June 11, 2009

Liberal Arts, Science to merge IT operations

The colleges of Liberal Arts and Science are merging their information technology operations in order to reduce costs and provide more efficient services. 

Information Technology at Purdue (ITaP) is assisting in the merger.

Brett Chambers, director of information technology for the College of Liberal Arts, says the merger will allow both colleges to acquire hardware and software to continue supporting their technology needs for the next several years. 

"For example, we are planning to use virtualized server technology, which will allow us to keep up with the ever-growing demands for storage," Chambers said. "The cost of the two organizations doing this together is much less than if we had done it independently, and by joining in our purchasing with ITaP there are additional savings."

Steve Hare, director of information technology for the College of Science, said there are benefits beyond cost savings.

"By merging our servers together, we require less space and less electricity," he said. "We save energy and reduce our environmental footprint, as well."

The merger will include personnel and services as well as hardware and software, and there are plans for additional services such as a full-time help desk, said John Contreni, the Justin S. Morrill Dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

"Sharing personnel will allow us to combine the staff skills and knowledge of technology and provide extra support when needed," he said.

ITaP is housing the computer servers and is negotiating the contracts for the merger. Jon Harbor, interim dean of the College of Science, said ITaP will help purchase as much of the technology as possible.

"Without ITaP's involvement, the colleges of Liberal Arts and Science would not be able to purchase the scale of technology infrastructure needed to support both of our organizations," Harbor said.

Gerry McCartney, vice president for information technology and chief information officer, said virtual servers, which are already in use within ITaP, are a good example of the ways technology has changed in the last few years.

"There are new technologies, such as the approach these colleges are taking using virtual servers, that I encourage everyone to consider putting to use to reduce costs at Purdue," McCartney said. "We're pleased to assist with this innovative approach, and I congratulate Dean Contreni and Interim Dean Harbor on their eagerness to collaborate."