January 2024 CIO Update
The new year has already been extremely busy for Technology Services, and with the upcoming migration to the new Technology Operations Center (TOC), the high level of activity will most definitely continue. Following please see an update on the TOC as well an overview of two important services we provide.
TOC and Data Center Migration – Brief Update
After nearly 2.5 years of planning, design, and constructing the new TOC Building (located at 707 W. Broad Street), which will house the University’s primary data center on floors 2 and 3 and Technology Services staff on floors 4 through 6, is nearly complete. This is truly amazing considering that most major construction projects take 5 years to get to this point.
TS staff had been previously scheduled to move in during the week of January 8th, but unfortunately the supplied water pressure from the city is not strong enough for the fire suppression system to function properly, so occupancy has not yet been approved. VCU Construction Management has worked with the city to determine that a new 6” pipe will need to be installed to TOC. The plan calls for the city to complete a new underground conduit this week after which TS staff would be able to move in.
On the data center front, the state ceiling inspection is scheduled this week with racks to be installed around February 9th. Once this is complete, fiber can then be installed to the data center floors and the real work of standing up the new facility will begin.
The first order of business is to establish the new network topology, Cisco ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure), that is going in the data center. Significant work with ACI over the past year has taken place as this architecture is already set up at the current Pocahontas data center and at Harris Hall. This work is scheduled to start mid to late February and take about 6 – 8 weeks with completion expected around the end of March. Once the network is successfully online, the challenging task of migrating all functionality from Poca to TOC begins, first focusing on enterprise systems and then departmental devices. It is not anticipated that we will be in a position to move hosted devices or have housed equipment moved until some time starting in June.
For groups that have hosted and housed systems currently at 900 E. Main, UCC staff will be communicating a very specific move schedule over the coming weeks. UCC is responsible for the relocation of hosted equipment and will assist housed system owners with vendor coordination as needed. It is important to understand that the time frames indicated are not written in stone at this point. There are a lot of variables still to be worked out and as these become clearer the schedule will start to tighten up.
Since we are effectively standing up a third data center, the decommissioning of the Poca data center cannot start until after TOC is fully functional and supporting the university. Once that has been realized, the work on dismantling Poca will begin and is expected to run well into the summer.
OnePrint Program
The OnePrint Program, VCU’s university-wide managed print initiative powered by Canon, offers fully-featured multi-function devices (copier/printer/fax/scan). Aligned with VCU’s strategic objectives, this program aims to enhance workflow efficiency, mitigate security risks, elevate the end-user experience, minimize total ownership costs, and contribute to long-term sustainability goals.
OnePrint Anywhere extends significant advantages to faculty and staff by seamlessly integrating Pharos print management, ensuring a secure and authenticated printing experience. Leveraging their VCUCard, users can effortlessly release print jobs from any OnePrint Anywhere enabled device across campus and the associated charges will be allocated to the department’s budget code. This not only enhances data security but also provides unparalleled flexibility, enabling individuals to conveniently manage their printing tasks with ease and efficiency.
In parallel, OnePrint Pay caters to students, delivering secure and authenticated printing services at VCU Libraries and various locations across both campuses (for locations, visit https://oneprint.vcu.edu/pay/). With a simple swipe of their VCUCard, students can access funds from their RamBucks account, facilitating efficient and convenient printing, copying, and scanning experiences.
Avaya Workspace
Elevate your workplace communication with the convenience of the Workplace mobility app. Whether you are in the office, teleworking, have a hybrid schedule or on the move, it’s easy to take your office phone number wherever you go; seamlessly using it on your mobile device or computer. With the app, outbound calls display your work phone number, ensuring a professional and consistent communication experience. All inbound calls from the app will display Avaya Workplace and have a distinct ring.
The Workplace app is available with a service number and desk phone at no additional cost. If no desk phone is needed, a monthly savings of $14.95 can be realized using the Workplace app only. Telecommunications Services offers virtual training sessions throughout the year. Training sessions are announced via the VCU TelegRAM and are open to VCU and VCU Health employees. They may also be found via the VCU training calendar at https://training.vcu.edu/.
For more information and/or to request an Avaya Workplace account, visit our web page, https://ts.vcu.edu/askit/knowledge-base/telecommunications/products-and-services/avaya-workplace/.
As always, I thank the entire Technology Services team and our IT partners across VCU for the incredible work done every day here!
Alex