Enabler Strategy - IT Infrastructure - June 2011

7/30/2019 Enabler Strategy - IT Infrastructure - June 2011

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TheUniversityofMelbourne

EnablerStrategy:

InformationTechnologyInfrastructure

20112014


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2

TableofContents

ExecutiveSummary

............................................................................................................................................

3

IntroductionandOverview................................................................................................................................5

AimsandObjectives...........................................................................................................................................6

TheInformationTechnologyPortfolio.............................................................................................................10

TheITCapitalPlan20112015.........................................................................................................................19

ITCapitalPlan20162020................................................................................................................................30

LongerTermPriorities.....................................................................................................................................32


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ExecutiveSummary

TheUniversity

operates

an

extensive

network

of

IT

resources,

including

some

15,000

personal

computers

supportingabout40,000studentsand6000staff.Informationtechnologyispervasiveinallaspectsof

studyandworkattheUniversity,includingtheclassrooms,ofwhich232areequippedwithmodernIT

resources.

Since2006,muchhaschangedinUniversityIT.TheUniversityhasrenewedthewirelessnetwork,which

nowhasnearly1000accesspoints.TheUnifiedCommunicationsinitiativehasbroughtstaffamodern

emailandcalendaringsystemwithcloselycoupledIPtelephonyandvoicemessaging.Thephysicaldata

networkhasbeenlargelyrenewedandbroughtundercentralmanagementtothewalloutlet.New,

environmentallysustainabledatacentreshavebeencommissionedatParkvilleandNoblePark,thelatter

beingacollaboration

with

other

institutions.

As

part

of

Responsible

Division

Management,

aproject

has

commencedimplementation,whichwilltakeseveralmoreyears,toestablishworkspacecomputing

supportasaCommonService,after20yearsofadevolvedmodelforITsupportofthistype.AStudent

PortalandanewStudentManagementSystem,ISIS,havebeendeployed.TherearenewStudentResource

Centres,richlyequippedwithcomputersandITsupportforstudents. Underwayistransitionofstudent

emailandonlinecollaborationfromaninhousefacilitytothecloud.TheimportanceofITinresearchhas

continuedtogrow nationaleResearchinvestmentscommittedtotheParkvilleprecinctunderUniversity

leadershipamounttomorethan$200million.

Yetthereismuchmoretobedone.UniversityITsystemsandserviceswork,andcreateopportunities.

Wherewe

lag

is

in

exploiting

those

opportunities,

not

only

to

capture

efficiencies

and

economies,

but

also

totransformthewayinwhichworkisdoneintheUniversity,toallowacademicstafftofocuson

scholarshipandresearch.

TheITlandscapehaschangedsince2006.Therearenowpervasiveandaffordablewirelessinternet

servicesusing3G:with3.5millionactiveuseraccountsinAustralia.Thatinfrastructurehasenabled

transformationofthewaypeopleusetheinternet,notleastwithsmartphonesandotherhighlymobile

accessdevices. Web2.0,socialmediaandsocialnetworking,theimpactofthecloudandthe

consumerisationofITarehavingaprofoundimpactonstudentandstaffexpectationsofIToncampus.The

adventofsuccessfulcommercialmodelsfordistributionofelectronicbooksislikelytoaffectscholarly

communicationsin

just

the

same

manner

as

MP3

transformed

commercial

music

in

the

last

decade.

The


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NationalBroadbandNetworkwill,intheforeseeablefuture,bringintothehomethebandwidthhitherto

availableonlyoncampus.

OurvisionforthefutureofUniversityITisanintegratedusercentricexperienceofITsystems,facilitiesand

services adistinctiveandhighqualityMelbourneExperienceinatechnologicallyadvancedsetting.A

futurein

which

IT

does

not

merely

create

opportunities,

but

is

proactive

in

seizing

those

opportunities.

We

seekstandard,commodityITservicesthat'justwork',yetinaclimatethatenablesandencourages

innovation; afutureinwhichweleveragethecapabilitiesofothers,inthecloud.

ToensurethisisachievedwewillputinplacenewgovernancestructuressothattheUniversitycommunity

isinvolvedandadvisedbyexpertstoensurethatthebenefitsdescribedareachieved.


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IntroductionandOverview

TheUniversity

has

an

ambitious

vision,

encompassed

in

Growing

Esteem,

and

aset

of

goals

and

strategies

toachieveit,includingandenablingonerelatingtoITinfrastructure.

In2010,theUniversitywasawardedthegreatestamountofresearchfundingnationallyacrossboththe

ARCandNHMRCschemes,andretainednationalnumberonerankingforbothresearchpublicationsand

researchincome.ThisperformancewasreflectedinourrankingintheShanghaiJiaoTongindexofthe

world'suniversities.Nowranked62,Melbourneisthefastestmovinguniversityintheworld'stop100.The

2010TimesHigherEducationrankingsplaceMelbourneasNo1inAustraliaand36thintheworld.

Atthesametime,theUniversityexperiencesveryhighdemandforcourses,enrollinghighqualitystudents

in

the

new

generation

degrees

of

the

Melbourne

Model

and

from

2011

a

full

suite

of

graduate

courses

coveringarangeofprofessionaldisciplinesaswellasanincreasednumberofotherpostgraduate

courseworkandresearchprograms.

InformationTechnologyhasbecomepervasiveinUniversitywork,beitinlearningandteaching,research,

engagingwiththecommunityorinenabling. Sinceourfirstcomputerwascommissionedin1956

(CSIRAC),computinghaschangedthewaysinwhichUniversityworkisdone,anditwillcontinuetodoso.

ThisenablingplanprovidesavisionforhowITwillsupporttheUniversityinthefuture. Italsotakesstock

ofthecurrentUniversityITposition,anddescribeschangesunderwayorplannedoverthenextfouryears.


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AimsandObjectives

GOAL

Tosupportandenablethetransformationofresearch,learningandteaching,andengagementthroughthe

provisionofworldclassITinfrastructureandimprovedcustomerservices,reducedITcostsandreduced

environmentalimpact.

TheUniversitymustcontinuetoimproveitsinformationtechnologytoworldclassstandardssothatby

2015staffandstudentswillhaveanemploymentandeducationalexperiencethatisatleasttheequalin

qualitytothatatotherleadingcomprehensiveresearchinstitutions.ITinfrastructureandenterprise

systemswillalsosupportevidencebaseddecisionmakingintheUniversityandcontributetoefficienciesin

theUniversitys

administrative

operations.

These

systems

will

be

commensurate

with

what

can

be

expectedataninternationallyrecognisedresearchintensiveuniversity.

TheParkvilleresearchprecinctisakeypartnerforUniversityIT.Weaimtodevelopservicesthatrecognise

thedifferentneedsoftheresearchenvironmentandtheresearchers.

ThequalityoftheMelbourneExperienceforstudentsisnowdependentonthesuccessoftheIT

environmentusedinteachingandlearning. TheUniversitymustdeveloptheagilityrequiredtoseize

innovationopportunitiesastheyemergeandtodealwithchallengesinwaysthatmakeITanstrong

enablertothepracticeofteachingandlearning.

KnowledgepartnershipsaretheinteractionsbetweentheUniversityandexternalgroupsorindividuals

thatenablethegrowthandutilisationofknowledge,consistentwiththeUniversityspublicspirited

character.Weneedtodevelopsystemsandinfrastructurerequiredforsharinginformationwithpartners

nationallyandinternationally.

Asenablers,ourUniversitysystems,sometimesknownas'enterprisesystems',mustsupportefficient

businessprocesses.Goodenterprisesystemsenhancethestaffexperience.Equallyimportantly,well

integratedusercentricUniversitysystemswillexploitemergingtechnologiestoallowpeopletofocuson

theiracademicendeavoursandnotontechnicaloradministrativebarriers.


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STRATEGIES

1. ImprovingtheStudentExperienceTheUniversitywillcontinuetoinvestintechnologicallyenabledcollaborativelearningspaces.These

willbesupportedbyinnovativeICTsolutionswhicharereliableandavailabletostudentsonan

extendedhoursbasis. DevelopmentofarichPersonalLearningEnvironment anonlineenvironmentthat

transcendsandintegratesUniversityprovidedtoolswiththoseofthecloud,socialnetworking,online

collaboration,andthevastresourcesavailablethroughGoogleandothers iskeytoadistinctiveand

valuedMelbourneExperience.Anotherchallengewhichweneedtoaddressbutwhichhasnotyetbeen

metisthatofprovidingappropriateITsupportona24x7basis.

2. SupportingResearchAspirations

TheUniversity

strives

to

hold

top

rank

in

all

national

indicators

of

research

excellence

and

impact

andtoleadAustraliainresearchhigherdegreerecruitmentandoutcomes.Keytomeetingthese

goalswillbeenablingcrossdisciplinaryapproachestoresearchthroughinvestmentintechnological

solutionsthatfosterinteractionandcollaboration.KeyITprojectsrelatedtocollaborativeandeResearch

solutionswillbecentraltotheachievementofthedesiredresearchoutcomes.

Specifically,weaimtodevelopcommonresearchinfrastructure,datastoresandcollaborationtools

underpinnednotonlybynetworkconnectivity,butalsobyauthentication,authorisationandaccounting

infrastructuretoensurethattherightpeoplehaveaccesstotherightresourcesattherighttime. Weneed

tofurtherdevelopservicesthatcanbeusedbyresearchersthoseserviceswilllookdifferenttothe

serviceswe

offer

to

other

customers

because

of

the

research

context

and

its

unique

needs

which

include

commonresearchinfrastructure,datastores,collaborationtoolsandconnectivity.

3. DevelopingICTinfrastructure,campuscorenetworksandenterprisesystemstosupportcurrent

andfutureactivity

TheUniversitywillhaveresearchITinfrastructurethatisamongstthebestinAustraliaandgloballyandwill

contributetothedevelopmentofnationalcollaborativeresearchplatforms.Wewilldeliverpersonal

learningenvironmentstosupportadistinctiveMelbourneexperienceforstudentsandstaffandour

enterpriseandlocalsystemswillenableincreasedadministrativeefficiencyandeffectiveness.OurICT

serviceswillberesponsivetotheneedsofourstudentsandstaffandwillhavethecapabilitytorespondto

challengeswithagilityandaninnovativeapproachtosolvingproblems.

4. PursuingenvironmentalsustainabilityWeareawareofourresponsibilitytofuturegenerationstominimiseouradverseimpactonthe

environment.Wewillpursuetechnologysolutionstoreduceuseofpaper,andwewillembraceonline

collaborationsolutionstoreducetravel.Atthesametime,wewillexploitvirtualisationandcloudsolutions

toreducetheenvironmentalfootprintofouruseofIT.Thisisakeydriverinourprocurementand

managementof

IT

equipment

and

services.


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5. StrategicITGovernanceUniversityInformationTechnologysupportsandenablestransformationofresearch,learningandteaching,

andengagement. ThestudentandstaffexperiencesattheUniversityaresignificantlyshapedbytheIT

servicesdelivered. InparticularthecontinuinggrowthoftheParkvilleresearchprecincthasseenan

increaseddemand

to

provide

research

infrastructure

services

to

these

organisations.

These

services

includestorageandHPC(highperformancecomputing)amongstothers. ThisdemandforITStobea

serviceprovidertoexternal,aswellasinternalcustomershasintroducedconsiderablecomplexitytotheIT

environmentbothintermsoftechnologyandservicemodels.TheUniversityenvironmentisadynamicone

andthereiscontinueddemandfornewandimprovedservices. Thisdemandcomesfromthemany

initiativestheUniversityundertakes,aswellasfromadesirebyusers,includingveryseniorones,torapidly

adoptnewtechnologies

AgainstthisbackdropdevelopmentandimplementationofstrategicITplansiskeytoensuringthatIT

servicescontinuetomeetexpectationsandmaximisevalueasbothinternalandexternalenvironments

change.

Tothis

end

the

University

has

decided

to

re

form

its

peak

IT

governance

body.

A

new

group,

chairedbytheCIOandwithmembershipfromthemostseniorlevelsattheUniversity,istobeformed.

Thisgroup, theITStrategyAdvisoryGroupwillreviewandendorsestrategicITplansatawholeof

Universitylevel. ItisintendedthatthisgroupwillfirstmeetinMay2011.

InparalleltothistheroleandcompositionoftheUniversitySystemsGroup(USG)hasalsobeenredefined.

AligningwithoverallITStrategyUSGwillnowgovernallenterprisesystemsandtheEnterpriseSystems

programofprojects. USGwillincluderepresentationfromthebusinessownersofkeyenterprisesystems

andwillprovidethemtheframeworktoplan,coordinateandmonitorhowITactivitiesaredeliveredto

meettheirbusinessneeds.

TARGETS

By2015theUniversitywillhaveimprovedITinfrastructureandservicesby:

CompletingenterprisesystemsupgradesforStudents,FinanceandHumanResources; AchievingthefirststagesoftheInformationFuturesstrategy; Successfullyconcludingthenationalcollaborativeresearchprojectsontimeandwithin

budget;

Providing24/7supportforstudentsandstafffortheirITneeds;and SuccessfullycompletingthetransitionofallFacultiesandGraduateSchoolstothenew

workspacecomputingsupportarrangements.


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2015Target IndicatorHavingeffectivemanagementinformation

andenablingenterprisesystemstofacilitate

informedevidencebaseddecisionmakingand

businessactivity

Successfulimplementationofmeaningful

managementreportingandtheThemis

ImprovementProjectcompletedontimeand

withinbudgetbyendof2012.

Playingacentralroleinadvancingthenationale

researchcollaborationtollsandnetworks

CompletionoftheNeCTARandAURINprojectson

timeandinbudget

Achievingroundtheclocksupportforstudentsand

staffinrelationtoIT

24/7supportprovided

SuccessfullycompletingtheWorkspaceComputing

projecttothespecificationsagreedinApril2010

1) AllFacultiesandGraduateschoolstransitionedtonewarrangementsby2014

2) Savingsspecifiedin2010achieved.


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TheInformationTechnologyPortfolio

Universitysystems

are

the

major

IT

based

business

systems

which

support

the

business

of

the

University.

Themis

Aswithanylargeorganisation,twocriticalsystemsarethosewhichareusedtotakecareoffinancial

managementandhumanresourcesmanagement.Thepresentsystems,ThemisFinancialsandThemisHR,

wereimplementedinthelastdecade.TheywereimplementedusingtheofftheshelfOracleeBusiness

suitesoftwareapplications(withcustomisation).Bothsystemsuseanunderlyingdatabasemanagement

platformprovidedbyOracle,runningonUniversityownedandoperatedserversinUniversitydatacentres

atParkvilleandNoblePark.

Thesesystemsworkbutsincetheirimplementationtherehasbeengreaterthanoptimalcustomization:

thesystemshavebeendescribedas'massivelycustomised'byexternaladvisors.Thisbringsincreased

complexityandhighersupportandmaintenancecosts,particularlyasitbecomesnecessarytomoveto

newerversionsoftheofftheshelfapplicationsandtheunderlyingdatabaseplatform.Vendorsupportfor

theversionsinusewillendinNovember2013.

ISIS

TheUniversity

has

recently

implemented

anew

system

for

managing

its

relationship

with

its

students.

Unlikefinancialandhumanresourcessystems,therearefewerofftheshelfsolutionsavailable.

BasedontheStudentOnesystemfromTechnologyOne,theStudentSystem,ISIS,wentliveinJune2010.

Afterovercomingdifficultimplementationchallenges,thesystemworks.Weareselectingandenrolling

students,reportingasrequiredtogovernment,recordingstudentprogress,collectingstudentfeesand

enrolmentrelatedfunding,andawardingdegrees.

Howeverthereareissueswiththeusabilityandtimelinessoftheapplicationprocess,particularlyfor

scholarshipapplicants;extraworkhasbeennecessaryincheckingfeesandinvoicing;interactiveresponse

timesare

slow;

and

not

all

older

student

records

have

yet

been

migrated

in

amanner

that

allows

provision

oftranscriptsbythenewsystem.


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OnlineLearning

Inlearningandteaching,theUniversityhasdeterminedthatitwillremainaUniversityinwhichoncampus

classesare

adistinctive

and

vital

part

of

the

learning

experience.

That

is

not

to

say

that

there

is

no

place

for

onlinelearningandteachingaspartoftheexperience.Morethanfiveyearsago,theUniversity

implementedaLearningManagementSystem(LMS),usingtheofftheshelfBlackboardproduct,hostedon

UniversityownedandoperatedserversatParkville.Thesystemisusedtofacilitatestudentaccessto

contentandlearningresources,andtheadministration,documentation,tracking,andreportingofstudent

progressinallundergraduateandmostgraduatecourseworksubjects. Thesysteminteroperateswith

relatedfacilities,includingLectopia(recordedlecturesavailableonline),ReadingsOnline(centralrepository

forproperlylicensedonlinematerial)andTurnitin(asystemforencouragingacademicintegrityby

detectingplagiarism).

Inthe

week

to

27

March

2011,

daily

LMS

logins

were

between

17,938

(Saturday)

to

80,205

(Wednesday).

Thenumberofdistinctuserseachdaywasbetween11,301(Saturday)to20,625(Monday).

StudentPortal

In2007,theUniversitydeployedaStudentPortal,intendedtoprovideintegrated,consistent,singlepoint

ofdeliveryforallacademicandadministrativeservicestostudents.Theportalisheavilyused.Intheweek

to27March2011,therewere325,765loginsfrom39,677distinctusers.

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000LMSlogins weekto27March

Uniqueusers

Logins


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Howevertheportalisnoteffectiveasastudentcommunicationmechanism itsufferspoorperformance

attimesandissometimesunreliable.ThereislimitedcustomisabilitytotheUniversity'sneeds,andno

capabilityforstudentstopersonalisethePortalfortheirneedsandpreferences.Thecurrentportaldoes

notprovideanembeddedandseamlessframeworkforstudentaccesstosomeofthemostcommonlyused

systems(e.g.LMS,LibrarySearch/Catalogue).Further,thereisnorealintegrationwiththenewStudent

MailandCalendarservice.Theportalprovidesnousefulwayforstaffto'walkinthestudent'sshoes'. The

systemisinneedofupgrading.

LibrarySystems

PartofthemissionofanygreatUniversitylibraryistofacilitateaccesstoscholarlyinformation.Inthe21st

Century,thatmissionincludesonlineaccesstoreadilysearchableinformationonthephysicalcollection,or

totheinformationitself.TheLibrarymustalsohavesystemstomanageaccesstophysicalcollectionsand

particularly,acirculation(lending)system.

TheUniversitydoeshavethesesystemswhichinmostcasesuseofftheshelfsoftwarerunningon

Universityownedandoperatedservers.Importantly,facilitiesoperatedfortheLibraryprovidestudents

andstaffoftheUniversitywiththeabilitytoaccessexternalmateriallicensedthroughthelibrary(i.e.

onlinedatabases

of

journal

articles

and

other

scholarly

material),

no

matter

whether

the

student

or

staff

memberisoncampusornot.

IdentityandAccessManagement

ITsystemsarethesystemstheUniversityoperatesinordertosupporttheITenvironmentanditsuse.At

theveryheartofthisarethesystemorsystemsthatmanageidentity,andaccesstosystems:

Authentication,AuthorisationandAccounting.


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IdentityandaccessmanagementisfundamentaltoUniversityIT.Itis,arguably,theonethingthatthe

Universitymustdoitselfinsomesense,ratherthanmerelyoutsourcingitorleavingittothemarketinan

unmanagedway.

ItisalsofundamentalinthatproperprovisionandmanagementofITresourcesdependsonidentityand

accessmanagement.

There

must

be

in

place

arobust

system

which

:

knowsthatstudents,staffandotherauthorisedusersarewhotheysaytheyare; ensuresthatonlypeopleproperlyauthorisedareabletouseUniversityITresourcesand

UniversityITbasedresources;and

measuresandrecordsuse,foraccountability(whichisakeyelementofITsecurity)and,whereappropriate,forcostrecovery.

TheUniversityscurrentdefactoidentitymanagementinfrastructure(ARS)wasdevelopedmanyyearsago

andwas

not

designed

to

act

as

an

Identity

Management

system.

It

is

nearing

obsolescence

and

has

significantresourceandinfrastructuresinglepointsoffailure.ArecentexternalreviewoftheUniversitys

identitymanagementinfrastructurerecommendedthereplacementofvariousexistinglegacysystemswith

anofftheshelfsolutionfromoneofthemajorvendorsinthisarea.

Remedy ITServiceManagement

RemedyisanofftheshelfsystemusedasatooltodeliverasharedITservicemanagementenvironmentto

supportITIL

and

related

business

processes

across

the

University.

It

provides:

AServiceDeskapplicationtosupportincidentandproblemmanagementprocessesintheITILsystem

AChangeManagementapplicationtosupportITILchangeandreleasemanagementprocesses AnAssetManagementapplication AServiceLevelManagementapplicationtounderpinalldeliveredservicesthataresupported

viaRemedy

Standardisedreportingacrossapplications

WebsiteHosting

TheUniversityhasdiverseapproachestohostingwebsites.PartsoftheUniversity'swebpresenceare

hostedonserversmanagedbydepartmentsandfaculties;otherpartsareprobablyhostedexternally,and

partsarehostedoncentrallymanagedwebservers.

Centrally,thereisawebsitehostingservicewhichofferswebsiteadministratorsandownershostingof

'static'websiteswhichareusuallydevelopedandmaintainedusingtheDreamweaverapplication.The

servicealsoprovideshostingforwikisandblogs.Analternative,alsoprovidedcentrally,isaContent

Management(and

hosting)

Service

which

uses

the

open

source

MySource

Matrix

system.


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ITSecurityServices

ITsecurityisaresponsibilityofeverymemberoftheUniversitycommunity,butitisespeciallya

responsibilityof

IT

staff.

The

University

has

asmall

central

IT

security

unit,

responsible

for

development

andmaintenanceoftheITsecurityframeworkandrelevantpolicyandstandards,informationsecurityand

riskmanagemen,ITsecurityincidentmanagement,ITsecuritymonitoringandvulnerabilityassessment.

Telephony

TheUniversity'stelephonyservicesareinthreecategories:thelegacyPABXservice,IPtelephonyservices,

andmobileservices.

TheIP

telephony

service

is

awork

in

progress.

It

is

an

enterprise

class

voice

over

internet

protocol

service,

usingtheUniversity'sdatanetwork.Benefitsincludeinbuiltinternaltelephonedirectoryservice,internal

calleridentificationbyname,decreasedcablingcosts,decreasedmovesandchangescosts,anduser

mobility.Thetelephoneextensionnumberisassociatedwiththeloggedinuser,notthecableoutlet.To

datemorethanhalfoftheUniversity'sfixedlinetelephoneserviceshavebeenmovedtoIPtelephony.

ThelegacyPABXserviceusesitsowndedicatedcablingtoconnecttelephonestothePABX(Private

AutomaticBranchExchange)andthencetothepublicswitchedtelephonenetwork.PABXequipmentis

nearingtheendofitsreliablelife,andcannotbereplaced.WorkcontinuestomigrateallUniversity

telephoneextensionstoIPtelephony.ThemainconstraintonprogressistheneedforIPtelephonesto

haveanetwork

connection

of

sufficient

quality

to

ensure

quality

and

reliability

of

service

consistent

with

telephonyexpectations.Inmanycases,thisrequiresupgradeorremediationofexistinginfrastructure.

MobiletelephoneandmobileinternetservicesareprovidedthroughVictorianGovernmentarrangements,

withcarriageserviceprovidedbyOptus.

ITHousingandVirtualMachineService

Formanyyears,decentralisationprevailedinmuchofITattheUniversity.Itremainsthecasethatservers,

storageandassociatedinfrastructurearehousedinvariouslocations.Somelocationsmeetcontemporary

professionalstandardswhilesomedonot.

InaninitiativeassociatedwithResponsibleDivisionManagementandITasaCommonService,the

UniversityhasestablishedacentralITHousingservice:housingofserver,storageandassociated

infrastructureencompassingenvironmentalandspecifiednetworkservicesforcustomerswithinoneofthe

Universitydatacentres.Theserviceincludesmanagedcomputerroomequipment;power,coolingand

environmentmanagement;controlledaccesstothedatacentre.,connectivitytotheUniversitynetwork

andinternet;equipmentrackspace;andnetworkandphysicalsecurity.

Theobjective

is

to

ensure

that

all

relevant

IT

servers

and

related

assets

are

housed

in

appropriate

conditions.


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Increasingly,itispossibletomovebeyondthenotionofserverhousing,totheprovisionofvirtualserver

hosting.A'virtualserver'isnotaphysicalboxhousedinadatacentre;instead,itisaservicewhich

providesthesamefunctionality,usingphsyicalresourcesquitepossiblyusedtoprovideothervirtual

serversandservicesatthesametime.

TheUniversityNetwork

TheUniversityownsandoperatesalargehighperformancedatanetworkatParkvilleandassociatedsites.

TheUniversityNetworkcomprisesapproximately64,000wirednetworkinterfacesundermanagement,

supportedby680networkinfrastructuredevices.Thenetworksupports997Uniwirelessaccesspoints.The

UniversityNetworkextendstomorethan140buildingsoncampusandto34remoteUniversityand

associatedsites.In2010,thenetworkcarried1058terabytesbetweentheUniversityandthewider

internet,andthisrateisincreasing:inFebruary2011alone,ourinternettrafficwas191terabytes.

TheUniversityNetworkisintransitionfromadevolvedmodelofresponsibilitytoanendpointmodel.In

thedevolvedmodel,whichisstillinplaceinsomepartsoftheUniversity,centralresponsibilityextended

onlysofarasthe'frontdoor'ofeachbuilding.Beyondthatpoint,cabling,infrastructureandmanagement

werealocalresponsibility.

Intheendpointmodel,centralresponsibilityextends allthewaytothephysicalwallaccesssocket.

Transitiontotheendpointmodelisakeyrequirementfordeploymentofiptelephony.

Ineithermodel,responsibilityfortheconnectionbetweentheUniversitynetworkandtherestifthe

internetiscentral.

Anetworkrenewalprogramhasbeenunderwayforsomeyears,tobringallpartsoftheUniversityunder

endpointarrangements.Completionisexpectedin2013.

Storage

DataisstoredinmanywaysintheUniversity ondesktopcomputers,ondepartmentalfileservers,on

opticalmedia.StorageformajorUniversitysystemsisprovidedbyenterpriseclassprofessionallymanaged

infrastructurehousedinUniversitydatacentreswithrobustbackup.

Demandforenterpriseclassstorageservicesisgrowing,particularlyforstorageoflargeresearchdatasets

whichneedtobeshared,retainedandpreserved.AcentralStorageonRequestservicehasbeen

introducedtomeetthisneed.Theserviceoffershighperformance,highavailability,robustfrequent

backup,andmanagedsharingpermissions.

HighPerformanceComputing

ResearchComputing

Services

offers

arange

of

physical

resources

together

with

advice,

training

and

consultinginthemosteffectivemeansofusingtheseresourcestoresearchobjectives.Theyarefor


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computeintensivetaskswhichcannotpracticallyberunonthedesktop.Theseareclustersystems,which

consistofacollectionofsingleordualCPUcomputerswhicharemanagedasasingleunit.Theyhavea

"headnode"whichuserscanlogontoandpreparejobs,whicharethensubmittedtoaqueuingsystem

whichallocatesthemtoanavailable"workernode"whichthenrunsthejobs.

TheUniversity

is

amember

of

the

Victorian

Partnership

for

Advanced

Computing

(VPAC),

which

provides

Universityresearchersaccesstopeakcomputingresources.TheUniversityisapartner,withtheVictorian

GovernmentandtheIBMResearchCollaboratoryforLifeSciences,MelbourneintheVictorianLifeSciences

ComputationInitiative(VLSCI).TheVLSCIexistsforallVictorianresearchersandaimstobeoneofthetop5

lifesciencecomputationfacilitiesby2013.

StudentITServices

Students

use

University

IT

infrastructure

and

systems

in

many

ways.

There

are

extensive

on

campus

computerlabsbutnowmanystudentschoosetobringtheirowncomputer,foraccesstoUniversity

resourcesviaUniwirelessor3G.TheBlackboardLMSandthestudentportalareusedbymoststudentsat

leastonceaweek,fromoncampusorfromstudents'homesandplacesofwork,oranywherethatinternet

accessisavailable.Similarly,serviceslikeaccesstoonlinejournalsareavailablefromalmostanywhere.

Email,CalendaringandCollaboration

Since1997,theUniversityhasprovidedallstudentswithanemailaccount,hostedbytheUniversity.In

mostways,

this

was

the

same

as

the

email

service

provided

for

staff.

During

2011,

student

email

is

transitioningtoanew,externallyhostedservice,whichwillprovideanevenbetterservicewithoutthe

Universitybearinghostingandrelatedcosts.Studentsretainanemailaddressassociatedwiththe

University,andaccesstoaflexibleandadvancedemailservice.Newbenefitsincludeanonlinecalendaring

systemwhichworksseamlesslywithdesktopandmobilecalendaringclients,1GBonlinefilestorage,atext

chatfacility,andafacilityforcollaborationwithotherstudentsindevelopmentofdocuments,

spreadsheetsandpresentations.

TheUniversityprovidesallstaffwithanemailservice.Forfixedtermandcontinuingstaff,thesystemis

basedonMicrosoftExchange2003andalsoprovidesacalendaringsystem.Exchangeisamodernsystem

withseamless

integration

of

email

and

calendaring

on

the

desktop

and

on

popular

mobile

devices.

CasualandhonorarystaffhavenotyetbeenmigratedfromanolderUnixbasedstaffemailsystem,which

isattheendofitsreliablelife.BothExchangeandthelegacysystemarerunonUniversityownedand

operatedservers.

PersonalComputers

TheUniversityoperatesafleetofabout14,000personalcomputers.About8000areallocatedasstaff

workstationsandtheremainderareusedatoverthecounterservicepointsorforstudentcomputing.


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17

Approximately500areavailabletoallstudentsinthelibrariesandStudentResourceCentres.Manymore

areavailabletostudentsincomputerlabsprovidedbyfaculties.Hoursvaryintheselocations. During

semestersomefacilitiesareclosedonlyfrom2amto7am.Laptopcomputersareavailableforshortterm

studentloansduringopeninghoursattheBaillieuLibrary,theLawLibraryandtheEasternResource

Centre.

Supportarrangementsareintransition.

Formuchofthepersonalcomputerera,theUniversitytookadecentralisedapproachtostaffITsupport

services.SomeUniversitywideserviceswereprovidedcentrally:themajorUniversitysystems,the

Universitywideareanetworkandinternetaccess,bulksoftwarelicensing,purchasingofpersonal

computersandrelateditems,andhardwareandsoftwarestandards.

Localareanetworks,localprintingfacilities,fileservers,personalcomputerdeployment,acquisitionand

installationofdesktopsoftwareandperipheraldevices,andendusersupportwerelefttofacultiesand

departments.

UndertheResponsibleDivisionManagementinitiative,mostITservicesarebecomingCommonServices,

leavingonlyspecialistrequirementstobemetatalocallevel.TheWorkspaceComputingService,towhich

alldivisionswilltransitionby2014,providesstandardservicestosupportworkspacecomputing.The

existingserviceincludesprocurementofnewpersonalcomputers,computermanagement,hardwarefault

investigationandresolution,networkconnection,andinvestigationandresolutionoferrorsinUniversity

standardoperatingenvironmentsoftware.

Arelatedmanagedprintservicecoversprocurement,provisioning,break/fix,valetservice,fleet

management,servicemanagement,andrationalisationoftheprintenvironmentlocatedwithineach

budgetdivision.

StaffrequiringhelpwithIThaveaccesstoacentralITServiceDesk,andITstaffwillwhennecessaryvisit

officestoprovideassistanceandtodeploynewcomputers.

ITHelpDesksforstudentsareprovidedatLevel1intheEasternResourceCentre,andatthePercyBaxter

LearningCentre.Duringsemester,thesearestaffedeveryday,andintheeveningMondaytoThursday.

TheyprovidehelponstudentITmattersincludingtheemailservice,theLMS,theStudentPortal,andin

generaluseofthestudentcomputingfacilities.Theyalsoprovideassistancetostudentsinsettingup

Uniwirelessaccessontheirownlaptopcomputersandmobiledevices.

TeachingSpaces

TeachingspacesintheUniversityarewellequippedwithcomputingandpresentationresources.


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18

Type Number Facilities

elearningstudio 6 Dataprojector,networkeddualbootcomputerfor

presenter,dualbootcomputerperstudenttable(shared

forgroupwork)linkedforcollaboration,laptop

connectivityforpresenter,wirelesscoverage.

learningsuite

23

Data

projector,

networked

PC

for

presenter,

SmartBoard,

wirelesscoverage.

eseminarroom 70 Dataprojector,networkedPC(dualbootinsomecases),

wirelesscoverage.

studentworkshop(byo

laptop)

24 Dataprojector,laptopconnectivityforpresenter,wireless

coverage.

studentworkshop 12 Wirelesscoverage

seminarroomwith

wireless

26 Wirelesscoverage,televisionmonitor

iMediatheatre 44 Dataprojector,networkeddualbootcomputer,laptop

connectivityforpresenter,lecturecapture(systemthat

automaticallyrecords

audio

and/or

visual

content

from

lectures),wirelesscoverage.

iMediatheatrette 27 Dataprojector,networkeddualbootcomputer,laptop

connectivityforpresenter,lecturecapture(systemthat

automaticallyrecordsaudioand/orvisualcontentfrom

lectures),wirelesscoverage.


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19

TheITCapitalPlan20112015

SUPPORTINGGROWINGESTEEM

Theannual

review

of

the

ten

year

IT

Infrastructure

Plan

provides

the

opportunity

to

ensure

the

overall

progressionofprojectssupporttheachievementoftheUniversitysstrategicgoals. Theplandirectly

supportsthevisionfortheUniversityenunciatedinGrowingEsteem2010bysuccessfullyundertaking

projectsthatsupportResearch,LearningandTeaching,EngagementandtheEnablingStream.

Research

By2015,theUniversityaimstobethetoprankeduniversityinallnationalindicatorsofresearchexcellence

andimpact.Melbournewillhaveformedcloserlinkswiththesurroundingmedicalresearchinstitutes,

buildingonexistingcollaborationandtrainingopportunitiesandmaximisingtheglobalimpactoftheentire

precinct.Much

of

the

Universitys

research

will

be

cross

disciplinary

on

both

national

and

international

scales.

TheUniversitywillcontinuetopursueimprovementstogovernmentfundingofresearchtoachievethe

goaloffullfundingandgreaterinfrastructuresupport.

Collaborationisakeydriverforbringingtogetherpartnerstodeliversolutionstosomeofsocietyspressing

healthandsocialproblems. By2020studentsandresearcherswillbenefitfromtheUniversitys

engagementwithanumberofdifferentpartnerswhichwillbefacilitatedbythefollowingITinfrastructure

projects. Manyarerelatedtonepropertyinfrastructureprojects. InformationTechnologyServiceswill

provideboth

network

and

workspace

computing

support

for

these

projects,

including

for

partners

occupyingthesebuildings.

TheMelbourneBrainCentreParkvilleandAustinnodes; ThePeterDohertyInstitute collaborationwithVictorianpublichealthlaboratories; CentreforNeuralEngineeringcollaborationbetweenEngineering,ITSandtheFacultyofMDHS; TheVictorianLifeSciencesComputationInitiative(thesupercomputerinitiative); TheVictorianComprehensiveCancerCentre; Networkrenewaltoremediateandupgradethephysicalnetworkacrossthecampus; eResearchinfrastructuretobuildonexistinginvestmenttofurtherenhancehighspeed

computation,visualization

and

large

scale

data

stores;


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20

GovernmentfundedSuperScienceprojectsBuiltEnvironmentresearchandtheCollaborativeInfrastructureproject;and

CarltonConnect collaborationwithpartnersIBMandtheStateGovernment.LearningandTeachingandtheStudentExperience

By2020theUniversitywillhaveinplace ITinfrastructurethatguaranteesstudentshaveaMelbourne

ExperienceunmatchedinqualitybyotherAustraliancomprehensiveresearchuniversities.Graduate

programsneedtoaddresslargevariationsinstudentcircumstancesandbackgroundssuchasculture,age,

career,experience,familyresponsibilities,educationallevel,locationofundergraduatestudyandreasons

forstudy.Thislevelofdiversity,whichwillbeastrengthofthegraduatecohort,requiresflexibilityinthe

Universitysmodesofteachingdelivery.

TodeliverauniquecampusbasedMelbourneExperience,theUniversityhasalignedserviceswithdegree

offeringsthroughstudentcentres,developednewpurposedesignedstudyspaces,providedwireless

connectivityand

scheduled

common

shared

time

to

enable

students

and

staff

to

engage

in

activities

withoutclashes.Acontinuingshifttowardgraduateprogramswillrequiremodificationtoadmissions

policy,timetabling,capitalinfrastructureandonlineaccesstocoursematerials.

TheplannedITinfrastructureprojectswhichsupporttheseambitionsinclude:

UpgradingoftheLearningManagementSystemoftheUniversity; AnupgradeoftheStudentPortal; Acustomerrelationshipmanagementsystem; Astudentadvisingsystem;

A

scholarly

search

system;

ExpandingthecoverageoftheUniversitywirelessnetwork.

Engagement

TheUniversitywillcontinuetoexpandthenumberandscopeofitsknowledgepartnerships,andensure

effectivemetricstopromoteexcellenceintheseactivities.Tobeagloballycompetitiveinstitution,the

Universitywillcontinuetoextendanddevelopitsinternationalcharacter.

TheUniversitywilldevelopandexpanditsadvancementactivitieswithamajorcampaignlaunchdesigned

totreble

the

Universitys

annual

income

from

donations

and

gifts

within

five

years.

A

key

IT

project

which

willfacilitateengagementwiththebroadercommunityandprovidecontactswiththeUniversity isthe

CRMsystemandimprovementofouralumnidatabase.

EnablersSupportingtheVision

TherelevantinfrastructureprojectswhichsupporttheUniversitysoperationsbyprovidinghighquality

administrativesystems areasfollows:

UpgradeandpartialrenewaloftheThemisEnterpriseSystems; ImprovementoftheexecutivereportingandstrategicanalysissystemsfortheUniversitytoenable

moreinformed

decision

making;


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Implementationofanapplicationintegrationplatformtoenableintegratinginformationfromsourceenterprisesystems;

Amasterdatamanagementplatformthatwillassistwithsinglesourceoftruthforkeyinformationassets;

EnhancementofthewebContentManagementSystemoftheUniversity; ConstructionofanewDataCentretosupporttheVLSCIandNeuralEngineering;and CompletionoftheDigitalisationFacilityfortheLibrary;

TheprojectslistedundereachoftheTripleHelixstrandsaboverepresentaveryambitiousprogramofIT

development. Difficultchoicesneedtobemadetocontainthecostoftheseprogramstothefunds

availablesothattheUniversityhasaviableITinfrastructurestrategyinplace.

TheUniversity'sITCapitalPlanhasa2020horizon.withdetailedplansfor20112015.Therearefour

principaldevelopmentprograms:Foundation,Applications,Workspace,andResearchInfrastructurein

whichtheabovespecificprojectsaregrouped.Thefollowingchartshowshowtheplanisorganisedandits

relationshiptoUniversitystrategy


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22

CurrentActiveProjects BudgetsbyServiceOwner

Thefollowingchartshowsthedistributionofthe20112015ITinfrastructureplanfundsbytheseprincipal

developmentprograms.

Note:ResearchInfrastructureprojectsnotincludedaboveincludeHighPerformanceComputingRenewal

($0.2million),NecTARprojects($6.7m)andVERSI($5.2million).

Currentactiveprojects

Thefollowing

tables

and

charts

show

the

extent

of

the

funded

projects

in

each

of

these

areas.

1. FoundationITinfrastructureandservices

Portfolio/Project Budget Expectedcompletion

ITSCapability $4.98millionMasterDataManagement $1.2million Notyetfixed

RemedyUpgrade $0.53million October2011

ITSSupplierPanel $0.35million September2011

ApplicationIntegration $2.90million December2013


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23


NetworkServices $39.07millionNetworkRenewal LAN $20million March2012

IPTelephony $9.99million May2012

CentralStudentContact $0.66million May2011

ThomasCherry

Data

Centre

Decommission

$0.66

million

April

2011

UnifiedCommunicationsCarrier,Billing&

Mobility

$1.21million May2011

VERNPhase2 $0.4milliion August2011

DataBilling $0.8million May2011

NetworkTransformation $5,45million December2011

Uniwireless $0.53million December2011

ServerInfrastructureServices $29.03millionSecondDataHallBuild $23.1million November2011

UnixBackupConsolidation $0.93million May2011

UnixInfrastructre

Management

$0.05

million

not

yet

fixed

IdentityandAccessManagementSystem

Replacement

$4.22million September2011

ActiveDirectoryRemediation $0.73million May2011

StorageServices $2millionStorageServices $42million May2012

ITSCapabilityPortfolio


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24

NetworkServicesPortfolio

ServerInfrastructureServices

2.

Applications


LearningandTeaching $6.74millionStudentPortalRenewal $1.5million March2013

ScholarlySearch $0.38million July2011

SyllabusPlusRenewal $0.25million October2011

StudentEmailTransition $0.55million April2011

SubjectExperienceSurveyOnline $0.45million June2011

CourseandSubjectCatalogue(RDMI) $0.92million August2011

LMSRenewal $2.7million December2013


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25


Engagement $4.08millionWebStrategy $0.15million April2011

WebAccessibilityImplementation $0.3million April2011

CMSUpgrade $0.08million April2011

WebPayment

$0.55

million

April

2011

NexusCRM $3million November2011

Administration $21.02millionEnterpriseReporting $1.5million December2015

ISISConnect $5million June2013

eProcurement $0.52million April2011

ThemisImprovement $14million December2014

Research $4.81millionResearchSystemsUpgrade $4.81million June2012

Applications Learning&TeachingPortfolio

ApplicationsEngagement

Portfolio


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26

Applications AdministrationPortfolio

3. WorkspaceComputing

4. ResearchInfrastructure


Workspace $18.34millionWorkspaceComputing&Infrastructure $12.45million November2014

Neuroscience $1.27million December2011

WesternTTR $0.15million May2011

EmailExchange2010UpgradeandDisaster

Recovery

$3million October2011

ThinClientInvestigation $0.66million July2011

LegacyEmail $0.81million November2011


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27


ResearchInfrastructure $217million(NationaleResearchInvestments)

VictorianLifeSciencesComputation

Initiative

$100million 2013

NationaleResearchToolsandResources

(NeCTAR)

$47million 2015

ResearchDataStorageInfrastructure

(RDSI)

$50million 2015

AustralianUrbanResearchInfrastructure

Network(AURIN)

$20million 2015

Detailsofprojects

EachofthesemajorITprojectslistedintheabovetablesisdescribedinthissection.

ThemisDevelopment

TheThemisImprovementproject,plannedforcompletionbylate2014,isareimplementationofthe

Themissystems,basedonnextreleaseOracleapplicationsanddatabaseplatform,withdramatically

reducedcustomization,andconsequentbusinessprocessreengineering.Itisbelievedthatnoessential

businessfunctionalitywillbelost,butthatalignmentofbusinessprocesseswithstandardsystem

functionalitycouldsaveupto$10millionover10years.

AninitiativewithinThemisImprovementisMasterDataManagement.

MasterDataManagement(MDM)isafoundationalUniversitycapability;MDMsupportsimproved

reliability,availabilityandongoingmanagementofbusinessinformation,particularlywherethesame

informationneedstobeusedbymorethanonebusinessarea.ThekeyoutcomesofMDMaredatathat

canbereused,thatisclearlyunderstood,andthathasbeenallocatedappropriatedatagovernance(data

custodians,responsibleforpolicy,anddatastewards,responsibleforoperationalmaintenanceofmaster

data).AnobjectiveofMDMisthatThemisbecomesatrulyintegratedsystemratherthanacollectionof

relatedsystems.

ISIS theStudentManagementSystem

Asnoted,ISISworks,butnotwithoutsignificantpainpoints.TheISISConnectinitiativeisintendedto

stabilisethe

system

and

to

address

the

challenges

noted

and

other

matters,

over

the

2011

2013

period.

OnlineLearning

TheBlackboardLMSandrelatedsystemshaveservedtheUniversitywell,butthetimeshavechanged,as

havetheavailabletechnologiesandstudentexpectations.

ThepurposeoftheLMSRenewalproject(20112013)istomoveawayfromtheisolatedexperienceofa

modularLMStoamodelofaPersonalLearningEnvironment(PLE).APLEisprimarilyconcernedwiththe

practicesofstudentsinlearningwithcontextualanddiversetechnologies,ratherthanacategoryof

software.RatherthaninteractingwiththetoolssuppliedwithintheformalspacesoftheUniversityonly,

thePLEenablesawiderangeofcontextstobecoordinatedtosupportthegoalsofthestudent.


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StudentPortal

TheStudentPortalRenewalproject(20122013),embryonicatthiswriting,isintendedtoovercome

existinglimitations:mostlikelythiswillincludemovingtoanewsoftwareplatform.

LibrarySystems

Themainissuewiththepresentscholarlysearchtools,whicharelargelyinhouse,isusability.Inrecent

times'cloudbased'scholarlysearchanddiscoverytoolshavebeendevelopedbyvendors.The2011

ScholarlySearchprojectwillexplorethepossibilityofmovingsomeofourLibrarySystemsfunctionalityto

suchcloudbasedservices.

IdentityandAccessManagement

Aprojectisunderwaytodeliveranidentitymanagementsolutionwithrichfunctionality,flexibilityand

usability;tomeetUniversityneedsforamoreadvancedapproachtoidentitymanagementthrough

initiativessuch

as

federated

access

management

to

services

and

resources

within

and

outside

the

University;toallowbroaderdefinitionsofmembersoftheUniversitycommunity;andwithgreaterlevels

ofresponsibilityandcontrolforsecurity,privacyandcompliance.

TheUniversityNetwork

Thenextstepis'networktransformation'.Networkrenewalprovidesafaster,morereliableandmore

securenetwork,butnotamanageablenetwork.Networktransformationmakesthenetworkmanageable

andautomatesprocessesassociatedwithconnectionofenduserdevices.Itprovidesstateoftheart

accounting,accountability,accesscontrolandusermobility.

Overthelastdecade,theUniversityhasbuiltawirelessdatanetwork,nowknownasUniwireless,with

coverageacrossmostUniversitypremiseswherestudentsgatherforscholarlypurposes.Students,and

staff,canconnecttothenetworkusingasuitabledeviceandtheircentralUniversityusernameand

password.FunctionalityislimitedtoaccesstotheUniversityNetwork,andtoexternalwebsitesviaaweb

proxyserver.Theselimitationsaresignificant,andreducethevalueoftheservice,especiallywhenitis

usedwithmobiledevices.Itisimperativethatanyapplicationavailablethroughawirednetworkatthe

desktopbeavailablethroughthewirelessnetwork andindeedinmostcases,applicationsshouldbe

availablevieanyinternetconnection.

StaffEmail

and

Calendaring

AprojectisunderwaytoimplementaMicrosoftExchange2010servicewithsufficientcapacityforallstaff,

includingcasualandhonorarystaff.Aswellasthebenefitsofbringingallstaffontoonesystem,Exchange

2010offersbettersupportforMacintoshusers.

WorkspaceComputing

In2011,thescopeoftheWorkspaceComputingServiceisincreasing,toincludeserversidefilestorageand

management,servermanagement,andstudentlabmanagement.

Expectedbenefits

of

workspace

as

aCommon

Service

include

lower

costs

through

standardisation

and

economiesofscale,betterphysicalandnetworksecurity,improvedservermanagementandeconomy


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29

throughvirtualisation,andimprovedserveravailability,supportandrecovery.Thereisalsoasignificant

benefitinthatITstaffwhoremainatthelocallevelwillbeabletofocusonrequirementswhicharetruly

local.

Theinitiativeisnotwithoutrisk.Changemanagementwillbekeytosuccessofthiscomplexinitiative,as

willbe

finding

ways

in

which

to

meet

the

diversity

of

needs

in

the

University

while

gaining

the

economies

ofstandardisation.ChangeisalwaysdifficultandexperiencewithPhase1budgetdivisionsshowsthat

resistanceislikelyfromaffectedITstaffandusers,especiallyacademicstaff.

Thechallenge,whichissignificantbutnotinsurmountable,is:

successfuldeliveryofWorkspaceICTservicestomeettheneedsofacademicandprofessionalstaffandstudentsoftheUniversity.Thesecoreservicesprovideandsupporttheeverydaytechnologyenvironmentthatisusedinthestafforstudentworkspace.

Especiallyinthecaseofstudents,itiscriticaltorecognisethattheworkspaceincludescomputersand

otherdeviceswhichareownedbytheuser,nottheUniversity.

Whilsttherearechallengestheloweringofcostsisasubstantialbenefitasshownbelow. Eveninitsfirst

years,WorkspaceComputingisexpectedtoprovidesavingsexceedingthecostoftheinitiative;inthelong

term,weexpectannualnettsavingsofnearly$6million.


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ITCapitalPlan20162020

TheIT

Capital

Plan

funds

three

types

of

broad

expenditures:

1. NewITcapitalinitiatives(innovation)2. Renewal(cyclicreplacement)ofexistingITassets3. Maintenanceofexistingsoftwareandhardwareassets

Overrecentyears,theUniversityhasinvestedsignificantlyinnewinitiatives,suchasISIS,theLMS,

upgradestoThemis,networkandUnifiedCommunications.Asaresult,therenewalandmaintenance

componentsoftheITCapitalPlanhaveincreasinglyconsumedhigherproportionsoftheITCapitalPlan,

leavinglittlecapacityforinnovationandnewinitiatives.Someadditionalfundingwasapprovedin2009to

implementoutcomesoftheEnterpriseSystemsReview.

ThediagrambelowshowsthecompositionoftheITCapitalPlanforthepastthreeyearsandintothe

future.Theamountavailablefornewinitiativescontinuestodeclineasavailablefundingisusedto

maintainandrenewexistinginfrastructure.

Suchis

the

rate

of

change

in

IT

that

it

is

difficult

to

foresee

the

discretionary

opportunities

of

2016

2010;

whatisknownisthatalargeproportionofavailablefundswillbetiedtorenewalandmaintenance.


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Forwardestimates($million)for20162020include:

ITMaintenance Operating 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

EnterpriseSoftwareLicenceMaintenance 12.60 13.20 13.84 14.50 15.50

ITInfrastructureHardwareMaintenance 7.22 7.53 7.86 8.20 8.56

ITRenewalProjects Capital 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

ITRenewalPrograms 14.57 15.33 16.11 16.95 17.82

IPP StrategicProjects Capital 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Feasibilitystudies 0.69 0.73 0.77 0.80 0.84

EmergingProjects unallocated 4.61 5.12 5.31 5.59 5.87


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LongerTermPriorities

Towardsand

beyond

2015,

the

University

will

move

away

from

the

tradition

that

University

systems

are

runinhouse.Instandardisedandcommoditisedsystems,socalled'cloud'providersenjoyeconomiesof

scaleandscopewhichtheUniversitycannotemulate.Themarketsmaynotevolveinwayswhichmake

cloudsourcedsystemsthebestoptionfortheUniversityinallcases,butourfirstquestionwillbe:can

someoneelsedothisforusinamorecosteffectivemannerthanwecandoourselves.

Fromtheenduserperspective,Universitysystemsmustmeet,orevenexceed,theexpectationsthat

studentsandstaffhavefromtheirexperienceasconsumers.Tothegreatestextentpossiblegiventhe

natureofthetransactionandtheregulatoryenvironment,enrollingonlineshouldbeaseasyandpleasant

asmakinganairlinebookingonline;workingwiththeUniversityfinancesystemshouldbeaseasyas

internetbanking

with

the

big

four.

The

back

room

experience

(for

example,

the

financial

system

as

experiencedbyfinancialstaffasdistinctfromthosemerelycarryingouttransactions)shouldbe

comparablewiththeexperienceofthoseincomparablebackroomrolesinrelevantindustries(for

example,inthefinancialservicesindustry).

Identityandaccesswillbemanagedinsuchamannerthatwhatpeoplecandodependsonwhotheyare,

notwheretheyareorhowtheyareconnectedtotheinternet.

Allstudentsandstaffwillsharetheoneemail/calendar/collaborationsystem,abletocollaboratewitheach

other,andwithcalendaringandcollaborationfacilitatedbyleveragingThemis/ISISinformation(e.g.

classroom

commitments

automatically

appear

in

one's

calendar,

and

with

permission

presets/defaults

for

optinsharingofonlineworkspaceswithclassmatesandcolleagues(basedonenrolmentandorganisation

diagraminformation).

WorkspaceComputingwillmaturetobecomeacovetedservice;avaluedprivilegeassociatedwith

studyingorworkingattheUniversity.

TheUniversityNetworkwillprovideperformanceandreliabilitywellbeyondthatoftheconsumerISP

experience,notonlyonthewirednetworkasatpresent,butalsoonthecampuswirelessservice.Network

transformationwillbringthemanagedflexibilityandcontrolofthebestoftheconsumerservices.

Technologiesthat

are

emerging

but

not

yet

mainstream

and

not

yet

embraced

in

University

life

are

likely

to

changethewaythingsaredonein2015andbeyond.Studentsandstaffwillusethesetechnologiesintheir


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33

Universityworkandonotheraspectsoftheirlives;thechallenge,andtheopportunity,forUniversityIT,is

innotonlyaccommodatingthisbutalsoinexploitingtheconsequentopportunitiestotransformtheway

workisdone.Somesuchtechnologiesarediscussedbelow.

3Gdataserviceshavealreadybecomeinexpensive,withcoveragefor99%oftheAustralianpopulation.

Accordingto

the

Australian

Bureau

of

Statistics,

there

were

3.5

million

active

3G

internet

access

accounts

inAustraliainJune2010.3Gisjustoneaspectofmobilityandportability,butitisanimportantaspect.It

meanspeopledothingsandusethingseverywhere,notjustathomeandoncampus.Itincreasesthe

'anytime'aspectoftheUniversityexperiencetoo,becauseoneislessoftenwithoutinternetconnectivity.

Alongwiththesensorsfoundinmobiledevicesbutnotlaptops(GPS,compass,accelerometer,gyroscopic

orientationsensing),3Gmakespossiblenewapplications.Thesenewapplicationsmaynotoriginatein

highereducation,buttheywillbeusedinhighereducation.AnexampleisStarWalk,aniPadplanetarium

applicationthatusestheposition,timeandorientationofthedevicetoprovideachartofthestars,planets

andothercelestialobjects.Ineverydaylife,TramTrackerforiPhonefindsnearbytramstopsandliststhe

nextthree

trams

approaching.

MobiledevicesliketheiPadandtheemergingAndroidandWindowsrivals;alsosmartphones,aremore

thanjustthesameIT,butinacafeoronthetrain,Inthisuniversity,theevidenceistheretheymatter,as

maybeseenjustwalkingaroundandnoticingthesedeviceseverywhere.Studentsandstaffwhohave

thesedevicesreasonablyexpecttheUniversitytomakeiteasyandpleasanttointeractwiththeUniversity

usingamobiledevice.Banks,airlines,Amazon,Google,andothers,setthatexpectation.

Goingbeyondmerelymeetingexpectations,weaspiretodelightstudentsandstaffwhousemobile

devices.Consumerorientedorganisationsaredoingsoalready.

Onlinecollaboration,althougheasilyoverstatedespeciallyinacampuscentreduniversity,willbe

important,particularlyaspeopletrytocutdownontravelforreasonsofcost,safetyandtheenvironment.

StudentsarelikelytocollaborateonlineinUniversitysponsoredspaces,if,butonlyif,encouragedtodoso.

Universityprovidedonlinecollaborationspaceswillcompetewiththosereadilyavailabletothegeneral

public:thekeystrengththeUniversitywillhaveisinidentityandaccessmanagement.IftheUniversity

providescollaborationspacesinwhichstudentsandstaffcantakeitforgrantedthataccesscontrolhas

beentakencareof,leveragingThemisandISISinformation,thosespaceswillbecomepreferred.Absent

thatleverageoftheinstitutionalcontext,arelikelytojustuseordinaryGoogleappsaccounts,orDropbox

oranyofthemanyothercommercialofferings.

TheCloud.Cloudstorageforeasy,cheap,secure,backedupdata,availableanytime,anywhere,beautifully

meetingtheneedsofthenomadicstudentuser.Cloudapps,especiallyforcollaborationbutalsofor

Universitysystems.CloudCPUsforcomputeintensiveresearch.

ePub,alongwithPDFandafewotheruniversalinformationformatsiswhatmakesdeviceagnosticism

possible.It'swhatmakesaccesstoinformationeverywherepossible.Academicpublishingaslikelytoadopt

ePubonalargescaleinthenearfuture.Licensingwillbeadifficultissue,andbusinessmodelsmaysit

uneasilywiththetraditionalmodelsforinstitutionalaccesstoscholarlypublications.

Virtualisationmeansthatincaseswherewecan'treallyexpectstudentstousetheirowncomputersand

software(because,

for

example,

the

required

software

for

asubject

is

very

expensive),

we

still

don't

really

needtoprovidecomputerlabsinthetraditionalmanner.Itmightnotalwayswork(forexample,whenthe


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34

specialisedworkstudentsneedtodorequiresspecialandexpensivehardware),butitwillworkinmany

cases.AdvantagetotheUniversity virtualserversinarack(orinthecloud)costlesstobuyandlesstorun

thanacomputerlab.Ittakeslessspace,freeingspaceupforattractiveandflexiblesocialandlearning

environmentsforstudents.Italsomakes24/7accesseasy,andthestudentcanbeathome,atwork,

anywhereintheworld,solongastheyhavethebandwidth.AndwithNBN,theyusuallywillhavethe

bandwidth.

VirtualisationalsoletsusshiftphysicalresourcesbetweenmajorUniversitysystemswiththeebbandflow

ofloadthroughtheyear.Betterstill,wecanleaseextraresourcesinthecloudatamoment'snotice.The

samegoesforourlabsinthesky.

ConsumerisationasinAmazonandiTunes,meansseveralthings.Itmeansstudentsandstaffwilloften

bypasstraditionalUniversitychannelslikethebookshopandthelibrarywhentheyseekmaterial.Itmeans

theywillexpectdiscoveryanddeliverythroughUniversitychannelstoprovidethesamefunctionalityand

easeofusethattheyhavewithAmazon,iTunes,andGoogleBooks.Itmeansaconflict,whichwillnotbe

resolvedquickly,

between

the

University

tradition

of

all

you

can

eat

(buy

abook

once

and

lend

it

out

as

oftenasyoulike;payafixedannualfeeforallstaffandallstudentstohaveaccesstoonlinejournals),and

theconsumercontentmodel payperitem.Willaninstitutionalsubscriptionmodelevolveforonline

ebookvendors?

There'sanappforthat! Imaginesubjectreadingliststhatincludefreeorinexpensiveappsforpersonal

computersandotherdevices;appswhichfacilitatelearning,illustratekeyconcepts,allowthestudentto

explore.Thesecomplementtheappsinthesky.Weareunlikelytodeveloptheseappsbutwecouldcurate

them:theUniversityasthestudent'sguideontheside.There'snothingreallynewhere:theUniversityhas

fordecadesproducedlistsofrequiredorrecommendedtextsforstudents;thisismerelyaboutextending

thesame

idea

to

subject

specific

apps.

For

that

matter,

it's

no

different

to

providing

alist

of

calculators

suitableforuseinaparticulardiscipline.Akeytrendinsoftware,especiallyformobiledevices,istowards

peopleusingmanyapps,eachofwhichdoesjustoneortwothingsverywell,incontrasttothetrendofthe

lastdecadeorso,inwhichpeoplehavetendedtousejustafewsoftwarepackagestodonearlyeverything.

TheStudentITExperiencepost2015:ADayintheLifeofSally

Sallyisacourseworkstudent,studyingtowardsaMastersinAcousticFinance.Insomesenses,Sallyliveson

theinternet,

connected

most

of

the

day

whether

using

her

laptop,

iPhone

or

iPad.

She

uses

the

net

constantlyinherlifeasastudent,asaprofessionalandinpersonallife.TheUniversityonlinepresenceis

butone,important,partofheronlineinteractionwithcontent,withfamilyandfriends,andwith

colleagueswithinandbeyondtheUniversity.


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35

Sally'sPersonalLearningEnvironment

ThedaybeginscheckingtheCalendaronheriPhone,whichissyncedtotheUniversity'scalendaring

system,amongstothers.EachsemesterwhenSallyenrols,ISISautomaticallypopulateshercalendarwith

classroomcommitments

and

key

assessment

and

administrative

dates.

(Sally

doesn't

know

it,

but

neither

theISISpeoplenorthosewhoimplementedthestudentcalendaringsystemthoughofthat:itwasan

opportunityidentifiedbytheITStrategyAdvisoryGroupduringitsintegratedreviewofITsystemsand

services.)

Today,alongwithtwoseminarstoattendandanessaytosubmit,Sally'scalendarremindsherthattuition

isdue.Hersyndicateisduetopresentaseminarthismorning,andtheyworkedlongintotheevening

finalisingthepresentationinGoogleDocswhilediscussingitinGoogleTalk.It'sagoodthingthatbetween

them,ISISandBlackboardtakecareofmakingsurethatthesecollaborativespacesautomaticallyknow

whoisworkingwithwhoandthereforemaintainsthesharingsettings otherwiseshe'dspendmoretime

messingabout

with

sharing

settings

and

less

time

getting

on

with

learning.

Over

breakfast,

she

makes

a


36/38

36

finalreviewoftheGoogleDocspresentationusingheriPad,andsawthathercolleagueJohnhadpickedup

andfixedasmallbutawkwardmistake.

OnthetrainintoParkville,Sally'sstillusingtheiPad.Shechecksheremail;nothingthere.Shelogsintothe

studentportaltodownloadthetuitioninvoice,andthenlogsintoherbanktomakethepayment.Then

sometime

out

on

Facebook

before

the

train

pulls

into

the

Grattan

Street

underground

station.

Seminartime.Sally'ssyndicateusetheclassroomlecternPCtologintotheirGoogleDocsspace,andalsoto

asharedDropboxspacewherethey'vepreparedsomeotherresources.ShegetsanSMSfromJohn he's

fallenoffhisbikeandwon'tbethere.OK,atleasttheyknow.Thegrouppresents,andSallymoderatesthe

ensuingdiscussion,usingQuickpolltoputcontentiousquestionstothevote fellowstudentsvoteusing

theirsmartphones,withrealtimeresultsdisplayedonthebigscreen,alongwiththetwitterfeedforthe

seminar.Attheendoftheclass,theprofessorgivesherperspectiveonthepresentationandthe

discussion,andreferstheclasstworecentandrelevantpapers.

Downtime,some

coffee

and

achat,

and

no

IT!

Then

it's

off

to

the

Eastern

Resource

Centre

to

download

thosepapers.OneisanePuboniTunesUandSallydownloadsitstraighttotheiPad.Theotherpaperisin

anexternalresearchdatabasebehindapaywall;forthat,it'sSupersearchonthelaptop,allthrough

Uniwireless.Thatdone,anIMfromJohnpopsuponSkype isthesyndicateupforlunchatPA's?Yesthey

allare,in45minutes.Sallyleansbacktoreadthroughtoday'sAge,iPadedition,beforelunch.

Afterlunch,Sally'snextclassisinaspeciallocation,abuildingshe'snotbeentobefore.TheRaymond

ThomasBerryBarryCherryRedmondBuilding.OnheriPhone,sheusestheUnimelbappwhichdetectsher

positionusingGPSandguidesherfromPA'stothatbuilding.

Aftertheclass,it'stimeforafinalreviewoftheessaydueforsubmissiontoday.Sallythenlogsintothe

LMSandsubmitstheessayviaTurnitin.WhilstattheLMS,shenoticessomelecturer'snotesforaclass

nextweek,andalsothattheLectureCapturerecordingofherpresentationthismorningisnowavailable

fordownload.

Onthetrainhome,SallygetsstartedreadingtheePubpaperonheriPad,makingnotesandplacing

bookmarks.Shechecksintoanonlineforumassociatedwiththemorningseminar;afairlyanimated

discussionisstillunderwayandSallyaddsafewcommentsofherownbeforereachinghome.

Afterdinner,beforeturningtoherstudies,SallypaysafewbillsonBpayandthenturnstothemore

cheerfulbusinessofusingQantasandExpediatobookatriptowatchherfavouredfootballteamplayin

Sydneynext

weekend.

No

classes

tomorrow,

so

it's

agood

evening

to

get

some

work

done

in

the

CAD/CAM

lab.Thereareonly20CAD/CAMcloudPCslicensed(thesoftwarecosts$4000,soshe'snotabouttorunit

onherownlaptop),andtheyareallinusesosheregistersinthequeue.TimeforsomeWikipediabrowsing

andsomesillyYoutubevideos.HalfanhourlatertheSMScomesin aCAD/CAMcloudPCisnowavailable

andshehasfiveminutestograbit.Onherlaptop,shelaunchesthethinclientapplicationandlogsstraight

intothecloudPC.She'snotsurewhetheritisoncampusorinAustraliaforthatmatter andshedoesn't

care.She'sathome,effectivelyusinga'virtual'computerlabrunningsoftwareshecan'taffordtohaveat

home.Surebeatsthedaysofhangingaroundoncampusallnight.

Throughouttheday,Sallyusedmanykindsofonlineresourceandapplications.Someofitwasvia3G,

somewas

via

her

home

wireless

network

and

the

NBN,

some

was

via

the

campus

wired

and

wireless

networks.Thatwasallseamless hercomputerandotherdevicesswitchautomaticallybetweenavailable


37/38

37

services.Italljustworked.ShemovedseamlesslybetweenUniversityorientedactivityandotherthings,

barelyperceivingadifferenceintermsofthetechnology.StudentITpost2015isallaboutSally,notthe

Universityorthetechnology.

TheResearchITExperiencepost2015:ADayintheLifeofJames

ProfessorJamesSmithiswithNeuroscienceVictoria.AlthoughnotaUniversityemployee,theidentityand

accessmanagementsystem,alongwithnationalandinternationalfederatedarrangementswiththesame

purpose,ensurethatJameshasaccesstoalltheUniversityITresourcesheneeds,alongwithresourcesat

ANU,intheUnitedStatesandinEurope.

ThedaystartsearlywithavideoconferencefromhomewithprojectteammembersintheAustralia,theUS

andFrance.OnethingITcan'tdoiseliminatetimezones.Stillathome,JamesusesVLSCIresourcesin

collaboration

with

an

ANU

colleague

to

visualise

their

model

of

how

a

newly

engineered

molecule

might

worktostoptheadvanceofdementiaintheaged.TheywriteuptheirnotestogetherinGoogleDocs

morefederatedidentitymagic.

DuringJames'walkintoParkville,anurgentmessageonhisphonefromateachingcolleague mightthe

teacherpleasehaveacopyofaslideJamespresentedatlastweek'sseminar,touseinclasslaterthis

morning.Jamestravelslight hewalkstowork butheiscarryinganAndroidtabletwhichheusestomake

aremoteconnectionover3Gtohisofficedesktop,fromwhichheemailstherequestedslide,

Inthelab,it'selectronmicroscopy,capturinggigabytesperminute,allofwhichistransferredforthwithto

adistributedinternationalresearchdatastoresupportedbytheGo8withfundingfromthe

Commonwealth,theBillandMelindaGatesFoundationandtheEuropeanUnion.Atthesametime,VLSCI

facilitiespreprocesstherawdataforvisualisationandanalysis.Thisinternationalresearchresourcegrows

atterabytesperday,withcomplementaryanalysesunderwayconstantlybyteammembersonthree

continents.

Intheafternoon,itisaParkvillePrecinctStrategicAdvisoryGroupmeeting.Duringlunchtime,thegroup's

ExecutiveOfficerputsalatepaperintothecommitteeDropbox.It'sashortpaperwhichJamesreadsonhis

Androidovercoffeebeforemakinghiswaytothemeeting.Ontheway,heusestheUniMeetingapponhis

iPhoneto'star'thepaperfordiscussion.

It'sashort

evening,

because

there's

yet

another

early

morning

international

teleconference,

but

James

(an

expatriateEnglishman)takesthetimetoenjoythehighdefinitionpayperviewUKmatchoftheday

netcast,deliveredliveviatheNBN.


38/38

Theinformationinthispublicationwascorrectatthetimeofprinting. TheUniversityreservestherighttomake

changes as deemed appropriate

Enabler Strategy - IT Infrastructure - June 2011

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