TheUniversityofMelbourne

EnablerStrategy:
InformationTechnologyInfrastructure
20112014

TableofContents

ExecutiveSummary............................................................................................................................................3
IntroductionandOverview................................................................................................................................5
AimsandObjectives...........................................................................................................................................6
TheInformationTechnologyPortfolio.............................................................................................................10
TheITCapitalPlan20112015.........................................................................................................................19
ITCapitalPlan20162020................................................................................................................................30
LongerTermPriorities.....................................................................................................................................32

ExecutiveSummary

TheUniversityoperatesanextensivenetworkofITresources,includingsome15,000personalcomputers
supportingabout40,000studentsand6000staff.Informationtechnologyispervasiveinallaspectsof
studyandworkattheUniversity,includingtheclassrooms,ofwhich232areequippedwithmodernIT
resources.
Since2006,muchhaschangedinUniversityIT.TheUniversityhasrenewedthewirelessnetwork,which
nowhasnearly1000accesspoints.TheUnifiedCommunicationsinitiativehasbroughtstaffamodern
emailandcalendaringsystemwithcloselycoupledIPtelephonyandvoicemessaging.Thephysicaldata
networkhasbeenlargelyrenewedandbroughtundercentralmanagementtothewalloutlet.New,
environmentallysustainabledatacentreshavebeencommissionedatParkvilleandNoblePark,thelatter
beingacollaborationwithotherinstitutions.AspartofResponsibleDivisionManagement,aprojecthas
commencedimplementation,whichwilltakeseveralmoreyears,toestablishworkspacecomputing
supportasaCommonService,after20yearsofadevolvedmodelforITsupportofthistype.AStudent
PortalandanewStudentManagementSystem,ISIS,havebeendeployed.TherearenewStudentResource
Centres,richlyequippedwithcomputersandITsupportforstudents.Underwayistransitionofstudent
emailandonlinecollaborationfromaninhousefacilitytothecloud.TheimportanceofITinresearchhas
continuedtogrownationaleResearchinvestmentscommittedtotheParkvilleprecinctunderUniversity
leadershipamounttomorethan$200million.
Yetthereismuchmoretobedone.UniversityITsystemsandserviceswork,andcreateopportunities.
Wherewelagisinexploitingthoseopportunities,notonlytocaptureefficienciesandeconomies,butalso
totransformthewayinwhichworkisdoneintheUniversity,toallowacademicstafftofocuson
scholarshipandresearch.
TheITlandscapehaschangedsince2006.Therearenowpervasiveandaffordablewirelessinternet
servicesusing3G:with3.5millionactiveuseraccountsinAustralia.Thatinfrastructurehasenabled
transformationofthewaypeopleusetheinternet,notleastwithsmartphonesandotherhighlymobile
accessdevices.Web2.0,socialmediaandsocialnetworking,theimpactofthecloudandthe
consumerisationofITarehavingaprofoundimpactonstudentandstaffexpectationsofIToncampus.The
adventofsuccessfulcommercialmodelsfordistributionofelectronicbooksislikelytoaffectscholarly
communicationsinjustthesamemannerasMP3transformedcommercialmusicinthelastdecade.The

NationalBroadbandNetworkwill,intheforeseeablefuture,bringintothehomethebandwidthhitherto
availableonlyoncampus.
OurvisionforthefutureofUniversityITisanintegratedusercentricexperienceofITsystems,facilitiesand
servicesadistinctiveandhighqualityMelbourneExperienceinatechnologicallyadvancedsetting.A
futureinwhichITdoesnotmerelycreateopportunities,butisproactiveinseizingthoseopportunities.We
seekstandard,commodityITservicesthat'justwork',yetinaclimatethatenablesandencourages
innovation;afutureinwhichweleveragethecapabilitiesofothers,inthecloud.
ToensurethisisachievedwewillputinplacenewgovernancestructuressothattheUniversitycommunity
isinvolvedandadvisedbyexpertstoensurethatthebenefitsdescribedareachieved.

IntroductionandOverview

TheUniversityhasanambitiousvision,encompassedinGrowingEsteem,andasetofgoalsandstrategies
toachieveit,includingandenablingonerelatingtoITinfrastructure.
In2010,theUniversitywasawardedthegreatestamountofresearchfundingnationallyacrossboththe
ARCandNHMRCschemes,andretainednationalnumberonerankingforbothresearchpublicationsand
researchincome.ThisperformancewasreflectedinourrankingintheShanghaiJiaoTongindexofthe
world'suniversities.Nowranked62,Melbourneisthefastestmovinguniversityintheworld'stop100.The
2010TimesHigherEducationrankingsplaceMelbourneasNo1inAustraliaand36thintheworld.
Atthesametime,theUniversityexperiencesveryhighdemandforcourses,enrollinghighqualitystudents
inthenewgenerationdegreesoftheMelbourneModelandfrom2011afullsuiteofgraduatecourses
coveringarangeofprofessionaldisciplinesaswellasanincreasednumberofotherpostgraduate
courseworkandresearchprograms.
InformationTechnologyhasbecomepervasiveinUniversitywork,beitinlearningandteaching,research,
engagingwiththecommunityorinenabling.Sinceourfirstcomputerwascommissionedin1956
(CSIRAC),computinghaschangedthewaysinwhichUniversityworkisdone,anditwillcontinuetodoso.
ThisenablingplanprovidesavisionforhowITwillsupporttheUniversityinthefuture.Italsotakesstock
ofthecurrentUniversityITposition,anddescribeschangesunderwayorplannedoverthenextfouryears.

AimsandObjectives

GOAL
Tosupportandenablethetransformationofresearch,learningandteaching,andengagementthroughthe
provisionofworldclassITinfrastructureandimprovedcustomerservices,reducedITcostsandreduced
environmentalimpact.
TheUniversitymustcontinuetoimproveitsinformationtechnologytoworldclassstandardssothatby
2015staffandstudentswillhaveanemploymentandeducationalexperiencethatisatleasttheequalin
qualitytothatatotherleadingcomprehensiveresearchinstitutions.ITinfrastructureandenterprise
systemswillalsosupportevidencebaseddecisionmakingintheUniversityandcontributetoefficienciesin
theUniversitysadministrativeoperations.Thesesystemswillbecommensuratewithwhatcanbe
expectedataninternationallyrecognisedresearchintensiveuniversity.

TheParkvilleresearchprecinctisakeypartnerforUniversityIT.Weaimtodevelopservicesthatrecognise
thedifferentneedsoftheresearchenvironmentandtheresearchers.
ThequalityoftheMelbourneExperienceforstudentsisnowdependentonthesuccessoftheIT
environmentusedinteachingandlearning.TheUniversitymustdeveloptheagilityrequiredtoseize
innovationopportunitiesastheyemergeandtodealwithchallengesinwaysthatmakeITanstrong
enablertothepracticeofteachingandlearning.
KnowledgepartnershipsaretheinteractionsbetweentheUniversityandexternalgroupsorindividuals
thatenablethegrowthandutilisationofknowledge,consistentwiththeUniversityspublicspirited
character.Weneedtodevelopsystemsandinfrastructurerequiredforsharinginformationwithpartners
nationallyandinternationally.
Asenablers,ourUniversitysystems,sometimesknownas'enterprisesystems',mustsupportefficient
businessprocesses.Goodenterprisesystemsenhancethestaffexperience.Equallyimportantly,well
integratedusercentricUniversitysystemswillexploitemergingtechnologiestoallowpeopletofocuson
theiracademicendeavoursandnotontechnicaloradministrativebarriers.

STRATEGIES
1.

ImprovingtheStudentExperience

TheUniversitywillcontinuetoinvestintechnologicallyenabledcollaborativelearningspaces.These
willbesupportedbyinnovativeICTsolutionswhicharereliableandavailabletostudentsonan
extendedhoursbasis.DevelopmentofarichPersonalLearningEnvironmentanonlineenvironmentthat
transcendsandintegratesUniversityprovidedtoolswiththoseofthecloud,socialnetworking,online
collaboration,andthevastresourcesavailablethroughGoogleandothersiskeytoadistinctiveand
valuedMelbourneExperience.Anotherchallengewhichweneedtoaddressbutwhichhasnotyetbeen
metisthatofprovidingappropriateITsupportona24x7basis.

2.
SupportingResearchAspirations

TheUniversitystrivestoholdtoprankinallnationalindicatorsofresearchexcellenceandimpact
andtoleadAustraliainresearchhigherdegreerecruitmentandoutcomes.Keytomeetingthese
goalswillbeenablingcrossdisciplinaryapproachestoresearchthroughinvestmentintechnological
solutionsthatfosterinteractionandcollaboration.KeyITprojectsrelatedtocollaborativeandeResearch
solutionswillbecentraltotheachievementofthedesiredresearchoutcomes.

Specifically,weaimtodevelopcommonresearchinfrastructure,datastoresandcollaborationtools
underpinnednotonlybynetworkconnectivity,butalsobyauthentication,authorisationandaccounting
infrastructuretoensurethattherightpeoplehaveaccesstotherightresourcesattherighttime.Weneed
tofurtherdevelopservicesthatcanbeusedbyresearchersthoseserviceswilllookdifferenttothe
servicesweoffertoothercustomersbecauseoftheresearchcontextanditsuniqueneedswhichinclude
commonresearchinfrastructure,datastores,collaborationtoolsandconnectivity.

3.

DevelopingICTinfrastructure,campuscorenetworksandenterprisesystemstosupportcurrent
andfutureactivity

TheUniversitywillhaveresearchITinfrastructurethatisamongstthebestinAustraliaandgloballyandwill
contributetothedevelopmentofnationalcollaborativeresearchplatforms.Wewilldeliverpersonal
learningenvironmentstosupportadistinctiveMelbourneexperienceforstudentsandstaffandour
enterpriseandlocalsystemswillenableincreasedadministrativeefficiencyandeffectiveness.OurICT
serviceswillberesponsivetotheneedsofourstudentsandstaffandwillhavethecapabilitytorespondto
challengeswithagilityandaninnovativeapproachtosolvingproblems.

4.

Pursuingenvironmentalsustainability

Weareawareofourresponsibilitytofuturegenerationstominimiseouradverseimpactonthe
environment.Wewillpursuetechnologysolutionstoreduceuseofpaper,andwewillembraceonline
collaborationsolutionstoreducetravel.Atthesametime,wewillexploitvirtualisationandcloudsolutions
toreducetheenvironmentalfootprintofouruseofIT.Thisisakeydriverinourprocurementand
managementofITequipmentandservices.

5.

StrategicITGovernance

UniversityInformationTechnologysupportsandenablestransformationofresearch,learningandteaching,
andengagement.ThestudentandstaffexperiencesattheUniversityaresignificantlyshapedbytheIT
servicesdelivered.InparticularthecontinuinggrowthoftheParkvilleresearchprecincthasseenan
increaseddemandtoprovideresearchinfrastructureservicestotheseorganisations.Theseservices
includestorageandHPC(highperformancecomputing)amongstothers.ThisdemandforITStobea
serviceprovidertoexternal,aswellasinternalcustomershasintroducedconsiderablecomplexitytotheIT
environmentbothintermsoftechnologyandservicemodels.TheUniversityenvironmentisadynamicone
andthereiscontinueddemandfornewandimprovedservices.Thisdemandcomesfromthemany
initiativestheUniversityundertakes,aswellasfromadesirebyusers,includingveryseniorones,torapidly
adoptnewtechnologies
AgainstthisbackdropdevelopmentandimplementationofstrategicITplansiskeytoensuringthatIT
servicescontinuetomeetexpectationsandmaximisevalueasbothinternalandexternalenvironments
change.TothisendtheUniversityhasdecidedtoreformitspeakITgovernancebody.Anewgroup,
chairedbytheCIOandwithmembershipfromthemostseniorlevelsattheUniversity,istobeformed.
Thisgroup,theITStrategyAdvisoryGroupwillreviewandendorsestrategicITplansatawholeof
Universitylevel.ItisintendedthatthisgroupwillfirstmeetinMay2011.
InparalleltothistheroleandcompositionoftheUniversitySystemsGroup(USG)hasalsobeenredefined.
AligningwithoverallITStrategyUSGwillnowgovernallenterprisesystemsandtheEnterpriseSystems
programofprojects.USGwillincluderepresentationfromthebusinessownersofkeyenterprisesystems
andwillprovidethemtheframeworktoplan,coordinateandmonitorhowITactivitiesaredeliveredto
meettheirbusinessneeds.

TARGETS
By2015theUniversitywillhaveimprovedITinfrastructureandservicesby:

CompletingenterprisesystemsupgradesforStudents,FinanceandHumanResources;
AchievingthefirststagesoftheInformationFuturesstrategy;
Successfullyconcludingthenationalcollaborativeresearchprojectsontimeandwithin
budget;
Providing24/7supportforstudentsandstafffortheirITneeds;and
SuccessfullycompletingthetransitionofallFacultiesandGraduateSchoolstothenew
workspacecomputingsupportarrangements.


2015Target

Indicator

Havingeffectivemanagementinformation
andenablingenterprisesystemstofacilitate
informedevidencebaseddecisionmakingand
businessactivity

Successfulimplementationofmeaningful
managementreportingandtheThemis
ImprovementProjectcompletedontimeand
withinbudgetbyendof2012.

Playingacentralroleinadvancingthenationale
researchcollaborationtollsandnetworks

CompletionoftheNeCTARandAURINprojectson
timeandinbudget

24/7supportprovided

Achievingroundtheclocksupportforstudentsand
staffinrelationtoIT

SuccessfullycompletingtheWorkspaceComputing
projecttothespecificationsagreedinApril2010

1) AllFacultiesandGraduateschools
transitionedtonewarrangementsby2014
2) Savingsspecifiedin2010achieved.

TheInformationTechnologyPortfolio

UniversitysystemsarethemajorITbasedbusinesssystemswhichsupportthebusinessoftheUniversity.

Themis
Aswithanylargeorganisation,twocriticalsystemsarethosewhichareusedtotakecareoffinancial
managementandhumanresourcesmanagement.Thepresentsystems,ThemisFinancialsandThemisHR,
wereimplementedinthelastdecade.TheywereimplementedusingtheofftheshelfOracleeBusiness
suitesoftwareapplications(withcustomisation).Bothsystemsuseanunderlyingdatabasemanagement
platformprovidedbyOracle,runningonUniversityownedandoperatedserversinUniversitydatacentres
atParkvilleandNoblePark.
Thesesystemsworkbutsincetheirimplementationtherehasbeengreaterthanoptimalcustomization:
thesystemshavebeendescribedas'massivelycustomised'byexternaladvisors.Thisbringsincreased
complexityandhighersupportandmaintenancecosts,particularlyasitbecomesnecessarytomoveto
newerversionsoftheofftheshelfapplicationsandtheunderlyingdatabaseplatform.Vendorsupportfor
theversionsinusewillendinNovember2013.

ISIS
TheUniversityhasrecentlyimplementedanewsystemformanagingitsrelationshipwithitsstudents.
Unlikefinancialandhumanresourcessystems,therearefewerofftheshelfsolutionsavailable.
BasedontheStudentOnesystemfromTechnologyOne,theStudentSystem,ISIS,wentliveinJune2010.
Afterovercomingdifficultimplementationchallenges,thesystemworks.Weareselectingandenrolling
students,reportingasrequiredtogovernment,recordingstudentprogress,collectingstudentfeesand
enrolmentrelatedfunding,andawardingdegrees.
Howeverthereareissueswiththeusabilityandtimelinessoftheapplicationprocess,particularlyfor
scholarshipapplicants;extraworkhasbeennecessaryincheckingfeesandinvoicing;interactiveresponse
timesareslow;andnotallolderstudentrecordshaveyetbeenmigratedinamannerthatallowsprovision
oftranscriptsbythenewsystem.
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OnlineLearning
Inlearningandteaching,theUniversityhasdeterminedthatitwillremainaUniversityinwhichoncampus
classesareadistinctiveandvitalpartofthelearningexperience.Thatisnottosaythatthereisnoplacefor
onlinelearningandteachingaspartoftheexperience.Morethanfiveyearsago,theUniversity
implementedaLearningManagementSystem(LMS),usingtheofftheshelfBlackboardproduct,hostedon
UniversityownedandoperatedserversatParkville.Thesystemisusedtofacilitatestudentaccessto
contentandlearningresources,andtheadministration,documentation,tracking,andreportingofstudent
progressinallundergraduateandmostgraduatecourseworksubjects.Thesysteminteroperateswith
relatedfacilities,includingLectopia(recordedlecturesavailableonline),ReadingsOnline(centralrepository
forproperlylicensedonlinematerial)andTurnitin(asystemforencouragingacademicintegrityby
detectingplagiarism).
Intheweekto27March2011,dailyLMSloginswerebetween17,938(Saturday)to80,205(Wednesday).
Thenumberofdistinctuserseachdaywasbetween11,301(Saturday)to20,625(Monday).
90,000
80,000
70,000

LMSlogins weekto27March
Uniqueusers
Logins

60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0

StudentPortal
In2007,theUniversitydeployedaStudentPortal,intendedtoprovideintegrated,consistent,singlepoint
ofdeliveryforallacademicandadministrativeservicestostudents.Theportalisheavilyused.Intheweek
to27March2011,therewere325,765loginsfrom39,677distinctusers.

11


Howevertheportalisnoteffectiveasastudentcommunicationmechanismitsufferspoorperformance
attimesandissometimesunreliable.ThereislimitedcustomisabilitytotheUniversity'sneeds,andno
capabilityforstudentstopersonalisethePortalfortheirneedsandpreferences.Thecurrentportaldoes
notprovideanembeddedandseamlessframeworkforstudentaccesstosomeofthemostcommonlyused
systems(e.g.LMS,LibrarySearch/Catalogue).Further,thereisnorealintegrationwiththenewStudent
MailandCalendarservice.Theportalprovidesnousefulwayforstaffto'walkinthestudent'sshoes'.The
systemisinneedofupgrading.

LibrarySystems
PartofthemissionofanygreatUniversitylibraryistofacilitateaccesstoscholarlyinformation.Inthe21st
Century,thatmissionincludesonlineaccesstoreadilysearchableinformationonthephysicalcollection,or
totheinformationitself.TheLibrarymustalsohavesystemstomanageaccesstophysicalcollectionsand
particularly,acirculation(lending)system.
TheUniversitydoeshavethesesystemswhichinmostcasesuseofftheshelfsoftwarerunningon
Universityownedandoperatedservers.Importantly,facilitiesoperatedfortheLibraryprovidestudents
andstaffoftheUniversitywiththeabilitytoaccessexternalmateriallicensedthroughthelibrary(i.e.
onlinedatabasesofjournalarticlesandotherscholarlymaterial),nomatterwhetherthestudentorstaff
memberisoncampusornot.

IdentityandAccessManagement
ITsystemsarethesystemstheUniversityoperatesinordertosupporttheITenvironmentanditsuse.At
theveryheartofthisarethesystemorsystemsthatmanageidentity,andaccesstosystems:
Authentication,AuthorisationandAccounting.

12

IdentityandaccessmanagementisfundamentaltoUniversityIT.Itis,arguably,theonethingthatthe
Universitymustdoitselfinsomesense,ratherthanmerelyoutsourcingitorleavingittothemarketinan
unmanagedway.
ItisalsofundamentalinthatproperprovisionandmanagementofITresourcesdependsonidentityand
accessmanagement.Theremustbeinplacearobustsystemwhich:

knowsthatstudents,staffandotherauthorisedusersarewhotheysaytheyare;

ensuresthatonlypeopleproperlyauthorisedareabletouseUniversityITresourcesand
UniversityITbasedresources;and

measuresandrecordsuse,foraccountability(whichisakeyelementofITsecurity)and,where
appropriate,forcostrecovery.

TheUniversityscurrentdefactoidentitymanagementinfrastructure(ARS)wasdevelopedmanyyearsago
andwasnotdesignedtoactasanIdentityManagementsystem.Itisnearingobsolescenceandhas
significantresourceandinfrastructuresinglepointsoffailure.ArecentexternalreviewoftheUniversitys
identitymanagementinfrastructurerecommendedthereplacementofvariousexistinglegacysystemswith
anofftheshelfsolutionfromoneofthemajorvendorsinthisarea.

RemedyITServiceManagement
RemedyisanofftheshelfsystemusedasatooltodeliverasharedITservicemanagementenvironmentto
supportITILandrelatedbusinessprocessesacrosstheUniversity.Itprovides:

AServiceDeskapplicationtosupportincidentandproblemmanagementprocessesintheITIL
system
AChangeManagementapplicationtosupportITILchangeandreleasemanagementprocesses
AnAssetManagementapplication
AServiceLevelManagementapplicationtounderpinalldeliveredservicesthataresupported
viaRemedy
Standardisedreportingacrossapplications

WebsiteHosting
TheUniversityhasdiverseapproachestohostingwebsites.PartsoftheUniversity'swebpresenceare
hostedonserversmanagedbydepartmentsandfaculties;otherpartsareprobablyhostedexternally,and
partsarehostedoncentrallymanagedwebservers.
Centrally,thereisawebsitehostingservicewhichofferswebsiteadministratorsandownershostingof
'static'websiteswhichareusuallydevelopedandmaintainedusingtheDreamweaverapplication.The
servicealsoprovideshostingforwikisandblogs.Analternative,alsoprovidedcentrally,isaContent
Management(andhosting)ServicewhichusestheopensourceMySourceMatrixsystem.

13

ITSecurityServices
ITsecurityisaresponsibilityofeverymemberoftheUniversitycommunity,butitisespeciallya
responsibilityofITstaff.TheUniversityhasasmallcentralITsecurityunit,responsiblefordevelopment
andmaintenanceoftheITsecurityframeworkandrelevantpolicyandstandards,informationsecurityand
riskmanagemen,ITsecurityincidentmanagement,ITsecuritymonitoringandvulnerabilityassessment.

Telephony
TheUniversity'stelephonyservicesareinthreecategories:thelegacyPABXservice,IPtelephonyservices,
andmobileservices.
TheIPtelephonyserviceisaworkinprogress.Itisanenterpriseclassvoiceoverinternetprotocolservice,
usingtheUniversity'sdatanetwork.Benefitsincludeinbuiltinternaltelephonedirectoryservice,internal
calleridentificationbyname,decreasedcablingcosts,decreasedmovesandchangescosts,anduser
mobility.Thetelephoneextensionnumberisassociatedwiththeloggedinuser,notthecableoutlet.To
datemorethanhalfoftheUniversity'sfixedlinetelephoneserviceshavebeenmovedtoIPtelephony.
ThelegacyPABXserviceusesitsowndedicatedcablingtoconnecttelephonestothePABX(Private
AutomaticBranchExchange)andthencetothepublicswitchedtelephonenetwork.PABXequipmentis
nearingtheendofitsreliablelife,andcannotbereplaced.WorkcontinuestomigrateallUniversity
telephoneextensionstoIPtelephony.ThemainconstraintonprogressistheneedforIPtelephonesto
haveanetworkconnectionofsufficientqualitytoensurequalityandreliabilityofserviceconsistentwith
telephonyexpectations.Inmanycases,thisrequiresupgradeorremediationofexistinginfrastructure.
MobiletelephoneandmobileinternetservicesareprovidedthroughVictorianGovernmentarrangements,
withcarriageserviceprovidedbyOptus.

ITHousingandVirtualMachineService
Formanyyears,decentralisationprevailedinmuchofITattheUniversity.Itremainsthecasethatservers,
storageandassociatedinfrastructurearehousedinvariouslocations.Somelocationsmeetcontemporary
professionalstandardswhilesomedonot.
InaninitiativeassociatedwithResponsibleDivisionManagementandITasaCommonService,the
UniversityhasestablishedacentralITHousingservice:housingofserver,storageandassociated
infrastructureencompassingenvironmentalandspecifiednetworkservicesforcustomerswithinoneofthe
Universitydatacentres.Theserviceincludesmanagedcomputerroomequipment;power,coolingand
environmentmanagement;controlledaccesstothedatacentre.,connectivitytotheUniversitynetwork
andinternet;equipmentrackspace;andnetworkandphysicalsecurity.
TheobjectiveistoensurethatallrelevantITserversandrelatedassetsarehousedinappropriate
conditions.
14

Increasingly,itispossibletomovebeyondthenotionofserverhousing,totheprovisionofvirtualserver
hosting.A'virtualserver'isnotaphysicalboxhousedinadatacentre;instead,itisaservicewhich
providesthesamefunctionality,usingphsyicalresourcesquitepossiblyusedtoprovideothervirtual
serversandservicesatthesametime.

TheUniversityNetwork
TheUniversityownsandoperatesalargehighperformancedatanetworkatParkvilleandassociatedsites.
TheUniversityNetworkcomprisesapproximately64,000wirednetworkinterfacesundermanagement,
supportedby680networkinfrastructuredevices.Thenetworksupports997Uniwirelessaccesspoints.The
UniversityNetworkextendstomorethan140buildingsoncampusandto34remoteUniversityand
associatedsites.In2010,thenetworkcarried1058terabytesbetweentheUniversityandthewider
internet,andthisrateisincreasing:inFebruary2011alone,ourinternettrafficwas191terabytes.
TheUniversityNetworkisintransitionfromadevolvedmodelofresponsibilitytoanendpointmodel.In
thedevolvedmodel,whichisstillinplaceinsomepartsoftheUniversity,centralresponsibilityextended
onlysofarasthe'frontdoor'ofeachbuilding.Beyondthatpoint,cabling,infrastructureandmanagement
werealocalresponsibility.
Intheendpointmodel,centralresponsibilityextendsallthewaytothephysicalwallaccesssocket.
Transitiontotheendpointmodelisakeyrequirementfordeploymentofiptelephony.
Ineithermodel,responsibilityfortheconnectionbetweentheUniversitynetworkandtherestifthe
internetiscentral.
Anetworkrenewalprogramhasbeenunderwayforsomeyears,tobringallpartsoftheUniversityunder
endpointarrangements.Completionisexpectedin2013.

Storage
DataisstoredinmanywaysintheUniversityondesktopcomputers,ondepartmentalfileservers,on
opticalmedia.StorageformajorUniversitysystemsisprovidedbyenterpriseclassprofessionallymanaged
infrastructurehousedinUniversitydatacentreswithrobustbackup.
Demandforenterpriseclassstorageservicesisgrowing,particularlyforstorageoflargeresearchdatasets
whichneedtobeshared,retainedandpreserved.AcentralStorageonRequestservicehasbeen
introducedtomeetthisneed.Theserviceoffershighperformance,highavailability,robustfrequent
backup,andmanagedsharingpermissions.

HighPerformanceComputing
ResearchComputingServicesoffersarangeofphysicalresourcestogetherwithadvice,trainingand
consultinginthemosteffectivemeansofusingtheseresourcestoresearchobjectives.Theyarefor
15

computeintensivetaskswhichcannotpracticallyberunonthedesktop.Theseareclustersystems,which
consistofacollectionofsingleordualCPUcomputerswhicharemanagedasasingleunit.Theyhavea
"headnode"whichuserscanlogontoandpreparejobs,whicharethensubmittedtoaqueuingsystem
whichallocatesthemtoanavailable"workernode"whichthenrunsthejobs.
TheUniversityisamemberoftheVictorianPartnershipforAdvancedComputing(VPAC),whichprovides
Universityresearchersaccesstopeakcomputingresources.TheUniversityisapartner,withtheVictorian
GovernmentandtheIBMResearchCollaboratoryforLifeSciences,MelbourneintheVictorianLifeSciences
ComputationInitiative(VLSCI).TheVLSCIexistsforallVictorianresearchersandaimstobeoneofthetop5
lifesciencecomputationfacilitiesby2013.

StudentITServices
StudentsuseUniversityITinfrastructureandsystemsinmanyways.Thereareextensiveoncampus
computerlabsbutnowmanystudentschoosetobringtheirowncomputer,foraccesstoUniversity
resourcesviaUniwirelessor3G.TheBlackboardLMSandthestudentportalareusedbymoststudentsat
leastonceaweek,fromoncampusorfromstudents'homesandplacesofwork,oranywherethatinternet
accessisavailable.Similarly,serviceslikeaccesstoonlinejournalsareavailablefromalmostanywhere.

Email,CalendaringandCollaboration
Since1997,theUniversityhasprovidedallstudentswithanemailaccount,hostedbytheUniversity.In
mostways,thiswasthesameastheemailserviceprovidedforstaff.During2011,studentemailis
transitioningtoanew,externallyhostedservice,whichwillprovideanevenbetterservicewithoutthe
Universitybearinghostingandrelatedcosts.Studentsretainanemailaddressassociatedwiththe
University,andaccesstoaflexibleandadvancedemailservice.Newbenefitsincludeanonlinecalendaring
systemwhichworksseamlesslywithdesktopandmobilecalendaringclients,1GBonlinefilestorage,atext
chatfacility,andafacilityforcollaborationwithotherstudentsindevelopmentofdocuments,
spreadsheetsandpresentations.
TheUniversityprovidesallstaffwithanemailservice.Forfixedtermandcontinuingstaff,thesystemis
basedonMicrosoftExchange2003andalsoprovidesacalendaringsystem.Exchangeisamodernsystem
withseamlessintegrationofemailandcalendaringonthedesktopandonpopularmobiledevices.
CasualandhonorarystaffhavenotyetbeenmigratedfromanolderUnixbasedstaffemailsystem,which
isattheendofitsreliablelife.BothExchangeandthelegacysystemarerunonUniversityownedand
operatedservers.

PersonalComputers
TheUniversityoperatesafleetofabout14,000personalcomputers.About8000areallocatedasstaff
workstationsandtheremainderareusedatoverthecounterservicepointsorforstudentcomputing.
16

Approximately500areavailabletoallstudentsinthelibrariesandStudentResourceCentres.Manymore
areavailabletostudentsincomputerlabsprovidedbyfaculties.Hoursvaryintheselocations.During
semestersomefacilitiesareclosedonlyfrom2amto7am.Laptopcomputersareavailableforshortterm
studentloansduringopeninghoursattheBaillieuLibrary,theLawLibraryandtheEasternResource
Centre.
Supportarrangementsareintransition.
Formuchofthepersonalcomputerera,theUniversitytookadecentralisedapproachtostaffITsupport
services.SomeUniversitywideserviceswereprovidedcentrally:themajorUniversitysystems,the
Universitywideareanetworkandinternetaccess,bulksoftwarelicensing,purchasingofpersonal
computersandrelateditems,andhardwareandsoftwarestandards.
Localareanetworks,localprintingfacilities,fileservers,personalcomputerdeployment,acquisitionand
installationofdesktopsoftwareandperipheraldevices,andendusersupportwerelefttofacultiesand
departments.
UndertheResponsibleDivisionManagementinitiative,mostITservicesarebecomingCommonServices,
leavingonlyspecialistrequirementstobemetatalocallevel.TheWorkspaceComputingService,towhich
alldivisionswilltransitionby2014,providesstandardservicestosupportworkspacecomputing.The
existingserviceincludesprocurementofnewpersonalcomputers,computermanagement,hardwarefault
investigationandresolution,networkconnection,andinvestigationandresolutionoferrorsinUniversity
standardoperatingenvironmentsoftware.
Arelatedmanagedprintservicecoversprocurement,provisioning,break/fix,valetservice,fleet
management,servicemanagement,andrationalisationoftheprintenvironmentlocatedwithineach
budgetdivision.
StaffrequiringhelpwithIThaveaccesstoacentralITServiceDesk,andITstaffwillwhennecessaryvisit
officestoprovideassistanceandtodeploynewcomputers.
ITHelpDesksforstudentsareprovidedatLevel1intheEasternResourceCentre,andatthePercyBaxter
LearningCentre.Duringsemester,thesearestaffedeveryday,andintheeveningMondaytoThursday.
TheyprovidehelponstudentITmattersincludingtheemailservice,theLMS,theStudentPortal,andin
generaluseofthestudentcomputingfacilities.Theyalsoprovideassistancetostudentsinsettingup
Uniwirelessaccessontheirownlaptopcomputersandmobiledevices.

TeachingSpaces
TeachingspacesintheUniversityarewellequippedwithcomputingandpresentationresources.

17

Type
elearningstudio

Number
6

learningsuite

23

eseminarroom

70

studentworkshop(byo
laptop)
studentworkshop
seminarroomwith
wireless
iMediatheatre

24
12
26

iMediatheatrette

27

44

Facilities
Dataprojector,networkeddualbootcomputerfor
presenter,dualbootcomputerperstudenttable(shared
forgroupwork)linkedforcollaboration,laptop
connectivityforpresenter,wirelesscoverage.
Dataprojector,networkedPCforpresenter,SmartBoard,
wirelesscoverage.
Dataprojector,networkedPC(dualbootinsomecases),
wirelesscoverage.
Dataprojector,laptopconnectivityforpresenter,wireless
coverage.
Wirelesscoverage
Wirelesscoverage,televisionmonitor
Dataprojector,networkeddualbootcomputer,laptop
connectivityforpresenter,lecturecapture(systemthat
automaticallyrecordsaudioand/orvisualcontentfrom
lectures),wirelesscoverage.
Dataprojector,networkeddualbootcomputer,laptop
connectivityforpresenter,lecturecapture(systemthat
automaticallyrecordsaudioand/orvisualcontentfrom
lectures),wirelesscoverage.

18

TheITCapitalPlan20112015

SUPPORTINGGROWINGESTEEM
TheannualreviewofthetenyearITInfrastructurePlanprovidestheopportunitytoensuretheoverall
progressionofprojectssupporttheachievementoftheUniversitysstrategicgoals.Theplandirectly
supportsthevisionfortheUniversityenunciatedinGrowingEsteem2010bysuccessfullyundertaking
projectsthatsupportResearch,LearningandTeaching,EngagementandtheEnablingStream.

Research
By2015,theUniversityaimstobethetoprankeduniversityinallnationalindicatorsofresearchexcellence
andimpact.Melbournewillhaveformedcloserlinkswiththesurroundingmedicalresearchinstitutes,
buildingonexistingcollaborationandtrainingopportunitiesandmaximisingtheglobalimpactoftheentire
precinct.MuchoftheUniversitysresearchwillbecrossdisciplinaryonbothnationalandinternational
scales.
TheUniversitywillcontinuetopursueimprovementstogovernmentfundingofresearchtoachievethe
goaloffullfundingandgreaterinfrastructuresupport.
Collaborationisakeydriverforbringingtogetherpartnerstodeliversolutionstosomeofsocietyspressing
healthandsocialproblems.By2020studentsandresearcherswillbenefitfromtheUniversitys
engagementwithanumberofdifferentpartnerswhichwillbefacilitatedbythefollowingITinfrastructure
projects.Manyarerelatedtonepropertyinfrastructureprojects.InformationTechnologyServiceswill
providebothnetworkandworkspacecomputingsupportfortheseprojects,includingforpartners
occupyingthesebuildings.

TheMelbourneBrainCentreParkvilleandAustinnodes;
ThePeterDohertyInstitutecollaborationwithVictorianpublichealthlaboratories;
CentreforNeuralEngineeringcollaborationbetweenEngineering,ITSandtheFacultyofMDHS;
TheVictorianLifeSciencesComputationInitiative(thesupercomputerinitiative);
TheVictorianComprehensiveCancerCentre;
Networkrenewaltoremediateandupgradethephysicalnetworkacrossthecampus;
eResearchinfrastructuretobuildonexistinginvestmenttofurtherenhancehighspeed
computation,visualizationandlargescaledatastores;

19

GovernmentfundedSuperScienceprojectsBuiltEnvironmentresearchandtheCollaborative
Infrastructureproject;and
CarltonConnectcollaborationwithpartnersIBMandtheStateGovernment.

LearningandTeachingandtheStudentExperience
By2020theUniversitywillhaveinplaceITinfrastructurethatguaranteesstudentshaveaMelbourne
ExperienceunmatchedinqualitybyotherAustraliancomprehensiveresearchuniversities.Graduate
programsneedtoaddresslargevariationsinstudentcircumstancesandbackgroundssuchasculture,age,
career,experience,familyresponsibilities,educationallevel,locationofundergraduatestudyandreasons
forstudy.Thislevelofdiversity,whichwillbeastrengthofthegraduatecohort,requiresflexibilityinthe
Universitysmodesofteachingdelivery.
TodeliverauniquecampusbasedMelbourneExperience,theUniversityhasalignedserviceswithdegree
offeringsthroughstudentcentres,developednewpurposedesignedstudyspaces,providedwireless
connectivityandscheduledcommonsharedtimetoenablestudentsandstafftoengageinactivities
withoutclashes.Acontinuingshifttowardgraduateprogramswillrequiremodificationtoadmissions
policy,timetabling,capitalinfrastructureandonlineaccesstocoursematerials.
TheplannedITinfrastructureprojectswhichsupporttheseambitionsinclude:

UpgradingoftheLearningManagementSystemoftheUniversity;
AnupgradeoftheStudentPortal;
Acustomerrelationshipmanagementsystem;
Astudentadvisingsystem;
Ascholarlysearchsystem;
ExpandingthecoverageoftheUniversitywirelessnetwork.

Engagement
TheUniversitywillcontinuetoexpandthenumberandscopeofitsknowledgepartnerships,andensure
effectivemetricstopromoteexcellenceintheseactivities.Tobeagloballycompetitiveinstitution,the
Universitywillcontinuetoextendanddevelopitsinternationalcharacter.
TheUniversitywilldevelopandexpanditsadvancementactivitieswithamajorcampaignlaunchdesigned
totrebletheUniversitysannualincomefromdonationsandgiftswithinfiveyears.AkeyITprojectwhich
willfacilitateengagementwiththebroadercommunityandprovidecontactswiththeUniversityisthe
CRMsystemandimprovementofouralumnidatabase.

EnablersSupportingtheVision
TherelevantinfrastructureprojectswhichsupporttheUniversitysoperationsbyprovidinghighquality
administrativesystemsareasfollows:

UpgradeandpartialrenewaloftheThemisEnterpriseSystems;
ImprovementoftheexecutivereportingandstrategicanalysissystemsfortheUniversitytoenable
moreinformeddecisionmaking;

20

Implementationofanapplicationintegrationplatformtoenableintegratinginformationfrom
sourceenterprisesystems;
Amasterdatamanagementplatformthatwillassistwithsinglesourceoftruthforkeyinformation
assets;
EnhancementofthewebContentManagementSystemoftheUniversity;
ConstructionofanewDataCentretosupporttheVLSCIandNeuralEngineering;and
CompletionoftheDigitalisationFacilityfortheLibrary;

TheprojectslistedundereachoftheTripleHelixstrandsaboverepresentaveryambitiousprogramofIT
development.Difficultchoicesneedtobemadetocontainthecostoftheseprogramstothefunds
availablesothattheUniversityhasaviableITinfrastructurestrategyinplace.
TheUniversity'sITCapitalPlanhasa2020horizon.withdetailedplansfor20112015.Therearefour
principaldevelopmentprograms:Foundation,Applications,Workspace,andResearchInfrastructurein
whichtheabovespecificprojectsaregrouped.Thefollowingchartshowshowtheplanisorganisedandits
relationshiptoUniversitystrategy

21

CurrentActiveProjectsBudgetsbyServiceOwner
Thefollowingchartshowsthedistributionofthe20112015ITinfrastructureplanfundsbytheseprincipal
developmentprograms.

Note:ResearchInfrastructureprojectsnotincludedaboveincludeHighPerformanceComputingRenewal
($0.2million),NecTARprojects($6.7m)andVERSI($5.2million).

Currentactiveprojects
Thefollowingtablesandchartsshowtheextentofthefundedprojectsineachoftheseareas.

1.

FoundationITinfrastructureandservices
Portfolio/Project
ITSCapability
MasterDataManagement
RemedyUpgrade
ITSSupplierPanel
ApplicationIntegration

Budget
$4.98million
$1.2million
$0.53million
$0.35million
$2.90million

22

Expectedcompletion
Notyetfixed
October2011
September2011
December2013

Portfolio/Project
NetworkServices
NetworkRenewalLAN
IPTelephony
CentralStudentContact
ThomasCherryDataCentreDecommission
UnifiedCommunicationsCarrier,Billing&
Mobility
VERNPhase2
DataBilling
NetworkTransformation
Uniwireless

ServerInfrastructureServices
SecondDataHallBuild
UnixBackupConsolidation
UnixInfrastructreManagement
IdentityandAccessManagementSystem
Replacement
ActiveDirectoryRemediation

StorageServices
StorageServices

Budget
$39.07million
$20million
$9.99million
$0.66million
$0.66million
$1.21million

March2012
May2012
May2011
April2011
May2011

$0.4milliion
$0.8million
$5,45million
$0.53million

August2011
May2011
December2011
December2011

$29.03million
$23.1million
$0.93million
$0.05million
$4.22million

November2011
May2011
notyetfixed
September2011

$0.73million

May2011

$2million
$42million

May2012

ITSCapabilityPortfolio

23

Expectedcompletion

NetworkServicesPortfolio

ServerInfrastructureServices

2.

Applications
Portfolio/Project
LearningandTeaching
StudentPortalRenewal
ScholarlySearch
SyllabusPlusRenewal
StudentEmailTransition
SubjectExperienceSurveyOnline
CourseandSubjectCatalogue(RDMI)
LMSRenewal

Budget
$6.74million
$1.5million
$0.38million
$0.25million
$0.55million
$0.45million
$0.92million
$2.7million

24

Expectedcompletion
March2013
July2011
October2011
April2011
June2011
August2011
December2013

Portfolio/Project
Engagement
WebStrategy
WebAccessibilityImplementation
CMSUpgrade
WebPayment
NexusCRM

Administration
EnterpriseReporting
ISISConnect
eProcurement
ThemisImprovement

Research
ResearchSystemsUpgrade

Budget
$4.08million
$0.15million
$0.3million
$0.08million
$0.55million
$3million

April2011
April2011
April2011
April2011
November2011

$21.02million
$1.5million
$5million
$0.52million
$14million

December2015
June2013
April2011
December2014

$4.81million
$4.81million

June2012

ApplicationsLearning&TeachingPortfolio

ApplicationsEngagementPortfolio

25

Expectedcompletion


ApplicationsAdministrationPortfolio

3.

WorkspaceComputing
Portfolio/Project
Workspace
WorkspaceComputing&Infrastructure
Neuroscience
WesternTTR
EmailExchange2010UpgradeandDisaster
Recovery
ThinClientInvestigation
LegacyEmail

Budget
$18.34million
$12.45million
$1.27million
$0.15million
$3million

November2014
December2011
May2011
October2011

$0.66million
$0.81million

July2011
November2011

4.

ResearchInfrastructure
26

Expectedcompletion

Portfolio/Project
ResearchInfrastructure
VictorianLifeSciencesComputation
Initiative
NationaleResearchToolsandResources
(NeCTAR)
ResearchDataStorageInfrastructure
(RDSI)
AustralianUrbanResearchInfrastructure
Network(AURIN)

Budget
Expectedcompletion
$217million(NationaleResearchInvestments)
$100million
2013
$47million

2015

$50million

2015

$20million

2015

Detailsofprojects
EachofthesemajorITprojectslistedintheabovetablesisdescribedinthissection.

ThemisDevelopment
TheThemisImprovementproject,plannedforcompletionbylate2014,isareimplementationofthe
Themissystems,basedonnextreleaseOracleapplicationsanddatabaseplatform,withdramatically
reducedcustomization,andconsequentbusinessprocessreengineering.Itisbelievedthatnoessential
businessfunctionalitywillbelost,butthatalignmentofbusinessprocesseswithstandardsystem
functionalitycouldsaveupto$10millionover10years.
AninitiativewithinThemisImprovementisMasterDataManagement.
MasterDataManagement(MDM)isafoundationalUniversitycapability;MDMsupportsimproved
reliability,availabilityandongoingmanagementofbusinessinformation,particularlywherethesame
informationneedstobeusedbymorethanonebusinessarea.ThekeyoutcomesofMDMaredatathat
canbereused,thatisclearlyunderstood,andthathasbeenallocatedappropriatedatagovernance(data
custodians,responsibleforpolicy,anddatastewards,responsibleforoperationalmaintenanceofmaster
data).AnobjectiveofMDMisthatThemisbecomesatrulyintegratedsystemratherthanacollectionof
relatedsystems.

ISIStheStudentManagementSystem
Asnoted,ISISworks,butnotwithoutsignificantpainpoints.TheISISConnectinitiativeisintendedto
stabilisethesystemandtoaddressthechallengesnotedandothermatters,overthe20112013period.

OnlineLearning
TheBlackboardLMSandrelatedsystemshaveservedtheUniversitywell,butthetimeshavechanged,as
havetheavailabletechnologiesandstudentexpectations.
ThepurposeoftheLMSRenewalproject(20112013)istomoveawayfromtheisolatedexperienceofa
modularLMStoamodelofaPersonalLearningEnvironment(PLE).APLEisprimarilyconcernedwiththe
practicesofstudentsinlearningwithcontextualanddiversetechnologies,ratherthanacategoryof
software.RatherthaninteractingwiththetoolssuppliedwithintheformalspacesoftheUniversityonly,
thePLEenablesawiderangeofcontextstobecoordinatedtosupportthegoalsofthestudent.
27

StudentPortal
TheStudentPortalRenewalproject(20122013),embryonicatthiswriting,isintendedtoovercome
existinglimitations:mostlikelythiswillincludemovingtoanewsoftwareplatform.

LibrarySystems
Themainissuewiththepresentscholarlysearchtools,whicharelargelyinhouse,isusability.Inrecent
times'cloudbased'scholarlysearchanddiscoverytoolshavebeendevelopedbyvendors.The2011
ScholarlySearchprojectwillexplorethepossibilityofmovingsomeofourLibrarySystemsfunctionalityto
suchcloudbasedservices.

IdentityandAccessManagement
Aprojectisunderwaytodeliveranidentitymanagementsolutionwithrichfunctionality,flexibilityand
usability;tomeetUniversityneedsforamoreadvancedapproachtoidentitymanagementthrough
initiativessuchasfederatedaccessmanagementtoservicesandresourceswithinandoutsidethe
University;toallowbroaderdefinitionsofmembersoftheUniversitycommunity;andwithgreaterlevels
ofresponsibilityandcontrolforsecurity,privacyandcompliance.

TheUniversityNetwork
Thenextstepis'networktransformation'.Networkrenewalprovidesafaster,morereliableandmore
securenetwork,butnotamanageablenetwork.Networktransformationmakesthenetworkmanageable
andautomatesprocessesassociatedwithconnectionofenduserdevices.Itprovidesstateoftheart
accounting,accountability,accesscontrolandusermobility.
Overthelastdecade,theUniversityhasbuiltawirelessdatanetwork,nowknownasUniwireless,with
coverageacrossmostUniversitypremiseswherestudentsgatherforscholarlypurposes.Students,and
staff,canconnecttothenetworkusingasuitabledeviceandtheircentralUniversityusernameand
password.FunctionalityislimitedtoaccesstotheUniversityNetwork,andtoexternalwebsitesviaaweb
proxyserver.Theselimitationsaresignificant,andreducethevalueoftheservice,especiallywhenitis
usedwithmobiledevices.Itisimperativethatanyapplicationavailablethroughawirednetworkatthe
desktopbeavailablethroughthewirelessnetworkandindeedinmostcases,applicationsshouldbe
availablevieanyinternetconnection.

StaffEmailandCalendaring
AprojectisunderwaytoimplementaMicrosoftExchange2010servicewithsufficientcapacityforallstaff,
includingcasualandhonorarystaff.Aswellasthebenefitsofbringingallstaffontoonesystem,Exchange
2010offersbettersupportforMacintoshusers.

WorkspaceComputing
In2011,thescopeoftheWorkspaceComputingServiceisincreasing,toincludeserversidefilestorageand
management,servermanagement,andstudentlabmanagement.
ExpectedbenefitsofworkspaceasaCommonServiceincludelowercoststhroughstandardisationand
economiesofscale,betterphysicalandnetworksecurity,improvedservermanagementandeconomy
28

throughvirtualisation,andimprovedserveravailability,supportandrecovery.Thereisalsoasignificant
benefitinthatITstaffwhoremainatthelocallevelwillbeabletofocusonrequirementswhicharetruly
local.
Theinitiativeisnotwithoutrisk.Changemanagementwillbekeytosuccessofthiscomplexinitiative,as
willbefindingwaysinwhichtomeetthediversityofneedsintheUniversitywhilegainingtheeconomies
ofstandardisation.ChangeisalwaysdifficultandexperiencewithPhase1budgetdivisionsshowsthat
resistanceislikelyfromaffectedITstaffandusers,especiallyacademicstaff.
Thechallenge,whichissignificantbutnotinsurmountable,is:
successfuldeliveryofWorkspaceICTservicestomeettheneedsofacademicandprofessional
staffandstudentsoftheUniversity.Thesecoreservicesprovideandsupporttheeveryday
technologyenvironmentthatisusedinthestafforstudentworkspace.
Especiallyinthecaseofstudents,itiscriticaltorecognisethattheworkspaceincludescomputersand
otherdeviceswhichareownedbytheuser,nottheUniversity.
Whilsttherearechallengestheloweringofcostsisasubstantialbenefitasshownbelow.Eveninitsfirst
years,WorkspaceComputingisexpectedtoprovidesavingsexceedingthecostoftheinitiative;inthelong
term,weexpectannualnettsavingsofnearly$6million.

29

ITCapitalPlan20162020

TheITCapitalPlanfundsthreetypesofbroadexpenditures:
1. NewITcapitalinitiatives(innovation)
2. Renewal(cyclicreplacement)ofexistingITassets
3. Maintenanceofexistingsoftwareandhardwareassets
Overrecentyears,theUniversityhasinvestedsignificantlyinnewinitiatives,suchasISIS,theLMS,
upgradestoThemis,networkandUnifiedCommunications.Asaresult,therenewalandmaintenance
componentsoftheITCapitalPlanhaveincreasinglyconsumedhigherproportionsoftheITCapitalPlan,
leavinglittlecapacityforinnovationandnewinitiatives.Someadditionalfundingwasapprovedin2009to
implementoutcomesoftheEnterpriseSystemsReview.
ThediagrambelowshowsthecompositionoftheITCapitalPlanforthepastthreeyearsandintothe
future.Theamountavailablefornewinitiativescontinuestodeclineasavailablefundingisusedto
maintainandrenewexistinginfrastructure.

SuchistherateofchangeinITthatitisdifficulttoforeseethediscretionaryopportunitiesof20162010;
whatisknownisthatalargeproportionofavailablefundswillbetiedtorenewalandmaintenance.
30

Forwardestimates($million)for20162020include:

ITMaintenanceOperating
2016
EnterpriseSoftwareLicenceMaintenance 12.60
ITInfrastructureHardwareMaintenance
7.22

2017
13.20
7.53

2018
13.84
7.86

2019
14.50
8.20

2020
15.50
8.56

ITRenewalProjectsCapital
ITRenewalPrograms

2016
14.57

2017
15.33

2018
16.11

2019
16.95

2020
17.82

IPPStrategicProjectsCapital
Feasibilitystudies
EmergingProjectsunallocated

2016
0.69
4.61

2017
0.73
5.12

2018
0.77
5.31

2019
0.80
5.59

2020
0.84
5.87

31

LongerTermPriorities

Towardsandbeyond2015,theUniversitywillmoveawayfromthetraditionthatUniversitysystemsare
runinhouse.Instandardisedandcommoditisedsystems,socalled'cloud'providersenjoyeconomiesof
scaleandscopewhichtheUniversitycannotemulate.Themarketsmaynotevolveinwayswhichmake
cloudsourcedsystemsthebestoptionfortheUniversityinallcases,butourfirstquestionwillbe:can
someoneelsedothisforusinamorecosteffectivemannerthanwecandoourselves.
Fromtheenduserperspective,Universitysystemsmustmeet,orevenexceed,theexpectationsthat
studentsandstaffhavefromtheirexperienceasconsumers.Tothegreatestextentpossiblegiventhe
natureofthetransactionandtheregulatoryenvironment,enrollingonlineshouldbeaseasyandpleasant
asmakinganairlinebookingonline;workingwiththeUniversityfinancesystemshouldbeaseasyas
internetbankingwiththebigfour.Thebackroomexperience(forexample,thefinancialsystemas
experiencedbyfinancialstaffasdistinctfromthosemerelycarryingouttransactions)shouldbe
comparablewiththeexperienceofthoseincomparablebackroomrolesinrelevantindustries(for
example,inthefinancialservicesindustry).
Identityandaccesswillbemanagedinsuchamannerthatwhatpeoplecandodependsonwhotheyare,
notwheretheyareorhowtheyareconnectedtotheinternet.
Allstudentsandstaffwillsharetheoneemail/calendar/collaborationsystem,abletocollaboratewitheach
other,andwithcalendaringandcollaborationfacilitatedbyleveragingThemis/ISISinformation(e.g.
classroomcommitmentsautomaticallyappearinone'scalendar,andwithpermissionpresets/defaultsfor
optinsharingofonlineworkspaceswithclassmatesandcolleagues(basedonenrolmentandorganisation
diagraminformation).
WorkspaceComputingwillmaturetobecomeacovetedservice;avaluedprivilegeassociatedwith
studyingorworkingattheUniversity.
TheUniversityNetworkwillprovideperformanceandreliabilitywellbeyondthatoftheconsumerISP
experience,notonlyonthewirednetworkasatpresent,butalsoonthecampuswirelessservice.Network
transformationwillbringthemanagedflexibilityandcontrolofthebestoftheconsumerservices.
TechnologiesthatareemergingbutnotyetmainstreamandnotyetembracedinUniversitylifearelikelyto
changethewaythingsaredonein2015andbeyond.Studentsandstaffwillusethesetechnologiesintheir
32

Universityworkandonotheraspectsoftheirlives;thechallenge,andtheopportunity,forUniversityIT,is
innotonlyaccommodatingthisbutalsoinexploitingtheconsequentopportunitiestotransformtheway
workisdone.Somesuchtechnologiesarediscussedbelow.
3Gdataserviceshavealreadybecomeinexpensive,withcoveragefor99%oftheAustralianpopulation.
AccordingtotheAustralianBureauofStatistics,therewere3.5millionactive3Ginternetaccessaccounts
inAustraliainJune2010.3Gisjustoneaspectofmobilityandportability,butitisanimportantaspect.It
meanspeopledothingsandusethingseverywhere,notjustathomeandoncampus.Itincreasesthe
'anytime'aspectoftheUniversityexperiencetoo,becauseoneislessoftenwithoutinternetconnectivity.
Alongwiththesensorsfoundinmobiledevicesbutnotlaptops(GPS,compass,accelerometer,gyroscopic
orientationsensing),3Gmakespossiblenewapplications.Thesenewapplicationsmaynotoriginatein
highereducation,buttheywillbeusedinhighereducation.AnexampleisStarWalk,aniPadplanetarium
applicationthatusestheposition,timeandorientationofthedevicetoprovideachartofthestars,planets
andothercelestialobjects.Ineverydaylife,TramTrackerforiPhonefindsnearbytramstopsandliststhe
nextthreetramsapproaching.
MobiledevicesliketheiPadandtheemergingAndroidandWindowsrivals;alsosmartphones,aremore
thanjustthesameIT,butinacafeoronthetrain,Inthisuniversity,theevidenceistheretheymatter,as
maybeseenjustwalkingaroundandnoticingthesedeviceseverywhere.Studentsandstaffwhohave
thesedevicesreasonablyexpecttheUniversitytomakeiteasyandpleasanttointeractwiththeUniversity
usingamobiledevice.Banks,airlines,Amazon,Google,andothers,setthatexpectation.
Goingbeyondmerelymeetingexpectations,weaspiretodelightstudentsandstaffwhousemobile
devices.Consumerorientedorganisationsaredoingsoalready.
Onlinecollaboration,althougheasilyoverstatedespeciallyinacampuscentreduniversity,willbe
important,particularlyaspeopletrytocutdownontravelforreasonsofcost,safetyandtheenvironment.
StudentsarelikelytocollaborateonlineinUniversitysponsoredspaces,if,butonlyif,encouragedtodoso.
Universityprovidedonlinecollaborationspaceswillcompetewiththosereadilyavailabletothegeneral
public:thekeystrengththeUniversitywillhaveisinidentityandaccessmanagement.IftheUniversity
providescollaborationspacesinwhichstudentsandstaffcantakeitforgrantedthataccesscontrolhas
beentakencareof,leveragingThemisandISISinformation,thosespaceswillbecomepreferred.Absent
thatleverageoftheinstitutionalcontext,arelikelytojustuseordinaryGoogleappsaccounts,orDropbox
oranyofthemanyothercommercialofferings.
TheCloud.Cloudstorageforeasy,cheap,secure,backedupdata,availableanytime,anywhere,beautifully
meetingtheneedsofthenomadicstudentuser.Cloudapps,especiallyforcollaborationbutalsofor
Universitysystems.CloudCPUsforcomputeintensiveresearch.
ePub,alongwithPDFandafewotheruniversalinformationformatsiswhatmakesdeviceagnosticism
possible.It'swhatmakesaccesstoinformationeverywherepossible.Academicpublishingaslikelytoadopt
ePubonalargescaleinthenearfuture.Licensingwillbeadifficultissue,andbusinessmodelsmaysit
uneasilywiththetraditionalmodelsforinstitutionalaccesstoscholarlypublications.
Virtualisationmeansthatincaseswherewecan'treallyexpectstudentstousetheirowncomputersand
software(because,forexample,therequiredsoftwareforasubjectisveryexpensive),westilldon'treally
needtoprovidecomputerlabsinthetraditionalmanner.Itmightnotalwayswork(forexample,whenthe
33

specialisedworkstudentsneedtodorequiresspecialandexpensivehardware),butitwillworkinmany
cases.AdvantagetotheUniversityvirtualserversinarack(orinthecloud)costlesstobuyandlesstorun
thanacomputerlab.Ittakeslessspace,freeingspaceupforattractiveandflexiblesocialandlearning
environmentsforstudents.Italsomakes24/7accesseasy,andthestudentcanbeathome,atwork,
anywhereintheworld,solongastheyhavethebandwidth.AndwithNBN,theyusuallywillhavethe
bandwidth.
VirtualisationalsoletsusshiftphysicalresourcesbetweenmajorUniversitysystemswiththeebbandflow
ofloadthroughtheyear.Betterstill,wecanleaseextraresourcesinthecloudatamoment'snotice.The
samegoesforourlabsinthesky.
ConsumerisationasinAmazonandiTunes,meansseveralthings.Itmeansstudentsandstaffwilloften
bypasstraditionalUniversitychannelslikethebookshopandthelibrarywhentheyseekmaterial.Itmeans
theywillexpectdiscoveryanddeliverythroughUniversitychannelstoprovidethesamefunctionalityand
easeofusethattheyhavewithAmazon,iTunes,andGoogleBooks.Itmeansaconflict,whichwillnotbe
resolvedquickly,betweentheUniversitytraditionofallyoucaneat(buyabookonceandlenditoutas
oftenasyoulike;payafixedannualfeeforallstaffandallstudentstohaveaccesstoonlinejournals),and
theconsumercontentmodelpayperitem.Willaninstitutionalsubscriptionmodelevolveforonline
ebookvendors?
There'sanappforthat!Imaginesubjectreadingliststhatincludefreeorinexpensiveappsforpersonal
computersandotherdevices;appswhichfacilitatelearning,illustratekeyconcepts,allowthestudentto
explore.Thesecomplementtheappsinthesky.Weareunlikelytodeveloptheseappsbutwecouldcurate
them:theUniversityasthestudent'sguideontheside.There'snothingreallynewhere:theUniversityhas
fordecadesproducedlistsofrequiredorrecommendedtextsforstudents;thisismerelyaboutextending
thesameideatosubjectspecificapps.Forthatmatter,it'snodifferenttoprovidingalistofcalculators
suitableforuseinaparticulardiscipline.Akeytrendinsoftware,especiallyformobiledevices,istowards
peopleusingmanyapps,eachofwhichdoesjustoneortwothingsverywell,incontrasttothetrendofthe
lastdecadeorso,inwhichpeoplehavetendedtousejustafewsoftwarepackagestodonearlyeverything.

TheStudentITExperiencepost2015:ADayintheLifeofSally
Sallyisacourseworkstudent,studyingtowardsaMastersinAcousticFinance.Insomesenses,Sallyliveson
theinternet,connectedmostofthedaywhetherusingherlaptop,iPhoneoriPad.Sheusesthenet
constantlyinherlifeasastudent,asaprofessionalandinpersonallife.TheUniversityonlinepresenceis
butone,important,partofheronlineinteractionwithcontent,withfamilyandfriends,andwith
colleagueswithinandbeyondtheUniversity.

34

Sally'sPersonalLearningEnvironment

ThedaybeginscheckingtheCalendaronheriPhone,whichissyncedtotheUniversity'scalendaring
system,amongstothers.EachsemesterwhenSallyenrols,ISISautomaticallypopulateshercalendarwith
classroomcommitmentsandkeyassessmentandadministrativedates.(Sallydoesn'tknowit,butneither
theISISpeoplenorthosewhoimplementedthestudentcalendaringsystemthoughofthat:itwasan
opportunityidentifiedbytheITStrategyAdvisoryGroupduringitsintegratedreviewofITsystemsand
services.)
Today,alongwithtwoseminarstoattendandanessaytosubmit,Sally'scalendarremindsherthattuition
isdue.Hersyndicateisduetopresentaseminarthismorning,andtheyworkedlongintotheevening
finalisingthepresentationinGoogleDocswhilediscussingitinGoogleTalk.It'sagoodthingthatbetween
them,ISISandBlackboardtakecareofmakingsurethatthesecollaborativespacesautomaticallyknow
whoisworkingwithwhoandthereforemaintainsthesharingsettingsotherwiseshe'dspendmoretime
messingaboutwithsharingsettingsandlesstimegettingonwithlearning.Overbreakfast,shemakesa
35

finalreviewoftheGoogleDocspresentationusingheriPad,andsawthathercolleagueJohnhadpickedup
andfixedasmallbutawkwardmistake.
OnthetrainintoParkville,Sally'sstillusingtheiPad.Shechecksheremail;nothingthere.Shelogsintothe
studentportaltodownloadthetuitioninvoice,andthenlogsintoherbanktomakethepayment.Then
sometimeoutonFacebookbeforethetrainpullsintotheGrattanStreetundergroundstation.
Seminartime.Sally'ssyndicateusetheclassroomlecternPCtologintotheirGoogleDocsspace,andalsoto
asharedDropboxspacewherethey'vepreparedsomeotherresources.ShegetsanSMSfromJohnhe's
fallenoffhisbikeandwon'tbethere.OK,atleasttheyknow.Thegrouppresents,andSallymoderatesthe
ensuingdiscussion,usingQuickpolltoputcontentiousquestionstothevotefellowstudentsvoteusing
theirsmartphones,withrealtimeresultsdisplayedonthebigscreen,alongwiththetwitterfeedforthe
seminar.Attheendoftheclass,theprofessorgivesherperspectiveonthepresentationandthe
discussion,andreferstheclasstworecentandrelevantpapers.
Downtime,somecoffeeandachat,andnoIT!Thenit'sofftotheEasternResourceCentretodownload
thosepapers.OneisanePuboniTunesUandSallydownloadsitstraighttotheiPad.Theotherpaperisin
anexternalresearchdatabasebehindapaywall;forthat,it'sSupersearchonthelaptop,allthrough
Uniwireless.Thatdone,anIMfromJohnpopsuponSkypeisthesyndicateupforlunchatPA's?Yesthey
allare,in45minutes.Sallyleansbacktoreadthroughtoday'sAge,iPadedition,beforelunch.
Afterlunch,Sally'snextclassisinaspeciallocation,abuildingshe'snotbeentobefore.TheRaymond
ThomasBerryBarryCherryRedmondBuilding.OnheriPhone,sheusestheUnimelbappwhichdetectsher
positionusingGPSandguidesherfromPA'stothatbuilding.
Aftertheclass,it'stimeforafinalreviewoftheessaydueforsubmissiontoday.Sallythenlogsintothe
LMSandsubmitstheessayviaTurnitin.WhilstattheLMS,shenoticessomelecturer'snotesforaclass
nextweek,andalsothattheLectureCapturerecordingofherpresentationthismorningisnowavailable
fordownload.
Onthetrainhome,SallygetsstartedreadingtheePubpaperonheriPad,makingnotesandplacing
bookmarks.Shechecksintoanonlineforumassociatedwiththemorningseminar;afairlyanimated
discussionisstillunderwayandSallyaddsafewcommentsofherownbeforereachinghome.
Afterdinner,beforeturningtoherstudies,SallypaysafewbillsonBpayandthenturnstothemore
cheerfulbusinessofusingQantasandExpediatobookatriptowatchherfavouredfootballteamplayin
Sydneynextweekend.Noclassestomorrow,soit'sagoodeveningtogetsomeworkdoneintheCAD/CAM
lab.Thereareonly20CAD/CAMcloudPCslicensed(thesoftwarecosts$4000,soshe'snotabouttorunit
onherownlaptop),andtheyareallinusesosheregistersinthequeue.TimeforsomeWikipediabrowsing
andsomesillyYoutubevideos.HalfanhourlatertheSMScomesinaCAD/CAMcloudPCisnowavailable
andshehasfiveminutestograbit.Onherlaptop,shelaunchesthethinclientapplicationandlogsstraight
intothecloudPC.She'snotsurewhetheritisoncampusorinAustraliaforthatmatterandshedoesn't
care.She'sathome,effectivelyusinga'virtual'computerlabrunningsoftwareshecan'taffordtohaveat
home.Surebeatsthedaysofhangingaroundoncampusallnight.
Throughouttheday,Sallyusedmanykindsofonlineresourceandapplications.Someofitwasvia3G,
somewasviaherhomewirelessnetworkandtheNBN,somewasviathecampuswiredandwireless
networks.Thatwasallseamlesshercomputerandotherdevicesswitchautomaticallybetweenavailable
36

services.Italljustworked.ShemovedseamlesslybetweenUniversityorientedactivityandotherthings,
barelyperceivingadifferenceintermsofthetechnology.StudentITpost2015isallaboutSally,notthe
Universityorthetechnology.

TheResearchITExperiencepost2015:ADayintheLifeofJames
ProfessorJamesSmithiswithNeuroscienceVictoria.AlthoughnotaUniversityemployee,theidentityand
accessmanagementsystem,alongwithnationalandinternationalfederatedarrangementswiththesame
purpose,ensurethatJameshasaccesstoalltheUniversityITresourcesheneeds,alongwithresourcesat
ANU,intheUnitedStatesandinEurope.
ThedaystartsearlywithavideoconferencefromhomewithprojectteammembersintheAustralia,theUS
andFrance.OnethingITcan'tdoiseliminatetimezones.Stillathome,JamesusesVLSCIresourcesin
collaborationwithanANUcolleaguetovisualisetheirmodelofhowanewlyengineeredmoleculemight
worktostoptheadvanceofdementiaintheaged.TheywriteuptheirnotestogetherinGoogleDocs
morefederatedidentitymagic.
DuringJames'walkintoParkville,anurgentmessageonhisphonefromateachingcolleaguemightthe
teacherpleasehaveacopyofaslideJamespresentedatlastweek'sseminar,touseinclasslaterthis
morning.JamestravelslighthewalkstoworkbutheiscarryinganAndroidtabletwhichheusestomake
aremoteconnectionover3Gtohisofficedesktop,fromwhichheemailstherequestedslide,
Inthelab,it'selectronmicroscopy,capturinggigabytesperminute,allofwhichistransferredforthwithto
adistributedinternationalresearchdatastoresupportedbytheGo8withfundingfromthe
Commonwealth,theBillandMelindaGatesFoundationandtheEuropeanUnion.Atthesametime,VLSCI
facilitiespreprocesstherawdataforvisualisationandanalysis.Thisinternationalresearchresourcegrows
atterabytesperday,withcomplementaryanalysesunderwayconstantlybyteammembersonthree
continents.
Intheafternoon,itisaParkvillePrecinctStrategicAdvisoryGroupmeeting.Duringlunchtime,thegroup's
ExecutiveOfficerputsalatepaperintothecommitteeDropbox.It'sashortpaperwhichJamesreadsonhis
Androidovercoffeebeforemakinghiswaytothemeeting.Ontheway,heusestheUniMeetingapponhis
iPhoneto'star'thepaperfordiscussion.
It'sashortevening,becausethere'syetanotherearlymorninginternationalteleconference,butJames(an
expatriateEnglishman)takesthetimetoenjoythehighdefinitionpayperviewUKmatchoftheday
netcast,deliveredliveviatheNBN.

37

Theinformationinthispublicationwascorrectatthetimeofprinting.TheUniversityreservestherighttomake
changesasdeemedappropriate.

Authorisedby:theSeniorVicePrincipal
CRICOSProviderCode:00116K
theUniversityofMelbourne,June2011