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Chapter 3 – Information Technology Services and OneIT

(Amended 9/93; 10/94; 10/95; 9/98; 9/00; 10/01; 9/02; 12/03; 11/04; 12/05; 12/06; 1/09; 12/16; 9/25/24)

Effective September 25, 2024, this policy has been revised. Individual changes are not highlighted.

3.1 ITS and OneIT: Purpose and Organization

Information Technology Services (ITS) caters to the diverse technology needs of University of Iowa students, employees, and visitors. It provides technical support, resources, and services essential to the core mission and daily operations of the institution.

ITS is part of a broader community of campus information technology (IT)  providers known as OneIT. In addition to ITS, OneIT includes the administrative and collegiate IT units outside of health care. OneIT collaborates with Health Care Information Systems to deliver jointly managed and interdependent services and technologies. All of the IT groups work together to provide a seamless experience for technology users and to deliver services in a coordinated, efficient manner.

  1. Collaborating closely with IT professionals in colleges and departments, ITS is responsible for strategy, planning, and delivery of information technology at the University of Iowa. IT services include:
    1. Administrative systems for records and business processes;
    2. Application development;
    3. Assistance navigating evolving artificial intelligence tools;
    4. Email, calendar, and cloud collaboration tools;
    5. End-user support;
    6. Identity and access management;
    7. Incorporating technology into teaching and learning;
    8. Infrastructure, including networking and data centers;
    9. Information security and policy;
    10. Research computing solutions, services, and storage;
    11. Software licensing; and
    12. Technology training.

      Details on these services and many more are available in the IT service catalog.
  2. The ITS organization comprises seven departments:
    1. Administration Information Systems;
    2. CIO Office;
    3. Enterprise Infrastructure;
    4. Enterprise Services;
    5. Information Security and Policy Office;
    6. Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology; and
    7. Research Services.

3.2 Administrative Information Systems

  1. Administration Information Systems (AIS) provides IT solutions and services that enhance the operations of university units. AIS supports a diverse set of vended and locally developed enterprise applications. 
    1. AIS is responsible for academic systems that support admissions, financial aid, student records, billing, advising, orientation, student success, faculty, and teaching and learning efforts. 
    2. AIS is responsible for University Human Resources systems, including Payroll, Benefits, Compliance, Workforce Operations, Wellness, and Talent Acquisition.   
    3. AIS is responsible for financial systems, including accounts payable, purchasing, asset management, budget, and accounting. 
    4. AIS is responsible for research administrative systems that support sponsored programs, research compliance, the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and animal care. 
  2. AIS supports a suite of Enterprise applications that are used broadly across campus, including workflow, communications, event management, and academic profiles. 
  3. AIS supports identity and access management (IAM) services including authentication, authorization, service provisioning, electronic door access, ID card operations, and emergency notification systems. The AIS Identity and Access Management (IAM) team has ultimate responsibility for all identity and access management infrastructure and services.
  4. AIS builds and supports core data infrastructure, including the campus data portal, the university data warehouse, and other enterprise database systems. In addition, AIS also actively supports data initiatives through data governance, the promotion of data literacy/fluency, and a broad set of advanced data-analytics solutions. 

3.3 Chief Information Officer (CIO) Office

The Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) provides coordination, capital planning and control, policy approval, and other institutional coordination intended to support the successful operation of each ITS department. All units within OneIT also have a reporting relationship to the CIO.

The CIO Office supports the business and administration aspects of the ITS organization and the CIO in broader university efforts. Staff provide leadership in human resources, accounting, finance, reporting, administration, project management, and communication.

3.4 ITS Enterprise Infrastructure

Enterprise Infrastructure (EI) partners with campus IT providers, especially ITS departments, to provide for and sustain reliable, available, and responsive computing and communications infrastructure. EI is responsible for physical IT infrastructure such as fiber-optic cabling and management of the campus data network and wireless networks. It manages the campus data centers and provides server and database hosting services for physical servers, virtual servers, and SQL and Oracle databases. EI also provides system and application hosting services for Enterprise and departmental users and manages central Enterprise storage services.

  1. Infrastructure and networks. Enterprise Infrastructure has ultimate responsibility for university communications infrastructure and wired and wireless data networks, including all WiFi and cellular technologies; outside plant copper, fiber, and coaxial cable; in-building copper, fiber, and coaxial cable; communications closet infrastructure, access, and security; microwave, satellite, and other point-to-point communication infrastructure; wireless design, radio-frequency use, and deployment, including cellular sites and all radio frequencies; and all other communications infrastructure. All communications infrastructure installed on campus must comply with campus standards and be approved and inspected by EI. Unapproved infrastructure may be removed, replaced, or redesigned at the expense of the department that installed it.
  2. Construction projects, remodels, and relocations. When a construction project, remodel, or relocation causes the need for additional communications infrastructure, equipment, or services, the one-time installation and capital costs shall be borne by the project and should be included in the project budget.

3.5 ITS Enterprise Services

Enterprise Services (ES) is the gateway for access to and information about ITS resources and services. ES works collaboratively with ITS and campus IT partners to identify, design, develop, and support technological solutions. ES manages the ITS Help Desk, providing technical support to students, faculty, and staff, and Extended Technical Support, which attends to the IT needs of departments across campus. It provides messaging and collaboration tools, telephone and voice services, software licensing, device management, and technology training. ES manages the IT service and asset-management system and is helping the campus navigate evolving AI-powered tools such as Microsoft Copilot. Its Custom Solutions and Integrations team provides custom software development and consulting.

3.6 Information Security and Policy Office

The Information Security and Policy Office (ISPO) reports to the CIO and promotes implementation and use of secure information technology systems, services, and programs for the entire university, including UI Health Care. Educational materials for technology providers and security awareness programs for users are key components. The security office consults on issues of regulatory compliance, develops and shares industry best practices for security, leads critical information security services, coordinates security incident response and resolution, and facilitates development of IT policies for campus.

IT policies, standards, and guidelines are available on the ISPO website.

3.7 Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology

The Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology (OTLT) delivers service management and support for instructional technologies used campus-wide, such as ICON, UICapture, Gradescope, Top Hat, Turnitin, Elements of Success, and more. Its Learning Spaces Technology Team provides consulting, training, and management of more than 300 technology-equipped learning spaces and designs and installs audiovisual equipment in classrooms, labs, and meeting spaces. OTLT’s Research and Analytics Team provides expertise in learning analytics and data insights, and partners in learning sciences research to cultivate teaching and learning excellence and to support student success.

3.8 ITS Research Services

Research Services (RS) provides user consultations and assistance navigating research compliance, IRB, and other researcher-facing processes. RS also provides grant support outlining institutional computational and storage resources and helps facilitate use of ACCESS resources. It offers services for research and analysis in high-performance computing (HPC) environments and interactive analysis environments. RS provides storage services specified for high availability, HPC, sharing and collaboration, and for University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics research data storage and computation. Workshops taught by RS staff help researchers discover and use the services.