ECE Project Documentation

Draft Project Brief

21/03/2006

ECE Project Brief

Date: 24/03/2006 Version: 0.5 (Draft - published) Author: Andrew Hynes 1.1 Overview.............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Background.......................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Project Definition................................................................................................. 2 1.3.1 Project Objectives......................................................................................... 2 1.3.2 Project Scope................................................................................................. 2 1.3.3 Project Deliverables/Outcomes..................................................................... 2 1.3.4 Exclusions..................................................................................................... 4 1.3.5 Constraints..................................................................................................... 5 1.3.6 Interfaces....................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Outline Business Case.......................................................................................... 6 1.4.1 Reasons..........................................................................................................6 1.4.2 Benefits..........................................................................................................6 1.5 Budgets................................................................................................................. 7 1.6 Customer Quality Expectations............................................................................ 7 1.7 Acceptance criteria............................................................................................... 7 1.8 Known risks..........................................................................................................7

1.1 Overview
The ECE Project Brief forms the foundations for the project. Its purpose is to define the project in only enough detail for the Project Board to determine whether the project is viable. It also forms the basis of the Project Initiation Document (PID), which forms a detailed, although dynamic, specification for the final project. The Project Brief gives a high-level view of the objectives of and justifications for the ECE project and is the first step in the creation of the PID.

1.2 Background
In 2005 the Vice Chancellor suggested that ICT provision and support for the three central departments (Central Administration, Computing Services, and Libraries) should be consolidated. He further specified that any solution should be developed whilst bearing in mind possible provision to the wider and collegiate University. Prior to January 2006 services were provided to the three central departments by the central Computing Service (OUCS), Management Information Services (MIS), and Systems and Electronic Resources Service (SERS). In January of this year a new team, the ICT Support Team, was created from staff drawn from OUCS, MIS and SERS with the aim of consolidating existing services and developing and deploying the Enhanced Computing Environment (ECE). These initiatives are part of a wider ICT Strategy review, see http://www.ict.ox.ac.uk/strategy for further details. The consolidation provided by the ICT Support Team will remove the replication in desktop and local network support which currently exists and pool the resources of the three units. Systems within the core remit of each unit, such as the student records system (ISIDORE), the financial management system (OSIRIS) or the Library

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Draft Project Brief

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Management System (LMS), are underpinned by, but not included in, the programme of the ICT Support Team. The new team's main goal will be to define and deploy an Enhanced Computing Environment (ECE), offering one or more standard desktop configurations with agreed standards of support. The ECE may subsequently be offered for wider deployment across the University but the immediate priority is to ensure its usability across the three central departments. It is of crucial importance that the delivered ECE be of the very highest standard, and sufficiently attractive and flexible to be of interest to as many other parts of the collegiate University as possible.

1.3 Project Definition

This section outlines the definition of the project. It is not a detailed specification for the project, but rather a high level view of the aims and objectives of the ECE project. The project definition is broken down into the six following sections, namely: objectives; scope; exclusions; constraints; and interfaces.

1.3.1 Project Objectives

The aim of the ECE project is to improve the quality of ICT provision to the three central units (Admin, Libraries, OUCS) by consolidating existing services and by providing a managed desktop service. This managed desktop service will include: standardised platforms (i.e. O/S & hardware); asset management; automated deployment (both O/S & applications); automated security and patching services. The managed desktop service will be supported by an integrated helpdesk, a common procurement system and the necessary infrastructural services. The chosen solution should be robust, scalable and flexible enough to satisfy the different business needs of the disparate units within the three central departments.

1.3.2 Project Scope

The ECE project must define a set of Universal Services for which training, support, automatic deployment, and licensing will be provided. Universal Services will consist of one or more Common Applications running on one or more Standard Platforms. The ICT Support team will agree with its customers a list of Standard Platforms (i.e. O/S versions running on defined hardware configurations) and lists of Common Applications (i.e. office applications, web browsers, etc). The ECE will also provide access to Business Applications provided and supported by other units within the University. All other software will be categorised as Specialist Applications and will be made available on an elective basis after suitable testing but will have minimal support. Underlying the Universal Services will be Infrastructural Services that provide the infrastructure and support services for the ECE (e.g. Help Desk, Security, Identity Management, and Backup). The needs and requirements of the three central departments will determine the scope of the ECE project.

1.3.3 Project Deliverables/Outcomes

This section provides a high-level list of the proposed deliverables/outcomes for the ECE project. The deliverables will be provided from existing services wherever possible (e.g. ECE may broker services provided by OUCS), but is envisaged that there will be a sizeable quantity of development and migration to new services. There follows a list of the key deliverables for the ECE project.

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Draft Project Brief

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Central Admin Recovery (i.e. bring IT systems up-to-date). User Products o A defined set of Common Desktop Configurations An agreed list of supported platforms (i.e. O/S and hardware) An agreed list of supported peripherals (i.e. printers, scanners, faxes) An agreed of supported software (i.e. common applications) with a process for addition/removal of items and a mechanism for regular review. An agreed lists of specialist and business software for which access will be provided but only minimal support. o A desktop security solution including automated updates. o A persistent high-availability and regularly backed-up user file store. o Printing services, possibly including some element of cost recovery. o An integrated set of standard peripheral devices (e.g. printer, scanner, and fax). o Remote access solution for an agreed list of appropriate computer resources and users/roles (e.g. secure web access to data files). o The ability for users to work at any machine (perhaps within a defined group) and have exactly the same experience, accessing exactly the same files, e-mail, collaboration products, web bookmarks etc. Support Products o A centralised helpdesk for user support including a knowledgebase (containing common problems and resolutions) and access to hardware and software support and maintenance. o A team of Support Staff that is well trained, effective, courteous, and helpful. o A common procurement process (including web-based catalogue, tendering, framework agreements, charging, inventory, contract management, deployment, and disposal). o Tools to support use of automation and remote control wherever possible to improve IT services for users. o Web-based ECE documentation and self-help pages. Infrastructure products o A consolidated set of servers and services. o Security services including anti-virus, automated patching, firewalls, spy ware removal, password policies, and encryption where appropriate. o A single tool for asset and configuration management (i.e. what kit is supported and which configurations run on any given kit). o A single tool for software license management and compliance. o A unified identity management solution (including authentication, authorisation and SSO). o Automated deployment of operating systems and applications (both push and pull).

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o Provision of reliable internal and external networking capability1 including firewalls for critical parts of the network(s). o Backup and archiving facilities. o A set of monitoring and early warning systems to catch problems before they affect users. The key deliverables listed above will be supported by a set of activities. Initial activities planned include: Infrastructure activities o Consolidate all Windows operating systems (O/S) to no more than two versions (i.e. current version and last version). o Consolidate existing servers to a minimal non-redundant set2. o Prepare a list of user groups including membership and user privileges (e.g. access rights, capabilities, acceptable level of lockdown, and allowed platform configurations). o Preparation of a fully tested disaster recovery and business continuity process. Training Activities o Plan a programme of Support Staff training that covers standard ECE services. o Plan a programme of User training limited to the ECE Universal Services3. Policy Activities o Collate principles defining what software will be prohibited from the ECE (i.e. software that represents a security risk, does not meet University policy, or is incompatible with standard ECE configurations). o Consider measures to ensure compliance with accessibility and health and safety legislation. o Preparation an ECE Constitution including a financial framework (i.e. how the service paid for), membership (who can join), benefits, Service Level Agreements (with both users and suppliers), Policies (e.g. acceptable usage and enforcement).

1.3.4 Exclusions
The scope of the project can be defined by what will not be implemented as much as by what will be included. The list of exclusions below are split into areas that will never be in the scope of the ECE project and those that are out of scope for the first phase of the project. Always out of scope o Support for business applications. o Support for specialist applications. o Backbone network services.

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Network infrastructure standards and procedures need to be uniform. This should include separation of processors from storage (e.g. blade servers + storage area network) and suitable load balancing and service redundancy. 3 Common procedures should be agreed for backup, archive, and security; similarly for group work and document sharing, and information provision.

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o Telecommunications infrastructure (but telecoms applications are in scope, e.g. VOIP software). o New building installations. Only out of scope for the initial phase4 Integration of existing email and calendaring solutions across the three departments [N.B. This does not exclude consolidation of groupware within departments]. PDAs (e.g. Blackberry) and mobile phones. Photocopier management and charging.

1.3.5 Constraints
Time: The ECE project is expected to take 1 2 years to achieve all its goals. Cost: The funds available to implement the ECE project will depend on the success of the ECE funding bid to PRAC (see below) Resources: Staff available for developing the ECE is limited to members of the ICT Support Team.

1.3.6 Interfaces
The main interfaces for the ECE project consist of the user community, service suppliers, governance bodies, and wider University. A communication plan is being developed to ensure that all relevant parties are kept informed and are consulted where necessary. User Community The user community for the ECE comprises includes Central Admin staff (~900), OULS Library staff (~700), and OUCS staff (145). In addition to personal computing devices for the staff listed above OUCS and OULS both maintain a large number of open access desktop machines, in lecture rooms, help centre, and reading rooms. Service Suppliers Wherever possible the ECE should take advantage of pre-existing infrastructural services provided by OUCS (e.g. networks, registration, backup, etc). Services will also be supplied by the ICT Support Team either by consolidating existing services within the three central departments or, where necessary, by development of new solutions. Governance Bodies The governance body for the ECE Project is the ECE Project Board, although it will be supported by a larger ECE Consultative Group that represents the wider interests of each unit within the three central departments. The ECE Project Board is responsible for communicating the progress of the ECE project to the University governance structures. Wider University The wider University has an interest in the ECE as solution that may be more widely distributed in a further phase of the project.
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These services are expected to be implemented in later releases of the ECE.

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ECE Project Documentation

Draft Project Brief

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1.4 Outline Business Case

The following sections summarise the Business Case for the ECE Project. This includes the reasons for the project and the expected benefits.

1.4.1 Reasons
Infrastructure services in the three central departments have developed in an ad hoc fashion and require consolidation. The IT support services in the three central departments have suffered from a historical lack of staff, training and necessary hardware. The three central units have duplication of functionally equivalent services. The complexity of the ICT infrastructure in the three central departments precludes efficient support. There is not an effective asset management and inventory tool for the three central departments. There is not an effective license management tool for the three central departments. Some of the infrastructure is overdue upgrade and/or replacement. Separate procurement processes dilute the purchasing power of the University and contribute to system diversity that hinders efficient support. Users in the three central departments lack a central point of contact for support requests. IT Support staff are constantly fire-fighting and therefore are unable to enhance existing services or develop new capabilities.

1.4.2 Benefits
A first class managed desktop service in keeping with Oxfords status as a world class University. Desktop computers that are replaced regularly to take advantage of new technology and application features. Improved access to tools and services that users require for their daily work. Flexible, but controlled management of computer configurations yielding a more stable and better supported working environment. Targeted training that is compatible with each set of applications and tools. Consolidated security services including improved authentication, access control, and anti-virus updates. Improved efficiency in IT Support due to standardisation, consolidation, remote administration and automation. A helpdesk providing a common point of contact for all desktop problems and tools to facilitate a rapid resolution to these problems. Common procedures for hardware purchasing, procurement, inventory, and disposal. Reduced complexity in ICT infrastructure and regular replacement of business critical systems. Early warning of potential problems due to network and server monitoring.

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1.5 Budgets
A paper is currently being prepared for submission to PRAC that will include a detailed estimate of the capital and staff costs required to develop, implement and scale the ECE solution. Initial estimates indicate that a one-off investment in the order of 900,000 is necessary to drive increases in quality of ICT services and to produce savings in running costs in future years.

1.6 Customer Quality Expectations

The ECE project needs clarity on measures of its success. These must be defined and prioritised by the ECE Project Board and should be capable of objective measurement. Examples include: Improved quality of service (metrics need to be agreed and baseline measurements taken before the project begins). Reduced cost of service provision (Based on what current figures? At what level: total cost, per user, number of FTEs, etc?). The level and duration of disruption (How much? How long? What level of mitigation by change management techniques?). Capability (What services are required? What are the priorities?). Commonality of service (To what extent should services be uniform across all three units? How is degree of commonality to be measured?). Policy and control (What is the degree to which policy can be established and enforced? What degree is desirable? What is an acceptable level of platform lockdown for users? ). At the very least the ECE solution should provide robust access to the tools and services that staff need to do their daily work.

1.7 Acceptance criteria

Migration of trained staff to the new robust ECE desktop. Development of a set self help documentation to support the ECE. Access to fully supported Common Applications that enable the different user groups to complete their daily work. Provision of an effective and timely support service accessed by a single centralised help desk. A common procurement process for the three central departments. Consolidation of functionally equivalent servers and services. Production of a fully tested disaster recovery and business continuity process.

1.8 Known risks

ICT Support Staff unable to give enough time to ECE development due to commitments to maintaining existing services. Insufficient funds made available to implement a robust infrastructure for the ECE. Underestimation of costs of ongoing training required to keep support staff knowledge current and facilitate migration to common services and platforms. Disparate user groups not committed to providing requirements, acceptance criteria, or testing prototypes. -7-

ECE Project Documentation

Draft Project Brief

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Quality of project management may be reduced because of the demands of managing the ICT Support team and maintaining existing services. There is a risk of low levels of user cooperation during migration to the new service if good communication and user involvement is not implemented from the very start of the project.

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