The Northeast United States just experienced one of the region's worst natural disasters. Fortunately, because of the confluence of modern computing power and scientific computing methods, weather forecasting models predicted Sandy's very complicated trajectory and development with a precision that would not have been possible even a decade ago.…

In many ways, specialized computer labs are the black holes of IT organizations. Budgets, equipment, employees--even space itself--are sucked in. Given a choice, many IT shops would engage warp drive and escape their gravitational pull forever. While Captain Kirk might have looked to Scotty for a fix to the problem, colleges and universities are…

This article discusses three strategies for building a data center or service. These strategies are: (1) "audit" a way to alliances; (2) "share" oversight but "own" the warehouse; and (3) join new professional "cultures." These strategies have more to do with people and organizations than technology since technology mirrors and amplifies what…

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) seeks to foster a community that produces sustainable solutions in all facets of campus life: (1) teaching; (2) research; (3) service; and (4) administrative operations. The university strives to model the three tenets of sustainability (environmental preservation, economic prosperity, and social equity for…

When it comes to IT, there has always been an important link between data center control and client flexibility. As computing power increases, so do the potentially crippling threats to security, productivity and financial stability. This article talks about Dell's On-Demand Desktop Streaming solution which is designed to centralize complete…

In the tug-of-war between researchers and IT for supercomputing resources, a centralized approach can help both sides get more bang for their buck. As 2010 began, the University of Washington was preparing to launch its first shared high-performance computing cluster, a 1,500-node system called Hyak, dedicated to research activities. Like other…

It used to be much easier to get paid by the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). A lot easier, that is, if you didn't work there. Saddled with an antiquated computer system and manual, repetitive data entry of time cards, officials at California's second-largest school district discovered the payroll department was mistakenly issuing $1…

As news outlets create headlines such as "A Cloud & A Prayer," "The Cloud Is the Computer," and "Leveraging Clouds to Make You More Efficient," many readers have been left with cloud confusion. Many definitions exist for cloud computing, and a uniform definition is hard to find. In its most basic form, cloud…

The results of a study at Virginia Tech which has a recent history of decentralized computing, are reported. The advantage of increased control in the decentralized environment was offset by the lack of experience in planning for computing at the academic and administrative operating levels. (Author/MLW)

The Academic Computing Center at Winthrop College has gone beyond simple connectivity in linking its three local area networks to each other and the campus minicomputer. The environmental impact of the installation of bridges and gateways on systems, personnel, and end users is described. (MLW)

At Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Texas), the emphasis in computing and information services has been shifted from dividing resources between administrative and academic computing to combined central support for microcomputing. A universitywide computer planning and policy committee and a college computer coordinator acting as liaison…

Computing and information technology at Arizona State University have developed within the University's large, complex decentralized culture. Delivery of central services, faculty and student computing, networking, administrative computing, and the construction of a computing and network services building are discussed. (MLW)

This article addresses the growing need for the heads of computing/communications and library organizations on college campuses to work together in a cooperative spirit and to assume leadership roles in planning for institutional information resources. The role of the chief information officer on campus is discussed. (Author/MLW)

This article describes the Departmental Computing Coordinators program implemented at Loyola University (Chicago) to manage and support computing activities at the departmental level. The basis of the program is a standard position accountability included in job descriptions of departmental employees who hold computing responsibilities. (Author)

One of the primary vehicles for coordinating information technology services at the University of Michigan is the Departmental Planning Team, a joint effort of the administrative and academic computing units of the University's Information Technology Division. The evolution of this group and its activities are described. (Author/MLW)