Information Technology Principles

This Strategy is premised upon using ICT to strategically position the University in the competitive, global knowledge economy. This is an “excellence and competence” strategy, not “low cost” strategy. That is not to say that cost should be ignored; it is more a matter of saying that the primary requirement is a high quality environment, with cost as something to minimise while meeting that requirement. Many organisations and some universities have other IT strategies and in particular, “low cost” strategies – IT is seen as a necessary facility but one that confers little competitive advantage through capability. Indeed, in a University with a strategy different to that of Melbourne, a low-cost strategy might be appropriate. But a low-cost IT strategy is unlikely to serve the University as it seeks to become one of the finest universities in the world by offering a superb campus-based learning and research environment which embraces the ‘digital revolution’ and mainstreams the ‘virtual’ to enhance the campus experience.

These principles, for a high quality ICT environment, inform the Strategy:

Principle 1: IT that is reliable

Realistically, nothing works all the time, but we should not be content with targets like “99% uptime” because 1% unplanned downtime equates to more than three and a half days per year. The University aspires to the reliability of computing and data networking approaching that which we have come to expect from the telephone system.

Principle 2: IT that is secure

An environment in which information systems, facilities and data have appropriate protection from unauthorized access or interference, and from accidental or malicious destruction. An environment that fosters good practice to maintain confidentiality, integrity and availability.

Principle 3: IT that is flexible

An environment which allows people to use the diverse tools and equipment appropriate to their discipline and their task and at the places and times that they need them. This means, for example, an aspiration that staff and students will be able to move around and between the campuses, and indeed around the world, and retain access to required IT and IT-based services.

Principle 4: IT that fosters innovation

An environment free of preconceptions that limit the ways in which IT might be used in University work; an environment in which scholars and support staff can be agile and creative in experimentation and in trying new ways of working and new ideas; an environment that manages risk by assessing the impact of mistakes. This means, for example, a policy of allowing almost all internet traffic types, not just those types thought to be useful today. It also means a policy of alerting end-users and departments to unusual traffic patterns, which are often the early warning of something going wrong.

Principle 5: IT that is responsive

An environment in which things change, quickly, as the University and its environment changes; an environment in which solutions to new challenges are devised and implemented in days, weeks or months rather than years; an environment in which end-users can obtain required and approved services without undue delay.

Principle 6: IT that is easy and transparent

An environment with facilities and tools which are easy to use, reliable, and which do not require extensive, difficult or slow setup. For most people in the University, the focus is not Information Technology. IT should be a convenient tool and not a challenge in itself.

Principle 7: IT that accommodates diversity

People, disciplines and tasks are not all the same; the IT environment needs to accommodate differences whilst being cognizant of Principle 8 – the need for consistent interoperability.

Principle 8: IT that has consistent interoperability

An environment in which consistent, internationally accepted and interoperable standards are adopted so that information can be readily exchanged and shared within the University and with the wider community and so that technology choices do not create counterproductive barriers.

Principle 9: IT that is affordable and sustainable

An environment that favours scalable, low-unit-cost solutions; an environment that delivers what is required in an efficient manner.

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