Core services form the foundation of the technology service portfolio and are essential for supporting institutional functions. However, they are not necessarily critical for business continuity or immediate operational risk. For instance, services such as email, file storage, time and attendance systems, or development/test environments may be classified as Core but may not meet the threshold of criticality.

It is also important to avoid confusion with organizational naming. While some Core services may be managed by the Enterprise Services department, the term “Core” in this context refers to the service’s institutional role and scope—not the unit responsible for delivering it. Not all services provided by Enterprise Services are Core, and not all Core services are owned by that department.

Characteristics of a Core service

  • Central funding: Core services receive dedicated financial support from the organization. This ensures their stability and reliability.
  • Broad usage: They are extensively used across colleges and administrative units.
  • Robust support: Core services benefit from comprehensive technical support, from incident management to third-tier support. Frontline support is provided by ITS Help Desk and Extended Technical Support.
  • Redundancy: Extensive efforts are made to architect for high availability.

Examples: Foundational services such as network connectivity, email, Microsoft 365, and identity and access management (IAM) are considered Core services.

Identifying Core services 

A service is likely Core if it meets several of the following criteria:

  • Centrally managed and funded for campus use.
  • Vital to the operation of one or more university functions that impact or support multiple areas of the campus and is an operational imperative.
  • High usage and licensed for majority of students and/or faculty and staff.
  • Serves as a foundational platform for other services or departments.
  • Imperative to health and safety.
  • More likely to have Single Sign On configured.
  • May have a centrally negotiated site license.