacity, and lower latency. Will require replacing all access points on campus.
    • Expected Outcomes: Noticeable improvement in Wi-Fi speed and reduction in lost connections.
    • Timeline: Ongoing through FY28

Operational Excellence

Why is this a priority?

Operational excellence is an ITS priority because it enhances efficiency and productivity, increases satisfaction of our students, employees, guests, and stakeholders, and provides UIS with a competitive advantage. These efforts directly impact student success and experience.

Action Items

  • Citrix upgrade
    • Description: Citrix is virtual desktop environment used by many UIS students to access academic software. It has reached end of life.
    • Expected Outcomes: Noticeable improvement in performance for students.
    • Timeline: Summer 2024 - COMPLETE
  • Production VMware hosts upgrade
    • Description: VMware hosts are used to run critical business applications and workloads on virtual machines. Many of our critical UIS services run on VMware hosts.
    • Expected Outcomes: Improved performance
    • Timeline: Summer 2025
  • SAN (Storage Area Network) upgrade
    • Description: The SAN acts as a dedicated high-performance network specifically designed for data storage. It serves as a high-speed highway for data, separate from the regular network used for browsing the web, checking email, or accessing learning management systems.
    • Expected Outcomes: Improved performance and increased security
    • Timeline: Summer 2025
  • Cloud services user de-provisioning
    • Description: UIS offers several cloud solutions, including Box, Google, Zoom, and Microsoft. In order to keep licensing costs down, user accounts need to be de-provisioned on a scheduled basis.
    • Expected Outcomes: Transparent to users; only users who are no longer active students or employees will be de-provisioned. Managing user accounts allows us to keep licensing costs as low as possible.
    • Timeline: Summer/Fall 2024 and then once/semester moving forward
  • Windows 11 migration
    • Description: Windows 10 reaches end of life in October 2025. Prior to then, all devices running Windows 10 must be upgraded to Windows 11 or replaced with a device running Windows 11.
    • Expected Outcomes: Any devices running Windows 10 will be kicked off the network as of October 2025 in order to protect the campus network.
    • Timeline: Ongoing through October 2025
  • Support campus Strategic Investment Funds (SIF) projects
    • Description: Several departments/units have received SIF funding. Many of these initiatives have a technology component (hardware, infrastructure, training, support, etc). ITS is committed to supporting these projects.
    • Expected Outcomes: SIF initiatives are focused on the recruitment and retention of students.
    • Timeline: Ongoing
  • Transition to cloud voice
    • Description: We are currently in the middle of a 5-year contract with Cisco. As we finish this contract, we are evaluating cloud phone solutions to replace physical phones on campus. We are currently looking at Zoom phones (being implemented at UIC) and Teams phones (implemented by UIUC) among others.
    • Expected Outcomes: While this is not a cost-savings effort, the benefits of cloud phones include improved scalability, remote work friendliness, improved security, and device flexibility.
    • Timeline: Preliminary research being done currently; transition to cloud phones by FY28
  • Mobile credentials implementation
    • Description: Mobile credentials are essentially digital keys stored on a mobile device that can be used for secure access control. They will allow us to use mobile devices in place of iCards for some use cases.
    • Expected Outcomes: The initial use of mobile credentials is for door access. Users will be able to use the mobile credential stored in the UIS Mobile app on their phones to open campus doors.
    • Timeline: Summer 2024 - COMPLETE
  • Business process workflow application development
    • Description: ITS works with individual units and programs to build web-based applications to streamline tasks and workflows.
    • Expected Outcomes: Increased efficiency, productivity, and transparency.
    • Timeline: Ongoing; ITS builds several of these each year by request.
  • Software/contract review
    • Description: In an effort to reduce costs and increase service, ITS is reviewing currently used software to determine if license counts can be reduced and/or if alternative solutions exist that would better meet the needs of UIS.
    • Expected Outcomes: Varied. Contract costs could decrease (or not increase as much). Additional services may be available if alternative solutions are purchased.
    • Timeline: Ongoing
  • UIS mobile app integrations
    • Description: The UIS Mobile app was launched in 2023 in partnership with the Office of Web and Digital Strategies. By working with various units on campus, we are building integrations into the app to increase usability and better meet student expectations.
    • Expected Outcomes: Growing number of features available in the mobile app
    • Timeline: Ongoing