Shayan Gaziani

April 16, 2015

OIT Backgrounder

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Office of Information Technology Corporate Backgrounder

About

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) at Southern Methodist University (SMU)

has the responsibility of maintaining, repairing and upgrading the universitys technological

infrastructure for its dependent student body and faculty, totaling over 10, 000 individuals. OIT

employs certified technicians, database managers, software engineers and corporate relations

personnel to ensure a holistic approach to their mission. OITs employees strive to maintain a

healthy and modern technological system at all times.

Leadership

SMUs chief information officer (CIO) serves as OITs primary leadership role. Joe

Gargiulo, a veteran technological entrepreneur, has held this position since 1998. Gargiulo also

serves as chair of the Information Technology Advisory Council, a board of over 22

representatives (including students) from SMUs various departments, tasked with uniting OIT

with the SMU campus to more efficiently serve SMU personnel and students.

Structure

OIT is divided into six subsidiaries to ensure optimal service for its constituents. Each

branch functions autonomously and has its own leadership.

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Academic Technology Services (ATS)

ATS provides educational technology support for all faculty. Under the leadership of

Bradley Boeke, the team is responsible for managing and supporting the universitys educational

technology software. Such responsibilities include course management in Blackboard, media

development with the Student Technology Assistant in Residence (STAR) program and aid for

statistical and mathematical programs used by various departments. Please visit

http://www.smu.edu/BusinessFinance/OIT/AboutUs/AcademicTechnologyServices for further

information.

Application Development and Support Services (ADSS)

ADSS, led by Ron Lujan, serves as the primary programming and software consulting

team for the university. My.SMU and other corporate management software, such as PeopleSoft

and SMU Financials, fall under the jurisdiction of ADSS. Lujan tasks his team with maintaining

several of SMUs databases and working with ATS in implementing new educational software

for the university.

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Security

SMUs information security team comprises numerous cybersecurity experts responsible

for the security of SMUs entire corporate network. They work tirelessly to implement new

defenses against threats, make recommendations to the CIO for preventative/reactionary course

of action, manage SMUs firewall and work with both national and international security firms in

a joint initiative to combat cyber threats. Under the leadership of George Finney, SMUs security

personnel serve as expert consultants for the university and guardians of confidential data.

Especially after recent revelations of government espionage and cyber warfare, security works to

maintain system and network integrity. Please visit

http://www.smu.edu/BusinessFinance/OIT/Infosec for further information.

Technology Support Services (TSS)

TSS, under the leadership of Abby Kinney, provides overall technology support to more

than 10, 000 students and faculty with over 5, 000 computer and other electronic devices. TSS

employs HDI Certified technicians and consultants to upgrade and repair classroom/student

technology, from laptops, to audio/video equipment and to software (in collaboration with ATS).

Kinney and her team also provide complimentary training for students and faculty for SMUs

educational software, including but not limited to Blackboard, my.SMU and Microsoft Office.

TSS also manages a student-led help desk that provides full-time technological support to OITs

user base.

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System Infrastructure Services (SIS)

SIS serves SMU in providing hardware support. Under the leadership of Allen Hughes,

SIS works to upgrade and repair servers, install computers and database servers, support SMUs

ID card services and manage SMUs cloud-hosted storage. SIS also provides services including

high-performance computational computing and technology research support for the SMU

community.

Telecommunications Services (TS)

Under Jesse Miller, TS manages the campus wired and wireless networks, telephony

equipment and cable plant services. TS has the constant responsibility to upgrade and install new

equipment and provide communication services for students and faculty. TS also plays a pivotal

role in the SMU Emergency Management Taskforce, ensuring proper and constant

communication among students, faculty, staff and parents in case of an emergency.

Services

As outlined above, OIT provides a plethora of exceptional services to its student and

faculty bodies. For a list of specific services offered, please visit

http://www.smu.edu/BusinessFinance/OIT/Services

Inquiries

All media inquiries may be addressed to SMU News and Communications. Please visit

http://www.smu.edu/News/Contact%20Us for contact information.