Contents
1. Saving Energy - Why?
Reasons to be Saving
2. Saving Energy - How?
2.1. Virtualisation
OUCS hosts virtualised servers and has considerable experiences of running virtual
servers under VMware ESX and vSphere, at low cost. Virtulaisation saves money and
space. Most UAS servers are virtual machines running on hardware managed by
OUCS.
Nottingham Trent University study showed potential savings to be made. Half of
their 300 servers were virtualised.
- Saved 1,050,000 kWh/annum
- Led to savings of £78750/annum
- At 7.5p per kWh the initial costs should be covered in under 4 years.
- If the electricity price increases, payback will be more rapid.
Already have virtualisation hardware?
- New Infrastructure as a Service, or IaaS service
- provides virtualised virtualisation infrastructure
- computing on demand, cloud-based services
2.2. New Machine Room, New Services
OUCS has new, custom-built machine room. We can offer:
- Tiered services
- Hosting for existing rack mounted kit
- Virtual servers
- Dual-site resilience
More about Shared Infrastructure Services.
2.3. Wake on LAN (WOL)
Save money and energy by turning off computers when not in use. This technology
enables people to turn on computers remotely (e.g. from home), which is a common
reason why people leave computers turned on. Older pilot service is now being
replaced with a more sophisticated offering (e.g. remove restriction on being
limited to one subnet).
Contact nsms@oucs.ox.ac.uk to discuss implementing WOL in your College or
Department.
More about Wake on Lan and Power Management
3. Making the Most of your Web Presence
OUCS offers:
- Free simple web hosting
- Web design and consultancy from the Web Design Service
- Application development from Infodev
- Servers - virtual or physical
OUCS manage the www.ox.ac.uk web server - we're reliable!
Some Examples of Our Work:
Contact infodev@oucs.ox.ac.uk for
information on OUCS’s web services.
4. Network, Communications and Security
4.1. Network Resilience
Network switch service - £100-£200 pound per network switch, we'll replace failed
switch hardware. (Maximum ceiling of £1000).
Upgraded
1 G/bit connections to the backbone available
Second Janet connection being put into the old India Institute building this year,
further improving the resilience of the University’s Internet connections.
4.2. Additional, Local Firewall
Do you need one?
- University network is under constant attack
- Main University firewall has to have unrestrictive rules
- Many departments and colleges have local firewalls
- OUCS offers a
managed firewall service
4.3. Information Security
Your reputation is valuable and you don’t want to waste money dealing with data
loss. Information Security affects everyone especially those of us responsible for
how our departments and colleges operate. Recent self assessment tool showed it as
a weak point.
Security breaches can cost reputation and money. The Information Security Best
Practice Group can provide help with Policy and a Toolkit including
specific advice for Bursars and Administrators.
5. Server Management
OUCS offers server management of both physical and virtual servers running Windows
and Linux.
Managed Mac Platform (MMP) service - OUCS will manage all aspects of service delivery
for Departmental or College Macs.
OUCS provides backup, using HFS, for departmental servers and desktops. We
recommend that you take advantage of central backup on top of whatever else you do.
6. Research Technology Services (RTS)
The Research Technologies Service (RTS) in OUCS provides a centre of expertise to
support research projects and to develop research infrastructure. http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/rts/.
OUCS offers advice on:
- Designing the technical aspects of the project
- Setting up the IT for the project
- Doing the work of the project
- The end of the project and beyond
Contact rts@oucs.ox.ac.uk for details.
7. Printing Services
OUCS runs a professional printing service producing high quality items such as
leaflets, booklets, postcards, brochures, and other small scale publications.
Sample publications
Contact tony.hunter@oucs.ox.ac.uk
8. Help Centre
The OUCS Help centre is a backstop and source of extra expertise and temporary
capacity. Support should always be sought from your own IT staff (the “local IT
staff”) first
Help desk is available 8.30am - 8:30pm, Mon-Fri
Anytime
- Email
- Comprehensive self-help Web resource
Open user area
- Macs
- PCs
- Printers
- Scanners
- Video editing
- More economical than setting up your own facilities
Help Centre chargeable services can take the load off your own IT Support
Staff
- Hardware assessments and repairs available
- We will advise against uneconomic repair
- We’re Apple-accredited so can do warranty work
- Backups and re-installs offered
- Take the load off ITSS to let them be more strategic and do more interesting
things
- Specific expertise not economical at the unit level
More about the help centre
Breakdown cover is not just for cars!
- Hardware breakdown cover available for College, Department and Personal
computers and more including iPods
- Extremely favourable rates
- Covers accidental damage too
- Can “book” to start at end of warranty
More about the breakdown service
9. What OUCS provides for IT Staff
- Induction for new (and rusty!) staff
- Rich web resources including Wiki
- Tools for local user management
- Priority helpdesk and registration access
- Technical training
- BCS group membership
- “Lunch and Learn” seminars
- Annual Conference and Exhibition
- Social events – invaluable for networking
Are your IT staff using all this?
We can help recruit new IT staff as well as support existing staff
- Many experienced recruiters and managers in OUCS
- We will Shortlist and Interview with you
- We have a large stock of Job Descriptions and Adverts
- We’re up-to-date with best practice training
- Job description reviews (for re-grades) offered
- Help with workplace IT related issues – but we are IT experts, not Personnel
Services!
Please ask us early!
More about the ITS3
10. Learning and Teaching
Learning and teaching is about much more than just courses…
Courses, Facilities and Expertise
- Wide range of courses available
- Huge saving on commercial offerings
- Course books available in ITLP portfolio
- We’re an Apple authorised training centre
- Lecture rooms are state-of-the-art
- And you can hire them!
- We can advise on creating your own
- We have lots of kit you can try
- Guidance & advice on teaching with technology
- Pedagogical expertise on tap…
Contact ltg@oucs.ox.ac.uk for general
advice about teaching and learning and courses@oucs.ox.ac.uk
for information about our courses.
See the Thames Suite pages for information about our rooms and how to hire them.
See our courses section to view and book one of our many courses.
Virtual Learning Environment - WebLearn
- Brings together teaching and learning activities
- Many tools and functions
- Tutorial sign-up
- Surveys
- Questionnaires
- Reading lists
- Chat
- Assessment
- And lots more
More about WebLearn
11. Communication
We can help you communicate with people how they like to communicate
We can help you formulate policies on and safely use:
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Blogs
- OxItems & RSS (news syndication and use on websites)
- Text messaging to mobile phones
- Emergency use
- Reminder use
- Out-of-term use
- WebEx Service and Skype byte-size course - including for interviewing
Contact the help centre for more advice
12. Podcasts & iTunesU speak to tomorrow’s, today’s and yesterday’s
students
Oxford’s iTunesU brings your material to their iPhone, iPad, iPod etc. via
iTunes
- Reach potential students – attract good candidates
- Reach current students – distribute course material
- Reach alumni – maximise development opportunities
- We offer wide expertise in recording, editing and distributing online material
and can do as much or as little for you as you wish
- We know all the legal issues and can help you through them
- 8 million downloads in first 2 years!
More about podcasting
13. Mobile Oxford
- Find a library book, find a bus, find a lecture, find a post box: all from a
mobile
- Personal computing is moving from laptops to mobiles
- Quick way to get info to students and staff
- We can work with you to provide your information
- Mobile Oxford is an award-winning service
More about mobile oxford
14. Services for Visitors, Delegates, etc.
Keep your conference delegates happy and make them want to come back
Eduroam
- Ideal for other HEI members
- Get tools and setup help for ITSS
- Perfect for staff across Oxford too
OWL-Visitor
- Ideal for non-eduroam users
- Resource for organisers, porters etc.
- Laptop hire (via ITSS)
- Favourable rates and custom configurations
- For in-house teaching as well as conferences
More about wireless networks
15. IT Strategy?
Where is your IT and where’s it going? Do you have an IT Strategy?
OUCS has wide experience in:
- IT reviews/audits available
- Staff & Student interviews
- Surveys
- Technical reviews
- Advice and recommendations
- Ongoing implementation support
- Helping you to develop IT strategy and budget in line with unit strategy and
budget
16. Finding Out More About OUCS Services
How to point your users at our services
- Our marketing materials
are available on our web site
- Displays in common areas
- Use in information packs
- Brighten up student computer rooms
- Remember you don’t have to provide everything
Have you got an OUCS rep?
- Reps scheme provides a contact point for a unit other than via IT Staff
- Enables non-technical dialogue about things that OUCS offers
- Reps are high-level and strategic
- Many senior OUCS staff involved
- Bring OUCS reports to meetings & committees if you wish
- Will work in the best way to fit your needs
- Always work in consultation with ITSS
Find out more about OUCS Reps.
We’re here to help you get the most out of what we can offer in partnership with
your own ITSS