UCISA 2010: Doing the impossible

Tim Marshall promising to be good value for money talking about current climate for HE and how we need to learn to do the impossible.


National debt is equivilant to 2,600 x the running costs of the University of Leeds. Pundits are saying that public funding is likely to be cut by 25% over the next 3 years, that requires a fundamental shift.


I think I can see what might be coming here - a please for more public sector shared services - cloud based HEI applications? Makes sense to me ....


Tim suggesting that we just aren't ready for the change that's coming. His key tips:


- CIO's need to know your numbers. The ability to read financial statements is going to be more important for a start.


- The importance of trust will be even more important. Certainly that's true for achieving succesful shared services.


- Tell the team what you want, not what to do - then you harness a lot more experience.


Tim's 5 factors: Know your business, know your numbers, stive to be trusted, empower the team and see over the horizon.

Good presentation, but dissapointingly Tim didn't make any suggestions or proposal for how he saw the sector tackling the issue. It was only in questions that the issue of Shared Services was raised. With the government sector publishing the g-cloud ICT Strategy as a key plank in their bid to reduce costs through shared services surely we should be looking seriously at the same thing in HE.

I remain convinced that nothing is going to change until the funding models change to drive shared service forward. Perhaps this is something that UCISA need to start taking a lead on ....

UCISA 2010: student attendance monitoring

In discussion session about student attendance monitoring. A key issue for many with immigration regulations the main driver, but retention also featuring. Many still using semi-automated faculty/school based systems. Some looking at bio-metrics Eg: fingerprint registration. A lot of interest in Bedfordshires approach of statistical monitoring of student 'touchpoints' with different student interactions that are already recorded Eg: purchasing card transactions, physical access systems, computer login, library usage etc bring gathered and statistically analysed to identify outliers that don't conform to the typical interaction pattern for that group of students.

Lots of issues around DPA and use of information as well as student reaction to that kind of system. Technically best option is still single access token Eg: smart card for everything or better still a biometric token.

The key issue remains that getting this kind of project high enough up the priority queue is hard given the complexity and costs of solutions for relatively little benefit. We are all under so much pressure that anything with a manual or semi-automatic workaround jsut can't compete for resources.

UCISA 2010: King's College outsourcing programme

First full day for me at this annual event, arrived last night.


http://www.ucisa.ac.uk/events/2010/conference2010/programme.aspx

First session this morning was Gartner talking about negotiating techniques. Essentially a presentation of their research paper on the subject. Usual stuff, which we need to get better at.

Now listening to Lynne Tucker, Chief Technology Officer from King's College London talking about their major outsourcing programmes.


http://www.ucisa.ac.uk/~/media/Files/events/ucisa2010/4%20%20%20Lynne%20Tucker%20pdf.ashx

An unusual approach for an HEI, certainly wasn't an option for us in the early stages. Kings now have three major outsource contracts to manage - ranging across thin client provision as well as bespoke software development.

Very interesting that they are using SITS and StuTalk the XML web service plug-in for integration of student data into other systems - something we are trying to do.

The whole thing was kicked off by the need for major infrastructure investment eg: data centres.
Key features of their approach were:

- Web-enabled access
- Multi-sourced, partnered approach (staff expertise, data centres, 24/7 support)
- Out-hosting of infrastructure where appropriate (Tier 2/3 data centres, not necessarily with the same supplier)
- Concentrate on value-add in house (e.g. identity management) and harness internal skills and expertise (e.g. data and information management)

Staff skill sets switching to managing relationships with vendors rather than in-house technical skills. VRM critical - ie: vendor management so you know who is meeting with vendor, when and why and manage that relationship.

Loss of control is offset by processes for escalation that everyone understands.

Rigorous change management is essential.


It's not a cheap option, but long term pay back might be 3 x.


Major cost was the effort that needed to go in to making it happen. Key benefit was reducing risk - not having to worry about the infrastructure and getting in-house staff focussed on use of business applications.

The financials were complicated and there an overall revenue cost uplift was required as well as the capital investment.

Asked the question about whether it would be possible to make a business case especially a financial case for this kind of initiative in the current financially constrained times - the view was probably not. A more multi-sourced approach is probably the best bet and Kings are already brining some stuff back in-house.

It would be great to buy that kind of piece of mind though!