Tech Stop featured in Minnesota Daily
Read an article published on February 26 about the grand opening of Tech Stop: U consolidates info tech services in Coffman.
Return to: U of M Home
« November 2008 | Main | March 2009 »
Read an article published on February 26 about the grand opening of Tech Stop: U consolidates info tech services in Coffman.
A story about the deployment of the University's 802.11n wireless network recently was featured in the "VoIP and Wireless Tech Center" section of online magazine Business Solution.
University Deployment Hailed As Largest 802.11n Network To Date. The story goes on to state, "An interesting aspect of wireless deployment is the need for expertise in myriad technologies. VARs need to understand the network needs as well as resolving clients monitoring and management needs, just to name a few factors in a successful wireless installation.
An interesting news release from Entuity showcases the depth of knowledge needed for a wireless installation. In this case, the client, the University of Minnesota, challenged its VAR to create and provide management options for a 802.11n network used by the university's 80,000 students and staff--a deployment Entuity claims is the largest 802.11n network in the world."
Business Solutions magazine inspires executives of IT channel companies (VARs, integrators, and solution providers) to grow their businesses by teaching them how to sell new IT products and services, penetrate thriving vertical markets, and integrate complementary technologies. Business Solutions delivers its insight through channel success stories and advice from industry analysts, vendors, and expert technology editors.
Three University of Minnesota productions have been chosen as ResearchChannel Video On Demand (VOD) featured selections in upcoming months. ResearchChannel is a consortium of leading research and academic institutions that share their work with the world through online, on-air, and on-demand video distribution. The University became a ResearchChannel member in 2008, and was allowed to submit ten hours of programming per year. After submitting four video shorts and three full-length programs, the three full-length programs were selected for cable VOD.
Selected programs and their scheduled cable VOD dates are:
-- "U.S. History: 1865 to Present," produced by the College of Continuing Education, May 1-31.
-- "Environmental Solutions in Motion," produced by the Institute on the Environment, June 1-30.
-- "Great Conversations: Larry Jacobs and Daniel Ellsberg," produced by the College of Continuing Education, June 16-July 15.
ResearchChannel features only 10 cable VOD programs each month, and more than seven million households receive its programming. Video On Demand availability depends on local cable and satellite providers, however, all videos can be viewed online at ResearchChannel. The videos also will be available on the ResearchChannel YouTube site.
In addition, all of the submitted programs also are scheduled in the ResearchChannel broadcast lineup. These programs will be available to over 35 million households. Their availability also depends on local cable and satellite providers.
The scheduled broadcast times listed below reflects Central Standard Time.
"U.S. History: 1865 to Present"
-- March 4: 6 a.m.; noon; 6 p.m.
-- March 5: Midnight.
"Environmental Solutions in Motion"
-- March 4: 6:30 a.m.; 12:30 p.m.; 6:30 p.m.
-- March 5: 12:30 a.m.
"Great Conversations: Larry Jacobs and Daniel Ellsberg"
-- March 11: 6 a.m.; noon; 6 p.m.
-- March 12: Midnight
For more information on the U of M's involvement in ResearchChannel and to view all of the University submissions, visit the ResearchChannel Web site.
The University of Minnesota's Office of Information Technology (OIT) was highlighted in a Baseline Magazine feature on energy efficiency in technology.
"Building an Energy-Efficient IT Infrastructure" touches on many facets of energy-efficient IT infrastructures. The University is included under the "Power Play" section, that addresses the issue that one-third to one-half of overall IT costs are the result of energy consumption and that lifetime energy costs will soon exceed the cost of servers.
The article states, "The University of Minnesota understands this issue and is sold on the concept of system monitoring. Pete Bartz, assistant director of the Office of Information Technology at the 51,000-plus student institution, says the IT organization manages 80,000 ports and more than 50,000 endpoints. By automating network management and policies through Microsoft Active Directory and Entuity’s Eye of the Storm, IT is able to switch off about 25,000 devices each night, netting annual savings of more than $1.4 million.
The IT office also developed energy profiles for various departments and can monitor energy pull via a green dashboard. All of this is saving additional sums that run into hundreds of thousands of dollars, Bartz says."
Baseline Magazine was established in 2001 and edited for senior IT and corporate management business leaders. It examines the financial aspects of IT deployment and the actual implementation of the IT infrastructure to support those financial metrics and provides in-depth analysis on case dissections, deployments, business strategy and the goals of specific technology implementations.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has scheduled a grand opening open house for the new OIT Tech Stop for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, February 26, in 101 Coffman Memorial Union.
Open house attendees can register for prizes, visit with Tech Stop staff, learn about Tech Stop services, meet UMart vendors, and participate in demonstrations and other activities. Refreshments will be served. In addition, a presentation by UMart vendor HP and new vendor CDWG is scheduled for 10-11 a.m. in the President's Room, CMU third floor, immediately preceding the open house.
Tech Stop offers walk-in consultation and assistance with and support for University technology services, as well as technology purchases made through the UMart online store. Most help is available at no cost. Fee-based services from vendor-certified OIT staff also are available. OIT Tech Stop also is a distribution site for a variety of software, such as Microsoft Office and antivirus protection, available through OIT's site license program.
For more information on Tech Stop and the grand opening open house, visit http://oit.umn.edu/techstop.