Azra Ayers, Project Manager with UC Riverside Information Technology Solutions, won Gold in the Sustained Impact category at the 2024 UC Tech Awards. This award recognizes her consistent dedication and exceptional delivery of complex, high-impact IT projects that have modernized UC Riverside’s infrastructure, strengthened operations, and improved services for the entire campus community.
Summary
Since 2018, Azra has directly managed several major complex projects that have directly contributed to the modernization and substantial improvement of IT operations at UCR for campus clients.
Narrative
Project Genesis (Data Center Relocation):
The scope for Project Genesis included defining scope, developing the plan, designing, selecting services and hardware, and resolving data center strategy decisions for the build-out. This involved:
- Thorough inventory, classification, and documentation of data center servers, computing, and services provided.
- Deciding appropriate service disposition: retire, consolidate, virtualize, or move to the cloud.
- Developing and implementing processes to move administrative computing clusters to the new data center and supporting operational processes.
- Scheduling and sequencing server moves and equipment retirements, transitioning servers and services to consolidate infrastructure and decommission vacated server rooms for repurposing.
Impact:
Modernized UC Riverside’s financial systems through a multi-year initiative that transformed how UCR transacts, develops budgets, tracks spending/revenue, and performs financial reporting. With robust representation and input from subject matter experts and advisors across UCR central offices and academic departments, the program focused on implementing the UC-mandated Common Chart of Accounts (CCOA), standardizing business processes, and replacing existing financial systems with new, cloud-based applications (including Oracle Financials, Concur Travel & Expense, and Kuali Build/Sponsored Programs).
“vHost” Migration Project:
Migrated “vhost” service to a new location (either LAX3 or AWS). This was a separate project with direct dependencies on Project Genesis and run in parallel.
CAS & Shibboleth Upgrade:
Upgraded the UC Riverside CAS environment to the latest stable release of CAS v6 and the Shibboleth Identity Provider (IdP) to 3.4.6.
Data and Analytics Team Scrum Activities:
Introduced, stabilized, and coached Agile/Scrum ceremonies and utilized the new WorkFront PPM tool for the ITS Data/Analytics & Research Computing Team. Set up and maintained Scrum Backlog and Sprint boards, facilitated Scrum events, and ensured the team developed an Agile mindset tailored to their work.
How Azra Meets Selection Criteria (Complexity, Impact, Mission Alignment):
Azra was introduced to formal IT project management in 2018 with Project Genesis and has excelled ever since. She began as Deputy Project Manager, new to formal project management, and soon became Primary PM, delivering successful data center move events and managing teams of up to 30 people over multiple weekends. In parallel, she ran the vHost Migration project to modernize UCR’s web hosting, ensuring efficiency and performance while maintaining security.
While winding down the data center project, Azra also supported a complex upgrade to the UCR Identity Management system, upgrading CAS and Shibboleth by two version levels to improve technical operations, security, and future functionality.
During the Impact23 Oracle Cloud Financials implementation, she managed the analysis and disposition of 38 custom applications, confirming requirements with Business and Financial Services and working with ITS development teams to ensure updated applications supported ongoing financial operations.
Azra has also successfully introduced Agile methodologies across an 18-person organization with multiple Scrum teams, leading to improved efficiency and product delivery. She earned her Certified Scrum Master and Project Management Professional certifications while managing highly complex technical projects in challenging circumstances.
Her projects directly supported ITS’ strategic goals for modernization and operational efficiency, with measurable improvements in application performance, hardware and software modernization, and client adaptation.
Contact
Information Technology Solutions
UC Riverside
Azra Ayers
Project Manager
UC Riverside Information Technology Solutions