A Note From Bill...
Order Management Re-engineering Update
IT Services Initiatives
Stanford DSL Rates Are Going Down
Stopping for Commencement
PANDAs at Stanford
IT Services Goes the Distance
May 23 is the Next Town Hall
Survey
Staff Profile
Staff Happenings
Technology Training Courses
IT Employment Opportunities at Stanford
Quote of the Week

Past Issues

In general, I think Town Hall meetings are:

Too long
Too short
Just right

Results from last issue's survey question: How much of your annual $800 STAP funds have you used so far?

There were 43 responses: 8 have used all of it, 11 have used more than half, 9 have used less than half, and 15 haven't used any.

Frances Locke came to Stanford 25 years ago and has held a variety of positions at the University.

How would you describe your current job responsibilities?

I am currently an IT Services Consultant and the Product Manager for the Campus Card ID Services. As a consultant, I receive Client requests for complex or large adds, moves, or changes of IT Services for triage and process resolution.

As the Campus Card Product Manager I design, develop, and implement ID card services for clients requesting point-of-sales, copiers, cash-to-card machines, door access, and privilege readers that use the ID Card.

Which aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?

I enjoy the prestige of working at Stanford and the community it serves. Being in the technical field, Stanford is selected as a beta test site for many different technologies. It is fun to be on the leading edge of technology.

What did you do before you came to Stanford?

I came to Stanford right out of High School and in my 25 years of employment I held several positions: Publishing, Billing, and Reporting (PBR) was my first job. I then moved into the computer department, creating login accounts and publications. I left for five years and ventured to Montana where I worked in the IT Department at the University of Montana.

I returned to Stanford at the time we took over the cable plant from Pacific Bell and we became independent. I then moved into the Engineering Department as the first woman field technician. Within a year, I supervised 25 men in the Installation and Maintenance (I&M) Department. I was the Manager of I&M for over 15 years and then became Product Manager for the Card Services.

What do you like to do when you're not at work?

I love to travel. I spend one or two extended weekends a month at my condo in Point Loma in San Diego visiting my daughters.

What is your favorite movie, book, song?

I loved the movie and book "Under the Tuscan Sun." So I went to Italy last year and felt the experience myself.

Comings and Goings

Molly Reynick, a Senior Financial Analyst, joined the IT Services Finance group on May 1. Molly will be responsible for consolidated budgeting and reporting, as well as a host of additional analytical projects. Molly comes to us from the Office of Human Resources, where she managed their operating budget and the University fringe pool.

Prior to that Molly spent two years working as a Financial Analyst in the Dean’s Office in the School of Humanities and Sciences. Molly has her BS degree from UC Davis and is currently working on her MBA in the evenings. In her free time, Molly likes to play with her 15-month-old son. She and her family live in Redwood City.

- Sam Steinhardt
Finance and Administration

its in bits welcomes more detailed employee news submissions from all staff. Please submit to itsinbits-submissions@lists.stanford.edu

Computing with MATLAB and Simulink

Note Special Time: 12:00 to 3:00, Lunch at 11:30 for those who pre-register.

MATLAB products provide faculty, researchers, and students with the essential tools to prototype ideas, analyze data, and develop large-scale algorithms and applications. Simulink lets you quickly and accurately model, simulate, and implement complex systems including real-time control and signal processing applications.

This session will introduce distributed computing with MathWorks tools including distributed execution of MATLAB algorithms and Simulink models. Please join MathWorks engineers as they discuss the importance of learning MATLAB and Simulink and demonstrate a wide array of tools and applications.

Turing Auditorium
Friday, May 19th
12:00 – 3:00 p.m.

For the complete schedule, a map to Turing Auditorium, times, and a list of topics, visit the Tech Briefings site.

Seats are still available for the following IT Services Technology Training class the week of May 29:

• Web Design Level 2; Tables and Cascading Style Sheets (ITS-2502), Wednesday, May 31, 1:00 – 4:30, $150
• Access Level 3 (ITS-1713), Thursday, June 1, 9:00 – 4:00, $275

If you are interested in signing up for a course, please register by Monday, May 22. Classes with low enrollments may be cancelled one week in advance.

More information on courses, registration, and training is available at the Technology Training Services site.

- Phyllis Olrich
Client Support; Technology Training Services

There were five additions to the IT Services job requisition postings for this edition.

Req.#010422 – Principal Backbone Network Specialist, 100% FTE continuing, Range 4P4, Mark Miyasaki, Manager.

This position will be responsible for the planning, engineering, deployment, and technical operations of firewalls, VPNs, and other network security devices. Expected to participate in the on-call rotation.

Req. #010409 – SUNet Backbone Manager, 100 FTE continuing, Range 4P5, Mark Miyasaki, Manager.

Responsible for leading, motivating, and coaching a seasoned network engineering team that plans, engineers, implements, and operates the SUNet backbone network. This position will also manage the NetDB function which manages and maintain the DNS and DHCP environment at Stanford.

Req. #010413 – Principal Network Monitoring Engineer, 100% FTE continuing, Range 4P4, Mark Miyasaki, Manager.

This position is responsible for building, documenting, and maintaining an integrated monitoring system for all networking services. Traffic reporting and shaping. Create custom integration scripts. Maintenance of all monitoring systems and scripts. Maintain operational knowledge of SUNet backbone.

Req.#010479 – Desktop System Software Developer, 100% FTE continuing, Range 4P3, Chris Lundin, Manager.

Develop, maintain, and integrate a desktop systems vision that incorporates industry standard desktop management products and processes into Stanford's infrastructure, desktop environment, and institutional culture. Insure that this vision is consistent with IT Services' policies and goals.

Req. #010033 – Administrative Associate, 100%FTE, continuing, Range 1A4, Cholada Chenhansa, Manager.

Responsible for the full range of administrative support, including: initiate and process purchase requisitions using Oracle Financial System; re-bill clients using Pinnacle System and reimbursement requests; coordinate travel arrangements; schedule meetings (coordinate calendars and handle logistics).

To view the complete listings or to apply for a position, visit the StanfordJobs web site at: jobs.stanford.edu.

There are other open Information Technology positions at Stanford. To see what other opportunities exist on campus, link to the full list of open positions from: itss.stanford.edu/staff/itssjobs.html

"He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice."

- Albert Einstein

A Note from Bill...

Next week is our spring Town Hall—a time when we gather and discuss the results of our annual Client Survey and what it means to our plans for the future. The survey is especially important because it reaches out to so many of our clients and gives us strong, statistically valid data about how we have been doing and what our clients want us to focus on going forward.

I have spent a lot of time lately talking about listening: listening to clients, listening to key faculty, listening to our IT partners across the campus, and listening to University senior management. We do this in order to understand how we can leverage the Stanford University vision to achieve the goals of our clients. As IT professionals, our job is to know the direction of the University and our client's goals so well that we are positioned to make the best choices everyday about how to focus our creativity and spend our time and resources.

The Client Survey is one key way of listening to our broad base of clients. We need to look at the data from the survey and understand it thoroughly. Then, we must to go back and talk with clients and directly validate our understandings with them. That way, we can chart a course to improve their experiences with IT Services and leverage IT for their particular goals.

We are lucky to be part of the IT community at Stanford at a time when IT is becoming a key catalyst that contributes to the success of the entire Stanford community. Stanford is about collaborative excellence in all fields, and our services are an essential part of creating that excellence.

I hope you will join me next Tuesday, May 23rd, for our Town Hall meeting and be part of the discussion about how we can use the client survey results to develop an IT roadmap for the future.

- Bill Clebsch
IT Services

Order Management Re-engineering Update

During the month of April, the members of the seven Order Management Re-engineering teams have met frequently, evaluating existing processes around orders, strategizing a new Service Desk for single point of entry for orders, and reviewing processes to be incorporated into the re-engineered service model.

Project goals include greater consistency in order and order fulfillment of billable services, efficient order tracking, improved accuracy in billing, a single location for clients to order services from, and most importantly, providing a better overall client experience from the time the order is placed, through order tracking and fulfillment.

Our redesign efforts will bring changes to our staff and our clients. One of the key changes will be the creation of a new Service Desk, which will be responsible for the initial review of all orders entered into Pinnacle. In the coming weeks, we'll be planning how to implement and staff the Service Desk, as well as functions in Billing and other areas.

We all feel differently about change—some of us resist it and some of us welcome it—but the uncertainty that accompanies change affects us all. If you're feeling anxious about the upcoming changes, please do raise your concerns with your supervisor or with me.

While we are working now on the new process implementation schedule, it's likely that we'll be piloting the new Service Desk by early this summer. Our goal is to have the new processes and services running smoothly by the beginning of the Fall Quarter.

In the meantime, if you'd like to learn more about the OM BPR project, visit the project web site. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact the OMR team.

- Jay Kohn
Shared Communication Services

IT Services Initiatives: Status Report Available

The monthly status update for the IT Services FY06 Initiatives is now available. The status reflected in this report is as of 4/30/2006. You can contact your Director or the listed initiative owner with any questions.

The one page "Status-At-A-Glance" view, as well as the detailed update on each initiative, is available.

- Nancy Ware
Client Support; Planning, Metrics, and Communication

Stanford DSL Rates Are Going Down

The following article will appear in the next IT Services News Flash to our clients. Please have a look in case any of your clients have questions about it. Thanks!

IT Services has reviewed the current costs of providing Stanford DSL and is pleased to announce a 33% rate reduction. Effective May 2006, the monthly rate for basic Stanford DSL will drop to $40.00.

Already on Stanford DSL? Your department’s May billing will be adjusted to reflect the lower rate. You already enjoy the convenience of having your bill go directly through to your department, eliminating the administrative processing time of reimbursement. And you have the comfort of knowing that, in the event of a problem with your DSL, you contact Stanford directly and work with staff trained in Stanford DSL service.

Not on Stanford DSL? Stanford DSL service is not for everybody. We offer a competitive service, if you:

• Have multiple machines running at home.
• Require direct access to those machines when away from home.
• Want the comfort of Stanford phone support 24x7.
• Want convenient access to files & applications that don’t require extra steps or a work-around.
• Need to connect to Stanford data, even if Stanford loses connection to the Internet.

If you want a reliable business class of DSL, with the comfort and convenience of localized support, Stanford DSL may be the best option for you.

To learn more about Stanford DSL, visit the web site.

- Teresa Janeway
Client Support, Promotion and Publicity

Stopping for Commencement

Commencement is coming once again. June 18th is the big day this year and once again, all of Stanford IT (that's AS and IT Services) needs to be on point to ensure that our systems and services are functioning at peak performance to support all Commencement activities.

Everyone in both organizations should be aware of Commencement, and no changes to supporting hardware, systems, or services should be undertaken between June 2 and June 19, at the request of Student and HR Systems Director Nick Pavlakos.

Basically, no IT system or service should undergo any changes during this critical period, even if you don't believe it has anything to do with the student systems or Commencement. Please check with Javier Ruiz or Carol Jordan if you have questions.

Thanks, everyone!

- Tricia Richter
Administrative Systems

PANDAs at Stanford

IT Services ERT (Emergency Response Team) members Debbi Barley, Shawn Corbari, and Christopher Kittle recently completed their PANDA (Palo Alto Neighborhood Disaster Activity) training. PANDA training is sponsored by the City of Palo Alto and is required of all ERT members.

PANDA training includes disaster medical operations, search and rescue, fire suppression, terrorism awareness, and disaster psychology. Thanks to Debbi, Shawn, and Christopher for completing the program (and for giving up one of their Saturdays to attend field training).

The PANDA program actively seeks additional volunteers—and, you don't necessarily have to be a Palo Alto resident. A limited number of slots are available for Stanford employees, whether or not they reside locally (to date, over 80 Stanford employees have become PANDA-certified). Non-Palo Alto residents interested in enrolling should contact Tom Prussing at 5-6168. Morning and evening classes are available (morning classes require approval from your supervisor).

Two photos from the training are available.

To learn more about the PANDA program, see the program home page.

- Tom Prussing
Shared Communication Services; Technical Facilities

IT Services Goes the Distance

If you ask them, they all say it was Captain Nan McKenna's fault.

In any case, after several team member re-organizations, an intrepid crew of five Stanfordites (Nan McKenna, Erik Cummings, Al Murray, Tim Torgenrud, and Karen Zack) faced the 3 a.m. wake up call on April 30th and ran the Big Sur Marathon Relay in 4 hours, 1 minute, and 41 seconds, finishing 94th out of 300 entered teams. Team members' required runs were from four to seven miles each. Erik "Wild Man" Cummings, Al Murray, and Tim Torgenrud did their legs of the relay and then just kept going to the finish line! Also, a special nod to Bill Roden in Administrative Systems, who completed the marathon for the 21st year in a row!

- Tim Torgenrud
Client Support; Project Management Office

May 23 is the Next Town Hall

The next IT Services Town Hall session takes place on Tuesday, May 23. The meeting is scheduled 10:30 – 12:00 at Tresidder Union in the Oak Lounges. You should see this meeting on your Sundial calendar.

We are expecting a full agenda and will start the meeting on time. Come between 10 and 10:30 to get your seat, chat with friends, and grab some coffee or goodies.

- Nancy Ware
Client Support; Planning, Metrics, and Communication

A regular summary of IT business, news about personnel, and pointers to other information of interest to IT Services staff. Coordinated, compiled, and published by the Communication Strategy and Standards Team. its in bits is published on the first and third Wednesday of the month.

Submissions are due by Noon on the Friday before the scheduled issue, to itsinbits-submissions@lists.stanford.edu for consideration. its in bits is distributed via email to its-all-staff@lists.stanford.edu and the new subscription list itsinbits-subscribers@lists.stanford.edu. People outside of IT Services can self-subscribe via majordomo.

The next its in bits will be published on Wednesday, June 7, 2006