Service Catalogue

IT Service Catalogue The IT Service Catalogue describes all of the services offered by Central, Faculty, Library and Research IT teams across the University of Manchester.

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my IT services

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teaching and learning

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desktop computing and printing

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communication and collaboration

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research related IT services

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business services

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training and development

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IT security, compliance and governance

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technical IT services

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help and support

This brochure provides an overview of our services.

Gerry Pennell is the Director of IT for the University of Manchester.

For more information on the IT Leadership Team and to see the IT Services Strategic Plan, visit the IT Services website: www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus

For further information on the services described in this brochure, contact the IT Service Desk: 0161 306 5544 (ext. 65544) or visit: www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk

@UoM_ITS University of Manchester ITS

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my IT services

IT account All staff and students are automatically provided with an IT username and password.

This personal IT account is used to gain access to our IT services.

Email Email accounts are provided to everyone as standard.

Internet access High-speed internet access is available via our wired and wireless networks to allow our staff and students to get online. This can be used in conjunction with our Virtual Private Network (VPN) service to provide on-campus levels of access and security when working on PCs that are off campus.

My Manchester web portal Many of the main IT services are available to staff and students via the My Manchester web portal. This single web page links several major systems in one website, including email, online storage, eLearning and administration tools.

Personal storage All staff and students have backed-up, secure and online personal storage areas for their important files. Linked to each storage area is the facility to create and publish your own personal web page on the internet.

Self service facilities A self-service IT registration and password reset facility is available online, 24 hours a day. Staff and students use similar systems to update their personal contact details, view payslips and register on courses.

Anti-virus software Free anti-virus software is available for all staff and students for use on both University and personally owned equipment.

iManchester The iManchester mobile phone app for iPhone and Android allows easy access to the campus map, online directory and PC cluster information.

Student related services Hornet Students in University accommodation access the internet from their rooms using the Hornet service. The Hornet support team maintain a website dedicated to IT related services in halls. Some University residences contain shared computers for general use and we also offer a laptop bursary scheme and internet gaming support.

Software and discounts There is selection of software available for download and we also offer a number of discounts with external IT suppliers.

Graduation and careers Graduation services are available via My Manchester and careers-related IT services help students with the transition from education to industry.

Alumni Your Manchester Online is an exclusive web portal for University of Manchester alumni to connect and interact.

www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk

teaching and learning

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IT Services provide the enabling technologies behind a comprehensive virtual teaching and learning environment. This combines methods for distributing teaching material with a collection of tools for sharing ideas, communicating with audiences, facilitating live online participation and enhancing teaching material.

For students

For lecturers

Virtual learning environment

Course material

The virtual learning environment allows students to

The virtual learning environment compiles and delivers

access course materials online, submit their assignments

course material to students. Supplementary tools, videos,

electronically and receive annotated feedback from tutors.

quizzes, teaching aids and the eLearning team’s course

Reading lists, course and exam timetables are published

design advice can all be applied to enhance the student

for easy access. Reminders can be set to ensure reading list

learning experience. Paper-based journals can also be

items are used in time for lectures and seminars.

digitised for electronic distribution and in certain theatres,

Library search

lectures can be captured and replayed via a podcast at the student’s convenience.

The entire catalogue of the Library’s electronic and physical resources can be searched from a single point.

eAssessment

Books can be reserved and renewed online and we host

A suite of eAssessment tools covers all aspects of

an extensive collection of past exam papers to assist in

administering, marking and invigilating online

exam preparation.

assessments. Marking of assignments is made fast and

Grades and graduation Grades from recent assessments are published to the

simple. Automatic electronic comparisons of work prevent plagiarism and lecturers can adapt and enhance future teaching materials, by analysing trends in answers.

My Manchester portal so students can view their academic progress and targets. Our technology is used to stream

Monitoring system and skills training

graduation ceremonies live over the internet along with

The University-wide progression monitoring system and

other prestigious lectures and events.

skills training catalogue is available for postgraduates. This links to researcher’s individual profiles building an online presence of academic achievements.

Teaching tools To aid course administration there are tools which can:

• view schedules

• book computer clusters for classes and exams

• allow students to electronically offer real-time

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feedback during lectures

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desktop computing and printing

Desktops and laptops IT Services provide around 14,000 desktop PCs and 3,500 laptops for staff and students across the University.

Software applications A comprehensive range of software applications can be accessed from our managed desktops to assist in daily work and studies.

New software and anti-virus tools are discreetly updated in the background to ensure software is up to date.

PC and printer lifecycle The full lifecycle of PCs and printers is managed, including warranties, purchasing, setup, network registration and disposal.

PC clusters Open access computers rooms (PC clusters) are available for students at dozens of locations across the north, south and Fallowfield campuses, several of which are open 24 hours a day. Students can check online for the number of available computers in each PC cluster.

Printing We manage the staff printing service and network printers based in offices around campus. For students there is a charged printing system, allowing students to credit their personal printing balance online or via kiosks and to view their print history.

Printing, scanning and photocopying are all available using the printers in student PC clusters.

Managed desktops

Print-related services Additionally we offer a range of chargeable printing and reprographics services for all customers, such as:

Managed Desktops are PCs which have their

• Poster printing

software set up and maintained in the

• Thesis binding

background using automated processes run

• Hand out printing

by IT Services.

Software installs and updates, security settings

and antivirus updates, user permissions,

P: Drive and shared area connections are

just some of the standard settings we apply to

thousands of Managed Desktop PCs remotely.

• Laminating • High speed photocopying

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communication and collaboration

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Email and calendar

Collaboration tools

Staff and postgraduate researchers have calendars as part

There are various options to facilitate working together

of their email accounts and can see the real-time online

and communicating with both targeted and wider

status of colleagues. Shared mailboxes and email addresses

audiences. Wikis and discussion boards can be created

are available and can be accessed simultaneously by

for sharing ideas. There are channels for announcements,

multiple people. Similarly, mailing lists can be created to

instant messaging, group text message facilities and

contact many people using a single email address.

blogs. Workstation and group video conferencing facilities are also available.

Shared areas Staff are provided with shared areas so teams may store

Telecoms

and distribute files from secure, backed-up locations. There

Our telecoms office provides a full, managed telecoms

are options for sharing files both on network drives and

service with various options for routing telephone calls

online by uploading files to access controlled websites.

or distributing a single number to multiple phones lines.

Files can be accessed both on and off campus.

We also offer voicemail and mobile phone purchasing and billing. Telecoms operate via nominated Telephone Liaison

IT information

Officers in each department.

IT Services provide large quantities of searchable information to help, advise and promote the services on

Communications and Marketing

offer. Most content can be found on our Knowledge Base,

Our dedicated IT Services Communications and Marketing

the IT Services website and faculty intranets, but we also

team work to promote our IT information, social media

produce brochures and regular IT news communications.

and other publications across the University.

Samples of our posters?

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Photo required here

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research related IT services

IT Services provide support for e-Infrastructure services to staff and student researchers. Dedicated research IT and Helpdesk teams provide expert points of contact for all research computing.

High Performance Computing • Provision of local compute resources to manage

computationally intensive calculations, simulations and

problem analyses:

• Advance support for research use of site-licenced

applications such as MATLAB, Abaqus and

Mathematica, along with basic support of other

commercial and open-source software.

àà

Computational Shared Facility (CSF)

• We provide virtual servers, database hosting and

àà

Condor pools

bespoke network infrastructure solutions to

researchers.

• Local visualisation and data analytics capabilities • Facilitation of access to regional, national and

international compute, visualisation and data analytics

services.

• We facilitate collaboration and networking.

Computational research clubs, drop-in sessions and

other activities are provided to enable collaboration

between researchers both internal and external to

the University. A number of tools are provided to

enable this, such as community wikis and forums.

• Multiple options for web hosting on both • Training courses for researchers in bibliography

manchester.ac.uk and external domains for research

software, intellectual property, blogging,

project websites. We can advise on design, branding

programming, high performance computing

and offer options for delivery of dynamic content

and visualisation. In addition to our courses,

where required.

researchers can contact our experts for specialist

software support in areas such as programming

• Recording, publishing, bibliometrics and digitally

and statistical analysis.

preserving journal articles for our researchers.

In addition we link research projects to individuals to

• Support during research bid preparation, helping

track their achievements, skills and progression.

researchers define IT requirements, costing estimates

Individual research profiles provide a way to publish a

and the completion of technical appendices.

researcher’s track record, which in turn helps extend

their research network and assist in bids for funding.

• Research Data Management (RDM) provides

e-Infrastructure solutions to deliver highly scalable,

• Developing, maintaining and supporting bespoke

agile, research-data aligned secure storage.

research and research administration software, providing

We can assist in the design of RDM plans and provide

guidance on their uses and available functions.

the means to transfer large files to or from our

storage facilities.

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• Communicating research related news, activities and

running seminars for the research community to

highlight our developments in IT and its use in

research projects.

business services

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Business applications We supply and manage the main IT systems which are essential to the running of the University.

Finance, Human Resources, Library, Student Records and Customer Relationship Management systems are all provided for use by the University to facilitate day-to-day activities.

Access control Access to business applications is controlled via our approval system to restrict visibility of confidential data. Elements of some of these systems are available to staff outside our administration departments, offering tools to view payslips, update personal contact details and raise purchase requisitions. Information from our primary business systems is available for analysis and reporting. A dedicated team of experts can advise on reporting options including presenting information graphically via dashboards. Information from multiple systems can be combined to achieve the desired output.

Intranets and websites IT Services teams manage their faculty-specific intranet and personal profile facilities. Websites are provided to many teams across the University and we supply the content management software to allow staff to update the wording and images on their own web pages.

Conference IT accounts Conference IT accounts can be created for visitors to allow internet and computer access during conferences.

Purchasing IT Services advises on all aspects of IT purchasing, including software, hardware and infrastructure. We negotiate contracts with external suppliers; for larger purchases we undertake commercial analysis. IT Services run tendering processes and ensure suppliers who bid for our contracts do so in a cost-competitive setting. Where software licences need to be purchased staff can download them directly from our website.

New IT systems IT Services should be consulted and can advise when you are looking to define, develop or select a new IT system. In addition to offering our skills and expertise, IT Services will ensure compliance with standard University procedures regarding information security and data protection.

Internal IT processes Internal processes specifically for IT staff help us manage our day to day administration, support, services and projects effectively.

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training and development

Training is delivered in a variety of ways, from traditional classroom-based training, to online self-study, which allows flexible learning.

Courses Courses can be booked online and cover a wide variety of subjects, including:

• Guides to using our internal IT business systems

• Non-University specific software

• Management and soft skills, which complement offerings from the Staff Training and Development Unit

• Technical IT Training

• European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL)

IT training for students is usually undertaken as part of course studies. To make staff training more accessible IT Services work closely with the Staff Training and Development Unit (STDU) to combine our IT training offering with non-technical STDU courses. Specialised training is also available at faculty level along with induction material and advice for new starters.

Training documentation is designed in-house and support and guidance for those who wish to run their own IT training courses can be provided. We also work with teams who request the design of new courses to be run by the IT Services training team.

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IT security, compliance and governance

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IT Services continually maintain rigorous controls on our systems, data and processes to ensure our services remain robust against IT security threats and to comply with legal requirements which govern how information is handled.

Technical IT security

Compliance

• Anti-virus software is automatically installed on all

• For disabled staff and students the University has

managed computers and is available free of charge for

purchased a number of hardware and software products

both University and personally owned equipment.

to suit particular needs.

• A dedicated security incident response team handle any

• Student records data is maintained and archived by

breach or computer virus outbreak.

our systems, enabling reporting and statistical analysis.

• Our facilities for data storage, backups and transmission

• We handle Freedom of Information, internal Human

are secure and safe from interception.

Resources, HESA and police requests in addition to assisting auditors in their investigations. PC login

• We can advise on recommended ways of transferring

information is recorded and we act on IT security or

sensitive data, and setting up security in IT systems.

copyright takedown requests where required.

Information security

• IT procurement is controlled to ensure large

University policy states that all University-purchased

competition laws to protect the University against

laptops connecting to the network, must be encrypted

legal challenges on expenditure.

to minimise the risks of information security leaks. We have established processes to maintain this. Additionally we offer tools and advice on storing, protecting and transmitting information.

Green IT

expenditure contracts abide by tendering and anti-

• We maintain an inventory of our software licences and computer hardware across the University.

• Details of research grants and contracts, and all University financial transactions are stored in systems we provide.

The University aims to provide efficient, effective and

• We offer a service to digitally preserve emails for

sustainable IT infrastructure. Our Green ICT plan is

archiving.

working to reduce our overall IT carbon footprint by: •

Virtualisation and consolidation

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Conserving data centre energy

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The introduction of Pull Printing

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Desktop power management

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Sustainable procurement

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technical IT services

Though there are constraints, technical IT services can be requested by any member of staff or student. We offer a consultation procedure to review requirements and assess how we can help. Depending on the result of the consultation, any of the IT services listed below can be provided. Consultations can be requested via the IT Service Desk.

Hosting

• Websites

• Data storage

• Software applications • Servers (physical and virtual) • Databases

• Software Licences

Development

• Development of websites or assistance with associated technologies such as providing digital certificates,

managing domain names and routing.

• Software application development and testing.

• Business analysis and systems design.

• Integrating systems and data.

Identity Management

• User identity, authentication and access control.

Storage, Servers and Networks

• Provision and administration of Windows, Linux and Unix server operating systems.

• Network and webpage monitoring and alerts.

• Infrastructure and storage design and consultancy.

• Network infrastructure design, installation, maintenance and resilience.

• Domain Name System (DNS) management.

Technical IT training

Our Microsoft IT Academy programme offers self-study, technical courses free of charge to students and staff.

Courses are run online and are made available to help learners build on their existing IT skills.

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help and support

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IT Service Desk The IT Service Desk is the single point of contact for all IT questions or problems. It is open 24 hours a day*, 365 days a year.

Knowledge Base Our self-service Knowledge Base contains over 2,000

Contact us

searchable articles written by our IT teams.

All staff and students can access these and a limited selection is available to prospective students and visitors.

24 hours a day*, 365 days a year

Online form

• Tel:0161 306 5544 (ext. 65544)

The IT Service Desk can also be contacted using an online

• Submit your query online:

form via the Knowledge Base.

https://servicedesk.manchester.ac.uk

Walk-up IT Service Desks IT staff are available to help you at our walk-up Service Desk locations:

• Visit one of our Service Desks

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Main Library: 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.

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Alan Gilbert Learning Commons: 9am-9pm, Monday to Friday and 9am-5pm, weekends.

•

Joule Library (North Campus): 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.

Main Library

Alan Gilbert Learning Commons

Joule Library

*Out of hours, the Service Desk is operated by Northumbria University. Details supplied during the course of managing your request will be stored and reported back to the University of Manchester who will offer further assistance, if required.

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IT Service Catalogue

Service Catalogue Guide – Version 2.0 For the most up to date version of the catalogue visit: www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/servicecatalogue To report omissions or request changes contact: it-servicecatalogue@manchester.ac.uk

For IT help and support visit: www.manchester.ac.uk/servicedesk or call 0161 306 5544 To send general comments and feedback on any of our services visit: www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/talktous The Directorate of IT Services, The University of Manchester Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PL www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk Royal Charter Number RC0000797

(ITS_64 07.13)

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