ICT Service

ITC Service

Mission

The EUI Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Service provides the enabling ICT infrastructure and services to facilitate and support the academic and administrative processes of the EUI. The ICT Service supports the Institute’s learning, teaching, research and administrative activities. It seeks to facilitate the creation, presDirector of Service: David Scott ervation and discovery of knowledge and to promote ways of generating, curating, and engaging with information and data. It aims to enable knowledge exchange in a global digital environment, to enable local / decentralised applications to be integrated in our information architecture, and to provide digital access and expertise. The ICT Service provides the technical infrastructure to facilitate all data and voice communications over a secure and robust network that links all academic and administrative staff and enables collaboration with external agencies, universities, research institutes, the European Commission, government bodies, etc.

Overview

Funding constraints continued to create challenges in maintaining existing service levels. In support of the Institute’s Strategic Plan we addressed specifically the integration of the Institute’s key business processes, procedures and data. We involved all administrative services, with the chief aim of achieving procedural efficiency, effectiveness and simplicity. In addition, we improved the relevancy and timeliness of management reporting, and, above all, we sought to make our administrative processes more user-focused and user-friendly. In 2019, we focused on the operation of the Brightspace learning management system, and a new event registration and publication system. In the area of cyber security, we invested in additional measures to increase our effectiveness in meeting the ever-increasing sophistication and proliferation of security threats.

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132 However, while we were able to complete the planning and design for the ICT Strategic Plan we were unable to finalise it due to a number of key developments in the overall operational horizon, namely, Brexit preparation and a refocus on exploiting immediate operation efficiencies, the need to address environmental concerns, the prioritisation of cyber security, and the urgent need to identify cost savings. We did make significant progress in reorganising several of the Institute’s business processes and in documenting many of the Institute’s business procedures which we fully expect to complete during 2020.

Realisation of yearly objectives

The ICT Service concentrated its efforts on exploiting existing systems, technologies and infrastructure. Using scarce resources, we have achieved considerable success in integrating systems and databases, developing new systems, services and functions, and improving reporting and monitoring functions. In addition, our data and cyber security has been greatly improved at the database, systems and infrastructure levels. The ICT Service has been able to attend to our users’ needs in a satisfactory way and we have replaced aging desktop technologies including PCs, phones, mobiles, etc. when required. Any building developments or campus relocations of department/schools/administrative units have been addressed efficiently and smoothly. In particular our key activities during 2019 include database integration, the enhancement and development of business applications, support for a learning management system and a common research information system, paperless office, ICT security and cyber security, printing services and user support.

Database integration This multiannual project was completed during 2019.

Enhance and develop existing business applications In 2019 we continued to exploit, develop and deploy the existing functionality of SAP (Financial Area), Dolphin (HR Area), OSIRIS (researcher administration), Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM (Public relations areas), and other applications to meet the urgent operational needs of the Institute. We

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also integrated the new Learning Management System (Brightspace) into the existing Institute business applications architecture. Document the business processes of the Institute During 2019 we commenced to document all business processes of the Institute. This has been almost completed for the ICT Service and Budget, Finance and Accounting (BFA). Human Resources (HR) has made good progress. Introductions have been made for the Library and Real Estate and Facilities Services (REFS).

Support Learning Management System (LMS) The Learning Management System has been further implemented for the School of Transnational Governance with all of their first year courses now available. The Robert Schuman Centre also relies heavily on the system for collaborative engagements. The SPS department has run their first seminars with support of the LMS and the ECO department plans to move from their current Moodle platform to Brightspace in the next academic year. The Language Centre has commenced its use for language teaching.

Common Research Information System (CRIS) During 2019 together with the Library we researched a number of options pertaining to research information systems and functionality. A preferred approach was chosen and will ultimately be implemented by the Library.

Administrative efficiences

The review of the Institute’s business processes, procedures and data is an ongoing and multiannual initiative involving all the administrative services. Its purpose is to achieve efficiency, effectiveness and procedural simplicity, to produce relevant and timely management reporting, and, above all, to make our administration and its interaction with the whole community more user-focused and friendly. During 2019 a number of key processes were reengineered. • Grants calculations and payments • D ebit notes • Housing contract and services management

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134 ICT Security and Cyber Security The confidentiality, integrity and availability of information, in all its forms, are critical to the on-going functioning and good governance of the EUI. Failure to adequately secure information may result in financial and reputational loss. The goal in 2019 was to ensure as far as is possible the confidentiality, integrity and availability of EUI data. All objectives were reached. This will remain a priority.

Printing services September 2019 marked the end of the third year of the printing services contract. Only 2.5% of users out of 4,000 needed more than the standard set amount of yearly print quota defined by the Printing Policy. However, said users alone consumed 1/6 of the entire yearly tendered pages (4,4000,000).

User service During the 2018/2019 academic year, the ICT Service launched a survey to gain a comprehensive evaluation of the services and resources it had supplied to the academic and administrative members of the EUI. The satisfaction rating was 87.5%. The total number of calls received by the helpdesk in 2019 which were ICTrelated was 4368. Incident downtimes are interruptions in service due to system malfunctions. They are expressed as percentages between the number of downtime hours and the number of hours in a year. This includes overnight hours, holidays and weekends. The internet was available 99.93% and the local area network was available 99.97% during 2019.

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