Page 26 - OIT Progress Report: 2025 Edition

Developing New Capabilities to Enhance our Service
OVER THE PAST YEAR, OIT HAS DEEPENED ITS COLLABORATIVE APPROACH, WORKING HAND-IN-HAND WITH FACULTY,
STAFF, AND STUDENTS TO TRANSFORM IDEAS INTO INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS THAT ADVANCE SMU’S ACADEMIC AND
OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE. WE RELY HEAVILY ON TALENTED IT STAFF AS WELL AS TECHNOLOGY PLATFORMS THAT
CAN BE CUSTOMIZED TO SERVE THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF DEPARTMENTS SCHOOLS AND INDIVIDUALS.
Webframe: A Platform for
Campus-Wide Innovation
Being able to quickly develop solutions to integrate
and collect data via a web application provides
a mechanism for the automation of numerous
processes. After extensive testing of several
platforms, OIT’s Integration Services team selected
Webframe for its affordability, robust features,
and ease of use. The impact has been immediate
and far-reaching across multiple schools and
departments.
The Lyle School of Engineering partnered with OIT
to streamline their payroll authorization process
for student worker information. Faculty now
submit required details through a Webframe form,
reducing errors and saving valuable time while
automated email reminders ensure nothing falls
through the cracks.
Webframe has simplified student enrollment
for placement exams through seamless Canvas
integration, ensuring students are properly
prepared for foreign language and chemistry
requirements. A new technology ordering portal
was built to provide a more modern shopping
cart experience for employee computer orders. A
webframe solution is also being used to manage
“ Replacing our outdated
web application will save
several thousand dollars in
hosting and upkeep costs”
BOB LOUDERBACK
DATAARTS DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY
certifications and grades for the Microsoft Office
Specialist program.
When DataArts Director of Technology Bob
Louderback needed to replace a decade-old web
application for data collection and distribution,
OIT installed Webframe on a standalone AWS
server with broader access permissions. This
resulted in a portal set to launch in Q4 2025,
integrating with third-party applications like
Alchemer surveys and the Snowflake data
warehouse. As Bob noted, “I’m really happy to see
this all come together. Replacing our outdated
web application will save several thousand dollars
in hosting and upkeep costs and simplify and
modernize the maintenance of surveys and data
gathering, storage, and dissemination.”
There are already several other projects in the
queue for development using this solution.
23 OIT PROGRESS REPORT 2024