Support Data-Informed Decision Making﻿

ARC’s high-performance computing cluster, Great Lakes, provides researchers with access to 123 terabytes of RAM to process incredibly large datasets, often leading to new discoveries and research advancements. Great Lakes is a computational powerhouse, capable of speeds more than 15,000 times that of an average laptop, a necessity for the 1,600+ researchers who used Great Lakes last year and beyond to draw important conclusions based on data trends.

Sustainability & Data Storage

Data Den, ARC’s archival storage service, uses a Linear Tape-Open format storage system to store large volumes of data for an extended period of time, often supporting researchers in meeting grant requirements. The use of Data Den upholds U-M's commitment to environmentally responsible operations, saving over 1,200 tons of CO2 each year when compared to an active storage system.

Innovation in Data Visualization

As researchers continue to push boundaries and make new discoveries, the importance of visually representing their findings increases. In FY2024, ARC introduced a specialized “viz” partition, consisting of four nodes on Great Lakes equipped with NVIDIA P40 GPUs. This new partition allows researchers to produce data visualizations up to ten times better than the previous technology allowed.

Impressive Infrastructure

ARC's services offer incredible speeds and space for storage, allowing researchers to reimagine what is possible when it comes to analyzing and storing data. Data Den Research Archive contains 1,580 tapes, each containing 960 m of tape. The 1,600 km of tape housed by Data Den is enough to cover the distance between Ann Arbor and Jacksonville, Florida.

The Great Lakes high-performance computing cluster specializes in incredibly fast data processing. The cluster is so fast that it would take 300 million people processing two numbers per second for 38 days of non-stop input to process what Great Lakes can process in one second.

Turbocharged Data Access

Serving over 2,000 researchers, Turbo Research Storage is ARC's active storage system, allowing researchers to access stored files via a local computer in a lab, office, or ARC's high-performance computing clusters. Turbo offers high speed processing, averaging a read time of 6.6 gigabytes per second over a 24 hour period, a speed which would consume more than half the university's bandwidth, if allowed. The next generation of Turbo will quadruple in speed, helping to increase research productivity as a crucial storage tool.

Servicing the U-M Community’s Accessibility Needs

ITS Accessibility

In FY2024, the ITS Accessibility team diligently addressed the digital inclusivity needs of the campus community through their completion of 88 requests, encompassing consultations, responses to inquiries, and providing support, reflecting a high level of engagement and responsive service.

They also conducted 39 expert evaluations of various products and applications to ensure these tools met the necessary standards for accessibility.

Moreover, they actively participated in 13 collaborative efforts on development or purchasing projects, signifying their commitment to integrating accessibility considerations into the university's digital infrastructure right from inception to deployment.

This robust involvement underscores the team's ongoing effort to uphold and enhance accessible practices within the university.

Advancing Technological Capabilities and Services

Integrating GitHub Copilot with U-M GitHub to expedite the coding process using AI. This groundbreaking tool streamlines code generation, ushering in a new phase of efficiency for university developers.
The Pantheon web hosting service was adopted to serve Drupal and WordPress users starting in 2025, signaling another leap forward in website management services.
On a parallel track, the team initiated Phase 1 of the AFS Retirement, marking the beginning of a transition to more advanced data storage solutions, while also embarking on the AFS Website Upgrade Project to enhance the security of university websites.

Cloud Strategy and Cybersecurity Investments

The cloud infrastructure received a significant boost with the Container Service Platform Upgrade, leading to a modernized hosting environment on AWS through a partnership with Red Hat.
Proactive defense strategies included the implementation of Cloudflare as a web application firewall, reinforcing the protection of university digital services against external threats.
To further secure IT operations, Drupal was updated on ITS websites, ensuring adherence to the highest security standards.

Data-Informed Decision-Making and Systems Modernization

An Enterprise Data Catalog Pilot was set in motion to facilitate a university-wide data catalog, enabling more informed decision-making processes.
The Administration and Operations team also applied focus on internal communication improvements for managing major incidents with a revamp of the IT On Call Paging Solution.
Progress in modernizing reporting platforms was marked by the completion of the M-Reports Modernization Project Phase I, significantly enhancing the user interface and aligning with U-M branding.

Launching DEI 2.0 for ITS in FY2025

After the conclusion of U-M's initial five-year DEI 1.0 plan, ITS joined the larger university community in unveiling a comprehensive DEI 2.0 Strategic Plan for FY2024. The plan aims to increase diversity by cultivating and promoting staff affinity groups, creating sustainable spaces for community-building, and supporting various diversity initiatives like employee resource groups and mentorship programs. Equity efforts include enhancing digital accessibility by identifying service delivery gaps, advancing accessibility services, and developing strategic accessibility plans. In addition, ITS is committed to ensuring workplace accessibility in alignment with university policies.

To foster a sense of inclusion, the new DEI 2.0 plan emphasizes educating the community on DEI topics through training sessions, e-learning for new hires, and promoting DEI events. The plan also includes building awareness and engagement by facilitating discussions, seeking staff input, and involving executive leadership in DEI initiatives. Moreover, ITS aims to enhance its culture by connecting DEI events to broader university efforts, supporting DEI learning opportunities, and recognizing staff participation in DEI activities. These strategic actions reflect ITS's commitment to creating a welcoming environment where all individuals feel valued and included.

Advancements in MCard

The EAS DART/MCard development team expanded its support personnel to enhance system functionality last year. They successfully phased out Cosign in favor of more secure https protocols, overhauled the MS Access Orientation database, and launched MCardConnect, for online photo submissions, replacing the previous MyPhoto vendor. Additionally, they streamlined MCard client installations compatible with MiWorkspace and fully integrated MCard into ITS service operations. The team established clear responsibilities across various university departments, improved user access protocols, and transferred vital database management duties. An ITS dedicated website for MCard further supported the project, coupled with detailed knowledge articles in TeamDynamix. In addition, a robust Disaster Recovery Plan for MCard has been crafted in collaboration with Information Assurance.

Implementation of New Services

In this past fiscal year, EAS significantly expanded the suite of services available to the university community by launching several key initiatives:

Among these was the adoption of MiCORES and InfoReady, which are administrative research systems designed to expedite and organize research administration workflows. These platforms have been integrated to enhance the research experience across the campus by providing streamlined processes and improved access to research-related resources.
The EAS team launched Phase I of Enterprise Health, a robust system for centralizing immunization data collection. This important initiative allows various university units with distinct business needs to access and use immunization data effectively. The successful establishment of this centralized system has also led to the phasing out of ResponsiBLUE, the previous health tracking application.
Additionally, the EAS team has developed and introduced a Student Recruitment offering within Salesforce. This tool harnesses the capabilities of a leading customer relationship management platform.

Administration Excellence: Finance and Human Resources

Several notable achievements were accomplished by A&O’s Finance and Human Resources teams in FY2024. The Finance team successfully launched new AI capabilities, enhancing financial modeling and billing procedures. This innovation was pivotal in creating the TDX financial billing portal, which efficiently handled ITS Recharge Rates, resulting in $31 million in billings for the fiscal year. The team also adeptly managed the financial aspects of the fall Major Incident and future planning needs. Significant projects completed include the ARC Research Computing Support & Data Center Upgrade, a seven-year, $30 million capital project, and the two-year, $1 million Digital Asset Management project. Additionally, the Finance team prepared the FY2025 budget of $161 million and finalized the FY2024 actuals at $157 million, outperforming the budget by $2 million.

Enhancement of Financial Aid Processes

EAS' Student Administration team undertook the challenging task of implementing the new FAFSA Simplification regulatory changes, the driver in determining college financial aid packages. Even with significant delays from the Department of Education, they successfully operationalized federal mandates and were able to provide estimated FAFSA financial aid package notifications to U-M students vastly ahead of many peer institutions, showcasing the team’s exceptional ability to adapt to significant regulatory and timeline changes, and to collaborate with the Office of Financial Aid in their unwavering commitment to student support.

Major Version Upgrades

Demonstrating their continued commitment to operational excellence, EAS enhanced functionality and implemented upgrades to a host of enterprise services this year, including My LINC, research systems for Animal and Proposal Management and PeopleSoft/Oracle FIN, HCM, and Student Administration systems.

Leveraging Inventory Management and IT Systems (LIMITS)

EAS’ LIMITS project improved U-M's supply chain operations in FY2024 by utilizing current enterprise supply chain tools and procuring additional vendor solutions to integrate our enterprise systems. PeopleSoft Enterprise supply chain main functions include inventory tracking, purchase order creation, receiving items, and vendor payment.

Strategic Partnerships and Cloud Transition Planning