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Computing Infrastructure

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About

Computing Infrastructure provides management and support for end-user computers, servers, storage systems, operating systems, databases, middleware and ERP systems. There are three groups that make up the Computing Infrastructure team:

  • Database and ERP Administration
  • End-User Computing
  • Server & Storage Services

The Computing Infrastructure team has a vast collective set of skills and expertise in areas such as data center management, Storage Area Networks, desktop and server imaging, database administration and general troubleshooting skills, that can be leveraged by other groups at the University for advice and consultation.

The Database and ERP Administration group manages and supports the main database infrastructure for core applications used by staff, faculty and students, based on Oracle Database software. It also manages and supports Oracle and MySQL databases for a variety of administrative and academic needs.  In addition, it  provides Microsoft SQL Server database support and assists with the integration of the SQL Server database with other third-party applications. The group is also responsible for installing, configuring, building and recovering processes, securing and monitoring the health of the database infrastructure.

Other areas of responsibility for the group are: the installation, patching, monitoring and support of middleware & ERP applications, including Peoplesoft applications and the Brightspace by D2L e-learning application.

The Database and ERP Administration group works very closely with other groups within CCS, as well as other departments, to coordinate activities that may impact services, to assist with troubleshooting of issues, or simply to provide guidance and advice.

The End-User Computing group consists of two teams that provide personal computer management, support and assistance to faculty and staff, in addition to academic computer labs and classrooms management.

The End-User Computing hardware team is the "hands and feet" for CCS. This team provides guidance, recommendations and assists faculty and staff with personal computer, printer, and other device acquisition needs. The team also provides personal computer operating system imaging and application setup and support, including hardware installation and connectivity to the network.  In addition, the hardware team provides hardware troubleshooting and repairs of supported desktop, laptop and printer equipment used by faculty and staff, as well as support for equipment installed in labs or podiums managed by CCS and used by students and faculty.

The End-User Computing infrastructure team provides back-end management and support for a number of key applications, including Microsoft Active Directory, used to provide authentication and rights access to services such as network shares and other services. This team is responsible for managing the printing infrastructure for administrative networked printers and academic/lab printers.

In addition, the infrastructure team builds, tests, installs and manages desktop images deployed in CCS academic managed labs, as well as labs owned by other departments.

The End-User Computing group, as a unit, works very closely with other groups within CCS and other departments, to ensure that the best solutions and services are delivered in a secure and manageable way.

The Server and Storage Services group is responsible for the CCS managed data centers, servers and storage systems that provide infrastructure resources to applications and services used by staff, faculty and students.

This group ensures that the UPS and HVAC solutions within the data centers are operating efficiently and coordinates any maintenance, repairs and changes with other groups within CCS or outside of CCS, including Facilities Management and Development. The Server and Storage Services group is responsible for optimizing the operations within the data center, including the power distribution from UPS systems to allow power redundancy sources to data center equipment, as well as efficient cooling within the data center.

The Server and Storage Services group is also responsible for establishing standard server and storage platforms and for the management of the hardware and software required to integrate these platforms to deliver an efficient, scalable and cost-effective infrastructure capable of supporting layered services that consume server and storage resources, including core applications such as MyServiceHub, Human Resources, Finance,  Brightspace by D2L, and various other services.   

The Server and Storage group also manages the virtual server infrastructure that is a very scalable platform used to deploy virtual servers for a variety of core services delivered by CCS, as well as for many departments throughout the University.

Another key function of this group is to provide backup & restore solutions that protect the data hosted within our data centers.

In addition, the Server and Storage Services group builds operating system images (Linux, Windows Server) and hardens the operating systems by working closely with the CCS Security group, to ease management and provide a secure environment. The group is also responsible for the Operating System upgrades and patching, hardware firmware upgrades and patching, and the monitoring of the various infrastructure solutions that it manages, such as physical or virtual servers, HVAC and UPS systems, storage systems and other hardware. The group works closely with other CCS and non-CCS groups to enhance the monitoring and alerting capabilities of the services being delivered, including the monitoring of web server response, application error detection, etc..