Special Computing Resources and Services for Indiana University Departments

Name: Bonnie R. Hites

Institution: Indiana University

E-mail Address: hitesb@indiana.edu

Title of Presentation: Special Computing Resources and Services For Indiana University Departments

Format: Paper Presentation

Suggested Audience: Interest in enhancing the distributed support model

Presentation Outcome:

1. Understand the network of local support providers

2. Know how to maximize distributed resources

3. Understand the importance of leveraged support

Presentation Content:

University Computing Services (UCS) on the Bloomington campus of Indiana University saw the cyclone of change coming toward its computing support facilities in the early Œ90s. We deflected disaster by creating a Distributed Support Program to partner with departments that were rapidly increasing their use of computing for research, teaching, administration, and personal productivity. They were going to need our help in planning, budgeting, and locally supporting their growing technical environments. The program was a grand success, and we note that we are now supporting a network of Local Support Providers that exceeds the number of end users we were directly supporting in 1985. A special unit of UCS, Department Computing Advising & Support (DCAS) was formed to oversee an array of services targeted especially toward departments and schools and their faculty and staff. The services for which DCAS is directly responsible include:

DCAS also facilitates access to other UCS services such as the UCS Computing Support Center, the Unix Workstation Support Group, the Web Page Development Service, the Distributed Development Support Program, Database Management Support, the UCS Education Program, the Center for Statistical and Mathematical Computing, the Center for Innovative Computer Applications, and the Teaching and Learning Technologies Laboratory.