IT Security - The Great Challenge...

One of the increasingly high profile areas in the IT arena is security. I know for many years IT security has been a hot topic - but think about the last 6 months and the amount of security breaches we have seen widely reported in the media. The latest one I've just read is home router security which will likely affect many of us:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26287517

There are a number of very simple steps we can take to improve our security such as setting up secure wireless networks and regularly patching our operating system and applications software. Also having anti virus software installed and using more complex passwords will go a long way in preventing the more simple attacks.


The privacy settings within social media applications such as Facebook and LinkedIn are also worth spending a bit of time getting to understand. The more personal data we share on such sites there is a greater risk of identity theft.

Physical security is also another area which is often overlooked. Often the theft of the device, whether a laptop or mobile phone, is a minor issue compared to that of the loss of the data which may have been stored upon it. Its imperative that any sensitive data, such as personal details or intellectual property, is adequately secured using encryption and of course by taking regular back ups! 

We have heard all of this before but do we really pay any attention! 

There is some really good online material including the recently launched  (by the Home Office) Cyberstreetwise website which can be found at https://www.cyberstreetwise.com/  I would highly recommend this website

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European Code of Conduct on Data Centres

Last year we were granted Corporate Participant status with the European Code of Conduct (EUCOC) on Data Centres - which demonstrates our commitment to implementing best practice in this area.  Being a participant means we have agreed to abide to a set of agreed commitments for our Butts Wynd Data Centre. I'm very supportive of the EUCOC and actively promote its adoption wherever I get the opportunity.

Reducing energy consumption and our carbon emissions should be an aim for anyone who can influence this. With data centres being such a significant user of energy, data centre operators and developers could assist greatly by promoting and adopting the EUCOC.

Full details and a copy of the current Code can be found at http://iet.jrc.ec.europa.eu/energyefficiency/ict-codes-conduct/data-centres-energy-efficiency

A list of the current participants is available at:
http://iet.jrc.ec.europa.eu/energyefficiency/organisation-list-short/ict_coc_dc_partner

We now have 3 star SDI accreditation... the only University in the UK to achieve this!

I'm delighted that we've now achieved 3 star SDI status.

In early 2012 we were looking for a tool or framework to help us improve our service.  In Spring 2012 we signed a contract with the Service Desk Institute - making a commitment to three years of audits.   In eighteen months, we've seen a significant improvement in our audit scores - and most importantly, it's provided us with the framework to help us improve our service to our customers.   We've changed the way we do things... we focus on the customer.  Nine concept areas are measured by the auditors:

1. Leadership
2. Policy & Strategy
3. People & Management
4. Partnership & Resources
5. Processes & Procedures
6. People Satisfaction
7. Customer Satisfaction
8. Performance Results
9. Social Responsibility

 

Our Scores

May 2012:  1.67

Dec 2012:  2.84 (2 star accreditation achieved)

Dec 2013:  3.28 (3 star accreditation achieved)

SDI provides the only industry, standards based, accreditation based programme.  We’re the only University in the UK to achieve 3 stars.  It's been quite a journey - and I'm extremely proud of my team for their commitment and dedication to continual service improvement. 

 

The SDI certification programme will continue to enable us to measure and improve our IT Service Desk’s effectiveness and maturity against globally recognised standards.  We will be audited again in December 2014. 

 

Yesterday, Howard Kendall, SDI's Master Auditor, presented the St Andrews team with their 3 star award.

 

He, said: "After achieving 2* SDI certification in 2013, it is highly rewarding to see that the excellent strategy and leadership in place at St Andrews is playing a major part progressing the service to a 3* customer-led level of maturity. Quality leadership combined with a new location for the service desk, the appointment of a business relationship manager, the implementation on a carefully planned customer experience feedback programme and the on-going enthusiasm and high morale of staff is clearly bearing fruit. I’m delighted to see St Andrews embracing continuous service improvement and shall continue to follow them on their journey."

 

The SDI audit project is lead by Lorraine Brown, IT Service Desk Manager.   

 

 

L to R:  Kevin Donachie, Associate CIO; Lorraine Brown, IT Service Desk Manager; Howard Kendall, SDI;  and me

 

 

 

 

 

Data Centre World - MicroDataCentres

This week I'm attending Data Centre World at Excel, London. This is one of the larger Data Centre focused events and full details can be found at:  http://www.datacentreworld.com/

I'm delivering a talk on Micro Datacentres sharing some of the work we have undertaken here at the University and highlighting the opportunities which exist to optimise such facilities. Accurate measurements can only be achieved by extensive telemetry and monitoring and even small modifications to systems (e.g. HVAC, UPS, etc) can result in significant recurrent energy savings.

Also, understanding your data centre systems is a bit like understanding your body. Regular measurements allow for monitoring and trending over time and any deviations are easily identified and allow for further analysis. Building and populating a facility is not simply a install and forget exercise. Its vital that ongoing management of the facility is carried out and a proactive approach is taken to its optimisation.

IT Security Week: 10-14 February 2014

Last week, we ran our first ever IT security awareness campaign in the University - IT Security Week (10-14 February 2014).  We ran this in conjunction with the University of Dundee. 

We had a special one-day event, targeted at staff and students - to raise their awareness of the dangers online - and give tips on how to stay safe.  We also invited students and staff from the Universities of Dundee and Abertay, St Leonards School - and Dundee & Angus College. 

The event was a great success - and I was delighted to see so many staff, students and visitors attend.  We had a great variety of speakers involved, to all of which I'm extremely grateful for taking the time to share their considerable knowledge and experience.  Having experts from all around the UK involved in our event was a critical factor to the success of our event. 

Speakers:

• DI Eamonn Keane, eCrime Unit, Police Scotland
• Duncan Atkin & Gavin Holt, 4th Year Ethical Hacking Course, Abertay University
• Martin Brown, Chief Security Portfolio Architect, BT
• Kenneth Macdonald, Deputy Information Commissioner, ICO
• Saleem Bhatti, Professor, School of Computer Science
• Helen Ridley, Client Manager (on behalf of Mike Loginov), Hewlett Packard
• Leona Forbes, Head of Product Solutions, brightsolid
• Mark Williams, Information Security Specialist, University of Dundee
• Steve Watt, CIO, University of St Andrews (Event Chair)

We've received great feedback.  The campaign highlighted the need for better education of the dangers faced online - every organisation needs to put this higher up the agenda.  This is something we're committed to. 

 a series of campaign posters were created

More IT Apprentices in the ITS team

 

Rebecca, Dhani, me, Matthew and Stuart

I was absolutely delighted to welcome a further four IT Apprentices to the IT Services team.  In 2012 we piloted the scheme by recruiting three IT Apprentices (on a two-year contract) and it’s worked extremely well.  Rebecca, Dhani, Matthew and Stuart joined IT Services in September 2013.  They are working in our Service Desk, Desktop and Media Services teams. 

These young adults get a great on-the-job learning experience, whilst receiving invaluable training and support from QA.  I very much hope that they enjoy their experience and relish the wide range of skills and experiences we can offer them. 

I’m particularly pleased we have recruited two female IT Apprentices as women are under-represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) areas. Scottish IT and digital businesses are struggling to fill job vacancies as a result of increasing demand, with over half needing to recruit from outside Scotland, (according to a survey from Scottish trade body ScotlandIS) so it’s really important we give these young people the best opportunity and training we can.  These staff will benefit from being supported and mentored by a wide range of very talented and experienced staff and get the opportunity to work across the full range of IT roles.

 

Datacenter Dynamics: 20-21 November 2013

Tomorrow I'm heading to London to the Datacentre Dynamics Conference and Expo at EXCEL.

I'll be presenting a case study - The University of St Andrews Data Center Consolidation and Virtualisation Project. 

My presentation will cover:

• some background about the University of St Andrews (located in a small fishing village in NE Fife!);
• the challenges I inherited back in 2010;
• how we've delivered our transformation agenda and ICT vision;
• BYOD ecosystem;
• our data centre build project
• and what we've achieved and how we measure success

The agenda for the day is packed - and look forward to hearing from a wide variety of industry experts. 

http://www.datacenterdynamics.com/conferences/2013/london-2013?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=London%20EB%20Deadline%202013