Improving standards in ICT support HE perspective

1
Improving standards in ICT support HE
perspective

• Tony Shaw
• Dir. Network and Information Systems Management
• University of Paisley

2
Overview

• HE vs FE
• Quality issues illustrations
• help desk and software
• user surveys
• Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
• selective outsourcing
• What next?

3
HE vs FE

• Typical ICT environment
• Student labs
• Staff desktops
• the network
• Dept facilities/research
• Information resources inc applications
• Procurement, security, data protection,

4
HE and FE improving ICT

• Some basic issues
• standards inc h/w and s/w core products
• managed support
• operations separate from development
• ICT planning process
• leadership of strategic ICT developments for
  business
• budgets, staffing, procurement, suppliers,

5
Quality issue help desk

• signs to consider
• staff too helpful? not helpful enough?
• slave or service culture?
• how many staff do we need?
• shared understanding of requirements?
• help desk s/w - the fundamental tool
• basis for operations
• basis for measurement
• basis for improvements

6
User surveys

• provides feedback
• but from who? what not how
• what is being measured?
• just about managing the perception?
• measuring relative change
• will it make a difference?
• learning to manage the perception is important

7
service level agreements (SLAs)

• clear definition of basic service requirements
• benefits for customer and provider
• helps establish shared understanding of problems
  and requirements
• underpins IT planning
• helps support working with culture

8
SLA illustration

• faculty SLAs
• audit service
• additional software support inc manufacturer
  liaison
• procurement
• IT planning process - the planning template

9
selective outsourcing

• what is it?
• carefully defined subset of service
• a quality issue
• resources, stress, business objectives
• new demands on existing arrangements?
• examples
• Wide Area Network
• network management service
• student remote access and email pilot
• ITT for Falkirk and Ayr College WANs
• nism.paisley.ac.uk/JTAP562

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outsourcing issues

• supplier management
• staff skills, supplier staff,
• market factors
• problems of choice in the Scottish market?
• scale issues - scope for consortia?
• communications market turmoil
• future?
• increase in SME market, phones, hosting,?

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What next?

• Portal focus increases need for quality
• (might be VLE/MLE or separate product)
• increased access and dependence on ICT
• high visibility of problems
• fundamental technical framework for business
• dramatic changes in role and management may be
  required
• see A New Business Architecture for the
  University of California

12
finally -

• further information on the JISC funded project
  can be found via
• nism.paisley.ac.uk/jtap562
• tony.shaw_at_paisley.ac.uk