Working with IT: Become a Partner, not a Client

Working with IT: Become a Partner, Not a Client
Meg Brown-Sica, NirajChaudhary&Nina McHale
University of Colorado Denver
CALC Summit 2010

#calc2010
#workingwithit

Our Agenda
Background
Auraria Library and Auraria Campus
Systems at Auraria
Relationship with UCD campus IT
Projects
Web server migration/virtualization (Nina)
Network server virtualization (Niraj)
Thin Client (Niraj)
Technology Strategic Planning (Meg)
Tips for becoming a partner

Background
Auraria Library and Auraria Campus
Systems Department at Auraria
Relationship with University of Colorado Denver Information Technology Services (UCD ITS)

Auraria Library and the Auraria Campus
Auraria Library serves:
University of Colorado Denver (includes both Auraria Campus and Anschutz Medical Campus)
Metropolitan State College of Denver (MSCD)
Community College of Denver (CCD)
All Library faculty and staff are University of Colorado Denver employees

Systems at Auraria
Systems librarian positions and department date to the early 1990s
Initial reporting for the department was directly to Library Administration
In the late 1990s, Technical Services became a full-blown division
Systems reporting line then went through Assistant Dean for Technical Services

Systems at Auraria, cont’d
In 2008, the Library undertook a major reorganization of staff
Like many other academic libraries, the top-level divisions have now been split into three:
Public Services
Technical Services
Systems/IT Services
An Assistant Director heads each

No staff turnover for fifteen years
Main IT technician and network administrator retired
Positions filled (more or less) internally
Hiring Freeze
New University Librarian/Library Director
New UCD ITS Director

Relationship with UCD Campus IT
Auraria Library Systems staff provides:
Desktop support to librarians and staff
In-house web development for the Library
UCD Campus ITS provides:
Network accounts and email
Campus wireless networks
Storage space and shared drive access

The Projects
Web server virtualization (Nina)
Server virtualization (Niraj)
Thin client (Niraj)
Strategic planning (Meg)

Outline for Each Project
Basic concepts
Project background & goals
Process
Outcomes
Lessons learned
Future plans

Web Server Virtualization:Basic Concepts
“Server virtualization is the masking of server resources, including the number and identity of individual physical servers, processors, and operating systems, from server users. The server administrator uses a software application to divide one physical server into multiple isolated virtual environments. The virtual environments are sometimes called virtual private servers, but they are also known as guests, instances, containers or emulations.”
–techtarget.com

Web Server Virtualization:Basic Concepts, cont’d
Catalog
Electronic Reserves
Web Site
Virtualized Server

Web Server Virtualization: Basic Concepts, cont’d
Analogies: virtualization is like:
A school bus
A car pool
A group house for college students
In short: a more efficient use of computing and staff resources

Web Server Virtualization:Basic Concepts, cont’d
Benefits:
UCD ITS performs server maintenance and backups, giving Library Systems staff more time to focus on web development
UCD ITS houses server in suitable environment; the Library does not have an appropriate climate-controlled environment for servers

Web Server Virtualization:Project Background & Goals
Library web site had been developed on a UCD server that hosted all UCD web sites (main university site, departmental sites, etc.) as well as faculty and staff email and other applications
Library URL was carbon.cudenver.edu/public/library
Cumbersome and not intuitive
library.cudenver.edu was alias
Better, but still not tri-institutional

Web Server Virtualization:Project Background & Goals, cont’d
New (and only the second) Web Librarian arrived in February 2006
Only five members of the library staff had publishing rights to the web server
This created an editorial bottleneck for content developers
When asked why, response from UCD ITS was that it was a “security issue”

When asked for clarification, the UCD ITS server support person explained that there was “too much personal information” on the web server
Web Librarian explained that patron data is stored in-house on the Library’s Innovative Interfaces’ ILS
From then on, the Web Librarian was free to assign web server accounts as desired, but UCD ITS had to do the work

“Carbon” server ran Tru64 UNIX with Apache for the web server
The campus web group had begun migrating web content to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS)
Since 2002, Library had developed dynamic applications using PHP and MySQL

As the Carbon server aged, UCD ITS began planning its retirement
Performance issues arose for the Library site as fewer departments used it for their web sites
The Library did not “fit” into MOSS:
Branding issues: Metro and CCD students are often not sure that we are really their library
Running PHP/MySQL on an IIS server is possible, but it introduces complexity

Web Server Virtualization:Process
In February 2007, Library Systems staff (Web and Distance Support Librarians and Network Administrator) met with UCD ITS to discuss the Library’s web needs
Desired a LAMP (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP) environment in which to continue developing
Required an environment free from any branding restrictions, including URL
Began using library.auraria.edu as main URL

Web Server Virtualization:Process, cont’d
UCD ITS designated a new employee to be a support contact and create the virtual environment and assist the Web Librarian during the migration and beyond
PHP and MySQL applications needed to be upgraded prior to the migration to the new environment

Web Server Virtualization:Outcomes
In April 2008, the Library’s main web site went live on new virtualized server
Excellent performance: 2 outages in 2 years
Web Librarian has complete control over account creation and file management
Virtual hosts have been established, i.e., more URLS:
intranet.auraria.edu
coloradowest.auraria.edu

Web Server Virtualization: Outcomes, cont’d
UCD ITS support contact trained Web Librarian in Linux to create and manage accounts and permissions on web files
UCD ITS support contact continued to provide support in installing applications and upgrading server software
Installed open source software, including MediaWiki for our intranet and Bugzilla for IT ticket creating and workflow tracking and Drupal for next iteration of the web site

Web Server Virtualization:Lessons Learned
Ad hoc arrangements between individuals, no matter how well-intentioned, can create dangerous points of failure
Development has occurred so rapidly that one librarian can’t manage it all
More skills—especially programming and server management—are needed in-house

Web Server Virtualization: Future Plans
IT Manager will take over more server maintenance needs
The Library can be even more autonomous
Web Librarian can focus on development instead of maintenance
UCD ITS support contact has changed focus
Systems staff developing more skills in-house
Possibility of migrating to another supported non-MOSS environment
The Library has hired a programmer on a four-month contract

Server Virtualization:Background & Goals
In 2008, six physical servers in the Library hosted various library applications (printing, electronic reserves, hosted specific software etc.)
The hardware warranty on four of the servers had expired in 2004
The Library lacked a proper environment (i.e., a datacenter) in which to host servers (climate control, etc.)

Server Virtualization: Project Background & Goals
UCD ITS had the virtual environment infrastructure (VMware)
UCD ITS had a better physical environment to host servers and 24 hour support in case of critical outages
Library Systems staff worked with ITS to determine applications compatibility with the virtual environment

Server Virtualization:Process
Timeline: June 8, 2009 – August 31, 2009
IT Services hosted 4 virtual servers
Library Systems migrated all the applications from physical servers to the new virtual servers

Server Virtualization: Outcomes
System administrative functions like security, patching, and backups on the servers are performed by UCD ITS
This allows Library Systems staff to focus on other support issues
The Library saves electricity, space, and staff time

Thin Client:Basic Concepts

Thin Client: Basic Concepts, cont’d
Thin clients are smaller, cheaper, and easy to manage
Based on the studies, thin-client devices are more energy-efficient than desktop computers, with some models using 85% less power than their PC rivals in real world environments.

Thin Client:Project Background & Goals
90 aging desktop computers in public area for students, staff, faculty, and public patrons
Estimated hardware cost was $70,000 to replace those computers
Systems started looking for a cheaper, greener option

Thin Client:Process
Virtual desktops can be delivered to any device (desktop, laptops, Mac, thin clients, and even mobile devices such as the iPhone); only requires is Citrix plug-ins
We decided to evaluate Citrix’s XenDesktop to deliver virtual desktops
Hired a Citrix Consultant
They set up a pilot with 10 Virtual machine
We decided to implement XenDesktop

Thin Client:Process, cont’d
Remote Computing Initiative (RCI) project launched by UCD ITS
Response to campus planning for H1N1
Enabled UCD faculty and staff to work from home more effectively
UCD ITS delivered virtual desktops through a web browser
The Library was delivering virtual desktops through thin clients

Thin Client:Process, cont’d
UCD ITS decided to expand their Citrix Infrastructure, and they needed a beta tester
Library systems began collaborating with them
This helped UCD ITS determine hardware needs
UCD ITS will offer XenDesktop to other departments

Thin Client:Outcomes
Associated Costs:
XenDesktop Licensing = $15,000
Hardware (servers) = $15,000
Thin Clients = $35,000
ROI analysis (from Citrix consultants):
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings of $265,080 over 5 years (compared to replacing desktop PCs)

Thin Client:Future Plans
Library has purchased 90 thin clients
Library Systems staff will be working with UCD ITS to deploy them
Library Systems staff are looking to replace other desktops in the library with thin clients (i.e., Computer Commons)
Increase number of computers in public area because of improved use of resources (electricity, money, etc.)

Technology Strategy Planning: Basic Concepts
Technology issues change too fast to be adequately handled in multi-year strategic plan
Helps identify the best use of skills, time and money
Look for the most impact for library users
Prioritize technology projects

Technology Strategy Planning:Project Background & Goals
Ensure inclusion of UCD ITS so that they are partners, not gatekeepers
Develop personal relationships with UCD ITS

Technology Strategy Planning:Process
Library wide survey of potential projects
Evaluation of skills, time, money and personnel needed
Evaluation of what portions of projects are outsourced and which should be completed in house
Analysis how projects could be coordinated with UCD ITS
Impact of each project is evaluated, specifically the impact on students

Technology Strategy Planning: Process, cont’d
Library Technology Strategy Committee-UCD ITS member/liaison
Informal weekly technology meetings
Specific task forces-UCD ITS member on Mobile Device task force
Library is represented on the Thin Client Group at UCD ITS
Library is represented on the ITS policy committee, and ITS search committees

Technology Strategy Planning: Outcomes
UCD ITS is at the table when we are doing our strategic planning
The library and UCD ITS both know about upcoming projects
The library and UCD ITS can coordinate purchases and training
Everyone in the library is on the same page regarding technology
Library systems staff develop and acquire the skills needed to support projects

Technology Strategy Planning:Outcomes, cont’d
Greatly improved support for projects from UCD ITS and across the Library
High-impact projects are actually completed
Coordinated training, purchasing and testing with UCD ITS on thin client, server virtualization, mobile technology, etc.
Greater trust and more personal relationships

Technology Strategy Planning:Lessons Learned
Concentrate on fewer, higher impact projects
Base decisions on evidence
Document, document, document
Project management is a work in progress
Try things to see how they work
Don’t get discouraged
Meet with people face-to-face

Technology Strategy Planning:Lessons Learned, cont’d
A re-evaluation: what things that we do are best done in-house or by people with a knowledge of libraries?

Technology Strategy Planning:Future Plans
Reach out to MSCD and CCD technology groups, especially on authentication
Work more closely with UCD Health Sciences Library systems staff
Re-evaluate technology needs after web migration to Drupal and program review
Continue to investigate training options (lynda.com, etc.)

Tips for Becoming a Partner
Be an advocate: library IT is different
Campus IT may not understand your needs, especially when it comes to ILSs and library-specific applications
Communicate your library’s needs clearly
When you get no for an answer, ask why
Ask campus IT provide alternatives

Tips for Becoming a Partner, cont’d
Build trust
Don’t underestimate the value of face-to-face communication
Show that you are willing to take on new duties and learn new things
Offer to be a test environment
Formalize agreements with MOUs

Questions? Comments?
Margaret Brown-Sica
Assistant Director for Technology Strategy and Learning Spaces
margaret.brown-sica@ucdenver.edu
Niraj Chaudhary
IT Manager
niraj.chaudhary@ucdenver.edu
Nina McHale
Web Librarian
nina.mchale@ucdenver.edu

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Working with IT: Become a Partner, not a Client

by Nina McHale

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