This weekend, the Division of Information Technology will complete an important behind-the-scenes technology update – months in the making – that will improve how students, faculty, and staff access essential business services, such as CatsWeb and Degree Audit.
Technology Resources workers will move the Banner Student Information System (SIS) and several associated applications off of Texas State data centers and into the cloud.
The update will provide a more connected and efficient architecture, with agility and resilience. Services will have new links but will continue to look and feel the same for now. The update also allows IT staff to take on more projects and innovations, as they will no longer have to spend time on routine maintenance of the servers for these systems.
“I’m delighted and impressed, as always, at the response from everybody involved – despite our staff being busier than ever with the multiple challenges last year has brought,” said Martin Mills, director of Enterprise Systems and project manager for this update. “Every department has put forth yet more effort and did everything needed to make this critical project a success.”
An update of this kind, which moves services to a new environment, has many moving parts involving many areas inside and outside of IT, Mills said. It encompasses “work that is wide-ranging and complex.”
Within IT, Mills worked with SIS developers, the Identity Management team, the reporting team, systems administrators, developers of .NET (dot-net) applications, the Mobile/Web Systems department, the IT Assistance Center, and the Information Security Office.
Also vital were constant conversations and good working relationships with those who use the systems, including the Student Affairs Technology Services team, academic advisors, Office of the University Registrar, Undergraduate Admissions, Graduate College, Student Business Services, Financial Aid and Scholarships, Institutional Research, Office of Distance and Extended Learning, Curriculum Services and others.
Staff from each of the areas played a role in testing the new systems to ensure the numerous interfaces between applications are configured correctly and perform at a high level of functionality. A significant change like this needs to be done to not affect the usability of any crucial services at the university.
The project began in early 2020 with an assessment to see if this was a suitable move for Texas State. The full project was initiated in early June 2020.
Some possible future projects could include the Ellucian Experience and Ellucian Analytics. The Ellucian Experience would enable a user-friendly central hub for everyday tasks and information. Ellucian Analytics would allow data to be transformed into actionable insights driving student success and more.
Rebecca Ormsby is a communications specialist in the IT Marketing and Communications office.
