In response to the pandemic, a massive transition to hybrid learning was needed that has had a lasting positive impact on our facilities to support teaching and learning in the future.

The newly developed Science Network will optimize high-performance data collaboration for MSU researchers. This powerful tool supports MSU’s mission as a research leader to have an impact on global initiatives.

Student Information System (SIS) modernization efforts have been an incredible undertaking to enhance the student experience and academic administrative services that support teaching and learning at MSU.

Every institution with a virtual presence must face today’s reality of ever-present cyber threat actors who aim to disrupt, deceive, and extort. A simple internet search for “ransomware” will reveal the geometric growth the impact of these actors have in higher education. In the realm of cybersecurity, effective prevention, response, and remediation of such threats are critical. For Michigan State University, MSU IT works tirelessly to serve these functions and protect institutional data.

Since prevention is the best defensive tool against cyber threats, MSU IT invested in multiple preventative security capabilities that provide better defenses for campus users. Primarily, these enhancements are connected to MSU’s new unified login experience, which offers several benefits to our community.

Hidden in plain sight and used by every Spartan, MSU’s login system (multi-factor authentication and single sign-on) is used to access over 500 systems and applications. It serves as the front door to online resources for our 17 colleges, administrative units, and other departments. Because these are globally accessible, they are part of what is called our “threat surface.”

“Updating MSU’s login gateway results in a better user experience along with better security,” said Chief Information Security Officer Tom Siu. “This security translates to saving the university time and money responding to potential threats, and better protection of MSU resources and assets.”

The enhancements also improve user experience and convenience. The reduction of multiple daily logins to applications, ability to reset your own password/passphrase, and a single site to manage your account means less time spent on logging in and fewer calls to the MSU IT Service Desk for help.

“It’s a huge improvement to the experience for over 400,000 Spartans,” said Nicholas Oas, Information Security team lead. “With the legacy system, users would log in up to seven times a day to different websites and now they only need to do it once.”

Additionally, the improvements support the research space by augmenting compliance with the research sponsor security requirements, like those from National Institutes of Health. Doing so has ensured our campus grant partners are able to complete their research and continue to support MSU’s mission.

Overall, implementation of these authentication service controls is one of the key defenses against the epidemic of ransomware attacks that target identity management services across higher education.

MSU’s pandemic response impelled us to support short-term tools and invest in long-term improvements, enabling the university’s efforts to improve campus health and safety.

MSU IT is focusing on relationships with our campus partners to collaboratively deliver the unique support they need while leveraging enterprise effectiveness and efficiency where it will benefit the university and the partner.

When leadership in Infrastructure Planning and Facilities (IPF) filed a request for proposal, a new integrated workplace management system (IWMS) had long been on the radar.

“To support the university’s mission to advance knowledge and transform lives and realize our own vision to be the highest performing, leading-edge facilities organization in the nation, we knew we needed a more collaborative approach,” said Dan Bollman, Vice President for Strategic Infrastructure Planning and Facilities. He added, “We also knew that a new system could improve our customer’s experience.”

At that time, MSU faced a unique problem: multiple IWMS were used throughout the university to manage work processes, such as scheduling maintenance, billing, requests for services, leases, keys, project management, fleet management, and event planning across units.

In the highly collaborative environment found on MSU’s campus, the use of multiple management systems often resulted in duplication of work, dual entry of work, and other problems that can make workplace management less efficient.

In 2018, a partnership among Financial Planning and Budget, Infrastructure Planning and Facilities, Institutional Facilities and Space Management, MSU IT, Student Life and Engagement, and University Procurement and Logistics formed the Facilities Connect project to transition the university to a new, integrated workplace management system. The system selected as the replacement for the existing workplace management systems is Planon, which will create standardized processes across the university, reduce dual entry and duplication of work, and increase the transparency of data.

Planon has multiple benefits for customers. Planon’s user interface is significantly more user-friendly than past tools and allows customers to view their requests, projects, and statements easily. In addition, they no longer need to re-submit a request if they accidentally submit it to the wrong area.

MSU IT played a pivotal role in configuring and testing the system to meet the unique working environment found on campus. The implementation of Planon is still underway, with an anticipated end in Fall 2022.

Beginning in 1966 as a project between Michigan State University, Wayne State University, and the University of Michigan, the Merit Network (then known as MERIT, Michigan Educational Research Information Triad) was designed to connect mainframe computers between the three universities to share and exchange data.

The Merit Network is currently the internet service provider for Michigan State University, supplying the university with 160 gigabits per second (Gb/s) of broadband connectivity. In 1971, Merit supplied MSU, U of M, and Wayne State with a 1200 baud (approximately 0.0000012 Gb/s) network connection.

The Merit Network has also expanded as an independent nonprofit that provides internet connectivity to educational communities within and outside of Michigan, including an initiative in the mid-1990s that brought internet connections to close to 60 K-12 school districts and Intermediate School Districts.

Expanding internet access to schools and communities continues to be a joint pursuit between MSU and the Merit Network. A recent proposal, the federal Broadband Network grant, would enable this partnership to provide broadband access to students and underserved communities across the state.

In an innovative approach, the Broadband Network grant focuses on building “middle mile” infrastructure, bringing broadband connectivity to rural areas where there is currently no framework for high-speed internet. The “last mile” would then be completed by local internet service providers working with individual educational institutions.

“While we at MSU benefit from an incredibly high-speed connection to the Internet to serve our students, faculty, and staff, not all educational institutions in the state, especially K-12, have access that allows them to do the same,” said MSU IT Executive Director of Infrastructure and Technology David Sweetman.

“This is especially true in rural areas, and this ‘middle mile’ grant would provide the bridge between the high-speed internet available to educational institutions and those that are currently too physically far away to access it.”

MSU IT is proud to continue driving access to resources that allow Michigan and broader communities to enhance their ability to educate and learn in an environment that demands an ever-increasing reliance on high-speed connectivity. Our partnership with the Merit Network will continue to be a centerpiece of this drive.