Key Projects and Initiatives

On this page:  Institutional Solutions Group | Global Infrastructure and Operations | Global Office of Information Security | Global Service Management and User Success Projects | Research and Instructional Technology | Digital Accessibility | IT Sustainability    

Institutional Solutions Group (ISG)

• The NYU ServiceLink Transformation project (known by many as zBoot) is our transition to a new ServiceLink environment. The new environment will deliver a modern service center staff experience and a user-friendly service portal that enables self-service in the future. ServiceLink is used by several service centers across all three NYU campuses supporting over 800 services.
  As an early adopter of the ServiceLink platform, NYU had to customize the current environment to meet our diverse business needs. The project will leverage out-of-the-box features and functionality to create a better experience for service centers and the NYU community. Through 2024, we will collaborate with the impacted service centers to transition each to the new environment. Read more about the NYU ServiceLink Transformation project
  
• The IAM Phase III: Integrate Remaining Downstream Systems & Decommission Registry project will decommission NYU Registry, our custom-built legacy identity and access management platform, which was recently replaced by SailPoint, a modern, vendor-supported system that allows us to leverage out-of-the-box and industry-standard functions to:
  • Simplify and standardize core functions and integrations with other vendor products
    
  • Strengthen cybersecurity protections
    
  • Improve compliance with security policies and guidelines
• The Next Generation NYU Web Technology Program: Adobe Upgrade project will create a long-term strategy for the NYU Web Content Management System (NYU.edu) platform, upgrade to the current Adobe AEM CMS software 6.5 version, and migrate existing, on-premise Adobe AEM CMS websites to the cloud. This upgrade will strengthen the security and stability of the platform, and allow for additional improvements to the web experience for end users and authors.
• The Campus Safety Registry Migration — New Badging System Implementation project will make it easier for the Department of Campus Safety to map and regulate access per affiliate/attribute type to locations and card-related privileges through a new badge printing and management system that works with our building access control system. There is no impact to students, faculty, and staff other than the Campus Safety team, who will be learning the new system.

Global Infrastructure and Operations (GIO)

• *Endpoint Management (Deployment of BigFix & Workspace One) As part of the Endpoint Management and Endpoint Security (EMES) Program, continue the deployment of BigFix and Workspace One for NYU-owned computers, finalize standard operating procedures, QA checklists, and train tech teams on a consistent support model across schools/units.
• *Google Workspace for Education Service Redesign In response to Google’s new service model, assess and develop solutions that meet NYU’s academic, research, and administrative storage needs. While solutions are being developed in partnership with stakeholders across the University, community members are encouraged to use NYU’s storage resources wisely. Read more about Google Workspace Storage.
  
• *Paperless NYU: Managed Print A simple, secure, and sustainable way to print for faculty and staff at NYU using a common print management solution. Reduce waste and printer consumables, save money, and provide for secure print release terminals for easy retrieval.
• Implement a Global Managed Service Solution Increase the efficiency and quality of local IT services for Study Away Sites by managing on-site coordination of third party services, at the direction of NYU.
• Brooklyn Fiber Ring Build an NYU-owned fiber ring to eliminate high costs of leased fiber and to increase network resiliency.
• Implement Security Recommendations for Active Directory Implement technologies and processes to further secure NYU IT’s Active Directory.
• FY23 Lifecycle Refresh
  On an annual basis, NYU IT updates and replaces aging technology across NYU’s global footprint, ensuring our wired network, Wi-Fi, compute and storage infrastructure, Audio Visual gear in select spaces, and NYU IT Student Technology Centers and Computer Labs are functional, secure, and up-to-date.
  • Compute and Storage Continue consolidating and streamlining compute and storage infrastructure across the Colo, West Data Center, and Syracuse
    
  • Core Network Refresh core network components — distribution routers, edge routing and switching, and the Accra Study Away site
    
  • Wireless Network Update over 2000 access points across campus to ensure better performance and increased bandwidth
    
  • Distributed Network Refresh network components in more than a dozen buildings
    
  • Telephony Update analog devices across campus
    
  • Audio Visual Deploy updated, energy efficient AV gear in select locations across campus
  • Student Technology Centers and Computer Labs Refresh inventory of computers, printers, and other technologies at LaGuardia, Third North, and Kimmel (Quick Print) locations
    

* Asterisk denotes PMO managed projects

Global Office of Information Security (GOIS)

• Develop & Implement Global Information Security Policy & Regulatory Compliance Framework project will set minimum university-wide cybersecurity policies and standards, and ensure that security practices are consistent across the University, underscoring our shared responsibilities in protecting sensitive data and our network, systems, and applications.
  
• Plan & Implement Network Access Control (NAC) Identity Services Engine (ISE) Solution project will help protect NYU’s network from malicious activity by preventing unauthorized users from accessing internal networks, and ensuring that devices attempting to access the network meet minimum security standards.
  
• Enhanced Risk-Based Network Segmentation project will implement additional controls to separate systems with different security needs, particularly those areas of highest risk, to help contain and/or reduce the impact of malicious activity such as a malware outbreak.
  
• Plan and Implement MDR (Managed Detect Response) Services project will provide faster and more consistent detection and response to threats to our infrastructure, systems, and critical assets, and implement proactive security solutions to manage internal and external threats and reduce vulnerabilities. To help meet increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks, Endpoint Management Endpoint Security (EMES) software should be installed on all NYU-owned computers to manage configuration of endpoints and support patch management, software deployment, and hardware selection.
  
• Privileged Access Management (PAM) project is a critical security control that enables NYU to simplify how we define, monitor, and manage privileged access across our complex global IT systems, applications, and infrastructure. This project will support security, compliance, and audit requirements, and increase the protection of systems and applications, by managing access to production environments and logging user activity.
  
• Log Management/SIEM Expansion project will enhance our Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM) system and improve log management for all key production systems, which will help meet minimum compliance requirements and facilitate troubleshooting and forensics, when needed. 
  

Global Service Management and User Success Projects

The Global Service Management and User Success (GSM-US) team, led by Associate Vice President Michael Warden, GSM-US focuses on delivering excellent, consistent, and cost-effective service to the NYU community. The GSM-US team drives continuous service improvement by actively seeking and acting on user feedback, managing rollouts of new services and service changes, and supporting service partners in service design and delivery.

GSM-US is in the process of establishing a strategic roadmap, and I’d like to highlight one effort that they’ll be working on with stakeholders across our IT community in the next few months: assessing our maturity in ITIL and IT Service Management (ITSM) and laying the foundation for improvement across all of our teams.

We are lucky to have within our field a framework of best practices for “how we work,” in the form of ITIL and ITSM, and fortunate to have a platform like ServiceLink (ServiceNow) that has brought all of the processes together into a tool where we can manage different elements of our work in one location. The ServiceLink team is working on a project called zBoot to upgrade the platform and as part of that work they will be resetting many of the ITSM capabilities back to baseline or “vanilla.” This will enable us to align with industry best practices and take advantage of the improved capabilities of the platform, including Chat, Virtual Agent, Major Incident Management, Agent Workspace, and more.

In parallel with this effort, GSM-US has kicked off a process that uses a maturity model to assess the current state of NYU IT maturity across each of the ITIL/ITSM practices in alignment with ServiceLink. Using this model, they’ll establish a baseline score (from 1-5) and then work with our stakeholders to set an agreed-upon target state for where we want to be in approximately three years. Our goal is to:

• Evaluate our current ITSM maturity level across NYU IT services
  
• Establish a target-state maturity level to reach within three years
  
• Discover where we have strengths to leverage
  
• Understand where we have gaps to close
  
• Determine how best to sequence improvements across all ITSM practices

Our project roadmap will sequence our systematic improvements and feature projects that will improve shared management of ServiceLink configuration items, leverage the common services data model, and improve the quality of our data related to NYU IT’s services and assets.   

Research and Instructional Technology (RIT)

RIT promotes faculty and student success with new technical capabilities that facilitate strategic learning solutions and aid in the discovery and assessment of scholarly work.

• NYU Brightspace Enhancements & NYU Classes Retirement involves an assessment of potential new NYU Brightspace tools and implementing the retirement strategy for NYU Classes.
• The Governance Directed Tool Pilots will enhance NYU Brightspace with third-party tool integrations proposed, reviewed, and prioritized by the Teaching & Learning Committees to facilitate online, blended, and in-person teaching with technology. 
  
• A University-wide Classroom Study will improve the understanding of physical space and technical capability in NYU classrooms in order to help faculty plan their teaching approach and classroom activities and enhance the experience for students.
• Upgrading Web Publishing Service to a more modern hosting and web publishing delivery services will improve aspects of the service.
• An Online Program Assistant Pilot will employ student workers to better support online students, faculty and staff and improve the online student experience.

RIT seeks to open up new opportunities for research grants, scholarly work, and content creation to improve operational convenience and performance capabilities.

• A High Speed Research Network Expansion (HSRN) necessitated by the successful research and development of the HSRN prototype and initial Phase I expansion will help meet the increased demand for additional connectivity to facilitate NYU researchers and extend the HSRN to additional sites.
• Research and Development Service for Research Technology will be formalized and staffed to support research and development (R&D) activities to make research grant proposals more competitive.
• Research on Teaching and Learning with Technology involves a collaboration with faculty at Meyers School of Nursing, Silver School of Social Work, and NYU College of Dentistry to develop and research virtual reality simulations.
• A Student-Centered Mobile app will centralize the numerous school specific applications that students have to navigate.
• A potential Instructional Informatics Program for Coding, Development and Programming in Courses will be evaluated, including the overall needs and potential service options around the delivery of educational tools for teaching data management, access, reporting and coding.

RIT provides secure, accessible, sustainable, reliable and compliant research technology services to increase the competitiveness of NYU’s research mission and protect intellectual property that can transform our community and the world beyond.

• Secure Research Data Environments pilot will enable researchers to store and analyze sensitive research data subject to regulatory standards.
• A new Research Data Capture (REDCap) implementation will provide a highly available, scalable, and secure data collection toolkit that will make use of cloud options and meet HIPAA standards.
• A refresh of Research Workspace Storage hardware will keep the service up to pace with the needs of NYU researchers and will include data migration from the existing environment.
• HPC Secure Research Cloud Services will be expanded to develop a scalable cloud services for NYU researchers and, where appropriate, incorporate external/public cloud services, and work closely with the IT Global Office of Information Security (GOIS) to implement security controls. 
  

Digital Accessibility

Digital accessibility ensures that NYU websites, web applications, and digital content meet federal regulations and can be used by those in our community who have a diverse range of hearing, movement, sight, or cognitive abilities. NYU IT's current Digital Accessibility project portfolio includes Web Publishing, ServiceLink Upgrade, remediation for pre-existing content and newly-created content across schools and units, and reinforcement by awareness training across schools and units.  

IT Sustainability

In support of NYU’s commitment to sustainability, NYU’s IT Tech and Sustainability site describes the projects and processes to decrease IT’s carbon footprint. Projects include decommissioning of unused network infrastructure, softphone implementations, hardware device reduction, PaperlessNYU Print pilot, and creation of IT Sustainability Guidelines for the NYU community. The Initiative also remains aligned with the University’s strategic priorities and cost-saving efforts, and continues to evaluate and seek opportunities that further sustainability.

Check this page for more updates in the near future.