Technology Standards

• Baseline Standards Development, Maintenance and Implementation
  This is an ongoing effort to articulate system wide minimum workstation (desktop and laptop, Mac and PC Compatible) hardware and software standards as well as technology infrastructure standards.  The intention is not to require replacement of systems prior to the end of their useful life, but to provide guidance and minimum standards when designing and/or purchasing new systems.

• Telecommunications Infrastructure Planning (TIP) Standards
  As early as 1993, the CSU realized the need to provide uniform guidelines and standards for architects and engineers working on physical plant projects involving new telecommunications infrastructure within the University's multi-campus system. To address this need, a representative committee of campus and Chancellor's Office information technology and facilities professionals working in concert with an industry consultant created the Telecommunications Infrastructure Planning (TIP) Standards. Nearly a decade later, the Standards serve not only as an invaluable planning resource for the CSU, but have also been adopted as a key reference by other university systems across the USA. A major revision is currently in progress. 
  
  
• Minimum Baseline Infrastructure Standards
  During the 1995/96 fiscal year, the CSU system attempted to initiate a multi-year telecommunications infrastructure retrofit program through capital outlay projects based on master planning efforts employing the TIP Standards. It was quickly realized that retrofit projects to bring existing campus physical facilities to full TIP compliance would be too costly. A system wide committee of IT professionals was selected to define a set of minimum acceptable voice/video/data provisioning requirements for the retrofits; the quality implicit in the TIP Standards would be retained, but connectivity would be reduced to a somewhat lower (but still satisfactory) level. The committee's recommendations were adopted by the CSU system and by Sacramento reviewing agencies.
  
  
• Infrastructure Quality Standards
  One approach to technology infrastructure upgrading employed by the CSU during the 1990s involved the formation of a public/private partnership with an alliance of major corporate organizations from the technology sector. One product of these efforts was a draft Quality Standards document which was to provide engineering and technical guidelines for the physical plant elements of the system wide build-out. The public/private partnering strategy proved infeasible and was abandoned, but the Quality Standards were retained and have become the reference source for specifications defining campus projects currently being developed as part of the Technology Infrastructure Initiative (TII).
  
  
• Baseline Campus Network Standards 
  The purpose of the Baseline Campus Network Standards is to define the components – both required and optional –of the CSU Baseline Campus Network environment.  The standards are intended to provide guidance to network designers and operating support staff as they design and engineer CSU campus networks that support academic and administrative production activities.