Overview
Background
Within the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, the standard desktop which is delivered is a variation of the Information Services Facilities Managed (ISFM) desktop.
The ISFM desktop is managed by the Desktop Services Team (DST) and by Graham Newton’s team.
Given that the College use a slightly different model, called the MVM Facilities Managed (MVMFM) model, this creates a potentially unnecessary overhead within the College, which has been problematic from a resourcing perspective over the past few years.
This project is designed to review and investigate the elements which make up this service, and look at the options to adopting the standard ISFM model, highlighting costs, risks, timescales and pertinent work packages that the College and DST need to consider to move forward in this area.
This project is in parallel to some other work work to adopt a standardised virtual desktop and adopting the University Print solution as a standard for CMVM.
Scope
- The CMVM IS staff and DST to investigate the options to adopt the ISFM desktop on all College teaching PC’s by summer 2016.
- To highlight any risks around this, including timescales, inherent risks around exam deployment, software upgrades and start of term considerations as per recent problems.
- Provide a plan to adopt the desktop in each campus location.
- Procure replacement PC’s for the labs to bring them into the annual planning cycle which DST will manage.
- Consider networking problems and identify costs and a plan to replace suitable networking infrastructure in key locations to help.
- Work with Learning Spaces Technology and Lesley Greer to adopt the LST pro-active maintenance model in all campus locations and adopt best practice, including the checklist model.
Out of Scope IS Cloud Print service adoption is being delivered by MVM008.
MVM012 project is currently setting out the requirements for setting up Speedwell application for MVM. This is expected to be an additional 10 days effort for Desktop but being handled by a separate follow on project after MVM012.
Objectives
For the MVM College to be able to use any IS Configured desktop lab machine for a consistent student experience, by summer 2016, for all managed desktop infrastructure in our labs
To put in place a five year rolling replacement cycle with desktop services.
Ensure that the Edlan configuration in our labs is fit for purpose to adopt the new model.
Review the FTE requirement to support the extension of service and new model.
Provide clear management information on usage within lab areas to drive the learning and teaching strategy.
Deliverables
Musts
Replacement of obsolete PC's to allow CMVM to adopt the centrally managed environment.
Migrate the existing MVM desktop standard to the Central IS Managed desktop standard.
Implement the changes across the circa 500 PC's across the estate.
Work with Learning Spaces Technology to adapt and adopt the central support model for all MVM locations.
MVM campus teams to then adopt the same support model as LST.
A five-year rolling replacement plan for PC's.
ITI and MVM to ensure that the network capacity can service the new model.
Agree a sensible license model for the software being provided, especially the MVM applications and how this is integrated into the new model.
Provide additional resource estimated at 1 FTE to the Desktop Team to support the additional 500+ PC's - with the person in place during the project to allow handover before systems migrations can be signed-off. This person would need trained and skilled up to the curent level of experience required to support the machines.
Should
If appropriate, agree with desktop service the most appropriate use of 'modes' (e.g. training mode exam mode, desktop, or potentially a new mode).
Benefits
Students experience - any MVM student will be able to access any lab machine across the university.
Student experience - enables to print to any IS cloud printer in any location (once MVM008 to complete).
Enabler to investigate a standardised virtual desktop infrastructure tying in to project DTP001 Apps to User Devices providing a standard desktop or application to ODL, PGT in non-unversity locations.
Clear management information around lab space usage to inform and drive the college's learning and teaching strategy.
Increases the student lab footprint for CMVM students.
Sustainability and PC reuse for the machines which we remove from the lab areas.
Success Criteria
All Labs and Lecture PC's migrated to ISFM.
ISFM accomodating new application specific to MVM.
Licensing in place to allow ISFM for MVM.
Support in place to allow Desktop to take on additional rsponsibility of maintenance and support.
A common way of working across Campus Teams, LTS and ITI in regard to support and maintenance of Labs and Lecture PC's.
Strategic Alignment
This project will deliver benefits, change and innovations in alignment with the ISG Strategic Vision and the University's Strategic Vision for 2025 ISG Strategic Vision
Student experience | |
| Student experience and the unique Edinburgh offer | Improve the student experience |
| Online and distance learning leaders | |
| Library national and international leadership | |
Research and innovation | |
| Research IT and Data Sciences | |
| Innovation | |
| Collaborative leadership and social responsibility | |
Service excellence | |
| Process improvement, efficiency, quality and best practice | by improving the quality, resilience, availability and reliability of our services |
| Long‐term IS strategic planning and linked professional services | |
| Information security |
University's Strategic Vision for 2025
| A unique Edinburgh offer for all of our students | |
| • all of our undergraduates developed as student/ researchers with clear, supported pathways through to Masters and PhD | |
| • all our students offered the opportunity to draw from deep expertise outside their core discipline | |
| • a highly satisfied student body with a strong sense of community. | |
| Strong and vibrant communities within and beyond the University – making the most of our unique offer of world-leading thinking and learning within one of the world’s most attractive cities | |
| A larger, more international,staff who feel valued and supported in a University that is a great and collegial place to work, develop and progress | |
| More postgraduate students – underpinned by the best support in the sector to ensure we attract the brightest and best regardless of ability to pay | |
| A more international student body – offering all our students an international learning experience; enabling us to make a truly global impact through educating the brightest and best from and across the world. | |
| A strong culture of philanthropic support focussed especially on our students and on outstanding research capabilities. | |
| Many more students benefiting from the Edinburgh experience (largely or entirely) in their own country – supported by deep international partnerships and world- leading online distance learning | |
| Sustained world leading reputation for the breadth, depth and interdisciplinarity of our research supported by strong growth in research funding and strong international partnerships – drawing from well-established and less well developed sources | |
| An estate that matches expectations, responds flexibly to changing student and staff needs, and showcases the University | main strategic alignment : by providing long term quality infrastructure and development via DevOps working processes and Automation |
A deeper and earlier collaboration with industry, the public sector and the third sector – in terms of research; knowledge exchange; and in giving our students the best possible set of skills for their future | |
IS Change Programme
How the project deliverables, benefits or the project itself (during plan, execution, implementation) contribute to the IS Change Programme.
| IS Change Programme Theme | How the project contributes to change or leverages change |
| Project Management | |
| Working Together | ITI and MVM working closely on the project towards a joint solution |
| Standards and Technical Leadership | More centralised technical standards across IS and MVM College, better support |
| Staff Learning and Development | |
| Service Based Culture | |
| Equality and Diversity | |
| Innovation | |
| Flexible Resourcing | |
| Communcation and Branding |