Plenaries and workshops

Web 2.0: opportunity or threat for IT support staff?

We are now all familiar with the term Web 2.0. Many of our users are excited at the potential of technologies such as blogs and wikis to enrich teaching and learning and research services within our institutions. Many developers feel that lightweight syndication technologies, such as RSS together with lightweight Web 2.0 development environments (eg Yahoo! Pipes and Dapper), will enable useful services to be developed rapidly and, of course, the Web 2.0 notions of openness, always beta and trusting users relate closely to the ethos of the higher education community, in which institutions seek to be innovative and to actively engage students in development activities which support active learning.

On the other hand, Web 2.0 services, such as those provide by Google, Yahoo! and a host of other providers would appear to undermine the provision of robust, reliable and well supported mission ritical applications. From this perspective, it could be argued that Web 2.0 is undermining the IT environment within our institutions.

So, Web 2.0 — an opportunity or a threat for our institutions and, most importantly, for our IT Service departments and IT support staff who will be in the front line if things go wrong. This plenary talk will expand on the opportunities and challenges — and seek to provide possible answers to the dilemma.

Brian Kelly's job title is UK Web Focus. His remit is to support the higher and further education and cultural heritage communities in making effective use of web technologies. His post is funded by the JISC and the MLA. Brian is an experienced web developer having set up his first website in January 1993 whilst working in the Computing Service at the University of Leeds after spending a year as a Senior Trainer for Netskills. In November 1996, Brian moved to UKOLN — a national centre of expertise in digital information management which is located at the University of Bath.

Brian's current interests include standards for web development, web accessibility and Web 2.0 technologies.

JANET Roaming Service

The purpose of this session is to inform users of the progress made in wireless over the JANET network and to inform users of the service's available to JANET primary site users. For delegates considering implementation of wireless networks details of the Wireless Advisory Service will be made available.

JANET(UK) started out with LIN trials during 2003 / 2004 which involved a pilot of a number of university's with roaming achieved through wireless networks communicating via a National Radius Proxy Server System. The idea was to allow both home and visitor access for account holders within any organisation providing this type of service. The trials were a success thus went into service during 2005 / 2006. This is now known as the JANET Roaming Service (JRS). Almost 70 institutions have now adopted JRS to allow roaming for users. Wireless access is presently challenging and JANET(UK) are rising to that challenge with development of applications to help reduce the heartache of wireless deployment. Even more challenging is Eduroam which is based on NREN's linking up through a hierarchical National RADIUS proxy server directory. Eduroam is a similar setup to JRS, and makes use of National RADIUS proxy servers where users are able to authenticate and get authorisation on a European wide scale.

This talk is informative and it is hoped will enlighten JANET users on availability of services and the intent and progress of JANET(UK) in the wireless domain.

Louis Searchwell is a Technical Specialist in the Strategic Technologies Group of JANET(UK). He is involved in JANET(UK)'s development programme in the areas of Roaming, Mobility and Shibboleth.

Louis joined JANET(UK) in January 2005, working with the Access Grid Support Centre and eScience Video Conferencing. He went on to join the Strategic Technologies Group in October 2006.

He graduated from Warwick University in 1999 with a BSc (Hons) Degree in Engineering and Business Studies and completed a MSc in Information Technology for Manufacturing at the same university.

Communications between central IT and distributed IT staff

Phil Wilkinson-Blake, Loughborough University
Steve Gough, University of Reading

The workshop will provide the opportunity for central IT and distributed IT staff to discuss how communication is managed in their institutions.

Philip Wilkinson-Blake is Director of IT for the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Loughborough University. He manages a team of distributed IT staff.

Steve Gough is Assistant Director of IT Services at the University of Reading.

Dynamic organisational planning - ICT staff deployment methodology at Aston University

Aston University underwent a radical reorganisation of its ICT workforce in November 2005, bringing together staff from very diverse Schools — Engineering, Languages and Social Sciences, Life and Heath Sciences and the Business School. To provide continuity and cover, staff went through a process of skills gap analysis and intensive training.

While this was taking place, we were struck by the thought that whereas we all know about the importance of back up for ICT equipment, we did not have a formal equivalent for ICT people! This gave birth to the Dynamic Organisational Planning (DOP), which is our methodology for developing dynamic teams which can respond to events automatically to provide continuity, and maximise available resources. These changes were something of a shock to many ICT staff who had worked in relative isolation in the past. However, after initial reservations about new ways of working, many of them are now delighted to be in such open, friendly and caring teams where the workload can be shared, and successes celebrated.

The effect of this approach has been phenomenal, and we are now achieving remarkable levels of customer satisfaction, where we are getting 80+% of locally delivered jobs rating as excellent. This workshop is about how DOP works.

Fahri Zihni has been Director of ICT at Aston University for three years. Previously, he worked in a number of areas outside the university sector, including local government in various senior ICT roles. During 2001-2, he worked at the Cabinet Office (e-Envoy's) as Local Government Strategic Advisor and helped formulate e-Government initiatives across local government. Fahri also acted as Education Officer for the Society of ICT Management (Socitm), becoming President during 2003-4 (Socitm is the professional society for Local Government ICT managers). In these roles, he was influential in improving member services through the introduction of MBA scholarships, professional development schemes, and making professionalism an agenda item for the industry as a whole. He also advised senior civil servants and ministers on ICT matters in this role. Fahri has been a monthly columnist for Computing and was the editor of Socitm's ICT Management Skills Compendium.

How can Web 2.0 technologies be used effectively in supporting staff?

The primary aim of this session is to review how we've used Web 2.0 technologies and approaches in the support and development of staff at the University of Bristol in the use of Blackboard. This staff development has occurred in both the academic community and the Blackboard support team.

The background context is that over time the use of Blackboard at the University of Bristol has steadily increased. This increase has been greater than the increase in resources within the Blackboard Support Team. It was evident that this was not sustainable, and could potentially lead to inefficiencies in the way that Blackboard was being used. Therefore, we reviewed our previous support structured in relation to the objectives, and it was decided that a subtle change was needed. So, a number of Web 2.0 technologies were adopted to better facilitate general staff development and the way that a dispersed staff development team (the Blackboard Support Team) works. This has involved a significant cultural change, from an ethos of web 1.0 with gatekeepers and experts to a Web 2.0 approach with where the locus of control shifts to the community. This workshop is intended to outline some observations from the journey so far, some of the lessons learnt, the management of risk and outlining the next phase of our journey. The intended outcome is that by the end of this workshop you should have revisited your ideas on the potential of using blogs, wikis, podcasts, instant messenger, web conferencing and social bookmarking in your context for supporting staff within your team and at the wider institutional level.

Andy Ramsden is the VLE Operational Manager and a Learning Technology Adviser in the Learning Technology Support Service (www.ltss.bris.ac.uk) at the University of Bristol. In this role he manages the Blackboard Support Team and has instigated the migration to a more flexible, responsive staff support model over the last few years. This has involved significant cultural changes both inside and outside the Blackboard Support Team. For example, see the Blackboard Service Blog (www.blackboard.blog-city.com). His current research interests include the use of podcasting as a learning technology, and the potential use of mobile devices in teaching and learning. For more information on these see his mobile learning blog (www.mobile-learning.blog-city.com/).

How is FITS effective for a Technical Support team?

A framework for ICT Technical Support (FITS) has been developed to support the delivery of ICT in schools. The framework is relevant to anyone involved in the management or practise of technical support in schools, further education and higher education. There are four FITS process areas; reactive, proactive, strategic and change. FITS defines the work to be done, how, when and why. There is a view that technical support is not just a function responsible for resolving incidents, but is responsible for service delivery with the ultimate aim to provide a reliable and effective ICT infrastructure — implementing FITS can make it happen.

Debbie started working with computers as an IT technician. She had various roles as helpdesk manager, network manager and UK IT manager. Her role in IT has expanded into project management and consultancy. She has worked as a consultant in public and private sector in education, finance, infrastructure and support. During 2002, she was a member of a small team that developed and authored Becta's Framework for ICT Support (FITS). Debbie has recently been asked back to Becta to manage further FITS development and training.

UCISA-SDG Best Practice Award winner: Coaching and mentoring

Stressed Staff? Unfilled vacancies? Poor communication? Poor delegation? Uncoordinated projects and priorities? Limited support for managers? Any of these sound familiar?

These problems and more are a recipe for low staff morale and a culture of reactivity. Can you break out of this mould and empower your staff to be agents of change?

Well, a coaching and mentoring programme recently undertaken by ISS at Lancaster University suggests you might at least make a positive start. Using coaching and mentoring techniques, team leaders can begin to make changes that start to affect the whole organisation and foster a culture of support and communication which in turn excite and empower all staff.

Pauline Woods-Wilson, Chris Dixon and Paula Burkinshaw will show you how our coaching and mentoring programme came into being, what support and backing were given, and the expected - and unexpected - changes it brought about. See how you could run a similar program, and what benefits you could deliver for your institution. Come expecting to participate, and prepare to realise your, and your staff's, potential.

See the submission to the award (ISS 'Leader as Coach' Programme at Lancaster University) for further details.

Pauline is Information Co-ordinator in ISS at Lancaster University. She has been in IT services for over 20 years, starting at Leeds University and covering a variety of businesses outside the university sector, including steel manufacturing, automotive sales, and the NHS. Her posts have ranged through IT infrastructure implementation & support, computer auditing, management, and teaching SAP in HE.

Chris Dixon is Head of Operations in ISS and was previously an Analyst / Programmer at Lancaster University. Chris has been in the IT industry for 10 years, coming from a background of electronic engineering and working for the nuclear power industry before moving to Lancaster University. Chris manages first and second line support services as well as managing a number of ISS projects.

Paula Burkinshaw is Head of the Professional and Leadership Development Team at Lancaster University and leads on the University's corporate leadership and management development interventions. Paula has spent her career in staff development in a number of industries before joining Higher Education 5 years ago, and has achieved Chartered Fellowship of CIPD and Fellowship of ITOL, her professional Institutes.

Rolling out a helpdesk system to schools & departments

Using Nottingham as a case study the workshop will present the Nottingham helpdesk rollout and explore the potential benefits and challenges for helpdesks in both a central and distributed IT Support framework.

In 1989 Dave Valentine-Hagart joined the University of Nottingham as a Computer Operator. Mainframes and TTY Terminals. In 1992 he moved into support for distributed IT systems ("newfangled" IBM 286 PCs being rolled out across the campus). In 1995 he became the manager of (academic) IT Support for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

In 1995 Dave was given the task of bringing the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences 'up to speed' following an extensive wiring exercise in QMC which involved providing new CAT5 Ethernet conections to all academic units. Following this a rapid period of expansion in other Nottingham area trusts ensued. His team of 13 staff now provide academic IT Support to University staff and students in seven NHS Trust sites in the Nottinghamshire area.

Institutional engagement: open source software use in UK universities and colleges

Institutional engagement with open source software is about more than mere use. Virtually all UK universities use open source software somewhere in their IT infrastructure. Relatively few have any stated policies or procedures with respect to open source in procurement or deployment. Fewer still have tackled the issues of continuing professional development for staff that serious engagement might throw up. This talk explores some of the challenges and opportunities presented by institutional engagement with open source software.

Randy Metcalfe is manager of OSS Watch, www.oss-watch.ac.uk, a Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) national advisory service on free and open source software for UK further and higher education based at the University of Oxford. OSS Watch promotes awareness and understanding of the legal, social, technical and economic issues that arise when educational institutions engage with free and open source software. It does this by providing unbiased advice and guidance to UK higher and further education. Apart from managing the OSS Watch team, Randy concentrates his efforts on raising levels of awareness and understanding amongst senior IT decision makers. He also spends a considerable amount of time exploring aspects of community building prevalent within open source development projects.

Licensing models fit for universities

Software licence fees paid by commercial users arguably fund the cost future development software products. Typically, licence fees that are dependant upon some measure of usage (be that the counting of named users, seats, processors, transactions, or concurrent sessions or the metering of time or processing power) provide licensors with a visible revenue stream and a means of licence enforcement. More complex pricing may also be used to apply supplements based on, say, the category of user or location or the nature of use. Whilst complex, for the commercial user, these are just other running costs for the business.

Do such models work well within a university environment? Universities have a diverse and sometimes transient population of users — employed and visiting academic staff, full time, part time and exchange students, distance learners, researchers, day visitors, administrative staff etc. With issues such as: off campus places of study and research; distance learning; overseas campuses; foundation course students and staff; outsourcing of teaching; modular courses run jointly between universities at home and abroad; the deployment of virtualised applications using thin client technologies; and, perhaps, the harnessing of processing power through grid computing, numerous tensions are being felt with traditional licence models. New models are necessary.

Peter is an experienced contracts and licensing specialist with interests in intellectual property rights and data protection. His background includes working in the in house legal department of a multinational database publishing company and in the petrochemical and pharmaceutical engineering sectors. When the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply was granted its Royal Charter in 1992, Peter was one of its founder members. He has first hand knowledge of negotiating, contracting and public procurement gained on both sides of the table. Peter's private consultancy practice includes in its client base a not for profit IT standards setting organisation. In his current role in Eduserv Chest, Peter is consulting with the academic community re the development of models of software licences to fit the changing needs of UK universities.

Improving Professional Development: selecting and recording IT staff development and training

This session will explore a staff development framework and tools being developed to improve the professional development of staff supporting ICT in universities.

These developments stem from the recommendations of a study into the professional development and accreditation of ICT support staff. This project is being completed by Netskills in cooperation with the UCISA Staff Development Group.

Last year's study showed the sector's commitment to developing skills to keep pace with technological change, however, there is a lack of verifiable recognition of the high level of skills possessed by staff.

Understanding and tracking of professional development activities is problematic.

Staff and management need to know:

• What level of training and accreditation is required?
• What is the value and level of a programme?
• How appropriate are schemes to job roles and day to day activities?

A framework is required that is tailored to the needs of the community and incorporating current staff development (formal and informal) and accreditation programmes.

This project will produce practical tools that will identify the skills required for a particular role and efficiently record staff development.

Dave Hartland is the Director of Netskills and helped establish the service in 1995. He has experience in every aspect of Netskills' work including developing web and internet related training materials and running training courses. Dave has worked with a range of sectors including HE, FE, adult education, the library sector, NGOs, local and national government departments and commercial companies across the UK. He has an international reputation having provided training programmes in a number of countries for example; the USA, Switzerland, Hungary, Japan and Malaysia. Other international experience includes:

• Former chair of the TERENA Information Services and User Support Working Group
• Consultant trainer at the Internet Society workshops for Developing Countries

He has been a member of national bodies in the ICT and education sectors including:

• JISC Advisory Services Group
• ITTI Network Training Materials Advisory Group
• BIOME (Internet Resources for Health and Life Sciences) Service Steering Group
• JANET User Group for HE Administrators (JUGA)
• UCISA Staff Development Group

He has regularly provided presentations at national conferences including the UCISA User Support Conference, JANET User Support Workshop, and the Institutional Web Managers Workshop.

The role of Google Apps in UK Higher Education

Google are providing Google Apps for free to educational establishments (with 2GB of email). There are some educational establishments switching their student email systems to use Google. As well as email, Google Apps includes documents, spreadsheets and calendars. To make it look like you are providing the service, you can brand the access to these Apps with your own domain name.

Google provide a Single Sign On capability for Google Apps. So, if you use a SSO implementation at your institution, it is possible for your users to authenticate with their local username and password. At the University of Oxford, we use Stanford's Webauth for SSO. I have configured Google Apps to use this so a user can use their Oxford SSO username and password. (Note: just to be clear, Oxford University Computing Services are only experimenting with Google Apps and it does not have any plans to switch to Google Apps).

The aims of this workshop are to:

1. explain how Google are making this attractive to business/education;
2. demonstrate and provide some details about each App;
3. outline management issues such as managing users, providing SSO;
4. discuss the issues related to outsourcing applications to Google.

Barry Cornelius has been with Oxford University Computing Services since March 2005. Although for the first 16 months, he spent half of his time working for OSS Watch, he is now working full time for the Information Services Team of OUCS. In the last two years, he has mainly been involved in the introduction of web applications. Examples include the MoinMoin wiki, MRBS (a Meeting Room Booking System) and WebCalendar. He also produced OXITEMS, an institutional newsfeed system that is used by numerous departments and colleges at the University of Oxford. Whilst working for OSS Watch, he managed a national survey on the use of open source software.

Prior to moving to Oxford, Barry was an IT support person at Durham Universiy and, even earlier, spent 18 years as a university lecturer in Computer Science. He has interests in XML, XSL, Java, C# and Web Services, and has produced books for teaching Java and Modula-2.

New Security Enhancements in Vista

Windows Vista includes many security features and improvements to protect client computers from the latest generation of threats, including worms, viruses, and other malicious software (collectively known as malware). The following features will be discussed:

User Account Control (UAC)

Prevents users from making potentially dangerous changes to their computers, without limiting their ability to run or install applications. UAC also allows a user to run in a higher security context temporarily in order to execute operations that require the higher security context (such as application installation.)
 

Internet Explorer (IE)

Helps protect users from phishing and spoofing attacks by identifying these potential attacks. New features also include Protected Mode Internet Explorer, (to protect user data and configuration settings from being deleted or changed.)
 

Windows Defender

Detects many types of potentially suspicious software and can prompt the user before allowing applications to make potentially malicious changes.
 

Windows Firewall

Provides outbound port filtering and logging in addition to administrative control over applications that businesses (or other entities) need to restrict.
 

Windows Service Hardening

Limits the damage attackers can do in the unlikely event that they are able to successfully compromise a service.
 

Network Access Protection

Helps prevent clients from connecting to the internal network by check to see if they meet internal system health policy.

Geoffrey Hill is currently a senior security consultant working in the international Microsoft group the Security Center of Excellence. He has been with the company over 5 years and during that time has become one of the leading proponents of the Security Development Lifecycle in the UK. Aside from teaching workshops on how to develop large complex projects in a secure manner, Geoffrey is also active in the field working on various complex projects. He is originally from Vermont in the USA but has lived in the UK since 2002.

Supporting distributed staff