Looking outwards: extending services to departmental labs

Many academic departments have their own computer labs or classrooms to meet their specific needs. The computers in the centrally managed facilities are highly reliable, secure, and standardized. The ones in the individual departments vary widely. As the complexity of maintaining a networked computer facility has increased, the success of such ad hoc management has often fallen short. We completed a thorough analysis of what it takes in terms of software, infrastructure, and support staff time to run a computer lab. Given this analysis we have had the confidence to actively pursue opportunities to work with departments on campus. We can provide a better environment for the users while ultimately saving the departments' resources by leveraging our existing infrastructure, expertise, and buying power. By the Fall 2005, we will be maintaining 17 departmental labs or clusters, and our growth is sustainable. This same model will work well for other schools looking to centralize support of their computer facilities.