IN THIS ISSUE >> september 2007

JISC report results IT systems Executive HAERVI publication on young people’s consolidation by Committee news announced by ICT expectations Ian Bingle by Peter Tinson Peter Tinson summarised by NorMAN out of UCISA’s Calendar of Peter Tinson hours helpline Infrastructure upcoming events report by Debbie Group report by The bimonthly newsletter from UCISA Figgis Geoff Bouch

JISC report: what do young people expect from ICT?

Peter Tinson – UCISA Executive Secretary

The JISC have recently published the results of research into the attitudes of 16 – 18 year olds looking to go to university. The report makes interesting reading. It is perhaps not surprising that the report identifies that the use of technology is an intrinsic part of this age group’s lives with over three quarters having accessed the internet from their bedrooms and over 80% agreeing with the statement that they “like to keep up to date with new technology and use it as much as possible for study and in their free time”. Predictably perhaps, nearly two thirds regularly make use of social networking sites such as Facebook and UCISA’s page on Facebook MySpace. The pervasiveness of technology at home developing applications that sit within social and at school leads to the assumption that networking programs to interface with teaching similar facilities will be available at their software would be a sound investment. chosen institution. Around half of the cohort The research is preparatory to the formation of a for the study who had started preparing for Committee of Inquiry currently being convened university application had looked at or asked for by JISC into the changing learner experience. The information about the types of IT provision at the Inquiry will address the implications for higher institutions they were considering. Of those, 42% education institutions of the experience and noted that there was more IT provision than they expectations of learners approaching full time UCISA represents the whole higher had expected. The cohort believe that technology education sector in the provision higher education with a view to informing senior and development of academic, should support established methods of teaching managers and providing advice to universities management and administrative information systems providing a and administration, act as an additional and colleges. network of contacts and a powerful resource for research and communication, be lobbying voice. The full report is available at www.jisc.ac.uk/ a core part of social engagement and facilitate For any comments, suggestions or publications/publications/studentexpectations. content submission, please email us face to face friendships at university. A key at: [email protected] message is, perhaps, that most feel that the use If you wish to subscribe to this newsletter contact Sue Fells, of technology should not replace traditional Business Manager or Sam teaching methods but support them. Further, Westwood, Publications Officer at: the research suggests that the group are excited UCISA, 13 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6NN by options that will assist and complement their Tel: 01865 283425 studies but not by ones that will “take them out Fax: 01865 283426 Email: [email protected] of their comfort zone”. This may suggest that Web: www.ucisa.ac.uk Consolidate, containerise, cluster! Ian Bingle – www.high-availability.com

Time was, it used to be easy for and is helping simplify management Solaris 10 and adopting a virtualisation organisations to identify which systems whilst maximising system utilisation approach (Zones and Containers) to in their IT infrastructure were essential and uptime. pre-allocate suitable system resources to their operation. It was often possible “That’s why we are now seeing customers and prevent any possible interoperation to quantify system unavailability in issues. in their second, third and fourth waves of very tangible terms. Now, it’s not so implementation cycles, bringing more and The have also straightforward either in identification or more applications under RSF-1 Cluster adopted this approach. Having first in establishing the true cost of downtime used the RSF-1 product back in 2003 control.” to an organisation and its impact in (www.RSF-1.com/downloads/NottsUni. The University of the West of England, 5 less tangible terms like reputation, pdf) to protect their Blackboard, SITS Bristol have been a long standing user of professionalism and modernity. and Luminis Portal, they have used the the RSF-1 Cluster product from High- Having already underpinned discrete natural break provided by the need for a Availability; originally using RSF-1 to systems in high availability clusters, technology refresh, to consolidate and protect their Sun One Messaging mail organisations are now bringing what extend the scope of applications covered system. Successive implementation were originally thought to be ancillary in this same resilient architecture. They phases have seen this being extended systems into the same valued clustered have chosen to use Sun Microsystems to encompass their entire corporate framework. Fuelled further by the Coolthreads T2000 technology (a low web infrastructure and still further to advances in the power and capability of power Green choice too!) with Zones and include their ISIS student records system. the underlying platform, consolidation Containers to provide a planned home for In doing this they have consolidated onto fewer clustered boxes is de rigeur up to 17 of their key application services. on a single pair of Sun servers running NorMAN Out of Hours IT Helpline

Debbie Figgis –

Now moving into its second year of bank holidays with access via phone, operation, the NorMAN Out of Hours IT email and SMS text. Helpline project welcomes the University Funded jointly by the JISC, NorMAN Leadership of the West of England to its list of and the participating institutions, the participants. The Universities of Durham, IT Helpline has achieved impressive The next Directors’ Forum Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland satisfaction ratings from both callers and Explore how you as the most senior and Teesside have been collaborating host institutions. for the 2006/7 academic year but this IT manager in your organisation can A number of other universities have begin to influence the direction that is the first institution from outside the expressed interest in the project and your institution takes. NorMAN region to join the project. with UWE able to go live with the service As a business in the 21st century your UWE’s IT Customer Service Manager, on 3 September 2007, after less than a organisation will have to embrace IT Derek Norris, first heard about the month of preparation, other institutions even more than it does today. project at the UCISA Managers’ Forum still have time to benefit from this Find out how to make your role more on 24/7 and felt that this was a cost successful example of an HE shared effective. effective way of enhancing service to service. students and staff at the University. For further information contact 8–9 January 2008 The Helpline service operates from 5 p.m. [email protected]. Mercure Holland House Hotel until midnight weekdays and from Cardiff 8 a.m. until midnight weekends and Executive committee report Peter Tinson – UCISA Executive Secretary A number of members of the UCISA their institutions. As a result, two strands of the Advisory Group have held initial Executive Committee continue to work of activity are now underway to look to discussions with a number of suppliers with HEFCE on shared services matters. identify larger scale initiatives. to try to establish the level of interest; The original call in March resulted in 46 HEFCE has written to a number of these discussions will continue over the feasibility studies being funded; reports representative organisations, including coming months. on the outcomes of these studies are UCISA, to invite them to put forward Shared services are now interesting our expected later this year. However, the proposals for potential national services. American colleagues at Educause and HEFCE Advisory Group felt that although The Executive discussed potential it is possible that some of the lessons these bottom up initiatives will result services in anticipation of receiving this we learn in the UK will be of benefit in savings and improved efficiencies communiqué and concluded that there to the US as they look to adopt shared if followed through to successful was scope for further investigation in a service models. It was agreed at the implementation, very few of them were number of areas. These included service last Executive Committee meeting to likely to scale up beyond a regional monitoring, extended hours support, look at ways of improving the flow service. Consequently, there was a need disaster recovery and email scanning. of information between UCISA and to look for top down initiatives which Any further suggestions of potential EDUCAUSE so that best practice and would have a greater impact in the shared services would be welcome and lessons learned from new developments sector. The Advisory Group were further should be forwarded to the Executive can assist the communities on both encouraged by the positive response Secretary as soon as possible. sides of the pond. It was agreed, as from Vice-Chancellors and Principals The other activity relates to the potential part of this collaboration, to continue to the original call which suggested for commercial companies to provide to promote surveys from the research that the vast majority would consider service centres to deliver hosted arm of EDUCAUSE, ECAR, as they look to implementing shared services within corporate information services. Members establish a body of global research data. Infrastructure Group report

Geoff Bouch –

The UCISA Infrastructure Group UCISA-IG’s remit covers all things event on anti-virus management and Committee – see www.ucisa.ac.uk/ infrastructure including management of futures at on 6 groups/ig – has recently reformed with servers and storage; server and desktop February 2008, and we hope to combine a mixture of old and new faces. The virtualisation; collaboration; high this with an additional day on Vista current IG Committee is: availability; ID management; liaison with deployment – so watch out for further Geoff Bouch University of key suppliers and so on. information as plans develop. Plymouth, Chair At a recent Committee meeting the I would also encourage you to sign-up Anthony Cotton Group focused on several key areas in and contribute to the UCIA-IG JISCmail Steve Aldridge University of the context of the UCISA Top Concerns discussion list at www.jiscmail.ac.uk/ Liverpool Survey. These were server, storage lists/UCISA-IG.html. Adrian Ellison London School of and desktop virtualisation; asset New committee members are welcome – Economics management; and planning for large email [email protected] for Peter Burnham University of scale Vista deployment. You can expect more information. Leicester a call for case studies/best practice in David Rischmiller University of Oxford these areas from the UCISA community Dave Thornley Sheffield Hallam in the near future. You can also expect University IG to run events (in conjunction with Stuart Wright Liverpool John others as appropriate) on these topics Moores University over the next few months and beyond. Tony Yates brunel University We already have a planned UCISA-IG/PG HAERVI report published

Peter Tinson – UCISA Executive Secretary

The project, which was promoted by targeted at JISC Collections and Eduserv UCISA and SCONUL and funded by Chest as the bodies that negotiate JISC, looked to improve the services licences on the community’s behalf offered by HE institutions to visiting but others are aimed at Library and students and researchers who wish to IT/IS departments within institutions. access licensed e-resources. The project UCISA and SCONUL will be considering highlighted a number of difficulties that these recommendations in due course institutions are facing in providing visitor in order to build on the project report access. Although both JISC Collections and address some of the issues that and Eduserv Chest have amended the remain. It is intended that the project terms of their Model Licences so that website (www.ucisa.ac.uk/haervi/haervi. many e-resources now permit access by aspx) will be the focal point for news authorised walk-in users, the challenge of new developments and further work to institutions is to enable this access to address the outstanding issues. It in a manner that is simple for visitors, is also hoped to include case studies administratively straight forward for on institutions that have successfully frontline staff, and technically robust implemented the recommendations enough to ensure that visitors cannot from the report. Finally, a JISCmail list inadvertently access resources that are (ucisa-haervi) has been set up for those The report from the HAERVI (HE Access not licensed for their use. implementing or who have implemented to e-Resources in Visited Institutions) The report makes a number of the recommendations from the report. project has now been published as a recommendations. Some of these are Individuals can join the list through the UCISA Best Practice Guide. JISCmail website (www.jiscmail.ac.uk).

Events calendar

n 7 DATES

P November tba CISG Programme/project management and benefits U 21–23 CISG 2007: opening up to our realisation customers De Vere Grand Harbour, Other events of interest Southampton February 6 IG-PG Anti-virus software – 5–7 march December management and future trends IUISC2008 Loughborough University 4–5 SDG Understand business relations Farnham, Cavan, Ireland (Part 2 – 7 January) 15 April (Part 3 – 11 February) March JISC Conference 2008 St Anne’s College, Oxford 12–14 UCISA 2008 Annual Management Conference: is IT good for us? ICC Birmingham January 2008 Scottish Exhibition and Conference 8–9 Directors’ Forum: Leadership Centre, Glasgow Mercure Holland House Hotel, Cardiff

Further details and booking forms are available at www.ucisa.ac.uk