UITS’ Falcon gets its wings with Peregrine software

The new interactive environment for technology support, called Falcon, will be unlike any other in use.

Falcon will take flight in July .

“The concept of a single, enterprise-wide incident tracking system, used by all of the university’s information technology organizations, has long been a goal for technology support at IU,” said Elizabeth Cassidy, senior director of teaching and learning information technologies for UITS. “Our vision is the development of a multi-tiered system that includes tools and utilities for providing technical and administrative support for the university community.”

UITS is responsible for implementing the university’s information technology initiatives, including not only computers but also networks, electronic databases, data storage systems and the transmission of data via various media. Falcon will operate as a primary tool to manage technology support throughout IU.

Technology support staff at IU receive half a million customer contacts per year, said Darren Overfelt, manager of the Falcon project. The university has no single method or service to manage technology support and leverage distributed information and expertise. Falcon will provide this much-needed enterprise service.

From its home base at IUPUI, Falcon will provide enterprise management for all areas of technology support, including help desk inquiries, service requests, network management, change management, telecommunications services, account management and requests for instructional technology resources.

All of these services exist across the university, but a coordinated support system does not, Cassidy said. This system will allow cross-campus support for technology. All front-line staff fielding questions and requests from faculty, students and staff will use this system. Falcon will allow for an easier escalation of incidents to subject matter experts for assistance and problem resolution.