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Enhancing IT Support and Infrastructure at SBS: Challenges and Future Directions

This presentation by Juri Rappsilber and Gareth Poxon discusses the current state of IT support and infrastructure at the School of Biological Sciences (SBS). Key statistics include over 2,000 students and 650 staff relying on IT services, alongside an extensive range of projects focused on improved computing support. Challenges such as the inefficiency of first-line support, dependency on central IT solutions, and resource limitations are highlighted. The presentation also explores the future needs for enhanced data storage, archiving, and mobile device management in research computing.

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Enhancing IT Support and Infrastructure at SBS: Challenges and Future Directions

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  1. SBS CCITC presentation Juri Rappsilber Gareth Poxon

  2. Stats • Computers >2000 • 250 PGR students, 1400 undergrads • 650 FT staff • IT support: • IT service manager, • general computing officer, • Wellcome funded computing officer, • E-learning officer, • web/database developer

  3. Procedures • First line support through IS helpline (in theory), now a lot of direct support (in practise 90%) Desktop support, student lab computing, Email, E-learning (Blackboard/WebCT) • Installation of new computers (1-2 per day), new printers, new hardware (servers) • Web services • Data storage for some institutes/centres (<20% of SBS)

  4. Projects • SBS home page (80% complete), hosted by UoEPolopoly service • SBS intranet (complete), hosted by UoE Wiki service • School needs in databases and web forms (mostly light weight, 1-2 months development time) • Biannual Biosafety questionnaire (database and web page) • Seminar speaker sign up • Student sign up forms (e.g. honours projects, next year’s courses) • Bespoke research databases (mostly light weight, 1-2 months development time) • Generally no bespoke computing/storage projects (except for Wellcome Trust centre)

  5. Central services used by SBS (essentially all) • Euclid • Email • E-diary • E-learning (WebCT/Blackboard) • Polopoly service • Wiki service • Supported desktops • Networking service • Finance system (Efinancials, Sciquest, Pecos) • Use ECDF (technical issues and cost are barriers)

  6. Issues • We have no resources to develop local solutions, hence are very vulnerable to delays/errors/changes in central services. • Projects by central services do not necessarily match out needs (e.g. Polopoly, Euclid, Pure) • This means SBS IT needs to adapt locally (costs are relayed to SBS) • IS reorganisation two years ago made first line support very inefficient • ECDF technical issues and cost are barriers • Some duplication due to charges for central services (e.g. web hosting) • Research councils demand research data storage for 10 years (associated technical challenges and costs)

  7. Are we getting value for money from central IT? Our ideal university IT structure: central IT does maintenance, schools lead developments (in coalitions) “Bundeslaendermodel”

  8. Future of research computing • more data storage, • more archiving, • more computing, • more bioinformatics support but also biologists will increasingly be active in computing issues (“the new physics”), • more mobile devices (a lot personal but used for work)

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