ECS tech audit

Jgoodell

Sujets

• management

Informations

• Publié par: Unjio
• Nombre de lectures: 15
• Langue: English

Extrait

Statewide Education
Network Assessment
and Upgrade
• Capacity assessment
• Structural evaluation
• Funding options
• Recommendations
Helping State Leaders Shape Education Policy9
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Key Questions About a Network Audit
Are you receiving maximum long term The purpose for a network audit is to assess
the capacity, capability and efficiency of your value for your network investments? data and communication network and to make
recommendations for options and strategies to
make improvement in the areas of:Are you confident that your network can
support expanding services for future • Wide Area Architecture
survival and benefit? - Connections to districts and schools
- Connections to the Internet
- Routers and central firewalls
Do you know how to build or optimize - Evaluation of future technologies
- Identify current and future needsyour network to prepare for increasing
- Identify options for wireless networks user demands in the future?
• Network Operating Systems and Security
Do you know when to outsource or • Consolidated Telecommunication Systems
privatize your network or its components?
The foundation for developing appropriate data
and communications networks is a clear Do you know how to maximize understanding of user needs now and into the
E-rate and other subsidies to support future as well as the nature of the requirements
and demand that these needs will make on the your network?
network. This, combined with a clear
assessment of technology options yields an
optimum strategy for network implementation. Do you understand the opportunities and
systems that can lower costs? There are four critical characteristics of
network service that must be configured to
meet user needs:Do you know how to identify and take
advantage of value-added collaborations Reliability: Can the network provide mission-
critical services to satisfy a service level with universities, agencies and private
agreement with districts? Is the network robust organizations? and self-healing? Where are points of failure
and how can they be mitigated?
Can you identify opportunities to offer
Bandwidth: What capacity is required to meet
more services like voice over IP telephony, service level agreements? Is the demand
present or emerging? Does network capacity streaming media and central servers?
degrade gracefully?
Have you considered Internet2? Quality: What level of errors can the service
tolerate? How are errors prevented and
corrected? Does the network support quality of
Do you know how to make your network service and traffic shaping protocols? What
about delay and jitter?infrastructure robust and secure?
Support: How is the network supported?
Are you meeting CIPA and protecting your How is the network monitored and evaluated.
What feedback is provided to decision makers?users?
“Designing your network so that it is scalable – so that it can keep pace with changes and growth –
requires knowledge of current network patterns and, most importantly, a plan that anticipates how
change and growth can accommodate future needs.”
Terri Quinn, Andry & Kitty Haller, Designing Campus NetworksAn Educational Network Audit Addresses:
► Statewide vs. District Spending ► Privatization ► Network Funding Sources
► E-rate Options ► Network Staff Development ► Pricing by School
► Finance and Forensic Accounting ► Cost Effective Opportunities ► Infrastructure Issues
Audit Structure Audit Process
Data Gathering The Data Gathering phase starts with a survey of
− Constituent interviews available information including:
− Field visits − Standards, policies and procedures
− Review vendor contracts − Strategic plans and statements
− Online user surveys − School and District improvement plans
− Curriculum guides
Key Findings − Internal surveys and assessments
− User needs and satisfaction assessment − Procurement and proposal evaluation
− Requirements statement methods.
− Effectiveness of current policy Data gathering also includes stakeholder
− Security and safety assessment interviews and focus groups to gain a
comprehensive, realistic and accurate perspective
Research on network issues. The data is published for
− E-rate options for districts review by the audit team.
− Future technology options
− Traffic modeling The Key Findings phase starts with development
of a document that defines specific issues that
Recommendations must be addressed without ignoring the
− Generate alternatives for network structure successes and benefits already being delivered by
and function the network. Findings are a consolidation of the
− Provide assessment framework, funding data through an evaluation of the span and depth
options and return-on-investment analysis that each issue has in relation to network
− Develop action plans with preliminary capabilities. The audit team engages a iterative
budgets review process to clarify and prioritize the
findings.
Research is engaged to establish options for
consideration and to develop a foundation for
recommendations. It also develops a model of the
present network, the present traffic, future needs
Funding and the network parameters needed to meet the Network
Options and needs of the future.Capacity and
User Cost
Capabilities The final phase of the work coheres the various
findings into solution units that can be addressed
by specific alternatives and options generated
Value through the research. The Recommendations
document is published and the audit team
engages another iterative review process to
complete the project. About The Center for Educational About ECS
Leadership and Technology
Working with the vision, mission, and goals of The Education Commission of the States (ECS) is an
educational organizations, CELT, a leading interstate compact created in 1965 to improve
information technology architect and systems public education by facilitating the exchange of
integrator, assists with the implementation of information, ideas and experiences among state
technology in support of contemporary educational policymakers and education leaders. As a nonprofit,
reform initiatives. CELT’s goal is to help learning nonpartisan organization involving key leaders from
organizations integrate the highest quality IT all levels of the education system, ECS creates
products and services in the most timely, efficient, unique opportunities to build partnerships, share
and cost-effective way possible using the latest information and promote the development of policy
information technology architecture to improve based on available research and strategies.
student achievement.ECS is supported financially by a combination of
state fees and contracts, sponsorships, and grants
from foundations, corporations and the federal
For more information, call 508-624-4474 or visit government.
our Web site at www.celtcorp.com
ECS Mission
The mission of ECS is to advocate for attaining About The CELT/ECS Partnership
educational excellence for all and to help state
leaders identify, develop and implement public
As part of ECS’ efforts to continuously improve and policy for education that addresses current and
provide contemporary research and policy services future needs of a learning society.
to its constituents, the organization has expanded
its activities to include the impact of information For more information, visit www.ecs.org
technology on contemporary teaching, learning,
and educational management. ECS has partnered
with the Center for Educational Leadership and
Technology in order to expand its research,
planning, policy, programs, services, and delivery
For more information about the services models in this area.described in this brochure, please e-mail
[e-mail] or call 303.299.3600.

Education Commission of the States The Center for Educational Leadership and
Technology
700 Broadway, Suite 1200 199 Forest Street
Denver, Colorado 80203-3460 Marlborough, MA 01752
Tel [phone] Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone] Toll Free: 800.362.2358
Email: [e-mail] Fax: [phone]
www.ecs.org www.celtcorp.com