Center for Information Technology Services

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Campus Substitute for Modem Pool,
Internet Service Provider Partnership

July 2003 update

Goal:
To implement a program, in partnership with a company, that would offer UMB faculty, staff, and students competitive, possibly discounted rates for Internet service and provide reliable remote access to campus computing services.

Objectives:

  • To define the requirements for a campus ISP service,
  • To find a suitable campus partner for providing this service,
  • To implement the service in partnership with the identified vendor.

Current State:
Faculty, students, and staff currently access campus information resources through a modem pool, via various Internet Service Providers, or by telnet from various locations. The quality of the service is uneven and the cost varies by provider and according to the services available. Access to the Internet is equally unregulated and uneven.

Schedule:

Nov: Gather information. Research the marketplace and needs of customers, e.g., find other campuses who have undertaken similar projects and talk to them.

Dec: Conduct employee and student surveys assessing ISP preferences.

Jan: Conduct Focus Groups to interpret data and enhance the articulation of campus preferences.

Mar: Meet with Legal and Procurement Services to determine parameters of partnering with a private company for remote access.

April: Negotiate possible rates and plans with private company(ies). Draft grant proposal for possible partial funding of infrastructure build out and authentication/authorization mechanism.

Summer 2003: Test ISP services, inspect infrastructure, develop language for announcements, design web site with links to vendors

Aug: Make announcement of ISP services, provide web sites for information and registration, continue to negotiate services

Sept: Initiate grant work, if proposal for university/private company collaboration of remote access via the Internet, is approved

Initial Outcome:
Availability of facile, low-cost access to the Internet and to campus IT resources for faculty, students, and staff.

Ultimate Outcome:
A very high percentage of faculty, students, and staff subscribed to this solution for providing remote access to information resources at UMB.