Workstation Replacement Program updates computers

3rd September | No Comments | posted by Caleb Bell | in About IT Staff and Student Workers, For Students, Faculty and Staff

IT Systems replaced computers for 40 departments around campus over the summer as a part of the Workstation Replacement Program (WRP) for 2012.

Morgan Adams, projects manager for IT Systems, said that IT updates the computers in order to maintain Lee’s technological relevancy and maintain cost effectiveness.

“We do that to keep computers up to date, keep software up to date; they’re easier to service if they’re all the same… [They’re] cheaper to keep in warranty” Adams said.

This summer is only the first phase of WRP 2012. This phase has 142 new computers coming in, eight of which are Apple products. Adams said that he expects at least one more phase in the process this year due to additional hired staff or faculty. Phase Two will be on a much smaller scale.

The process began in February with the IT Systems department requesting quotes from various leasing agencies. From there, IT Systems chose a provider, ordered the computers, and will have finished replacing machines across campus by the end of May.

Adams revealed that this year’s replacement is a small one; next year Lee will be replacing almost 350 different computers.

Lee leases the computers from an agency rather than buying them outright, and replaces them every four years. In addition to the replaced computers, departments are allowed to use budgets to purchase additional computers if they see a justified need.

IT Operations integrates campus updates

21st September | No Comments | posted by | in About IT Staff and Student Workers, For Students, Faculty and Staff

While on summer vacation, some Lee students traveled across the globe on a cross-cultural trip.  Others completed a strenuous, but valuable, internship.  Some even decided that they needed to continue their quest for a degree, so they remained on campus for summer school.

In the meantime, Information Technology Operations spent most of its summer months updating the technology at Lee University.  From getting rid of old switches to adding virtual servers, IT Operations prepared the campus for the upcoming school year.

The Lee network operates on a large number of switches throughout the campus.  A switch acts as a link, allowing the different areas of campus to connect with the network.  IT Operations replaced 30 of them, some of which were 10-15 years old.

“Can you imagine the difference between the [technology] today compared with it 10-15 years ago?” IT Operations Director Chris Golden asked.

The difference is significant to say the least.  To add some perspective, Lee University didn’t even have a presence on the internet until 1997, and some of Lee’s switches could have been as old as 1996.

On top of replacing the ancient switches, IT Operations swapped out several wireless access points around campus, leaving newer ones with a more powerful connection.

Then there were the additional servers.  Adding new servers is no easy job; it requires time to actually build the servers, install special software and tie the new servers into the already existing system.

These particular servers house many more “virtual” servers that allow for plenty of space to support the ongoing growth in hardware and software that the university acquires, including thin clients and virtual lab technology.

Supporting an entire campus full of technology is no easy task.  However, by applying these updates, the IT Operations team used the summer to take another step in the direction of a continuously stable technological environment for the Lee community.