HSPH is undertaking a major security initiative in 2008 as a priority. Security for all servers, applications, and business practices are being audited and scrutinized to ensure the highest level of security possible for the HSPH community. This initiative is part of a larger University-wide initiative.
Status as of July 1, 2008:
HSPH is currently implementing a full disaster recovery plan for email, web, and other servers.
Status as of June 1, 2008: Summer Street off-campus site is in production with email, web and most servers fully replicated utilizing virtualization software (VMWare).
The Instructional Computing Facility is being completely renovated and expanded. The new space will contain a combination of lounge/soft seating, computer carrels, computers at counters, and a collaborative breakout room complete with audio-visual. It will also have enhanced areas for ICF staff and student workers as well as a separate room for printing to minimize noise in the laboratory.
STATUS as of August 25, 2008: The ICF renovation has been completed and is now open. Visit the new space!
Kresge 213 was outfitted each summer with 50 laptop computers for computer classes in the summer session. New innovative furniture has been purchased that allows the laptops to be stored out of sight allowing the room to function as a regular classroom without computers. Lenovo T61 laptops will be available 12 months out of the year instead of 2 months greatly increasing both HSPH's computer capacity and room flexibility.
STATUS as of August 1, 2008: Kresge 213 has been completed and is open for the summer
Kresge 213 has new furniture that allows laptop computers to be stored out of sight when not required. Kresge 213 will now be equipped with computers on a year-round basis.
A formerly underutilized classroom and a storage closet is being converted into a 25-seat computer classroom that will be ideal for class computer sessions, computer trainings, and other courses that normally took place in the much smaller Kresge LL17 or Kresge 210. Innovative furniture allows the computers to be stored out of sight allowing the room to function as a regular classroom when computers are not required. An adjoining student lounge is being created in Kresge 206.
STATUS as of June 23, 2008: Kresge 209 has been completed and is open for the summer. Kresge 206 lounge will be renovated later in the summer/early fall.
Kresge 209 will serve as the student computer laboratory for the summer while Kresge LL17/19 are being renovated.
Kresge 209 has a projection system and spacious instructor area suitable for using PC, laptop, or tablet PC.
The audio-visual system in Kresge 502 was replaced. The upgrades include:
- New projectors and screen
- New touch panel control system and matrix switcher
- New microphones, speakers, and lapel microphones
- New DVD player
- Addition of a confidence plasma display at the back of the room
- Addition of multi-camera video conferencing
- Addition of a document camera
- Fiber connection for VGA and video added from Kresge 502 to control room allowing for videotaping and web streaming.
- New maple podium
STATUS as of June 1, 2008: in production
Dual projectors have been installed in Kresge 502 as well as a confidence monitor for the instructor.
Upgrades were made to all classrooms on the 2nd floor. These include:
Rooms have been quoted out for replacement of older audio-visual equipment and adding connectivity to control room for taping and web streaming.
STATUS as of August 25, 2008: New projectors have been installed in all classrooms. FXB G03 and G10 have new wall mounted room controls.
In 2005, HSPH launched a high performance research cluster of 32 high-speed
dual processor computers. These computers are tied together with the LINUX
operating system creating one large supercomputer that is capable of running
analysis on many different types of statistical software including SAS, STATA,
and Mathematica.
If faculty are interested in purchasing nodes as part of this expansion, please
contact Bill Mahoney, Assistant Director of Information Technology, 432-1751, cluster_admin@hsph.harvard.edu. For more information, please see the research cluster page.
Status:
The Harvard University web conferencing pilot came to a close in early June. During the pilot, HSPH faculty and staff used Webex successfully for courses, continuing professional education, meetings, webinars, and other collaborations. Elsewhere at the University, web conferencing pilot users utilized web conferencing for alumni outreach, prospective student sessions, course office hours and sessions, and virtual computer laboratory sessions.
In late-May, HSPH and HMS have negotiated a new one-year contract with Webex to continue the pilot. Please see: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/webex/ for further information.
STATUS: New contract in place through June 2009. HSPH has 25 account available to the community. An evaluation will be made in April 2009 on community usage for contract renewal.
HSPH has plasma displays in the Kresge lobby, Landmark 3rd and 4th floors, and has plans to install a display in the FXB Atrium, FXB ground floor, and Kregse ground floor. The IT Staff is researching digital signage products that will allow for event notifications, emergency notifications, videos, tickers, photos and other communication pieces to be maintained from central location(s).
Status as of August 25: Omnivex has been selected as digital signage product. Implementation to begin in late-August/early-September.
Many new features are planned for the HSPH Publisher, our content management system (CMS) for the HSPH website. These include:
The HSPH web team and Help Desk team are developing a new Help Desk ticketing system. The new system will offer users both a knowledge base and a means to monitor their outstanding and old tickets.
STATUS as of August 25: in production by HSPH Helpdesk. Community login and features will be released in late-August.
The web team is providing technical support and programming for the following projects:
Nutrition Source with new Web 2.0 sharing widget highlighted in upper right corner
The following upgrades are planned for 2008:
The following new technologies are being piloted or are in research:
The new video series for the spring issue of Harvard Public Health Review utilizes an Adobe Flash streaming video server hosted off-site at Limelight.
