A Note From Bill...
Educause Live!
New Anti-Malware Software
IT Services moves to Stanford Email
TableTop Tops BC/DR Agenda
Staff Profile
Staff Happenings
Tech Briefings
Tech Training Classes
IT Employment Opportunities at Stanford
Quote of the Week

Past Issues

Tracey Ramirez started working at Stanford in January, 2006.

 

How would you describe your current job responsibilities?

This question depends on which hour of the day you ask, as my position is very fluid and overlaps in many areas. I am mainly responsible for the billing and collections of all IT Services. I also review work orders daily, verifying the accounting piece and process account rollovers. Lately I have been involved with the "Quick Wins" team, a group of people from many teams across IT Services who are charged with identifying client quick wins for IT Services.

Which aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?

I truly enjoy working with people, co-workers, clients, vendors, everyone—I'm a people person. Initially, the interaction was a bit consuming, but each interaction brings about insight. Whether it is a telephone call, an email exchange or person-to-person communication, I am able to walk away from that interaction graced by that specific individual. I think people have become so comfortable hiding behind technology we're almost hesitant to interact; I somehow draw that out of a person and really enjoy doing so.

What did you do before you came to Stanford?

I worked in the Legal environment for 20 years, in many capacities, for law firms in San Francisco. Completely different work atmosphere compared to Stanford University. Coming to Stanford changed my life completely! I am very grateful for the new beginning and consider this my new home. There is so much to enjoy, the outdoors, the wonderful landscape, the amazingly beautiful church. Wow, the time and energy put in the church is mind blowing.

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

I am a true couch potato. Outside of work my family runs me ragged. I have a 17-year-old son who is a social butterfly, and a 13-year-old daughter who is over-extended and in too many programs. My husband and I shuffle them from Palo Alto to San Francisco throughout the week and weekends. We all attend church on Sunday, and then fight over the couch for movie time once home. That is my happiest time for us. We have a large ottoman and we all fight to get our feet on it to watch our blockbuster movies. True bliss...

What is your favorite movie, book, song?

I have many books but truly my favorite is the Bible. For me the Bible is the manual of life and I believe the stories and the word of God to be true. I have read it a few times and each time it is like seeing a movie, the stories jump off the page and become life. Regarding movies, my entire family are movie watchers. We have seen so many it is too hard to select just one. In the music department I am currently listening to a WOW CD—it is a compilation of Christian artist. Great buy, glad I splurged!

Anything else that you'd like to share with us?

I came to Stanford, as a trainee; my current mentor, friend, and boss Tom Clements will be retiring July 31. This was my first mentoring experience and I was completely unprepared for the outcome. I don't believe anyone realizes the impact of working closely with someone who has worked on a job for 20 plus years. I have a renewed mindset, and gained great respect for the position and for Tom. Watching Tom explain his work with full commitment and vigor changed my approach to the position. I hope everyone given the opportunity to mentor realizes the impact on a life you can make. I came to Stanford seeking a job, and received an unforgettable friendship. I feel blessed by the opportunity and am very grateful for our exchange.

Comings and Goings

The following people have joined IT Services. Welcome!

- Timmie Marie Kase (Operator Services Center)

The following people have left Information Technology Services. Please contact their manager if you need to follow up on any open items.

- Bennett Dale (Jay Kohn)

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

Tech Briefings

Fridays
2:00–3:30 p.m.

Turing Auditorium

Friday, July 11
Virtualization Series—VMWare

Join Matt McPhail, VMWare Senior Systems Engineer, as he presents deployment considerations of VMWare VI3, Lab and Stage Manager. Topics include: architecture considerations, networking setup, options and fencing, as well as security considerations. If time permits, steps in deployment, lessons learned, and any limitations will be covered.

Friday, July 18

Windows Workstation Encryption

Tech Express

Once a month
12:00–1:00 p.m.

Turing Auditorium

Thursday, July 17

Stanford Integrated Email and Calendar—First Look. Ammy Hill, IT Services, will give a quick demo geared toward day-to-day use of the new Stanford Email and Calendar. There will be a quick tour of the system with plenty of time for questions and answers

Check the Tech Briefings home page for future sessions and to subscribe to the mailing list. Also see the Tech Express home page for information on upcoming presentations.

IT Professional Development:

SQL Basics. Mon, July 14, 9:00–4:00, $325

The full listing of Current Courses is available on the Tech Training web site.

Upcoming Tech Training classes of interest to IT Services staff:

Podcasts: Creating Audio Podcasts at Stanford. Tue, July 8, 1:30-4:30, $195

Word 2007 Level 2. Wed, July 9, 9:00–4:00, $325

Outlook Mail. Wed, July 9, 1:30–4:30, Free

Dreamweaver Lite. Thur, July 10, 1:30–4:30, $195

Photoshop Lite. Fri, July 11, 9:00–12:00, $195

Excel 2007 Level 1. Mon, July 14, 9:00–4:00, $325

Apple Mail. Tue, July 15, 9:00–12:00, Free

FileMaker Pro 9 Level 1. Tue, July 15, 9:00–4:00, $325

OrderIT Site Training. Wed, July 16, 8:30–12:00, Free

FileMaker Pro Lite. Wed, July 16, 1:30–4:30, $195

Dreamweaver Level 1. Wed, July 16, 9:00–4:00, $325

Access 2007 Level 1. Wed, July 16, 9:00–4:00, $325

Web Design Level 1. Thur, July 17, 1:30–4:30, $195

Sign up at http://axess.stanford.edu.

Classes with low enrollment may be cancelled one week in advance. More information on courses, registration, and training is available at the Technology Training Services site.

- Nancy Baumann
Technology Training Services

There were six new job postings for IT Services this week.

Req. #30850: Business Partner Support, 100% FTE, Range 3P4, Sam Steinhardt, hiring manager.

The IT Services Business Partner Support is a member of the Service Management team, reporting to the Director of Service Management in IT Services. Business Partner Support is responsible for working directly with the Business Partners and with key clients to ensure that ongoing client requirements for IT Services support and fulfillment of orders for service are met.

Req. #30887: Manager of Project and Process Management, 100% FTE, Range 3P4, Sam Steinhardt, hiring manager.

As leader of the Project Management Office, the Manager of Project and Process Management will manage the project portfolio to ensure that projects are delivered as promised, and provide key input into IT Service’s portfolio governance process. The Manager will also coordinate a new approach to process management in IT Services, collaborating with the IT Services leadership team and other key stakeholders in the IT Services community.

Req. #30909: Computer Support, one-year fixed term, Range 4P2, Maria Maravilla, hiring manager.

The Computer Information Systems Analyst (4P2) reports directly to the Contract Services Manager and Team Lead within the Computer Resource Consulting unit of Information Technology Services (IT Services). This position provides computer support including desktop and local server consulting with expertise in Mac and Windows desktop computers, as well as Windows and Mac-based servers.

Req. #30988: Computer Information Systems Analyst, 100% FTE, Range 4P2, Karen Zack, hiring manager.

The Computer Information Systems Analyst (4P2) reports directly to the Contract Services Manager and Team Lead within the Computer Resource Consulting unit of Information Technology Services (IT Services). This position provides computer support including desktop and local server consulting with expertise in Mac and Windows desktop computers, as well as Windows and Mac-based servers.

Req. #30928 & 30883: Telephone Operator Trainee, 100% FTE, Range A00, Step 1, Carolyn Kane, hiring manager.

The Telecom Attendant Trainee participates in a 12 month on-the-job training program that is designed to prepare them to be fully functional as the voice of Stanford, answering main published phone lines for the University, Stanford Hospital and Clinics, and the Lucille Salter Packard Childrens Hospital. The Attendant performs critical call functions, including general information, directory, answer and transfer, paging, after-hours on-call contacts, and code call coordination.

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 all open IT positions at Stanford.

“True originality consists not in a new manner but in a new vision.”

- Edith Wharton

A Note From Bill...

As we head into summer, it's great to see work on some of our most important projects coming to fruition.

The Integrated Email and Calendar Project, which successfully migrated all of IT Services' email history and data last weekend, is a good example. Congratulations to the team, and to all who worked with them, for such a successful start. This project will arguably be our most visible in many years. It will touch the working lives of all faculty, staff, and students on campus. It is critically important that it is a success: that future migrations go smoothly, that the software and hardware work seamlessly, and that the documentation and training be top-notch. Last weekend was an important first step.

On the research computing front, the Faculty Planning Committee will hold its first meeting this week. Funding of a feasibility study has already been obtained, and Stanford's Department of Facilities Project Management has completed phase one of that effort. The Faculty Planning Committee will begin to address the serious issues of operational efficiencies, sustainability, the architectural design, and integration with existing campus resources. In addition, they are charged with developing an effective financial model to cover costs for research computing from central, school, and departmental resources. They are moving quickly and hope to take plans for the research computing facility to the Board of Trustees in late fall or early next year.

In addition, we made significant progress related to our authentication infrastructure with the recent completion of the Guest Accounts System and the Kerberos migration (a.k.a., K4 --> K5).  Similarly, the Workgroup and Organization project moved us forward on the middleware front and we also tested and installed an Emergency Mass Notification system for the entire campus.

Work continues on other key projects such as the rollout of VoIP and ACD for the hospitals; extending the security initiative to the desktop; disaster recovery and business continuity; the data center in Livermore; server virtualization; departmental firewalls; support for campus moves, including Porter Drive; implementation of the Access Control Enterprise System; and a host of others.

My thanks go out to all of you for all the hard work you've done to make it such a productive year. It's been doubly rewarding since our clients gave us such great feedback in the recent Client Satisfaction Survey.

This week we celebrate the 4th of July. It marks a time when the pace starts to slow down a bit as folks across campus take vacations, relax a bit, and recharge for the coming year. I hope that you and your families have a wonderful holiday.

- Bill Clebsch
IT Services

Educause Live!

Stanford University's Registrar, Tom Black, and Bruce Vincent from IT Services recently gave a joint online presentation as part of the Educause Live! Spotlight on Identity Management Series. Titled How Today's Registrar Demands More From Identity Management Policy and Infrastructure, the entire one-hour presentation was captured and can be streamed from educause.acrobat.com/p49193821/.

Abstract: Stanford University's Registrar and IT strategist discuss their vision of the future of identity management in higher education. Tom Black and Bruce Vincent will give some progressive perspectives on how their roles complement each other in supporting not only admissions processes but a lifelong relationship between students and universities. For more information see net.educause.edu/SPTIDM086.

Many of the discussion points cover ways in which the evolution of institutional policy and emerging technologies support the Registrar's vision for supporting lifelong learning. Tom and Bruce also address new ways to leverage such technologies to improve data privacy in interactions with online service providers who support Student Administration.

- Bruce Vincent
Chief IT Architect and Strategist

New Anti-Malware Software Selected

Stanford recently selected software provided by Sophos to serve as the campus site-licensed anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware (collectively known as anti-malware) software solution. The Sophos software will replace the Symantec Anti-Virus software, which Stanford has licensed for several years.

The Sophos selection was made following a Request For Proposal (RFP) process which began in January. The RFP process involved a cross-campus evaluation team with representatives from IT Services, the Information Security Office, the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources, the Medical School, the Law School, and SLAC.

The primary reasons for selecting Sophos are 1) it has a single code-base for all supported platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux) so that all protection is provided across platforms at the same time; 2) the Sophos "detection engine" is self-updating (so users won't have to download and reinstall the product to get the newest version—it can update itself); and 3) Sophos has a more responsive support organization. In addition, industry benchmarks and reviews were evaluated and considered.

IT Services Software Licensing group is now working with Sophos to finalize license arrangements, and we anticipate that the licenses will be in place by August 1 or sooner. In addition, Software Licensing is working with Symantec to provide a few months' additional licensing beyond our current September 30 expiration date, to allow those groups using the Symantec Management Console to smoothly migrate to the Sophos management console. Stanford plans to execute a three-year agreement to provide cost savings and stability.

Finally, because Sophos includes anti-spyware detection, Stanford is dropping its license with WebRoot Inc.'s SpySweeper, effective July 31, 2008. Information about removing that software will be provided to campus technical staff shortly.

My thanks to the members of the IT Services Desktop Strategy team, and our colleagues across campus, for their invaluable assistance with this evaluation process. Once every three years seems just fine!

- Chris Lundin
Client Support

IT Services Successfully Introduced to Stanford Email

The June 23rd migration to the Zimbra mail servers went well. All IT Services staff have migrated to the new system and most have begun exploring the new version of Webmail. This large-scale production test is uncovering issues that will be resolved or mitigated prior to releasing this to the rest of the campus community, thanks in large part to the HelpSU requests that you've submitted. For your reference, the checklist page has been repurposed to track issues as they're discovered and to provide workarounds for IT Services staff to use.

One big improvement has already been made: the Company Contacts search in the Address Book now searches the Stanford-view of StanfordWho and returns all Stanford-viewable information including names, email addresses, work addresses, and phone numbers.

Now the team turns to focus on the Sundial migration. The integration team is putting the finishing touches on the data migration plan. All meetings in Sundial—past, present, and future—will be migrated to the new Stanford Calendar. A new checklist will be published next week to help guide IT Services staff through this transition. The checklist will also have a list of training times to help prepare you for moving from Sundial to the Stanford Calendar. In the meantime, we encourage you to continue to explore the new system and report any unexpected behaviors that you find.

- Ammy Hill
Campus Readiness

TableTop Tops BC/DR Agenda

IT Services Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) project recently completed a significant step in IT Services' effort to have an executable recovery plan in the event of an IT disaster. Known as a "TableTop" exercise, the activity was held on June 17th.

Approximately a dozen staff gathered in a conference room in Forsythe to walk through (on paper) the recovery steps needed to bring several key Stanford applications back to an operational state in the event that Forsythe becomes unavailable.

Jay Kohn led this BC/DR exercise through a scenario where all of the equipment in Forsythe became unavailable (or as Jay put it during the exercise, a “smoking black hole”). Although the goal for the exercise was to enable Administrative Systems (AS) to be able to recover the Oracle Financial applications, there is a significant number of supporting systems and applications that have to be brought to life to make it a complete picture.

I was appointed “incident commander,” and to make the exercise more dynamic than sitting around a table reading from scripts, we asked the representatives to requisition equipment (in the form of a picture on a flip chart), and cabling (in the form of rolls of masking tape). The goal of the exercise was to physically establish the environment on the wall of the conference room. This visual gave us a good opportunity to generate an equipment list and verify that we had an environment that would work.

We then proceeded to step through the recovery of the various systems (Network, Servers, SAN, Tape Library, and the foundational support applications) to provide the authentication, minimal web services, AFS, and storage and tape systems needed for the recovery.

The TableTop went very well and helped us find gaps to fill in order to be successful at the real test of the BC/DR plan.

In late July, we will do a three-day live simulation. We will recover tapes from Iron Mountain and actually obtain the necessary equipment and build the environment we created on the walls for the exercise. We'll be working with AS to recover Oracle Financials to an operational state that can support an emergency environment.

It is likely that we will uncover more gaps, but I have high hopes for a successful test, and I’m confident that we will walk out of the test with a strong and executable recovery plan.

- Dan Stillmaker
Backup and Storage

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 subscription list itsinbits-subscribers@lists.stanford.edu People outside of IT Services can self-subscribe via mailman.

The next its in bits will be published on Wednesday, July 16, 2008.