Technology Systems and Infrastructure Accomplishments

WSU Wireless & Guest Wi-Fi

ITS offers universal access to WSU Wireless services for most campuses across the WSU system. Students and faculty can visit Pullman, Spokane, Everett, Vancouver, or the Tri-Cities campuses and retain instant connectivity through their already established WSU credentials.

WSU Pullman offers a self-service guest wireless, allowing registration in a matter of moments directly from a guest’s device for the first time in WSU history, including ‘internet of things connectivity, for users within WSU Pullman housing, visiting family, and WSU affiliates. ITS continues to enhance this service, more than doubling connectivity access points from 2,283 in 2016 to over 4,600 across Pullman’s campus by the end of 2023, and this service continues to grow and meet expanding needs.

Infrastructure Services

ITS offers infrastructure and storage to support a secondary data center in Pullman, with updated switching, routing, and firewall resources in ITS’ primary data center. These resources are used across multiple areas for teaching, learning, and business needs.

ITS infrastructure supports both existing and future WSU business and academic tools including Microsoft communication services (including email), Zoom services, virtual servers, WSU’s high-performance research computer – Kamiak –, wired and wireless access, and calendaring.

ITS optimized WSU’s internet connectivity architecture, employing K20 to double the bandwidth for Pullman. The infrastructure team also transferred all Pullman data and voice network services from the current decade-old, 10-gigabit-per-second equipment to new 100-gigabit-per-second campus infrastructure equipment.

Deployed for the first time in a WSU research facility, ITS supported an entirely fiber optic-based LAN technology: Gigabit Passive Optical Networking.

Cloud Resources including:

• MyWSU (Student Information System – SIS): Hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), MyWSU benefits from scalable cloud infrastructure that ensures reliable performance during peak usage periods, such as the start of academic terms. The cloud environment enhances platform security, enables timely updates, and supports seamless integration with other university systems.

• Canvas (Learning Management System – LMS): WSU’s primary learning management system, Canvas, is a cloud-based platform that delivers modern, user-friendly experience for students and instructors. It supports continuous updates, responsive support, and automatic synchronization of course data and grades with MyWSU, ensuring a cohesive academic experience.

• Zoom (Telecommunications & Collaboration): Zoom is WSU’s enterprise-standard video conferencing solution, offering high reliability (99.99% uptime) and scalability. It supports remote learning, virtual meetings, and hybrid collaboration across the university. Zoom has replaced legacy systems, significantly reducing operational costs while supporting over five hundred simultaneous meetings at peak usage.

• Microsoft Teams (Collaboration & Communication): Microsoft Teams is widely used across WSU for academic, administrative, and research collaboration. With thousands of daily users, Teams facilitates over 80,000 meetings and 85,000 calls annually, along with millions of chats. It supports real-time communication and document sharing, regardless of user location.

• WSU Email (Office 365 Exchange Online): WSU’s centralized email service is hosted in the cloud via Office 365 Exchange Online. This unified platform replaced multiple departmental systems, streamlining communication and improving security. The service supports seamless access to email, calendar, and contacts across devices, with robust data retention and compliance features.

OBIEE (Business Intelligence & Reporting)

WSU’s OBIEE platform consolidated legacy reporting systems into a unified environment that includes current student data and dashboards. It provides secure, streamlined access to institutional data, improving reporting efficiency and infrastructure management across the university.

Atlassian Cloud Migration

WSU successfully migrated its Atlassian suite—including Jira and Confluence—from on-premises Data Center to a cloud-based environment. This transition enhances system reliability, scalability, and collaboration across project and service management functions, while reducing infrastructure maintenance overhead.

Control-M Cloud Migration

The enterprise workload automation platform, Control-M, has been fully migrated to a secure cloud environment. This ensures the timely, secure transfer of critical student and institutional data into managed repositories, supporting operational continuity and data integrity.

AWS Organization Restructuring

WSU restructured its AWS Organization to improve governance, cost efficiency, and research agility. New tools and configurations were implemented to reduce Time to Research and Time to Data, particularly for Regulated Data Environments (RDEs) supporting federally funded research.

Windows Server Modernization

WSU completed the decommissioning of all Windows Server 2012 systems and upgraded Windows Server 2016 environments. These efforts ensure compliance with vendor support standards and improve the reliability and security of services used across academic and administrative units.

Science DMZ Infrastructure Upgrade

The Science DMZ was modernized by replacing legacy Plexxi/Brocade infrastructure with Core/Border devices. This upgrade significantly improves high-performance computing and data transfer capabilities for research-intensive applications.

VMware to Hyper-V Migration

WSU transitioned from VMware to Microsoft Hyper-V, delivering a more cost-effective and scalable virtual environment to support teaching, learning, and research computing needs.

Java Infrastructure Updates

Java versions and libraries across WSU’s Windows and AWS environments were updated to ensure compatibility, security, and performance for academic and administrative applications.

Imaging v1 Decommissioning

Legacy Imaging v1 systems were decommissioned following a successful migration of users to modern platforms. This supports secure, efficient document management for student financial aid and academic records.

SMTP Decommissioning

WSU retired on-premises SMTP services, reducing unnecessary email address creation and improving email security and identity management across university systems.

StarRez Housing System Integration

The StarRez housing management system was fully integrated, streamlining housing assignments, billing, and communications to enhance the student residential experience and operational efficiency.

InCommon Certificate Service Sunsetting

WSU transitioned from the InCommon Certificate Service to alternative secure certificate solutions, maintaining access to external teaching and learning resources while improving operational efficiency and security.

Lambda Function Modernization

WSU updated its serverless computing infrastructure – AWS Lambda – to improve performance, scalability, and reliability for research and academic applications.

Student Success Initiatives

Transfer Credit Evaluation Tool

WSU now offers a cloud-based transfer evaluation tool that enables students to assess how their completed external coursework aligns with WSU’s academic requirements. This service streamlines the transfer process by providing timely, accurate credit evaluations, helping students make informed academic decisions with greater confidence and speed.

Academic Planner

The Academic Planner is a fully implemented, student-facing application that consolidates a student’s chosen area of study into a single, interactive interface. It displays all required program courses in one place, offering a clear and personalized academic roadmap. This tool supports students in setting goals, tracking progress, and staying on course toward graduation.

TouchNet (Student Payments & Departmental Cashiering)

TouchNet is fully integrated with WSU’s student information system, MyWSU, providing students and authorized users such as family and friends with secure access to view tuition charges and make electronic payments. With built-in cashiering capabilities, TouchNet also supports WSU departments and organizations in managing payment intake efficiently and securely.

ITS Customer Center (Order Processing for System Resources)

The ITS Customer Center enhances order processing for system resources like phone services and network connectivity through an improved PCR software interface. This service streamlines requests and enables ITS to respond more efficiently to university business needs.

Jira (Project Management & Support Ticketing)

WSU’s centralized project management and customer support platform – Jira – features customized service desks for intake and tracking of support and consulting requests. Offered at no cost to technology and support teams across the university, Jira is centrally managed and supported by ITS, with training and onboarding available to ensure consistent use.

ITS Customer Service Structure

ITS support is organized into four service tiers to ensure efficient and scalable assistance:

• Tier 0: Self-service resources including the Ask Butch chatbot, ITS website (its.wsu.edu), and over 22,000 knowledge base articles at kb.wsu.edu.
• Tier 1: Centralized support via the Crimson Service Desk (email and phone).
• Tier 2: Escalated support managed by technical management teams.
• Tier 3: Strategic project planning and consulting for broader institutional needs.
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Regulated Data Environments (RDEs)

ITS provides secure, customized RDEs for researchers and departments overseeing sensitive data. These environments meet federal and grant compliance requirements, offering a higher level of security than traditional shared drives or standard collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams.

Student Data Warehouse

The Student Data Warehouse is a centralized, easy-to-use repository housing comprehensive student data, including academic records, financial aid, student financials, and demographics. It supports data-driven decision-making and student support services across the WSU system.

Teaching & Learning Technology Enhancements

Zoom Room Classroom Upgrades

Classrooms previously using Polycom systems were upgraded to Zoom Rooms, enabling modern hybrid learning environments with improved video, audio, and collaboration tools.

Windows 11 Classroom Upgrade

General University Classroom (GUC) computers were upgraded to Windows 11, ensuring compatibility with modern applications and maintaining continuity of instructional technology.

Explorance Blue (Course Evaluation Platform)

WSU’s online course evaluation system – Explorance Blue – offers a dynamic and user-friendly experience for students, faculty, and administrators. The platform supports timely feedback collection and long-term data analysis to inform teaching practices and curriculum development.

Microsoft Copilot Integration

Microsoft Copilot has been integrated into WSU’s Microsoft 365 suite, providing students and faculty with AI-powered tools that enhance productivity, learning, and research. This includes intelligent writing assistance, data analysis, and content generation within familiar Microsoft applications.

GUC Network Reliability Enhancements

Network infrastructure in general university classrooms was upgraded to prevent outages and ensure consistent, high-speed connectivity for teaching and learning.

Wireless Service Enhancements

WSU expanded wireless coverage and performance by upgrading to 40MHz-wide 5GHz bands in low- and medium-density areas, improving user experience in classrooms and common spaces. WSU also replaced outdated wireless access points in Pullman and Spokane and installed new Juniper switches in Tri-Cities, significantly improving wireless access for teaching, learning, and research.