Body
Purpose
The ITaaS Network Engineering Services (NES) provides VCCS colleges and agencies the opportunity to supplement their IT staff with one or more experienced network engineers who possess the expertise and will provide the services of a network engineer. The program provides onsite and remote network infrastructure engineering, and day-to-daymanagement of network infrastructure including switches, routers, wireless equipment, firewalls, and network circuits. The ITaaS network engineer reports to the VCCS System Office but the college CIO/CTO coordinates work priorities, maintenance schedules, and meetings directly with the engineer. This position is shared among three VCCS colleges and backed by the VCCS System Office network team to ensure continued services during times of leave, illness, or emergency.
Having a skilled individual dedicated to this position will lower IT risk while allowing current staff to take leave or work on special projects without impacting IT operations. This MOU allows individual colleges to benefit from the services of a network engineer without incurring the high costs associated with hiring and retaining a full-time qualified network engineer. While the focus is on providing the network engineering services outlined, the goal is to continually seek out additional opportunities to increase productivity and reduce costs. Upon agreement, the System Office will provide the following network engineering support services to the college.
Problem
Many VCCS agencies find it difficult, if not impossible, to find individuals in their service regions that have the necessary skillsets and experience required to support the infrastructure in VCCS’s higher ed Information Technology environment. The expenses normally associated with recruiting, training, and maintaining a highly skilled network engineer are cost prohibitive for most VCCS agencies even when the right resource is identified. Then the larger question becomes whether a college needs this type of position on a full-time basis, and whether the college can afford to hire and retain such a resource. Once an individual with these skills is identified the VCCS can benefit from using them at multiple colleges or agencies because the needs are often similar, and the skillset is so specialized. Network Support Service Shared Service Agreement MOU
Solution
ITaaS offers a network engineer as a service whereby the college or agency can obtain from the VCCS System Office the services of a trained and experienced network engineer at a fractional cost of a fulltime network engineer. The changing nature of provisioning technology resources provides an opportunity for colleges to share in the cost, recruitment and retention of high-level technology talent by leveraging a shared services or consortia type model, developed among all interested parties. This new model is more of a center-led approach that is designed to create a greater sense of shared responsibility and team identity among participants. The goal of the center-led approach is to have strategy development in a centralized group, while IT leadership at all levels and locations executes the strategy. The following chart attempts to capture the roles and responsibilities of each party using this model.
Roles and Responsibilities
VCCS System Office agrees to:
Manager Enterprise Systems Engineering:
- Ensure all objectives and deliverables outlined in this MOU are provided.
- Coordinate activities for the ITaaS network engineer in relation to college needs.
- Participate in meetings as needed.
ITaaS System Engineer and Director Enterprise Services in conjunction with appropriate staff
- Conduct network needs for SSC and perform patches, updates and replacement of equipment
- Participate in meetings as needed.
SSC Community College agrees to:
SSC Personnel
- Provide cooperation and assistance in identifying requirements, solutions, and issues impacting college switches, routers, wireless equipment, firewalls, and network circuits
SSC Leadership
- Provide office space and any equipment needed to work onsite.
- Provide direction for the day-to-day activities of the ITaaS network engineer.
- Institute and maintain an open line of communication with System Office ITS personnel.
- Notify the VCCS CIO of any problems related to the prompt delivery of services.
Specific Deliverables by Network Engineer
Staff resources are not allocated to the individual organizations. The primary focus is on delivering the necessary personnel effort to achieve the stated objectives and to meet the related deliverables:
Maintain a robust data network that supports voice and video to meet the instructional and administrative needsof faculty, staff and students in accordance with the approved IT policies and guidelines.
- Design, implement, upgrade, patch, and manage college network infrastructure according to CIO/CTO directives.
- Onboard all network infrastructure equipment into the VCCS PRTG monitoring system.
Maintain secure wireless networks at each VCCS location
- Ensure wireless access is secure, segregated according to VCCS security standards, and is available throughout the college.
Connect all campuses to the VCCS WAN network at the minimum rate available.
- Complete circuit installations, upgrades, decommissions according to VCCS standards and implementation timelines.
Maintain and operate network firewalls at the WAN connection using the specified hardware and software.
- Install, upgrade, patch, and manage college firewalls in accordance with VCCS security standards and quarterly Palo Alto software guidance.
Ensure that software is currently receiving security patches and updates and is a supported version thatmeets use requirements.
- Patch or upgrade network hardware including switches, routers, wireless equipment, firewalls. Ensure compliance with VCCS security standards
- Review Nessus vulnerability assessments with college ISO and remediate vulnerabilities according to VCCS security standards.
Comply with the established network security standardsand procedures in accordance with the approved VCCS technology models, standards, and guidelines.
- Review college network for compliance with VCCS Network Standards and provide analysis to CIO/CTO.
Service Level Agreement
- On-Site network installation, upgrades, and maintenance work - Scheduled 2 weeks in advance.
- Emergency response during network outage – 4 hours response from time of contact.
- Remote support of telephony system, switches, routers, wireless equipment, firewalls - Ongoing
- Network assessments, design, and best practice review - as requested
Current Anticipated Cost
The total proposed cost for the ITaaS Network Engineer position includes salaries, benefits, and miscellaneous expenses (travel, training, etc.). The cost to each college is based on the total estimated costs necessary to support the position(s) and assumes that the participation of a minimum of three colleges/agencies is necessary to fully support the position(s). The actual cost could vary depending on the salary offered, timeframe for filling position(s), and sustaining potential state mandated changes in compensation and benefits.
Since the responsibilities per college depenedent on the FTE for the college - Divide the total cost of the resource by the proportion of FTE for the college.
| Participating Colleges |
|
FY25 |
FY26 |
FY27 |
| Blue Ridge |
Group II |
$49,947 |
$51,445 |
$52,989 |
| Central Virginia |
Group II |
$49,947 |
$51,445 |
$52,989 |
| Mountain Gateway |
Group I |
$46,727 |
$48,129 |
$49,573 |
| Danville |
Group I |
$46,727 |
$48,129 |
$49,573 |
| Eastern Shore |
Group I |
$46,727 |
$48,129 |
$49,573 |
| Germanna |
Group III |
$53,167 |
$54,762 |
$56,405 |
| J. Sargeant Reynolds |
Group III |
$53,167 |
$54,762 |
$56,405 |
| BrightPoint |
Group III |
$53,167 |
$54,762 |
$56,405 |
| Laurel Ridge |
Group III |
$53,167 |
$54,762 |
$56,405 |
| Mountain Empire |
Group I |
$46,727 |
$48,129 |
$49,573 |
| New River |
Group II |
$49,947 |
$51,445 |
$52,989 |
| Northern Virginia |
Group VI |
$62,827 |
$64,712 |
$66,653 |
| Patrick & Henry |
Group I |
$46,727 |
$48,129 |
$49,573 |
| Paul D Camp |
Group I |
$46,727 |
$48,129 |
$49,573 |
| Piedmont Virginia |
Group III |
$53,167 |
$54,762 |
$56,405 |
| Rappahannock |
Group I |
$46,727 |
$48,129 |
$49,573 |
| Southside Virginia |
Group II |
$49,947 |
$51,445 |
$52,989 |
| Southwest Virginia |
Group II |
$49,947 |
$51,445 |
$52,989 |
| Virginia Peninsula |
Group III |
$53,167 |
$54,762 |
$56,405 |
| Tidewater |
Group V |
$59,607 |
$61,395 |
$63,237 |
| Virginia Highlands |
Group I |
$46,727 |
$48,129 |
$49,573 |
| Virginia Western |
Group III |
$53,167 |
$54,762 |
$56,405 |
| Wytheville |
Group I |
$46,727 |
$48,129 |
$49,573 |
Timeframe
This MOU and cost is for a three-year agreement and will be subject to renewal in three-year increments thereafter. Renewals will coincide with fiscal years of the VCCS (July to June).