Email

Over the past year, HSPH has upgraded its email system to GroupWise, an integrated email, calendaring, and document management system.  This project has been completed.   Thank you to the community for your patience and cooperations.

 

 

Infrastructure Improvements

Network

Network services completed a major core network upgrade that affects all buildings. (Status: completed)

New high capacity routers were installed in every building at HSPH connecting HSPH desktops and wireless devices to the core network and server room. These improvements will provide necessary bandwidth, security and reliability for future applications. (Status: completed)

 

Wireless Computing

As mobile computing has become more important, wireless access upgrades were recently completed. Wireless access is available in most common areas of the school. (status: completed)

 

Auditoria and Classrooms

Many upgrades are planned or underway that effect auditoria, classrooms, and computer laboratories. These include:

• New audio conferencing units G1, G2, G3, and 213 (status: completed)
• New projectors in Kresge G1, G2, and G3 (status: completed)
• New cameras in Kresge G1, G2, and G3 (status: completed)
• New touchscreens controls in G1, G2, G3 and 213 (status: completed)
• Renovation of Kresge 110 (status: completed)
• New projectors in HSPH largest computer classroom, Kresge LL6. (status: completed)
• New high-speed Ikon printer(s) in the main student computer laboratory to meet increasing printing demand in student laboratories. (status: in production)
• New projectors in general classrooms and conference rooms (status: 19 projectors installed in 2007)
• Renovation of Kresge 502 (status: completed)

Server and Storage

Many server and storage upgrades are under way or being planned to account for the new email system, disaster recovery, and other backup needs. Equipment being deployed includes:

• 4 redundant, high-speed servers with high capacity disk storage for GroupWise Email/Calendaring system
  (status: now in production)

• 15 TB of storage space for daily off-site backup of all systems, to further disaster recovery plans, and for potential desktop backup solution for user's PCs.
  (status: in production)
  
  
• Consolidation of MS SQL database servers to more robust and dedicated server
  (status:  in production)
  
  
• Creation of redundant MS SQL Server process with live failover and disaster recovery
  (status: installation and testing scheduled for summer 2007)

• Web server/application server replacement
  (status: multiple application servers in production)
  
  
• Full disaster recovery off-site at Summer Street for email, file sharing, data storage, and web services
  (status: nearing completion as of December 2007)

Audio-Visual Control Room

The control room that ties together Kresge G1, G2, G3, and 213 will be reprogrammed and expanded to include more rooms. The upgrades will enable a greater capacity for live webcasts, course captures, and podcasts.

Status:

• Major upgrades have been completed to G1, G2, and G3.
  
• Equipment has been added to central control room and programming adjusted.
  In February 2007, further programming work was completed in control room and Kresge 213 completing the largest programming upgrade in 5 years to central systems.  (status: completed)
• Final control room upgrades were completed in early April.
• Reprogramming in Kresge 213 will take place between Commencement and the start of summer session. (status: completed)
• Addition of Kresge 502 to control room (status: completed)

Instructional Computing Facility

Presidential Fellowship Program (PITF)

The Provost's Office has renewed funding for the Presidential Fellowship Program that provides HSPH with academic year and summer assistance for Harvard courseware and ISite Development. If faculty member are interested in PITF work or information on other grants offered by the Provost Office, please contact Amy Cohen, Manager of the Instructional Computing Facility, 432-2580, acohen@hsph.harvard.edu
(Status: HSPH PITF Evan Johnson won one of three University-wide awards for achievement in instructional technology for courseware project for Professor Shirly Liu's Biostatistics 280.)

New Courseware

The university is rolling out a new and improved version of the Harvard courseware in the summer or fall of 2006. After two successful pilot projects, HSPH has elected to migrate in the summer 2006 as an early adopter of the software. New features include better user interface, ability to share information from course to course, and a new reserve system that integrates with the library.
(Status: New system successfully launched in Summer 2006 and in production for fall 2006)

Screenshot of new courseware rolled out by the University during the summer of 2006. Site is "skinned" for HSPH using the MyHSPH portal format.

Expansion of Seminars and Online Student Resources for Students

• ICF
  (status: new iSite has been launched with complete student information and tutorials)
• GIS
  (status: HSPH now hosts Harvard GIS specialist Robert Rose for office hours weekly)
• Statistical software
  (status: very successful SAS workshop has been well attended)
• ICF casual staffing has been increased and the laboratory now has full-time, daytime student assistants.

 

Website and Portal Development

MyHSPH

A portal committee has formed to discuss policy and content development for MyHSPH portal. The Office for Students, Office for Academic Affairs, and Office for Human Resources are representing the students, faculty, and staff views respectively.
(Status: committee formed, new version of MyHSPH was launched on August 29, 2006.  Committee now plans to form focus groups and poll community on application development and resource development.)

Website and Content Management

The Office of Communications, Office for Enrollment Services, and other offices will begin redesigning the HSPH home page in the winter and spring of 2006. The focus of the redesign will be based upon the 2005 web committee advisory report and includes:

• Developing and improving content targeted to prospective students
• Creating better consistency in terms of visual identity and organization across the site
• Improved visual design and navigation in light of the launch of MyHSPH
• Ensuring we are in compliance with accessibility standards and adhering to web technology standards.
• Providing content managers with simple tools to maintain content and a strong relational database structure on the backend.
• Improved searchability (HSPH Google search appliance launched January 2006)

(Status:  CMS and new homepage launched on April 1, 2007 and now in production with more than 1000 users.  Two additional feature rollouts have been completed in June and August 2007)

A screenshot of the new HSPH content management system. The system will be launched in the fall of 2006 and power a large percentage of the HSPH website.

iSites and student web pages

In November 2005, HSPH launched iSites, a community building application to the faculty, student groups, and approved ad hoc groups. We setup and launched 40+ of isites ranging from the SCC to this IT website to research projects.. In 2006, we will continue training, create new tools that integrate with the application, and expand our users.
(Status: in production and supported)

Student web pages were launched in September of 2006.
(Status: in production)

 

New Technology

The Information Technology Department will explore the acquisition or enhancement of many newer technologies including:

• Expansion of virus protection to include malware protection (completed January 2006)
• Improve imaging process for student laboratory PCs and new purchases (completed September 2005)
• Expand PDA and handheld device support (RIM Blackberry fully supported on a variety of service providers; Windows Mobile 5 BlackJack device being tested)
• Desktop video conferencing (Status: tabled)
• Web conferencing (Status: Webex and Elluminate were selected by University for 1 year web conferencing pilot and are now available for HSPH use)
• Desktop PC backup solution
• High quality video over internet (video over IP) (Status: participating in Harvard's Video Furnace pilot)
• Podcasting (Status: in production)
• Ecommerce through Harvard Credit Card System (Status: course registration form for CCPE in production and was successfully audited by University)
• New ListServ software mailman to replace majordomo software (Status: in production, December 2005)
• Continued work on single sign-on computing solutions
• Explore LINUX desktop support plans
• Explore laptop requirement or specifications for students (tabled)

Communication and Staffing

The Information Technology Department will make efforts to expand its communications efforts including:

• Continued work with the IT Advisory Committee
• Expansion of the HelpDesk as one central contact point for all requests
• Launching of a new IT website with electronic forms and more complete policy statements, announcements, and FAQs
• Usage of MyHSPH for IT-related announcements
• Utilization of plasma screen in cafeteria
  
  (Status: Helpdesk reach expanded, IT website launched, MyHSPH announcements utilized, plasma screen in production)

The IT Department's Email Working Committee launched an Isite that contained complete information and progress reports on the email migration. The site included computer-based training, quickstart quides, manuals, and the chart above which outlined migrations underway and scheduled.

If you have any questions on IT Initiatives for 2006, please contact Taso Markatos, Assistant Dean for Information Technology at 432-3164 or via email at. taso@hsph.harvard.edu.