I. Executive Summary

Information Resources at The University of Texas at Austin are provided by three major entities:
 

• Academic Computing and Instructional Technology Services (ACITS), which provides academic and research computing support,

• Administrative Computing Services (ACS), which provides administrative computing and data processing support,

• The Department of Telecommunications , which provides all voice services and general telecommunications infrastructure and support.

This plan addresses the Department of Telecommunications’ portion of this overall support.  Since its origins in the 1930s, these voice and overall infrastructure functions have existed within the organization of the Vice President for Business Affairs.  Now, as part of a major University reorganization, the providers of these services will soon be combined with the data networking group of ACITS and will report along with ACITS and ACS to a newly created Vice President for Information Technology.

A part of the University's Information Resource Goal is the provision of telecommunications services and infrastructure to support the University's mission “to be a university of the first class through excellence in teaching, research, and public service.” The IR providers on the University campus, including those providing voice telecommunications and physical infrastructure, must be committed to providing resources and services which complement faculty and staff efforts to achieve this goal.

The major initiatives for the Department of Telecommunications during this period include participation in joint planning and implementation of service delivery, the use of new technology  and the appropriate provisioning of new and renovated facilities and infrastructure to meet the University’s needs.

This activity must be planned in accordance with funding availability and may be extensive enough to require funds beyond those available through the existing cost recovery model.
 

Table 1: Goals, Objectives and Strategies

Agency Goal A - Provide institutional support and ancillary services to students, faculty, and staff
Agency Goal B - Provide Infrastructure Support
Agency Goal C - Provide Special Item Support
 

Table 2: Information Resources Policies and Practices
 

Table 3: Agency Platforms, Systems, and Telecommunications
 

Table 4. Agency Databases
 

Table 5: Agency Applications
 

Table 6: Interagency Data Needs
 

I. Executive Summary

The University of Texas at Austin office of Academic Computing and Instructional Technology Services (ACITS) provides information technology services to University students, faculty, and staff, to the UT System component institutions and, through interagency contracts, to eligible federal, state, and municipal governmental agencies.

A goal of The University of Texas at Austin is to continue to pursue high standards of achievement in instruction, student performance, research, and scholarly achievement.  Access to state-of-the-art academic and research information resources by students, faculty, and staff is one of the most important components in providing an environment conducive to achieving this goal.  To provide the academic information resources environment that will be required during the next five years, ACITS will concentrate efforts in the following areas:
 

• continuing development of an infrastructure to support a state-of-the-art information resource environment;
• designing computing and information environments based upon distributed computing and client/server technologies interconnected with a high speed, campus-wide network to support increased demand for information sharing, human communications, and collaboration;
• expanding and upgrading student information resource laboratories;
• expanding the services available locally to departments, colleges, and research units;
• coordinating customer services with other infrastructure providers and technical support staff within University departments and organized research units;
• training faculty, staff, and students in applications of information technology.

Table 1:  Goals, Objectives and Strategies
Using the guidelines established in the Agency Strategic Plan instructions, provide goals, objectives, strategies, and action items for the Information Resources function within the agency.

Agency Goal A -- Provide Institutional Support and ancillary services to students, faculty, and staff
Agency Goal B -- Provide Infrastructure Support
Agency Goal C -- Provide Special Item Support
 

Table 2:  Information Resources Policies and Practices
Use this table to provide a high-level view of the agency's information resources policies and practices. If appropriate, include references to internal agency documentation and/or supplemental information available on the agency's Web site.
 

Table 3:  Agency Platforms, Systems, and Telecommunications
 
 

Table 4.  Agency Database
Identify major agency databases critical to the administration or service of the agency's mission and briefly describe their uses. This includes internal administrative databases, but excludes simple databases used in the support of administrative functions (for example, phone lists and address directories). Provide the following information for each database.
 

Table 5.  Agency Applications
Identify major software applications and provide a brief description of their uses. For this plan, major applications are those critical to the administration or service of the agency's mission. Provide the following information for each application.