A modern, reliable web presence depends on a strong and well-governed technical foundation. Web platform and infrastructure work focuses on ensuring that core systems are secure, performant, and scalable, while remaining flexible enough to support future change.
Rather than treating infrastructure as a purely operational concern, this work positions it as a strategic enabler for content delivery, user experience, accessibility, and long-term sustainability.
Purpose and Scope
The web platform provides the underlying environment that supports:
The public website and associated microsites
Content management systems and integrations
Forms, campaigns, and service-oriented applications
Analytics, monitoring, and security controls
Infrastructure decisions are made with an emphasis on longevity, maintainability, and alignment with institutional priorities, not short-term optimization alone.
Platform Modernization
Current efforts are focused on modernizing the infrastructure that underpins the university’s web ecosystem. This includes upgrading server configurations, standardizing environments, and aligning with current security and performance best practices.
Key objectives include:
Improving performance, reliability, and uptime
Strengthening security and compliance readiness
Supporting modern PHP, CMS, and integration requirements
Reducing technical debt and configuration drift
This work creates a stable baseline that can support both incremental improvements and larger platform transitions.
Enabling Future Platforms
Infrastructure modernization is designed to support future-facing initiatives, including:
Migration to a modern CMS (e.g., Drupal)
Improved integration with enterprise systems and web services
Enhanced scalability for peak traffic and campaign-driven demand
More efficient development, testing, and deployment workflows
By addressing foundational constraints early, platform decisions downstream—such as design systems, content models, and personalization—can be implemented with greater confidence and less risk.
Governance and Sustainability
A key principle of the web platform strategy is governability. Infrastructure is configured and documented to support clear ownership, repeatable processes, and shared responsibility between Marketing, IT Services, and institutional partners.
This approach prioritizes:
Clear separation between environments (development, staging, production)
Consistent configuration and security standards
Operational transparency and accountability
Reduced reliance on ad hoc or bespoke solutions
The goal is a platform that can be sustained over time, even as technologies, teams, and priorities evolve.
Relationship to Web Experience
Infrastructure work is closely coordinated with web experience and redesign efforts. Decisions at the platform level directly influence page performance, accessibility, authoring workflows, and the ability to deliver audience-focused experiences.
By aligning infrastructure and experience work under a shared transformation framework, the university avoids siloed decisions and ensures that technical investments directly support user needs.