The majority of modern business processes are IT or softwarebased. Different software systems are often used for this purpose, thus forming a heterogeneous IT landscape. The automation of business processes therefore requires the integration of these systems and applications.

At KIT, this system integration is a particularly important strategic goal. It requires cooperative solution approaches of all parties involved in the business processes. The SCC, as Information Technology Center of KIT, especially the Applications, Middleware, and IT Architecture (AMA) Department, designs such integrated IT solutions and services and operates them in a future-proof manner.

Particularly with regard to the variety of service providers and consumers existing at KIT, IT components and solutions that provide a KIT solution through interaction play an important role. The facets of integration considered in AMA include people, portals, processes, and providers of different technologies and procedures.

CIS provides a secure and well-monitored groupware environment based on Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SharePoint. While Exchange, in addition to providing email services, focusses on mobile communication and calendar applications, SharePoint enables KIT institutions to use web-based team portals for the exchange of all kinds of information.

In consultation with the IT officers of KIT institutions, CIS also provides basic Windows applications. For this modern methods of operating system and software deployment, such as Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) and Microsoft AppV, are utilised.

Using these techniques, the SCC computing pools are prepared for the operation of courses. The software is provided in consultation with the instructors.

The department Data Analytics, Access and Applications (D3A) deals with challenges that must be solved for the efficient use of data-intensive applications.

The research and development activities of the department cover several topics:

• Federated access methods and policies (authentication, authorization) for access to distributed storage and computing services
• Development and practical use of scalable tools for data analytics and machine learning
• Joint research and development with domain scientists, especially climate and environmental scientists in the field of data-intensive applications.
• Contributions to the development of the European Open Science Cloud and the integration of communities within the framework of several EU projects

In the Data Exploitation Methods (DEM) department we are conducting research in the Helmholtz Engineering Digital Futures programme, and develop software for the topics

• metadata for research data
• efficient research data management
• data analysis

within the application fields and areas

• Materials science
• Digital humanities
• National Research Data Infrastructure
• Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration Platform

DEM offers doctorates, student theses and HiWi positions for many exciting research topics (see jobs and theses at DEM).