Dan Simms, Chief Information Officer

While you will be familiar with some aspects of our work, such as the networks and software you use daily, that is only one small aspect of what we do. Alongside solving over 100,000 IT issues and requests over the last 12 months, we have also delivered significant positive change as part of our strategic programmes. 

A big theme for this year has been modernisation and getting the basics right. We describe much of what we have delivered as being 'beneath the tip of the digital iceberg' as it is not always immediately visible - but is hugely important. Most of the progress has focused on updating our old systems (we call this addressing 'technical debt'), improving our cybersecurity position and laying the foundations for future digital transformation.  

Here are a few examples of the changes we've been implementing: 

• We've been paying close attention to your feedback and improving our service with a new-look website and improved self-help guides, alongside introducing our new chatbot, Falco. This is just the beginning of how we're improving our service, with Live Agent chat coming over the summer. 
• Our cyber security posture has been considerably boosted – our systems are now more secure than ever. 
• We've modernised many core systems, moving them out of our on-campus server rooms and into the 'cloud', improving security and reliability. Through this activity, we've also reduced our energy usage. 
• We've also started introducing a new telephone service via Microsoft Teams, so no matter where you are working, you'll be able to make and receive calls. 

• We've replaced/decommissioned thousands of unsupported Windows 7 computers, helping to keep us safe and secure. 
• We've hired a new Data Services team and have significantly expanded our Cyber Security team. 

This is just the tip of the digital iceberg - beneath, many thousands of hours have been spent driving improvements. 

This activity is laying the foundations to enable a better experience for student learning and research activity, and also improvements to the University's processes, infrastructure and physical estate. 

We recognise and appreciate that there is still so much more we need to do. Delivery of the basics and providing excellent service is not only what you expect of us but what we expect of ourselves. We hope the annual review demonstrates that we are making progress and provides confidence about what we have planned next.