proposed uct ict strategy 2010-2012

ICT Strategy (2010 - 2012)

University of Cape TownInformation and Communication Technology Services

30 May 2009

André le Roux

Not Formally Adopted

- 2 -TSS ICT Strategy 2009-04-15

Purpose

• To contribute toward a UCT ICT strategy

• To stimulate inter-department dialogues within ICTS on strategy and initiatives

• To define strategic elements and initiatives for Technical Support Services


UCT Strategy: Six directions

• transformation and institutional culture;

• UCT's research-led identity;

• its Afropolitan approach;

• the nature of the UCT graduate;

• the shape and size of the institution; and

• social responsiveness.


Five Areas of Involvement for UCT

• Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price has suggested that UCT should be involved in five areas where cross-campus expertise could be harnessed to make a difference:

– violent crime

– the school system

– the defence of democracy in South Africa

– Climate change and sustainability

– HIV/AIDS.


ICT Vision

• Advance the goals of UCT, through the application of solutions that adopt forward-looking technology in a culture promoting innovation, best practice, quality and service excellence.


ICT Strategy

• Enabling People

– “The basic commitment of university architecture needs to ensure that each member of the university community has the system capability to be an active contributor -both internal to the university and external to the networked world at large.” Yochai Benkler, The University in the networked

economy and society, EduCause, 2008


Linking UCT Strategy to ICT


Research: Goal

• Enable outstanding research to be undertaken at UCT through the provision of information services, advanced IT infrastructure and appropriate support services to researchers.


Research: Strategy

• Support innovation in Research

• Enhance research data management capacity and service uptake

• Enable collaboration across and beyond the university’s boundaries

• Deliver high performance computing and visualisation

• Undertake academic support and outreach activities to facilitate e-research


Research: Initiatives

• Establish a Research Centre to facilitate innovation, collaboration and facilitate access to UCT operated and shared advanced computing and visualisation services

• Research data storage and management

• Growing the network links within and between UCT campuses to support ever increasing traffic volumes



• Enhancing research collaboration through

– Increased functionality in the core business productivity toolset through the adoption of standards based products providing a high degree of flexibility, integration and interoperability in UCT’s diverse computing environment

– Other readily available collaboration environments to suit specific needs, such as SAKAI



– More convenient access to group video conferencing facilities and desktop conferencing

– Engagement in the research and early deployment of leading edge high definition videoconferencing

– Developing “collaboratories” with leading edge and adapting existing services to meet the unique needs of particular research communities



– More convenient access to group video conferencing facilities and desktop conferencing

• Enabling researchers to interact across institutional boundaries (Identity Management Program)

• Ensuring that UCT continues to have high quality research administration systems that meet our internal and compliance needs

• Develop a South African Access Federation and Identity Management Program in conjunction with other universities



• Implement Central Services for Grid computing

• Implement EVO

• Establish a research support team within ICTS

– Support for central services and GRID computing software e.g, Glite

– Provide support to other universities and research organisations utlising and participating in the SA National Grid initiative.



• Provide training to,

– Prospective Grid computing administrators

– Researchers

– Post Grad Students

• Centralise, standardise and expand UCT’s computational cluster assets


Innovation: Goal

• Enable sustained creativity and innovation at UCT through the provision of information services, advanced IT infrastructure and appropriate support services


Innovation: Strategy

• An environment that encourages and supports appropriate local and university innovation

• Transition of successful innovations through enterprise pilots to wider adoption.


Innovation: Initiatives

• Support the work researchers and academic initiatives with timely, ‘fit for purpose’, ‘fit for use’ infrastructure and support services

• Develop policies and practices that encourage appropriate local innovation

• Create a governance, operational and support environment that promotes transition of successful innovations through enterprise pilots to wider adoption


Students: Goal

• Provide equity of access to ICT based services and resources across all campuses


Students: Strategy




Students: Initiatives




Teaching and Learning: Goal

• Provide IT systems and infrastructure to support high quality and flexible educational programs, and effective, accessible learning and teaching.


Teaching and Learning: Strategy

• Next generation learning spaces that can support switching between a classroom format and group work in a single campus or video-linked mode

• Enhancing the online learning environment and bridging between face-to-face and electronic delivery

• Supporting a range of channels for electronically supported student communication and collaboration


Teaching and Learning: Initiatives

• Providing an increased range of easy to use synchronous and asynchronous collaboration tools

• Integrated delivery from a variety of information sources and delivery systems to students and academic staff (Portal)



• Implementing a portal

• Identifying and implementing the full functionality of a Collaboration Suite: support for real-time collaboration support, team-based document sharing and collaboration spaces, and desktop and room-based videoconferencing will facilitate collaborative interactions within UCT academic and professional staff (SaaS)



• Replacing the existing student email solution with collaboration solutions that allow students to create informal groups on an “as needed” basis, create and share interactive workspaces, collaboratively create documents in addition to email and calendar functionality


Administrative Systems: Goal

• Provide flexible, integrated systems that effectively support UCT strategic objectives and business needs.


Administrative Systems: Strategy

• Improving the experience of using administrative systems and increasing the reach of self-service administration for the entire relationship lifecycle of staff and students

• Improving business process efficiency through process improvement and enhancements to the core systems


Administrative Systems: Strategy

• Providing trusted sources of relevant, current management information to support business decision making

• Supporting client-centric business processes and communication

• Reducing the duplication of effort and costs related to owning administrative systems


Administrative Systems: Initiatives

• Establish shared ERP initiative based on the best of breed in class, possibly in conjunction with other universities to reduce total cost of ownership, improve capacity, flexibility and agility.

• Establish national ERP competency centres for South African Universities

• Investigate the possibility of merging ERP systems (Finance, HR, MM and Student Admin) by establishing a single vendor based solution



• Improving systems support for the staff recruitment and induction process

• Better systems support of the staff performance development cycle (360 degree with automation)

• Better visibility and management of travel expenditure

• Better visibility and management of cross UCT ICT expenditure



• University-wide fundraising system to improve quality of donor management processes, by supporting donor-centred engagement

• Improved systems for faculty/central engagement to support increased levels of alumni engagement in local and continental (Africa) activities

• Improvement of the student recruitment process (Web Admissions)



• University-wide fundraising system to improve quality of donor management processes, by supporting donor-centred engagement

• Establish a strategic Intelligence (BI) to facilitate decision making across disciplines, e.g. Student Admissions

• Developing a systems strategy and implementing tools to support a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy for UCT



• Ensuring the capacity and functionality of core systems continues to meet UCT’s needs

• Ensure that administrative systems and enhancements are introduced within an overall ICT framework and architecture to avoid duplication of solutions or forcing a specific direction



• Involvement in RIMS process with the view on replacing University Office

• Investigate establishing Oracle/Peoplsoft as the single ERP system for UCT.

• Implement workflow in the context of ECM

• Ensure that future strategic administrative system implementation are not selected to further bind UCT a specific ERP vendor


Information Management: Goal

• Manage information to create and improve sharing knowledge and decision making


Information Management: Strategy

• Develop an Information Management Strategy

• Easy to find, easy to use web delivered information for university stakeholders

• Develop a UCT portal as a comprehensive and targeted information delivery mechanism

• Facilitating collaboration within and beyond the university


Information Management: Strategy

• Supporting improved management of electronic documents and records for statutory compliance and university operations

• Enhancing research by improving the electronic publication and curation of research outputs in collaboration with the UCT library service

• Improve the quality of stored business information and its flow between university systems


Information Management: Initiatives

• Development of a corporate intranet to consolidate the public web presence and simplify access to relevant information to internal client groups via a UCT portal

• Involvement in the development and application of the Enterprise Information Classification Policy

• Develop a Records Management System, beginning with Student administration



• Supporting the Library institutional repository and content management by providing infrastructure

• Enhancing the Identity Management infrastructure

• Replace current disjointed collaboration tools with a comprehensive unified collaboration environment for staff



• Supporting the Library institutional repository and content management by providing infrastructure

• Replacement of the student email system with a more integrated feature-rich communication and collaboration service

• Involvement in the development and application of the Enterprise Document Management Policy



• Involvement in the development and application of the Enterprise Record Management Policy

• Involvement in the development and application of the Enterprise Email Management Policy



• Implement a web content management solution within a UCT - wide enterprise content management architecture

• Implement strategic intellegence (BI) within the context of a UCT - wide enterprise content management architecture


Strategy and Governance: Goal

• Govern the strategic management of IT via well-structured frameworks and processes within a culture of engagement, innovation and quality


Strategy and Governance: Strategy

• Key Strategies

– Establish a UCT-wide view of ICT for high-level planning, funding and governance

– Intergrated ICT planning and governance across the university

– ICT principles, policies and practises that enable ICT to be delivered with improved quality, reduced cost and risk

– Innovation, agility and responsiveness as well as robustness and cost-efficiency across all UCT ICT providers.


Strategy and Governance: Initiatives

• Coordination function through UICTC across all university ICT providers to enhance the capacity for collaborative provision of efficient and effective services

• Lead the initial program of change to services, processes and infrastructure through a ICT Shared Services Implementation Program



• Establish an ICT governance regime through UICTC that links all providers into decision making, coordination and monitoring processes for services and projects

• Work with faculties and divisions to link local ICT planning activities into a coherent overall framework and ensure efective communication mechanisms are in place



• Create a governance, operational and support environment that promotes transistion of successful innovations through enterprise pilots to wider adoption.



• Adopt COBIT, ITIL across UCT

• Auditing

– Regular external audit of ICT e.g. KPMG

– Administrative auditing e.g. Sentinel

• Porfolio, Program and Project Management

– Establish a university wide ICT PMO

– Adopt a university wide PM methodology



• Define UCT wide ICT frame work

– ICT Architecture

– Information Architecture

– Enterprise Content Management Architecture

• Converge ICT governance commitees

• Establish ICT decision making committees with financial decision making powers

• Implement policies that align with legislation and best practise



• Investigate alternative to centralised and decentralised models, e.g. A hybrid based on layers (UCLA example)


Infrastructure: Goal

• Provide the appropriate technical infrastructure to underpin ongoing and emerging strategic objectives and business goals of the university.


Infrastructure: Strategy

• Adopt an infrastructure maturity model as guideline for comparison

• Ensure the university’s data and communication networks provide adequate capacity, quality and security, and are available where and when they are needed, ensure that they converge as needed to support internal needs, communication with external stakeholders and collaboration with partners



• Move toward more standard desktop, server and storage platforms and consolidated server and storage infrastructure to gain economies of scale where this does not impair the achievement of the university’s core goals

• Ensure that adequate quality and capacity is available in data centres, servers and storage to meet the varied needs



• Implementing a technical environment that supports an Enterprise Information Classification Policy

• Develop robust and efficient core processes which support innovation, agility and responsiveness


Infrastructure: Initiatives

• Develop shared services and systems possibly in conjuction with other univeristies once SANREN is a reality

• Develop WAN fiber cable infrastructure for satelite campusses, possibly by sharing resources with other universities



• Develop a major datacentre, possibly in conjunction with other universities to increase capacity, reduce the impact of disasters, in line with current Green IT practices.

• Develop a new mini datacentre in “new ICTS building” to facilitate backup system risk reduction.



• Undertake a UCT-wide ICT Shared Services initiative to enhance the IT services to staff and students, as well as the underpinning processes and systems

• Develop appropriate architecture, deployment and support models for appropriate hosting for proof of concept (innovation), pilot and production systems in support of faculties, Research and Education initiatives



• Expand central virtualised server and storage infrastructure services to meet the needs of IT Shared Services and server consolidation initiatives

• Leverage agility and flexibility offered by virtualisation technologies

• Increase the physical reach of UCT campus wireless networks and increasing access and functionality for staff, students and visitors from other universities



• Improve overall security of the UCT network infrastructure and access to it.

• Implement Single Sign On and or reduced Sign On where appropriate to improve authorised access to and usability of systems and services

• Implement intrusion detection and prevention systems



• Implement Network Admission Control, which ensures networked devices are ‘safe’ before they are allowed access to the University’s network resources

• Implement a robust enterprise wide Virtual Private Network

• Implement enterprise services for video, audio, voice and related rich media and mixed media content



• Review and identify all services, which are not sustainable, are under utilised and/or do not support the achievement of the future ICT strategy

• Revise application acquisition, distribution and associated licensing models



• Engage directly with hardware manufacturers for supply of desktop computing , onsite and support contract needs, e.g. Dell, HP, IBM

• Engage directly with hardware manufacturers for supply of enterprise computing , onsite and support contract needs, e.g. Dell, HP, IBM

• Move toward pervasive implementation of affordable mobile computing technologies for staff and students e.g. Laptops



• Decommission all unsustainable services, re-implement and/or converge as may be needed, e.g,

– Migrate all staff printing to Nashua and decommission iPrint

– Decommision iFolder

– Review ZENworks and ZEN Assest Management

• Establish connection to SANREN and implement network infrastructure as needed



• Harness cloud computing and SaaS to supplement and/or replace UCT ICT infrastructure and services e.g.

– GoogleApps and mail for Students

– Compute resources (pay as you go)

• Extend service monitoring to measure user experience and develop SLA’s accordingly

• Establish a sustainable capacity planning capability



• Link all satellite campuses to main campus cores with LAN speed connectivity

• Centralise management of all UCT computer labs through a hybrid model (UCLA)

• Utilise application virtualisation extensively for delivery of applications to desktops beyond computer labs



• Implement enterprise content management functionality and establish information repositories to cater for academic and administrative needs, e.g,

– Library initiative (Dspace and ContentDM)

– Web Content Management (Alfresco, SharePoint)

• Centralise capture functionality by upgrading ImageNow and implementing additional features



• Centralise all application acquisitions and licensing to extract advantages of scale and achieve a reduction of fruitless expenses

• Require all new buildings to be pre-wired with network cabling and no POTS copper


Support Services: Goal

• Provide the appropriate technical support to underpin ongoing and emerging strategic objectives and business goals of the university


Support Services: Strategy

• Develop a comprehensive university wide support structure founded on ITIL best pratice linked to a suitable functional layer support model

• Develop vendor relationships and contracts where vendors are the first contact for all hardware support across the university


Support Services: Initiatives

• Establish a systems operations centre(SOC)

• Extend systems and helpdesk support hours

• Implement standard platform offerings and cost recovery models

• Implement integrated incident and problem management solutions

• Enhance self-service systems e.g.

– SMS method for conveying passwords to staff and students


Support Services: Initiatives

• Provide “direct” support to all students

• Provide modular service offerings to staff – link to Hybrid model.

• Establish a development team (non –

administrative system focus) which incorporates the following skill sets,

– DotNet Development

– Java Development (D Space)

– Web development


Communication & Collaboration: Strategy

• Develop IP Telephone system to replace POTS and to provide a more integrated communications environment

• Develop the university’s capacity for videoconferencing for education, research and administration

• Develop a unified communications framework and archititecture for UCT


Communication & Collaboration: Initiatives

• Implement IP Telephone system to replace POTS and to provide a more integrated communications environment

• Enhance the university’s capacity for videoconferencing for education, research and administration within a unified communications framework

• Migrate all strategic, operational and technical responsibilities relating telephony/voice to a 3rd Level support Team which is to be established for this purpose.


Communication & Collaboration: Initiatives

• Require all new buildings to be serviced via VOIP/IPT

• Presence linked to unified communications

• Implement AdobeConnect and EVO (Enabling Virtual Organizations)

• Develop SLA’s for a changing voice communication environment


Green ICT: Goal

• To reduce the environmental impact of ICT infrastructure and operations across the University


Green ICT: Strategy

• Align with the University’s targets to reduce carbon emissions

• Optimise the reduction in energy usage, energy savings and environmental responsibility

• Establish user acceptance, support and buy-in of criteria for environmentally sustainable ICT


Green ICT: Initiatives

• Replace low capacity disks in EVA’ with highest capacity available

• Engage with appropriate governance structures and the UCT community

• Develop sustainable Key Performance Indicators, measurement tools and techniques

• Implement energy saving measures within current and future data centres



• Further the implementation of server consolidation and virtualisation

• Implement environmentally responsible disposal and recycling programs for ICT/AV equipment

• Actively pursue the implementation of power savings measures in computer laboratories through the purchase of Gold Star rated equipment and pilot “model green laboratories”



• Introduce measures to reduce printing costs and paper usage e.g.

– Require user to authenticate at physical print device to release printing

• Promote the use of video conferencing to reduce transport and travel costs

• Ensure that tenders for preferred suppliers for desktop and laptop PCs include enhanced green ICT criteria.



• Replace low capacity disks in EVA’ with highest capacity available

– Reduces power consumption

– Cost reduction through less power being consumed and reduction in maintenance costs

• Implement a policy forcing staff to switch off desktops at night where this does not impair the achievement of the university’s core goals.

• Use processor speed reduction, disk spin down etc when no or low load is experienced



• Raise community awareness by introduction concepts such as Google Gadget - link to power saving

• Implement remote shutdown off computer lab desktops at night where this does not impair the achievement of the university’s core goals


Africa and Beyond: Goal

• Enable UCT to maintain and expand upon its position as the global contact point and source for understanding Africa and how to operate in the African context


Africa and Beyond: Strategy

• Engage with African universities with a view on knowledge sharing and transfer

• Develop an exchange program aimed at sharing of expertise

• Standards based services that allow local and remotely sourced systems to be effectively integrated to meet local and inter-university needs where they may exist in future

• Ensuring network links are adequate for current and future needs


Africa and Beyond: Initiatives

• Establish collaboration initiatives with other African universities e.g.

– High performance computing

– Video conferencing

• Establish a training program aimed at skilling systems administrators at African universities.


Acknowledgements

• Monash University, Australia, The CIO and the information Technology Services Division at Monash through Mr Ian Hall

– For graciously consenting to allow me to use aspects of their ICT strategy (2009 - 2011) in part or as a whole, which provided substance to this strategy and without which this document would not have been as comprehensive as it currently is.


Acknowledgements

• UCT - ICTS - TSS Team Leaders

– For their contributions derived from their presentations at the TSS Strategy meeting, some of which have been included here

• Dr Fred Goldstein

– For the broad concepts shared, which I have attempted to articulate in this strategy


References & Resources

• Helen Theron, High take-up expected to hike first-year numbers, Rondebosch UCT, Monday Paper, Volume 28#01, 16 March 2009

– http://www.uct.ac.za/mondaypaper/archives/?id=7275

• Dr Max Price, VC Shares Vision for UCT, Rondebosch UCT, Monday Paper, Volume 27#14, 25 August 2008

– https://www.uct.ac.za/mondaypaper/archives/?id=7042

• Yochai Benkler, The University in the networked economy and society, EduCause, 2008

• Jim Davis, Beyond the False Dichotomy of centralised and decentralised IT Deployment, EduCause, 2008

• Ruth Sabean, IT Strategic Planning Governance, Case Study: UCLA Governance Process 2001 -2007, EduCause

• About Enabling Virtual Organisations (EVO) http://evo.caltech.edu/evoGate/about.jsp

• Peter Morville & Louis Rosenfeld, Information Architecture for the world wide web, O’reilly media, Sebastopol CA, USA ,2007

• University of Oxford, Information and Communication Technology Strategic Plan 2005-6 to 2009-10 http://www.ict.ox.ac.uk/strategy/plan/plan.xml.ID=executive_summary

http://evo.caltech.edu/evoGate/about.jsp


References & Resources

• Green ICT Strategic Plan 2009 - 2012, Monash University, Australia http://www.monash.edu.au/about/itsp/2009/greenict-stratplan09-12.pdf

• Information Technology Strategic Plan, Architecture for the 21st Century, University of Indiana, May 1998 http://www.indiana.edu/~ovpit/strategic/IT_Strategic_Plan1998.pdf

• Bernard Chester, Web Content Management, ECM Toolkit, AIIM, 2006

• Gartner, Introduction to the Gartner Maturity Model for Web Content Management, 2008, ID G00156759

• Arthur Gingrande jr, The High-Tec way to turn paper forms into digital information, AIIM, 2005

• Rob Snevely, Enterprise Data Centre Design, Prentice Hall, 2002

• Robert Marcus, Collective Knowledge: Intranets, Productivity and the promise of the knowledge workplace, Microsoft, 2002

INCOMPLETE

http://www.monash.edu.au/about/itsp/2009/greenict-stratplan09-12.pdf

http://www.indiana.edu/~ovpit/strategic/IT_Strategic_Plan1998.pdf


Real-time communications Architecture


Infrastructure Maturity Model


Capture Platform

proposed uct ict strategy 2010-2012

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