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TheUniversityofMelbourne
EnablerStrategy:
InformationTechnologyInfrastructure
20112014
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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
service
provided
for
staff.
During
2011,
student
is
transitioningtoanew,externallyhostedservice,whichwillprovideanevenbetterservicewithoutthe
Universitybearinghostingandrelatedcosts.Studentsretainanemailaddressassociatedwiththe
University,andaccesstoaflexibleandadvancedemailservice.Newbenefitsincludeanonlinecalendaring
systemwhichworksseamlesslywithdesktopandmobilecalendaringclients,1GBonlinefilestorage,atext
chatfacility,andafacilityforcollaborationwithotherstudentsindevelopmentofdocuments,
spreadsheetsandpresentations.
TheUniversityprovidesallstaffwithanemailservice.Forfixedtermandcontinuingstaff,thesystemis
basedonMicrosoftExchange2003andalsoprovidesacalendaringsystem.Exchangeisamodernsystem
withseamless
integration
of
and
calendaring
on
the
desktop
and
on
popular
mobile
devices.
CasualandhonorarystaffhavenotyetbeenmigratedfromanolderUnixbasedstaffemailsystem,which
isattheendofitsreliablelife.BothExchangeandthelegacysystemarerunonUniversityownedand
operatedservers.
PersonalComputers
TheUniversityoperatesafleetofabout14,000personalcomputers.About8000areallocatedasstaff
workstationsandtheremainderareusedatoverthecounterservicepointsorforstudentcomputing.
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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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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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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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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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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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Portfolio/Project Budget Expectedcompletion
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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NetworkServicesPortfolio
ServerInfrastructureServices
2.
Applications
Portfolio/Project Budget Expectedcompletion
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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Portfolio/Project Budget Expectedcompletion
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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Applications AdministrationPortfolio
3. WorkspaceComputing
4. ResearchInfrastructure
Portfolio/Project Budget Expectedcompletion
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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Portfolio/Project Budget Expectedcompletion
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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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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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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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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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
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finalreviewoftheGoogleDocspresentationusingheriPad,andsawthathercolleagueJohnhadpickedup
andfixedasmallbutawkwardmistake.
OnthetrainintoParkville,Sally'sstillusingtheiPad.Shechecksheremail;nothingthere.Shelogsintothe
studentportaltodownloadthetuitioninvoice,andthenlogsintoherbanktomakethepayment.Then
sometime
out
on
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
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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.
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Theinformationinthispublicationwascorrectatthetimeofprinting. TheUniversityreservestherighttomake
changes as deemed appropriate
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