BUILDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE WITH LIMITED RESOURCES AND BUY-IN

CAUSE94 Current Issues Session
Thursday, December 1, 1994, 4:30 to 6:00 pm
Walt Disney World Dolphin, Oceanic Room 1

Moderator: Keith Nelson, Central Michigan University

CURRENT ISSUES SESSION ABSTRACT

Major research universities have been been building campus-
wide networking infrastructure for nearly a decade, but this 
is not necessarily the experience of many small colleges, 
community colleges, and state comprehensive universities. As 
IT professionals, we  understand that our campuses need to 
implement campus-wide networks if we are to be able to 
participate in the networked information society. But how do 
we make a case in times of tight budgets for spending the 
substantial dollars it takes to build this infrastructure? 
How do we convince/educate campus skeptics of the need to 
build networks? What are the costs? What are the realities? 
How much infrastructure is enough? Participants who have met 
some or all of these challenges are encouraged to attend to 
share with those who are in the midst of dealing with them.

CURRENT ISSUES SESSION SUMMARY

The session attracted a small group from a combination of 
small private colleges and larger universities.  Topics 
discussed were:

How do we make the case for building/upgrading the network 
in times of tight budgets?  How do we convince skeptics of 
the need?

- Opportunities are maximized by building/maintaining 
  partnerships and constituencies.  Parnters must be 
  informed, interested, and communicating.
- Senior officers are reluctant to upgrade an existing 
  network.  It is difficult to convince them that it is 
  necessary.  They need good data on what the network is 
  being used for and how much it is being used.  Useful 
  thoughts about building networks.
- Networks can be built and upgraded in steps, one subnet 
  at a time.
- Network building is not a one-time task.  Networks are 
  constantly changing and the task will never be completed.  
  Organizations must understand this.

What are the costs of networking?

- Networks often are not built with a central pot of money.
  Many nets have been built on grants funds.  This has led 
  to problems at some schools when parts of the campus have 
  already established a network infrastructure and has little 
  motivation to be a stakeholder in developments that affect 
  the whole campus.

- Operating costs can be minimized by employing standards 
  for equipment and protocols and using critical spares.

How much infrastructure is enough?

- Networks are capable of incremental growth.  Network 
  management is a must to balance needs with capacities.

- A balance must be achieved among acquisition choices of 
  low-cost, less expandable equipment that are adequate for 
  present needs, medium-cost equipment that can be upgraded 
  later, and high-cost cutting edge technology.  Unless the 
  cutting edge technology will be fully utilized within a 
  fairly short timeframe, the first two options are usually 
  more cost efficient.

What are the realities of building networks?

On the negative side,

- Complexity; not enough staff or time for professional 
  development
- Internal politics, unsupportive administrators
- Funding inequities & high cost
- Difficulties of network security and management
- Connections to the Internet are not fast enough

On the positive side,

- The fun of working with new technologies
- New opportunities for internal and external partnerships

Date Revised: 2/13/95 (rlr)