IT Strategy Review April 2014 - University College … Strategy Review April 2014.pdfIT Strategy Review April 2014 1. Executive Summary UCD IT Services developed a five year IT Strategy

UCD Computer Centre, Belfield, Dublin 4 T:+ 353 1 716 2002 F: + 353 1 283 7077 www.ucd.ie/itservices

UCD IT Services Seírbhísí TF UCD

IT Strategy Review April 2014

1. Executive Summary

UCD IT Services developed a five year IT Strategy (2009-2013) and has now completed its implementation.

The strategy set out key objectives for each area of IT, with specific plans to achieve these goals. Annual

plans, work programmes and reviews were in place for each year of the strategy, setting out the actual

implementation and any new requirements which arose over the period.

The purpose of this report was to assess the implementation and impact of the IT Strategy based on:

Review of the documented plans and implementation history.

Interviews with key IT Services staff responsible for each area of the strategy & resources.

Review of customer feedback and performance, based on existing survey material.

Assessment of impact based on available quantitative and qualitative information.

A detailed review of delivery against the strategic objectives is contained in Section 3, with a strength /

weakness assessment based on the programme status at the end of 2013. Overall the SWOT analysis

shows that the main targets have been met, particularly in the context of a very challenging financial and

external environment. The user base and intensity of demand for IT services has grown significantly over

the period. While this was anticipated in the IT strategy, the level of mobile users and proliferation of new

devices has been above expected levels.

Strengths & Weaknesses

UCD customer satisfaction with services is high and there is strong adoption of core services. The

architecture delivers well to a mobile user population and is providing good on and off campus services.

Concerns from users about interfaces and web access to services have been addressed. Reliability of the

service is high and targets for availability have been met by the strategy. There is a strong set of teaching

applications and eLearning platform, with a standard classroom technology model adopted across the

campus. The administration systems have been regularly updated and improved with management

information provided through InfoHub.



The main outstanding issues relate to growing demand for more sophisticated services for research users,

and the provision of future infrastructure capacity, potentially off-campus. While the core systems and

applications are all standard, there is a growing base of smaller systems hosted by IT services which may

add to the complexity of the service.

Opportunities & Threats

The current platforms provide a sound base to expand services and meet the new user demands. The high

adoption levels give a particular opportunity to broaden the use of services, addressing new areas.

Non-pay expenditure and capital investment in IT at UCD is extremely low. To put this in context, in year

2000 the non-pay expenditure on IT was 2.57mil (excluding administrative systems which were funded

separately). This year’s 2014 planned non-pay spend is 2.4million for a massively increased infrastructure

and service – excluding power the spend is under 2million. A comparison with similar institutions shows

spending at 2.5% x income in UCD versus a 4.4% benchmark norm (Educause core data survey). This poses

a serious risk to the capability of the systems and services to support UCD strategy. Combined with this

investment reduction, there is also a high attrition rate of staff in the technical and operational areas,

driven by market demand for specific IT skills. This threatens both service delivery and performance.

Impact of the Strategy

The IT strategy has had a significant impact in the following areas:

Greatly improved satisfaction with user interfaces and access to information services, reflected in high

adoption rates and feedback.

Strong performance of infrastructure and high confidence in the user community of availability of services –

reflected both in general feedback & also from research community, who have very high demands.

A strong eLearning platform base, with high use and the

potential for growth into a more sophisticated delivery model.

Major objectives of the strategy were met despite a very

constrained financial environment.

Very strong capability to service mobile devices and off campus

access – meeting the changing needs of the student population.



2. Background & Context

The IT Strategy (2009-2013) was developed in the context of major strategic and organisational changes,

UCD’s new Education and Research Strategies, and in particular the following key developments:

Growth in research activity and increased demand for new and advanced services for

research.

Modularisation and semesterisation with consequent demands for IT enabled processes for

users.

Development of graduate schools with emerging new customer base of graduate students.

Campus development encompassing new activities and expansion of existing activities e.g.

residences, retail, commercial, research, conference etc.

The strategy anticipated substantial growth in ICT, both a broadening of the user base and an expansion of the physical campus. In addition to this, there was a major increase in UCD’s collaborative activities both nationally and internationally. While the IT strategy proposed modest capital investment to meet these growth targets, the financial context changed very dramatically with a steadily contracting budget over the period. (Decrease of 7% p.a. - The IT budget fell from 11.4 million in 2008/09 to 8.5 million in 2013/14). Over the period of the strategy there have been disruptive changes in the wider IT landscape. The most notable of these are: the massive growth in mobile devices, the development of viable “cloud” services, and the huge impact of social media applications. Of particular relevance to research are recent developments in “big data” and analytics. In the teaching area, on-line learning trends such as MOOCs are difficult to predict, but are growing in scale and impact. Overall the IT services have adapted well to wireless, mobile and cloud models. Major services have migrated to off-campus and cloud offerings – Blackboard, Gmail, Research compute. Traditional out-sourcing models have been used for Help Desk and System Management. UCD IT has its own offering for users with “cloud.edu” and delivers on-demand teaching applications “Software for U”. To illustrate the extent of the change, the graph below shows on-campus access numbers 2007/13.

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000 User Devices on the Network each Month

Wired

Wireless

Eduroam Poly. (Wireless)



The number of wireless users on the network has grown massively. In 2007 there were an equal number of wired and wireless users. In 2013 there are to 5 times more wireless users than wired.

The total number of devices on the network in a given month is now over 60,000.

Recent staff customer feedback on IT services is very positive, based on an external study carried out by Amarach Research. The overall satisfaction rates were:

25% Very Satisfied with Services

58% Satisfied with Services

12% Neutral

4% Dissatisfied

1% Very Dissatisfied

Potential areas for improvement which were identified by users were: greater access to face to face

services, and 24 hour access to services. It was recognised that IT Services were operating in a difficult

budgetary environment and that services were constrained as a result of this. The most important aspect

of services for customers was reliability – 99% of stakeholders. Feedback showed that users believed

technology and systems were kept up to date.

A separate study was carried out by UCD Research to assess the requirements of research users –

“Research Foresight Report”. The findings from this study show high satisfaction with Research IT and the

expertise of the team providing services and support. The network in particular was viewed as very robust

and reliable. Compute services, both UCD and the ICHEC services were meeting demand. The area of least

satisfaction was storage costs, where the central service is directly charged to the users.

For future services there is a strong demand for a new level of activity by Research IT – providing more

application and specialist services which are not part of the current offering. Examples cited include expert

advisory services, web design and development, data management and access to data sets. So while the

current services are regarded as satisfactory, they are limited in their scope, and viewed as insufficient for

the future needs of the Research community.

3. Strategy Objectives & Implementation

The IT Strategy set out five core objectives to support the University in its overall mission, these were:

Sustaining the IT infrastructure and IT performance

Enhancing the user experience and access to information

Building a collaborative Data Centre

Implementing classroom technology and learning spaces

Growing eContent and data management capability



In this review, the achievement of these objectives was assessed through a number of means; the documented performance and implementation records, input from IT managers responsible for each area, customer feedback from a number of surveys, and budget / staffing information. An assessment of the current strengths/weaknesses, outstanding gaps, and additional requirements which arose over the period, was also completed. The summary findings for each objective are outlined here:

3.1 Sustaining the IT infrastructure and IT performance

Budgetary factors were a significant constraining effect in maintaining and improving IT infrastructure over

the period 2009-2013. Investment levels dropped substantially over the period, compared with the

previous five years. (The graph below shows non-pay spend excluding power over the period)

Performance figures on system and infrastructure availability are well documented and available over a 10

year history, measured on a standard basis. The graph below illustrates the overall service “downtime” and

the network availability. The network infrastructure (red line) shows very high levels of availability (low

down-time) and is a key factor in overall IT performance and user perception.

The target system availability of 99.5% - equivalent to 20 minutes downtime per week – was consistently

met. The example for UCD Connect shows a broadly stable service level, however the long term trend is

downward. A number of data centre and server side incidents over the past 3 years were the main cause of

recent deterioration in availability.

Over the current strategy it was expected that availability targets could be raised – e.g. to 99.8% or 99.9%.

This has not been possible, as the smaller infrastructure investment has been focused on maintaining

essential elements of the environment (networks & servers), while more substantial projects have not been

realised (see section re data centre). In summary the environment is stable and effective in achieving the

-

2,000,000

4,000,000

6,000,000

2013/14 2012/13 2011/12 2010/11 2009/10 2008/09 2007/08 2006/07

Non-Pay Spend

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

20

13

20

12

20

11

20

10

20

09

20

08

20

07

20

06

20

05

20

04

Total … Annual Service Downtime

99.00%

100.00%

2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004

UCD Connect Service Level v Target UCD Connect % Availibility



current target levels of system availability (99.5%), however it is likely to be severely challenged by future

demands.

Over the period of the IT strategy the forecast growth in usage levels and campus development have been

met or exceeded. In particular the use levels of Blackboard, UCD Connect and Wireless are continuing to

intensify. In this context UCD will require a higher availability target more in-line with consumer type utility

services. A number of architecture options, including outsourcing, are being considered internally to meet

this demand.

3.2 Enhancing the user experience and access to information The majority of system and service projects were focused in this area of the strategy. The emphasis was on

utilising the web based portal environment to deliver user friendly services across all aspects of UCD’s

activities. Provision of 24x7 services on and off campus was a key target, together with expanding mobile

access.

The most significant projects implemented to meet this objective were:

Enhancement of services delivered through UCD Connect, including the transfer of email services to Gmail

for both students and staff. Substantial savings have been achieved in storage capacity and the

requirement to replace large servers through the Gmail project. This transition was achieved with very

positive response from staff and students to the new services. Additional “brokered” services were also

rolled out through UCD connect – notably software delivery, calendar, document sharing, and personal

storage. User numbers and concurrency levels for UCD Connect are extremely high with at least 90% of

users logging in. Access to the service is over 50% off campus – delivering on the mobile target.

Content management system and services to provide easy maintenance of UCD web environment. The

majority of corporate web sites (200+) have transitioned to the content management system, simplifying

the management and the skill level required to maintain the web presence. Google search engine was

implemented to improve access to information.

Web based interfaces and access to administrative systems, particularly curriculum management, grade-

book, and web access to student information. Response to the new interfaces has been very positive,

addressing long-standing issues with usability. All major areas have been addressed. During the strategy

there were upgrades to all the large administrative systems – Student, Finance, HR and MIS. The U-card

system and related technology was implemented during the strategy in conjunction with the commercial

office – this was additional to anticipated activity.



Management information developments for staff, including provision of a standard interface (InfoHub)

and a common information base across systems. The target of expanding access to Schools and Colleges

has been very well received. Awareness of InfoHub is good with high satisfaction ratings in survey. There is

outstanding work with more senior management, to agree and provide targeted information.

Expansion of services for Research over the period of the strategy, including a “cloud” model for delivery

of storage capacity and virtual servers. Research compute capacity was delivered through a partnership

with ICHEC (condominium), and in-house community cluster based in the data centre. The research support

team model has worked well in responding to demand – providing the capacity to “on-board” UCD

Research projects/centres rapidly, and to provide on-demand services.

The delivery of research capacity has been impacted by the reduction in capital investment and the broader

environment for research funding. However, UCD has invested in the new ICHEC cluster providing

condominium services for Research compute, and has replaced internal clusters to meet local demand.

Identity Management Implementation, a core database of identities has been implemented, providing the

capability to manage services more effectively. This has been particularly useful in supporting UCD

requirements for collaboration and inter-institutional projects e.g. IPA, NCAD, TCD etc. The number of

associate and guest accounts has grown by several thousand over the past years.

Development of Wireless and Mobile services. The predominant access pattern on-campus is via the

wireless network, utilising a mix of phone and mobile devices. Specific “apps” have been delivered for

Blackboard a learning and UCD campus service, with over 30,000 downloads by users. The network has

been architected to simplify access and to reduce maintenance and management costs for wireless. User

interfaces to the service are now “plug and play”, reflected in the growth in numbers, and reduced

customer service calls.

Customer Service Plan, as part of the strategy a detailed customer service plan was implemented including

a review of all services – student labs, SUAS, customer liaison, support services and help-desk. The number

of student labs has been reduced (now 800 PCs) and the application set standardised across all delivery

modes – laptop, off-campus and fixed labs. The help-desk service was outsourced with on-campus

delivery, and more recently fully migrated off campus. This allows for the provision of more flexible hours –

based on demand. A recent customer survey shows strong satisfaction ratings with the support service and

the delivery of IT.

A number of areas in the strategy have not been fully addressed:

Research computing – the demand profile for research services is continuously changing. The

recent “Research Foresight Study” shows a requirement for more advanced services including

expert advisory and data management. Storage costs are viewed as excessively high.

Office Productivity – a number of options have been trialled, but no universal solution

implemented. (Discussions are currently underway.)

Customer relationship model – a definitive answer to the best liaison approach with schools,

colleges and the UCD community has not been finalised. As the overall structure of UCD has

changed rapidly over the past number of years it has been difficult to arrive at an optimum model

for IT relationships with the user community.



Customer awareness – satisfaction levels are high but the survey suggested there is further work to

be done to ensure users are fully aware of the range of service available to them.

3.3 Building a collaborative Data Centre Plans to build a larger (Education sector) shared data centre on campus were not implemented due to funding decisions. As UCD campus development plans require the existing Computer Centre to be demolished, an alternate option will be required. In the interim Daedalus DC was expanded to cater for short term capacity. The dual data centre (live-live) configuration on campus has proved effective, supplying a good availability profile with disaster recovery capacity at a cost effective price. Alternate solutions off campus are currently under consideration. The transition to a new architecture with multiple data centres is a high risk project with significant service implications.

3.4 Implementing classroom technology and learning spaces The IT strategy to implement standardised technology in teaching spaces was implemented in conjunction with Building Services. This includes standard podium, projection technologies, PC and user interface, a joint support model for IT, and an external hardware support contract. The service was rolled out across all bookable spaces over the course of the strategy. This service has a very high impact on teaching – particularly increasing confidence in delivery of classes with enhanced technology. While lecture capture facilities were included in the offering, the take up of this service is still low (10%). The Daedalus centre was equipped with a variety of newer technologies – including smart-board, videoconferencing, breakout spaces, and multi-functional rooms. The centre acts as a model space allowing testing of new technologies.

3.5 Growing eContent and data management capability The strategy recognised the importance of content development and data management, both in the

teaching and research areas. Overall this aspect of the strategy has been slower to develop.

Teaching & Learning Content

Blackboard use is very high and standard templates have been developed to promote content development

and to improve quality. The number of courses on Blackboard is high, and there are more educational

technologists (~15) locally based across UCD Schools & Colleges. There is a consistent approach to software

and platforms being used. Recent developments such as UCD on-line use Blackboard as the back end

storage, while providing a contemporary web site for distance learning. Content is available through

multiple devices through the use of mobile apps and web delivery.



Research Data Management

While data storage capacity has been provided centrally for research users, progress in designing a data

management model has been limited. A joint approach with the Library has now been agreed for future

developments in this area. (Demand from research is for more specialised support – related to their

academic area.) Some of this input has been provided through ICHEC services and training organised on

campus.

3.6 Summary of Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths Weaknesses

High user adoption of services particularly

UCD Connect and Blackboard – single

platforms simplify access.

Impending data centre migration (on or off

campus) is potentially a high risk project. Current

capacity and configuration is to be retired.

Agreed classroom technology standard

implemented and well supported.

Current availability level targets (99.5%) would

need to be raised for future reliance on IT.

Excellent off-campus access to services,

through multiple devices (& internationally).

Data management and analytics for research.

Demand for advanced services & advisory.

Strong administrative systems platform with

good web interface for staff and students.

Next stage eLearning environments – e.g. MOOCs

and on-line capacity need consideration.

Research support team capability, with

agility to react to new projects and

developments. New ICHEC & local clusters.

Social media and related technologies are not

included in the portal environment – risk of

student dissatisfaction with “older” portal model.

Strong infrastructure performance, with high

network capacity & service level. (Campus

wireless one of the largest nationally)

Limited adoption of lecture capture and other

digital capture of learning materials e.g. store of

“repeat” view lectures, or additional tutorials.

Effective Management Information platform

with capability to deliver broader services.

Extended or 24/7 support model may be

required, particularly in international context.

UCD agreed web content management

system.

Gap in office automation and file sharing for

administrative use.



4. Impact Assessment

Overall the priorities in the IT Strategy have been delivered and satisfaction of users with services is high.

Some infrastructure gaps remain – notably future data centre capacity and the increased demands from

the research user community. The changing IT and Education landscapes have brought new challenges –

examples include MOOC and on-line learning, accelerated migration to cloud models, and the continued

proliferation of user devices.

The IT strategy has had a significant impact in the following areas:

Greatly improved satisfaction with user interfaces and access to information services, reflected in high

adoption rates and feedback.

Strong performance of infrastructure and high confidence in the user community of availability of

services – reflected both in general feedback & also from research community, who have very high

demands.

A strong eLearning platform base, with high use and the potential for growth into a more sophisticated

delivery model.

Major objectives of the strategy were met despite a very constrained financial environment.

Very strong capability to service mobile devices and off campus access – meeting the changing needs

of the student population.

An assessment of the opportunities and threats was carried out based on both the input from IT staff and

the feedback from user studies and reports:

Opportunities Threats

Build on high user adoption – capacity to deliver

services on a wider scale, international and inter-

institutional

Strong learning platform with capability to deliver wide

range of services – could work in parallel with MOOC

presence for marketing (e.g. Edinburgh)

Transition to a cloud model with out-sourcing and

brokered services, would give high agility

Research storage – secure /cloud capacity possible

(subvention may be required to drive adoption)

Incentives & support to use lecture capture – e.g.

Tutorial “10min” lecture element service

Research capability – stronger service and

skills required in data management &

analytics

DC capacity and higher availability required

for “consumer” type service model

Underinvestment could severely damage the

service

IT Skills attrition is a high risk



Contribution to Achieving UCD Strategy 2014

The IT Strategy implementation supported the achievement of the objectives of UCD’s Strategic Plan 2014

“Forming Global Minds”. In each of the target areas IT contributed significant developments in systems,

platforms and services which support UCD’s goals.

a) Education

IT Systems and Services provided the critical platform to support UCD’s modularised curriculum and

blended learning model. Student information, registration, and on-line module selection were

essential to the delivery of the new structures. UCD’s student system has been greatly enhanced to

support staff and students, providing a fully on-line experience. The Blackboard learning platform and

classroom technology services are key enablers of blended learning, with high adoption rates and ease

of use. An extended mobile/wireless environment, lecture capture, video and other services all

support the blended model.

b) Research:

Computation and storage are essential elements of the research infrastructure, supporting UCD’s

research intensive and inter-disciplinary strategy. The IT Research Team model provided a customer

focused service supporting collaboration and the use of Research IT across all disciplines. Platforms

delivered by the IT Strategy are providing long term research infrastructure for UCD. IT Services was

particularly active in hosting and leveraging the ICHEC service to provide effective long term compute

capacity based on the shared condominium model.

c) Innovation & Collaboration:

UCD’s portal based IT services and integrated systems provided a very flexible environment for multi-

institutional collaboration. This platform was very effective in supporting the Innovation Alliance and

new strategic partnerships. IT Services were able to deliver user accounts, wireless services, research

and learning platform access to students and staff across institutions. Throughout the University there

has been a transformation in working model from paper based to on-line and electronic processes.

d) Student Experience:

IT Services carries out a regular survey on student demand for technology, participating in the ECAR

study, which gives an annual report and baseline for requirements. The IT strategy continued the

implementation of quality on-campus IT for students. Wireless services, extended mobile and

“anywhere/anytime” services match student demand and enhance the experience. The migration to

Google email and a greater range of brokered external services broadened the IT offering.

e) Campus Development:

A key element of UCD’s Strategy is the development of a high quality sustainable campus. IT Services

collaborated with Building Services to implement standard classroom technology, addressing the

usability, support and maintenance issues which can impact this critical service. Throughout the

strategy there have been major new building developments and refurbishment projects, these all had

substantial IT infrastructure elements delivered by IT Services.



Reference Materials

IT Strategy (2009-2013)

http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/UCD_IT_Strategy2009-2013.pdf

Detail IT Strategy Plans http://www.ucd.ie/itservices/itplanning/

Teaching & Learning Research IT Administrative Systems Customer Services Web Services

IT Architecture Exec Summary (2009-2013)

http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/EICT%20Architecture%202009-13%20Exec%20Summary.pdf

IT Plans (2010-2014) http://www.ucd.ie/itservices/aboutus/keydocuments/

IT Work Programmes (2008-2013) http://www.ucd.ie/itservices/aboutus/keydocuments/

IT Annual Reviews (2008-2011) http://www.ucd.ie/itservices/aboutus/keydocuments/

IT Performance Reports (2005-2012) http://www.ucd.ie/itservices/aboutus/keydocuments/

HEAnet Strategies

http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/UCD_IT_Strategy2009-2013.pdf

http://www.ucd.ie/itservices/itplanning/

http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/EICT%20Architecture%202009-13%20Exec%20Summary.pdf

http://www.ucd.ie/itservices/aboutus/keydocuments/




Documents

IT Strategy Review April 2014 - University College … Strategy Review April 2014.pdfIT Strategy Review April 2014 1. Executive Summary UCD IT Services developed a five year IT Strategy