If you are considering any new projects or technology purchases (software or hardware), please fill out the Project Information Form.
For any questions regarding the projects and services included below, please contact CAIT (cait@calarts.edu).
Recently completed projects
Last updated: February 1, 2025
CalArts IT has been working on several account lifecycle improvements to ensure that new students, staff, and faculty have access to key apps and services in a timely fashion.
- Improved information shared on provisioning
- Improved information flow from Paycom to various stakeholders
- Improved employee change form workflow
- Improved account updates into the HUB
- New onboarding and separation procedures for CAIT
IT Team: Enterprise Applications, Customer Engagement
California Institute of the Arts partnered with Allitix, an implementation partner, to provide a budgeting and forecasting solution on the Anaplan technology platform. The Institute needed a more efficient, modern solution for their 5-step budgeting process: 1) Develop assumptions, 2) Distribute guidelines, 3) Develop preliminary budget, 4) finalize budget, 5) approve and implement. The Anaplan solution is providing several dashboard-driven models: multi-year forecasting, current-year forecasting, budget development, and a data hub.
IT Teams: Enterprise Applications
Many servers and applications at CalArts depend on DNS (Domain Name System) and CalArts IT implemented a new system (Efficient IP) due to huge price hikes from our current vendor.
- Renewed Domain Name System (DNS)
- Offsite DNS now available from data centers on both US East and West coasts for improved resilience
- Updated IP Address Management (IPAM) system
- Refreshed Network Time Protocol (NTP)
IT Team: Infrastructure Operations
CAIT has been working with Extended Studies and the Registrar’s Office to integrate Destiny One (Extended Studies’ Student Information System) and Colleague so student and course data can be exchanged between the two systems. This improvement will lead to automation of certain student data entry tasks as well as the ability to have Extended Studies student and course information synced with other services such as CalArts email, Canvas, and accessibility services.
IT Team: Enterprise Applications
CAIT has partnered with HR and Payroll to streamline employee data flows. This automation enables a seamless flow of certain employee data between Paycom and Colleague, significantly improving efficiency and reducing manual and duplicate data entry. The integration ensures campus services have accurate and up-to-date information. This collaboration enhances productivity across departments and allows more connectivity.
IT Team: Enterprise Applications
CalArts IT is working to ensure that new and existing applications are secured behind Single Sign-On with 2FA (two factor authentication). The following applications have recently been configured for SSO:
- Anthology course evaluation
- CARA (CalArts Remote Access)
- CineSend
- KnowBe4
- miBenefits
- PyraMED
- Slate (for staff interface)
- SplashThat
- Tableau
- WebCheckOut
IT Team: Enterprise Applications
Perceptive Content enables access to documents and folders, as well as tasks and workflows, on mobile devices and web browsers. The content and process management product suite provides accessible and secure information through the entire content lifecycle, regardless of format. Perceptive Content Apps offer module platform capabilities that can be pieced together to create purpose-build work environments and tailored user experiences. CalArts IT worked with the vendor to set up an export in order to bring in applicant documents from Slate into Perceptive Content.
IT Team: Enterprise Applications
CalArts IT is involved with many renovation and new buildings projects working alongside vendors and other departments to deliver network connectivity, Zoom Rooms, and other technology.
This is a list of renovations or new buildings projects that CalArts IT has assisted with and recently completed the technology work required:
- Amazon delivery box system: Wiring
- Cattern House: network configuration, internet
- HVAC Control System: wiring, control cables
- Vista Village: network closet, uplink and antenna setup, secondary internet connection, wiring and network connectivity for several rooms, cameras, switches to accommodate future expansion, installation of computer equipment and TVs, Zoom Room setups, new printers
IT Team: Infrastructure Operations, Customer Engagement
The Office of Communications and IT have worked together on designing and developing a dynamic new calarts.edu website. For this institute-wide project CalArts partnered with NewCity, a digital strategy agency. The new website aims to elevate the CalArts brand, balance the needs of multiple audience groups, deliver rich multimedia content for dynamic storytelling, meet high accessibility standards, and ensure a good multi-device experience.
IT Team: Enterprise Applications, Infrastructure Operations
Ongoing projects
Last updated: February 1, 2025
Project description: CalArts IT wishes to start an institute wide conversation on Artificial Intelligence (AI) focusing not only on policies, but on establishing structure, best practices, guidelines, and best uses for AI that fit the CalArts community.
Project status: The A.I. Taskforce committee has started to meet to discuss institutional guidelines for best uses for AI that fit the CalArts community.
IT Team: Instructional Technology
Estimated completion date: Fall 2025
Project description: CalArts IT wishes to continue an institute wide conversation on Artificial Intelligence (AI) by providing a series of AI workshops in Spring 2025 focusing on topics such as leveraging AI tools, creative AI collaboration, future-proofing creative practice, and AI for creative professional development.
IT Team: Instructional Technology
Estimated completion date: Spring 2025
Project description: CalArts IT is working on improving the account creation workflow for new staff and faculty by introducing account activation through QuickLaunch.
Project status: The project team has explored technical options for account activation at CalArts, identified which fields can be used to help new staff and faculty identify themselves during account activation, and is working with Human Resources to ensure this information is collected during onboarding. The project team is working out a few more details to ensure the accuracy of data and also working on new CAIT workflows to ensure new staff and faculty receive appropriate instructions for account activation once this goes live.
IT Team: Enterprise Applications, Customer Engagement
Estimated completion date: 2025
Project description: AlertUs is a unified mass notification system that helps achieve optimal emergency readiness by providing various methods of alerting the community of an emergency.
Project status: CalArts IT has created a server for AlertUS and is currently working on deploying the AlertUs app to all centrally managed computers so that emergency alerts can be sent to all computers on campus.
IT Team: Infrastructure Operations, Customer Engagement
Estimated completion date: Unknown
Project description: CalArts IT maintains several servers that host services such as PaperCut, Colleague, and Transact and all of these servers have to be kept up to date to protect CalArts services and data from potential security holes. CalArts IT will be deploying an automation tool (Automox) which can update the operating system (OS) and third-party software on servers quicker and with less impact to users and services. As a result, the servers can be kept safer by being updated more often and with less downtime. Automox will also be used to coordinate the deployment of OS updates to all computers managed by CalArts IT.
Project status:
- Completed:
- All Windows servers have been tested and they have successfully deployed updates.
- Script and policy created to deploy Automox to Windows computers.
- Documentation on administrating workstation patching created.
- WSUS server has been successfully deployed and WSUS has been successfully integrated into Automox.
- Automox has been deployed to Windows computers and they are updating monthly.
- In progress/pending:
- Adding Linux servers to Automox - waiting on other projects to complete.
- Catching up all Windows servers with updates and turning on automation.
- Documentation.
IT Team: Infrastructure Operations, Customer Engagement
Estimated completion date: Unknown
Project description: The cafeteria is switching over to a new pay system and CalArts IT will be working with Campus and BonApetit on installing new card readers and migrate to the new pay system.
Project status: CalArts IT is waiting on the delivery of the new card readers and the back end configuration needed in preparation for the new pay system.
IT Team: Customer Engagement
Estimated completion date: March 2025
Project description: Many servers and applications at CalArts depend on certificates to ensure a secure connection between a user's browser or computer and the server or application that the user needs to access. CalArts IT manages the purchasing, installation, and renewal for all certificates and the process of manually managing certificates is often laborious and time critical. CalArts IT plans to implement a certificate management solution that would automate all the tasks associated with managing certificates:
- Creating, configuring, signing, and issuing certificates.
- Provisioning and configuring of certificates on servers, applications and devices.
- Scanning, locating, and validating certificates.
- Inventory and organizing group certificates and managing entities.
- Dynamically monitoring, auditing, and reporting.
- Encrypting private key storage for security.
- Preemptively renewing certificates and preventing expiration.
- Revoking and discarding certificates once invalid.
Project status: The project team has reviewed services offered by several security companies and will continue to research and evaluate tools that offer certificate management. In the meantime, the team has started to replace wildcard certificates with server specific certificates via the InCommon Certificate Manager.
IT Team: Infrastructure Operations
Estimated completion date: Unknown
Project description: CidiLabs DesignPLUS is a time-saving, easy-to-use Canvas plug-in that helps faculty rapidly build and style high-quality courses that make learning engaging and accessible for all students. The UDOIT Advantage Accessibility Assistant for Canvas scans your Canvas courses, identifies issues, and provides guidance to improve accessibility with ease.
Project status: The project team has installed DesignPLUS and UDOIT Advantage and has been providing training on best usage and best practices for UDOIT Advantage since September 2024 with the aim of encouraging accessibility review. The project team is exploring all DesignPLUS' capabilities and plan a communication campaign in Fall 2025 with workshops on DesignPLUS. DesignPLUS has already been used to template a walkthrough for the CalArts course template and to offer new knowledge base components for CalArts courses.
IT Team: Instructional Technology
Estimated completion date: Fall 2025
Project description: Coursedog offers a class scheduling tool with features such as end-to-end scheduling workflows and powerful reporting which help deliver student-centric schedules.
Project status: The project team has completed the full configuration of the product and is preparing to transition to operational support while fixing a few issues that arose during the last user testing. The project team is also working on necessary change management to establish roles and responsibilities for school administrators and Registrar's Office. To that end, the Registrar's Office is using Spring 2025 as a testing and review opportunity with the aim to engage school administrators for Fall 2025 scheduling with a better understanding of the process for each different role.
IT Team: Enterprise Applications
Estimated completion date: Fall 2025
Project description: UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) is an electrical apparatus that provides emergency power to devices such as servers when the main power fails. CalArts' current UPS solution was installed in 2011 and is currently two years passed its end-of-life date which means that support and replacement parts will not be available for much longer.
Project status: The project team has been engaging several vendors and electricians for quotes and to check on equipment availability due to world-wide supply chain issues. The project team is working on ordering the required hardware.
IT Team: Infrastructure Operations
Estimated completion date: 2025
Project description: CalArts stakeholders have identified business process needs that would benefit from a document management solution such as Perceptive Content or Softdocs which provide secure access to documents and can deploy workflows for processing documents according to CalArts business processes. CalArts IT will be working with the Registrar's Office, Financial Aid, Student Employment, Enrollment Management, and HR to leverage the capabilities of such a document management solution and create a repository and workflow environment best suited for CalArts' processes.
Project status: The project team is researching various solutions and their benefits and costs before making a software recommendation and proceeding with implementation.
IT Team: Enterprise Applications
Estimated completion date: Unknown
Project description: CalArts' Hub Helper platform hosts several applications and reports crucial to student pre-registration, mentor evaluations, student reports, financial reports, employee changes, and other business processes. CalArts IT aims to improve the functionality of the Hub Helper applications, improve the security and stability of the platform by moving to a new server on the latest Microsoft Operating System, and to ensure that each application and report is running on the best platform available to provide the best functionality for CalArts students, faculty, and staff.
Project status: The project team created a new Hub Helper server on the latest server Operating System (OS) ensuring that the platform is running on a supported and secure OS. They have also fixed most of the issues with the Hub Helper provisioning app and added new highly desirable functionality to this app. The project team has also added some functionality and reviewed the mentor review apps in order to fix issues identified by students and mentors in the past.
The project team previously moved pre-registration tasks to Self-Service so that students are prompted to go through those steps in the same website where they register for courses. The project team plans to move the remaining user profile functionality to Self-Service such as the ability to submit a change in gender, pronoun, and chosen name.
CalArts has started to implement an excellent reporting tool, Informer, and the project team is working closely with those that access reports in Hub Helper to evaluate if Informer will provide them a better overall experience by allowing them to filter, organize, and visualize the data in the reports more easily. Several reports have been moved over to Informer with the project team taking this opportunity to provide an improved reporting experience with more filtering and customization options for the end users.
After communicating with stakeholders, the project team has removed tiles whose functionality is no longer needed (mainly because the functionality was moved to better tools or the software that required the functionality is no longer being used by CalArts).
IT Team: Enterprise Applications
Estimated completion date: Summer 2025
Project description: As students and faculty are using Canvas more and more for course materials, assignments, and projects, CalArts IT and the Library have begun to integrate Library resources into Canvas in order to support increased access to Library resources.
Project status: The project team will be working on populating Canvas Commons with modules from academic related departments such as the Library. Faculty will be able to pick and choose which resources to bring into their course by adding the corresponding module from Canvas Commons.
IT Team: Instructional Technology
Estimated completion date: Spring 2025
Project description: CalArts is currently using four apps from the Symplicity product line: Accommodate, Advocate, Compass, and Residence. While currently flat file data extracts are being used to provide the data needed by these apps, CalArts IT is researching better ways to integrate Symplicity products with Colleague and better automate the data exchanged between them.
Project status: The project team is currently reviewing the technical requirements and details for the integration while also evaluating if this integration is a good candidate to configure in the new iPaaS solution (TeamDynamix).
IT Team: Enterprise Applications
Estimated completion date: Unknown
Project description: Canvas has introduced a new version of their integration standard for third party tools (LTI 1.3). This new LTI allows external tool providers to offer improved integration standards and security between Canvas and their tool data. CalArts is making use of several excellent external tools that provide integration with Canvas such as Panopto (video creation and sharing), Zoom (online conference and meeting), CopyLeaks (plagiarism detection), and Microsoft and Google (document sharing). CalArts IT will be reviewing current external tools and upgrading them to versions that support LTI 1.3.
Project status: The project team created a list of currently installed external tools and reviewed each vendor's documentation for LTI 1.3 versions. Currently, CalArts is using 10 different LTIs, out of which Microsoft and Google LTIs have been updated to LTI 1.3 and the project team is waiting for official Canvas plug-ins and Panopto to offer LTI 1.3 versions. CopyLeaks is no longer in use at CalArts so it has been removed from Canvas.
IT Team: Instructional Technology
Estimated completion date: Unknown
Project description: CalArts IT is reviewing alternative monitoring systems in order to get better features and lower cost compared to the current monitoring system that provides various server alerts and status updates.
Project status: The project team has identified a potential product and is currently working on obtaining quotes. Once a quote is approved and the contract is signed, the project team will be working to deploy and configure the application. In the meantime, the project team has downloaded and installed the latest software updates for the current monitoring solution. This way the Infrastructure Operations team has access to the latest version of the monitoring application while pursuing a more feature-rich alternative.
IT Team: Infrastructure Operations
Estimated completion date: Unknown
Project description: Just like computers have a refresh cycle, network equipment also has to be refreshed every few years. This year's network refresh will be upgrading every network equipment on campus such as firewall, core network equipment, routers, and cabling. CalArts IT will also take this opportunity to introduce better cabling management for the network equipment.
Project status: The project team finalized a network layout plan, performed extra physical checks against current equipment and will be ordering the necessary equipment. New firewalls have been delivered, configured, and replaced the old firewalls. Due to equipment availability and budgetary issues, the wired network refresh has been delayed to 2025. The wireless network refresh has been completed and the project team is focused on refreshing the server room and core network equipment in 2025.
IT Team: Infrastructure Operations
Estimated completion date: 2025
Project description: In order to respond to the changes in the Google policy for storage, CalArts IT is working on finding a network storage solution to alleviate the demand on Google Drive storage.
Project status: The project team has chosen 45Drives as the best hardware solution for CalArts and the equipment has been ordered and received. The project team has installed the equipment in the server rack and the equipment has been connected to the CalArts networking infrastructure. The project team worked with an engineer to configure 45Drives once it was physically installed. A software solution (FileCloud) was configured and Single Sign-On was set up to enable secure authentication.
The project team has made personal shares available to staff, faculty, and students. The project team is now focused on configuring other use cases such as the current departmental file share.
IT Team: Enterprise Applications, Infrastructure Operations
Estimated completion date: 2025
Project description: Perceptive Content enables access to documents and folders, as well as tasks and workflows, on mobile devices and web browsers. The content and process management product suite provides accessible and secure information through the entire content lifecycle, regardless of format. Perceptive Content Apps offer module platform capabilities that can be pieced together to create purpose-build work environments and tailored user experiences. The project team will be working to configure Perceptive Content to fit CAP' document storage and scanning needs as they receive many different forms that need to be digitally stored and easily accessible.
Project status: The project team is working together with CAP to establish their needs and specific configurations such as search terms (name, grade, etc.). The next steps are to bring in historical documents and establish the workflow for future documents.
IT Team: Enterprise Applications
Estimated completion date: Unknown
Project description: Multi-function printers at CalArts are currently provided through a contract with RICOH and, in preparation for when the contract expires, CalArts IT will work with various vendors to assess the best options for current printer needs on campus.
Project status: The project team has reviewed campus printer needs with several vendors which will include serving current departments and spaces as well as expanding services to Vista Village. Several vendors have provided their proposals and the project team is working on choosing the best printer solution for the campus with the aim to deploy the new printers in Spring 2025.
IT Team: Customer Engagement, Infrastructure Operations
Estimated completion date: Spring 2025
Project description: In partnership with QuickLaunch, CalArts IT aims to configure Single Sign-On for VCFA staff, faculty, students, and alumnx for a variety of VCFA and CalArts applications such as Zoom, Paycom, myVCFA, Google, and Canvas.
Project status: Working with QuickLaunch, CalArts IT has created the SSO page for VCFA (sso.vcfa.edu), configured First Time User Access, and established a bridge to allow communication between VCFA Active Directory (AD) and CalArts applications. CalArts IT has added the email address attribute to existing AD accounts and has added AD accounts for any staff and faculty that were not already in VCFA AD.
CalArts IT has configured and deployed SSO for VCFA staff for CalArts Zoom and for VCFA staff and faculty for Paycom.
The project team has also deployed an SSO configuration for PowerCampus Self-Service (myVCFA) in order to secure login for all students when they access myVCFA to pay their tuition or request transcripts. VCFA's Google workspace has also been configured with SSO in order to securely provide access to Google services for VCFA staff, faculty, students, and alumnx. In order to configure SSO for myVCFA and Google, the project team added an extensive list of users to the VCFA Active Directory and implemented a new account activation process using VCFA IDs from PowerCampus.
The project team is working with VCFA stakeholders to explore a need for Canvas and therefore Canvas SSO configuration for VCFA faculty and students.
IT Teams: Infrastructure Operations, Enterprise Applications, Customer Care
Estimated completion date: 2025
Project description: CalArts IT is involved with many renovation and new buildings projects working alongside vendors and other departments to deliver network connectivity, Zoom Rooms, and other technology.
Project status: This is a list of currently ongoing renovations or new buildings projects that CalArts IT is assisting with:
- Elevator renovations: Wiring and network connectivity for call boxes and cameras
IT Team: Infrastructure Operations, Customer Engagement
Estimated completion date: Ongoing
Project description: In partnership with the Provost Office and Critical Studies, CalArts IT will be offering a symposium on Critical Studies and AI in the Arts in Spring 2025.
IT Team: Instructional Technology
Estimated completion date: Spring 2025
Project description: Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a software solution that allows users to access resources and services securely and can be used to allow users access to on-campus only resources from home while maintaining the security of those resources. CalArts' current VPN solution is end-of-life as of 2020 and CalArts IT has been researching a better and more modern way of providing the same services instead of purchasing a similar VPN solution.
Project status: The project team has reviewed Parallels Remote Access Service as a solution for certain VPN services and tested a proof of concept build. CalArts IT has purchased, installed, and configured Parallels for remote server and application access, but extensive user testing revealed that the tool was not a good fit for CalArts's needs. The project team has pivoted to a better overall solution by ensuring all web applications currently behind VPN are configured with QuickLaunch SSO and configuring CARA (CalArts Remote Access using Kasm) for other remote access needs such as remoting into on campus servers and workstations.
IT Team: Infrastructure Operations, Enterprise Applications
Estimated completion date: 2025
Project description: CalArts IT has been providing assistance in standing up JP Morgan financial services for VCFA, notably accounts payable and check printing.
Project status: The project team has already completed the configuration and staff are in the process of testing check printing. CAIT staff have assisted in delivering a signed data import in collaboration with JP Morgan.
IT Teams: Enterprise Applications
Estimated completion date: Spring 2025
Project description: In collaboration with VCFA and CalArts stakeholders, CalArts IT will be working to migrate student academic data and current academic processes to Colleague. The project team will be focusing on ensuring the proper configuration changes and business process changes are in place before bringing in student data from PowerCampus to Colleague.
Project status: The project team has engaged Ellucian to explore the current processes at both institutions with the aim of providing solutions to ensure that both CalArts and VCFA academic records and processes can be accommodated while accounting for current and future reporting needs of both institutions. A new test environment has been created and the project team will be working with Ellucian on data mapping and configuration with the aim to start testing by May 2025.
The project team aims to work on data mapping, configuration plans, several rounds of data migration testing, and establishing new workflows and reports for VCFA academic processes within the Colleague environment.
IT Teams: Enterprise Applications
Estimated completion date: September 2025
Project description: CalArts IT will be replacing all VCFA staff computers in Spring 2025 and enrolling all devices into existing CalArts device management tools such as Kandji and Intune.
Project status: The project team has migrated the VCFA Microsoft tenant to CalArts Microsoft tenant in preparation for the VCFA staff refresh so that the new computers can be enrolled into CalArts' tenant and CAIT can assign Microsoft licenses to VCFA staff.
IT Teams: Customer Engagement
Estimated completion date: Spring 2025
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