From the CIO

September 2023 CIO Update

With the fall semester in full swing, I would like to share some updates around new services that have been implemented.

New Student Technology Website

In May 2023, Academic Technologies launched the new VCU Student Technology website at student-tech.vcu.edu, which replaced the former Student Computer Initiative website. The new site is different from the old one in many ways and has been expanded to include resources for new, current, and graduating students. 

A “New Student Technology Checklist” section provides important information about acquiring a laptop, connecting to SafeNet wireless, installing software from the Software Center, navigating support resources, and keeping devices/accounts secure and up to date.  

The “Graduating Students’ Technology Checklist“ has been converted to an easy-to-follow section dedicated to current students who will be leaving VCU soon (or who may have already graduated). 

This expanded website serves as a go-to starting point for technology resources for VCU students with links to additional information and frequently asked questions such as:

• Can I use financial aid to purchase a laptop?
• Who can I contact for technical support?
• Do I need to buy a software license for apps such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, or Top Hat?
• What are the requirements for home internet access?
• Where can I find on-campus printing services? 
• Are there any computer labs and/or makerspaces available on-campus for students to use?
• How/where can I borrow a loaner laptop?

Be sure to utilize the new Student Technology website to help you get started at VCU, or as a guide to specific resources and support.

New Classroom Technology Website

New for the Fall 2023 semester, Academic Technologies has updated the Central Classroom Technology Support website, classroomtech.vcu.edu. The site has a new, streamlined look and is easy to navigate. Faculty resources include information about all the centrally managed classrooms and the technologies available in each, as well as support and training resources. If faculty need assistance during their class or would like to schedule a consultation to learn how to use the technology in centrally managed classrooms, they can simply call the TechSquad hotline. There is a phone number for each campus, which is monitored by experienced technicians who can assist by phone and when necessary, can be dispatched to the classroom. 

Cohesity Data Protection

For several decades, Infrastructure Services has relied on the IBM Spectrum Protect (formerly Tivoli Storage Manager) solution as its central data center backup platform.  Though the solution has proven reliable and withstood the test of time, in recent years, funding challenges coupled with aging infrastructure have combined to make this platform difficult to support and maintain.

The planned migration to the new Technology Operations Center (TOC) building presented another unique challenge.  Specifically, the IBM backup solution, as implemented at VCU, relied heavily on a legacy IBM TS3500 Automated Tape Library (ATL), which occupies over 419 cubic feet of floor space at the existing primary data center facility.  The new TOC data center would not have adequate space to house this critical piece of infrastructure.

This symphony of challenges presented the team with an opportunity to modernize the University’s enterprise backup solution, and do so in a way that would require less physical space, while also focusing on potential opportunities to save valuable power and cooling resources, pursuant to the objectives of both Quest 2028 and the ONE VCU Sustainability Plan.  After conducting an in-depth, multi-year review of four industry-leading backup and data protection solutions, Infrastructure Services selected Cohesity as its new data protection platform moving forward.

The implementation of the new Cohesity solution began in earnest in April of this year, and within three short months, all backups of systems and services in scope for transition to Cohesity were transparently migrated from IBM Spectrum Protect – the successful culmination of countless hours of research, preparation, planning, and execution involving almost every Infrastructure Services team, including the Platform, Network Operations, Operating Systems, Database, and Network Services groups.  Numerically speaking, nearly 850 servers and more than 1,400 databases were migrated in less than 90 days.

The benefits of the transition to Cohesity are many, but a few highlights include:

• The introduction, for the first time, of advanced deduplication and compression features for all backups, resulting in an 81.5x reduction in storage resource consumption compared to the legacy solution.
• Significant performance improvements that expedite routine backups, as well as recovery of data and databases.  A recent request to restore data that would have required many hours to complete on the legacy solution was fulfilled by Cohesity in just seven seconds!
• The introduction of new capabilities that will support Infrastructure Services’ ongoing automation and DevOps initiatives.
• New security features that enhance Technology Services’ ability to identify and more quickly respond to ransomware attacks.
• A 25% reduction in total power consumption, while occupying less than 4% of the physical footprint required by the legacy system.

Please stay tuned for more updates on new service and technologies. Thanks to the Technology Services team and the entire VCU IT community for a successful beginning to the new academic year!

Alex