an abstract blue background with wavy lines

IT Staffing & Network Strategy

Infrastructure Working Session

🧠 Working Session Synthesis Memo

Rajendran Guna (CIO), Mike Kielar (Director of Infrastructure), James Tsang (Engineering), Christine Monroe (Procurement), Zac Easler (Help Desk), and others – Infrastructure Strategy Working Session

Facilitated by Beyond | May 28, 2025 | Duration: Working Session, 1 hour

đź‘Ą Who Was in the Room?

This collaborative session brought together CSN’s infrastructure leaders and key Synoptek staff, including the CIO, infrastructure directors, engineers, helpdesk leadership, and procurement. The Beyond team (Frederik, John, Rogelio) facilitated the conversation, focused on validating infrastructure inventory, discussing strategic refresh priorities, and aligning on procurement approaches and constraints.

🎯 What We Set Out to Do

This session was designed to validate CSN’s current infrastructure inventory, understand end-of-life vulnerabilities, assess buy vs lease decisions, and gather feedback on staffing sufficiency, vendor coordination, and future state planning. The session aimed to surface operational truths and explore constraints, timelines, and strategic opportunities related to IT infrastructure delivery.

🔍 What We Heard

What’s Working

  • Inventory Validation: CSN’s infrastructure list (~400 items) is current and was recently reviewed. Wireless APs (~400), switches (~800), and routers are well documented.

  • Proactive Planning: Teams are ahead of curve, e.g., targeting 800 APs to meet the “1 per classroom” standard and already know which switches need replacement.

  • Redundancy and Resilience: Network uptime is strong due to redundant fiber paths and stable Wi-Fi.

  • Satisfaction Scores: Synoptek maintains 4.9/5 CSAT via robust survey feedback and response protocols.

  • Past Consolidation: CSN has halved VLANs and restructured IP schemes for simplicity and scale.

What’s Not

  • Aging Equipment: Core networking components (switches, access points, load balancers, routers, gateways) are EOL or approaching it.

  • Limited Maintenance Windows: Two 5-hour windows/month are insufficient for needed refresh efforts.

  • Understaffed Teams: Same engineering team size (~5) despite equipment doubling over 13 years.

  • Security Risks: SSO is end-of-life, lacks MFA; recognized as a major vulnerability.

  • OnBase Platform: Document management system is outdated and slated for replacement.

  • Complex Vendor Ecosystem: Vendor coordination burdens Synoptek—especially with open systems and international SoC providers.

🧭 Where We Go From Here

Infrastructure

  • Prioritize Network Switches: Over 300 confirmed for upgrade; others inspected and tracked.

  • AP Expansion Plan: Doubling APs across 11 campuses and 40–50 buildings over 12–18 months; may require contractor assistance and cable upgrades (CAT 6A).

  • Evaluate Alternatives: Consider Cisco Meraki for access layers to reduce costs while meeting performance expectations.

Organizational

  • Staffing Constraints: Team has scaled via tools (SCCM, LogicMonitor, ITGlue), but functional staffing has not increased with scope. Roles remain highly technical; no added PM layers.

  • Procurement Process Clarity: State contracting and cooperative purchasing (e.g., CDW, SHI, Carahsoft) fully used; MSPs are not involved in hardware/software buying.

  • Buy vs Lease: Leasing considered but consistently rejected due to ~100k additional cost over time; purchasing preferred if funding permits.

Visibility & Governance

  • Survey Protocols: Clear accountability and RCA for CSAT scores <3, with wide visibility and executive escalation.

  • Security Management: CSN owns security oversight; Swiss SoC supports backend tooling. Contract is set to expire soon.

  • Modernization Priorities:

    • SSO replacement + MFA

    • Network hardware refresh

    • OnBase platform phase-out

🌱 Strategic Opportunities

  • Infrastructure Modernization with Fiscal Precision

    • Rather than rushing to adopt costly models like NaaS, CSN is positioned to implement cost-effective, phased refreshes using its internal knowledge base and vendor-neutral procurement approach.

  • Governance and Change Resilience

    • Synoptek’s model—tight operational discipline, defined escalation paths, and survey-led satisfaction metrics—offers a replicable IT service governance playbook.

  • Smart Capacity Planning

    • While staffing has not increased, investment in tooling and network design simplicity offsets some of that load. Still, future models should plan for scaled headcount or formalized vendor management capacity.

  • Security Readiness & MFA Integration

    • Upgrading to a secure, modern SSO with app-based MFA presents a fast win in both risk mitigation and student trust-building—especially as system access expands.

âś… What Happens Next?

This memo will inform the development of the IT Service Model Scorecard, Infrastructure Roadmap, and final recommendations to CSN’s executive team. Priority next steps include:

  • Confirming timelines and funding scenarios for wireless AP expansion.

  • Defining buy vs lease position in roadmap narrative.

  • Including OnBase replacement and SSO/MFA implementation in the broader roadmap.

  • Ensuring risk mitigation language around vendor management and hardware support is codified.