Information Technology Assessment Center

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• Why should I consider having an IT assessment done by IUPUI?

The IUPUI Assessment Center brings an attractive combination of technical skills, management skills and objectivity to these engagements. In addition this provides a wonderful learning opportunity for students. Close supervision is provided to the students to ensure a high quality product at a very reasonable rate.



• What is the process that is used for the IT assessment?

The business process will initially involve a no-cost pre-assessment meeting with the company?s primary stakeholders. The primary purpose of this meeting will be to identify the major areas of vulnerability involving IT and to manage client expectations as to the scope, the client commitment and the project deliverables. Another key component of this meeting will be to gain an understanding of the business and the role that IT plays in enabling business processes. The pre-assessment meeting will also involve the discussion and signing of appropriate legal documents. These documents include a non-disclosure agreement to protect the company?s proprietary data and a liability waiver to protect the university, students and faculty that are participating in this engagement.

Following the pre-assessment meeting, the Assessment Director will develop a project plan that will include the optimal mix of faculty, staff and students. In almost all cases, this will include expertise in the networking/security arena. Other areas, including industry-specific software and e-commerce solutions, will be staffed as needed. Staffing resources for these projects will primarily come from the School of Engineering and Technology. Following the pre-assessment meeting, the client will be provided with a checklist of IT areas that will be examined. This checklist will include several tasks, such as a hardware inventory, IT acceptable use policies (AUP), and network security polices, that the client will need to complete or present prior to the actual assessment.

The assessment process will include a 1-2 day intensive session evaluating the major exposure areas identified during the pre-assessment process.

Immediately following the assessment activity, student-centric initiatives will begin. Typical activities will include product research and lab simulations. The lab simulations provide an opportunity to mirror various production environments for evaluating various security and software options.

The assessment deliverables will include an inventory of the current IT infrastructure, identification of the major weaknesses or vulnerabilities, policy assessment, and a set of recommendations. A de-briefing session will be conducted with the client to discuss the findings and the most viable next steps.



• Who implements the recommendations?

It all depends on the nature of the recommendation. Typically, most of the recommendations will be implemented by the client?s IT staff with some guidance from the IT Assessment team. In some cases, external help will be required. The IT Assessment Center could play a project coordination or consultant role in helping generate RFP?s and evaluating related responses, when appropriate. The Center can also help facilitate faculty/student projects that have been identified.



• How do I stay secure after the assessment has been completed?

Our goal is to provide recommendations that will have a long term impact on providing a stable and secure IT infrastructure. In particular, we have a variety of training recommendations that will allow the client?s IT staff to stay current on IT security needs.



• How much does it cost?

Typical assessments will cost $2000. This could be adjusted in either direction depending on the nature of the assessment.



• Can I get a post-Assessment checkup for a reduced fee?

  Yes, that is very possible. The exact fee will be negotiated based on the depth of the additional assessment.