Update on Information Technology at the Medical Center

Over the past year, Information Technology (IT) services at the Medical Center have undergone a major transformation from a separate Medical Center network to incorporation into the University Network operated by the Information System and Services (ISS) office under the direction of Dave Swartz, University CIO. This change resulted from the reconfiguration/spin-off of computer networks as the University Hospital, GW Health Plan, and Medical Faculty Associates organized independent IT services. This migration has caused both planned and unplanned outages of services. Every effort has been made to schedule planned outages at low-use times and with plenty of advance notice. ISS has responded to unplanned outages on an emergency basis. To date, nearly 80% of the migration tasks have been completed. Once completed, the network should stabilize and function within acceptable parameters. Several improved features should include increased network transmission speed and fiber to the desktop in selected areas.

Throughout this process, there has been some confusion about who is responsible for what operations and how to handle problems. Shelley Bader, Associate Vice President for Educational Resources, serves as chief liaison for the Medical Center to ISS. Additional questions about the network migration can be directed to her. The University ISS model for network support calls for a local support partner program to meet first level computer and core applications support as well as the specialized needs of individual schools. The local support unit for the VPHA, SMHS, and SPHHS is Computer & Applications Support Services, CAS².

Michael Driscoll is Medical Center Director of Technical Operations. He manages the CAS² service team of three and works with ISS managers to coordinate network services for Medical Center faculty, staff, and students. The CAS² office is located in Ross Hall Room B01. The main telephone number for CAS² is (202) 994-9400. CAS² office hours are Monday - Friday, 8a.m. - 6p.m. Page access is provided for off-hour emergencies by calling 4-9400. The chart below outlines contact points for specific problems on campus:

Special note to students:

The public workstations on the first floor of the Library are connected to the University network. This means that all problems related to network connections and printing are handled by ISS. Library staff report all problems promptly and ask that they be handled as emergencies. An additional heavy-duty printer has been ordered for the first floor to even out the printing load. All first-floor workstations have recently been "re-imaged" to ensure that the appropriate software is loaded and that problem stations can be more easily restored to operability. We recognize that programs such as Prometheus are memory-intensive and, as funds become available, every effort is made to replace outdated workstations with PCs having greater speed and memory. Six new computers have recently been ordered for use on the first floor.

The workstations located in the Computer Lab and Women's Board Teaching Room are not connected to the University network. Instead they run on a local server which supports specially-licensed educational software. This configuration has allowed the Library to keep these machines up and running during most University network outages. Report any problems with these workstations directly to the Audiovisual Study Center Circulation Desk. A technician is on call most evening and weekend hours. A new heavy-duty printer has been ordered for the Computer Lab and six new workstations should arrive shortly to replace the computers in the open area of the Audiovisual Study Center.

Students can help Library staff keep workstations up and running by observing a few rules:

• Report all problems promptly.
• Print only what you need.
• Refrain from loading your own software on Library workstations.
• Don't rearrange hardware for your convenience.
• Don't redirect printers or override software settings.