Survey

Do you regularly (at least once a week) backup your computer?

Yes
No

Results from last issue's survey question: Do you know where your emergency assembly point is?

There were 37 responses: 25 replied "Yes" and 12 responded "No."

If you answered "no," see the related article in this issue.

Staff Profile

Gretchen Cook
Gretchen Cook came to Stanford in 1998.



How would you describe your current job responsibilities?

Currently, I am training on the Order Processor position in Shared Communications Services, Order Management. I am learning how to activate and disconnect voice, Internet, and cable TV services for Welch Road Apartments, the Home apartments, and Stanford West.

In addition to the new job, I am still active as a Billing Specialist. That includes consulting on billing inquiries with vendors, assisting Welch Road, Stanford West, and Home clients, working with Stanford students and Stanford Hospital accounts for telecom service questions, and also collecting past due accounts.

Which aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?

I enjoy troubleshooting the variety of questions from clients and being able to actually solve some of the issues! I am also learning the many aspects of the new job and hopefully will be able to contribute more to the Order Management team. 

What did you do before you came to Stanford?

Before coming to Stanford, I worked a variety of jobs and would take extended time off between them. I moved to California from Minnesota about 16 years ago and I've been at Stanford eight years.

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

I do a lot of energy work. I take advantage of the many modalities of body-spirit classes the Bay Area has to offer and I take part in programs and classes three to four times a week. Recently, I completed Level three of an alternative form of healing called Healing Touch which is now part of the integrative patient care systems that is allowed in more than 25 hospitals across the United States. I also like bike riding and hiking in the woods.

What is your favorite movie, book, song?

The most recent book I've read is Molecules in Emotion by Candace Pert and I like to see a variety of movies. I like to go to concerts as well.

Staff Happenings

The IT Services Finance Team is delighted to welcome Christine Soldahl as our new Manager of Accounting.  For the past three years, Christine has been the Director of Business & Technology for Stanford Continuing Studies. She has an MBA and B.S. from UC Davis and over 20 years of experience in operations and finance. She enjoys analyzing systems-flow and implementing change to create efficient and accurate processes.  (Hmmm….can you tell why she was such a good candidate for the job?) 

Before coming to Stanford, Christine consulted as a database and billing software designer, ran a textbook store, and supervised quality assurance as an Enologist in the wine industry.

- Sam Steinhardt
Finance and Administration

Jay Stamps is saying farewell to CRC and has taken on the role of Desktop System Software Developer with the Desktop Systems team in Shared Services.

Over the past 10 years or so, Jay has been an invaluable desktop support technician in Tier 2 as well as CRC. His knack for developing relationships with everyone he meets has given him opportunities to work closely with Desktop Systems, Information Security, and IT folks from all over the campus. His interest in desktop computer security and educating the Stanford community about protecting their data has finally landed him squarely where he wants to be.

His unyielding sympathy for regular computer users and those who support them will make him a real asset not only to his new colleagues, but also to CRC, Client Support in general, technical support folks in general, and ultimately to those whom we really serve: the faculty, staff, and students who make Stanford a special place.

My sincere and heartfelt thanks go out to Jay for all he has done for Client Support and Stanford during the past decade. We'll all miss you!

- Karen Zack
Client Support; Computer Resource Consulting

Just wanted to let you know that we have a new employee, David Macia, who started on July 17. He is the new Backbone Manager for Networking. His office is in Pine Hall, Room 115-B. Phone number is 5-0078. He reports to Mark Miyasaki.

- Gina Rebosura
Finance and Administration

Comings and Goings

The following people have joined Information Technology Services. Welcome!

  • Armando Guajardo (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

Tech Express & Briefing

Tech Express

Find out how easy it is to switch to the Mac even if you've never used one. In this hour, an Apple representative will discuss the major differences between the user interfaces of Microsoft Windows XP and Mac OS X. Learn those differences and you'll make your transition from Windows to the Mac as easy as Apple pie.

Special date and time:

Thursday, July 20, 2006
12:00–1:00 p.m.
Turing Auditorium (Polya Hall Room 111)
Elizabeth Macom, Ph.D., Apple Computer, will be presenting

Tech Briefing

IT Services is happy to present a new feature-packed mailing list service called Mailman to replace Majordomo. In addition to numerous new features including spam filtering, fully moderated lists, and list archiving with an integrated web interface, the Mailman package also delivers much better performance and reliability.

If you want to know what this means to you as a list owner and/or list member, then attend this Tech Briefing. You'll learn how to perform the same tasks with Mailman that you're currently performing with Majordomo, and you'll also hear about the migration of your lists from Majordomo to Mailman.

See the Mailman site for more information.

Turing Auditorium
Friday, July 21
2:00–3:30 p.m.
Kathleen Baker and Tim Torgenrud will be presenting

The summer Tech Briefings schedule is light. The next briefing is scheduled for July 28. Check the Tech Briefings home page for specials and last minute additions.

Technology Training Courses

Seats are still available for the following IT Services Technology Training class the week of July 31:

  • Excel Pivot Tables (ITS-1123), Monday, July 31, 1:00–4:30, $275
  • Adobe Acrobat: Beyond the Basics (ITS-1403), Monday, July 31, 1:30–4:30, $150
  • Mastering Dreamweaver, Level 3 (ITS-2605), Tuesday, August 1, 9:00–4:00, $275
  • Excel Focus on Functions One (ITS-1131), Wednesday, August 2, 9:00–4:00, $275
  • Web Design: Protecting Documents on the Web and a Bonus Lesson on JavaScript (ITS-2505), Wednesday, August 2, 9:00–12:00, $150
  • Using Technology to Manage the Ever-Increasing Workload at Stanford (ITS-0801), Thursday, August 3, 1:30–4:30, $150
  • Tips and Tricks in Sundial (ITS-2301), Friday, August 4, 1:00–4:30, free

If you are interested in signing up for one or more of these classes, we advise you to register by Monday, July 24. Classes with low enrollments may be cancelled one week in advance.

Note: You can download a list or calendar view of summer quarter classes on the Tech Training Site. Click on the appropriate link near the top of the page.

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

- Phyllis Olrich
Client Support; Technology Training Services

IT Employment Opportunities

There are three new jobs posting for IT Services.

Req. #010805 posted 6/22–Senior DBA, 100% FTE, continuing position, Range 4P5, John Freshwaters, Manager.

Duties include support of Oracle DBMS on RedHat Linux and Solaris as well as MySQL on Linux. Install, configure, and support of Oracle relational database management (RDBMS) including Oracle/RAC and related software, understanding of application use of DB, strong system administration skills (principally in Unix), and effective oral and written communication skills.

Req. #010830 posted 6/26–Computer Information Systems Analyst, 100% FTE, continuing position, Range 4P2, Karen Zack, Manager.

This position provides computer support primarily to the School of Humanities and Sciences. This includes desktop and local server-consulting group with expertise in Mac and Windows desktop computers, as well as Windows and Mac based servers.

The CISA serves as a technical expert regarding all aspects of desktop computer support. This position is responsible for responding to customer calls, troubleshooting, resolving problems, and answering questions related to network connectivity, software, and hardware. Install, maintain, and troubleshoot printers, scanners, handheld PDA's, and other peripherals.

Req. #20971 posted 7/14–Director of Unix Systems & Applications, 100% FTE, continuing position, Range 1M4, John Freshwaters, Manager.

The incumbent is responsible for the leadership of all academic and administrative Unix systems and applications. These efforts include support of production systems in terms of deployment, operation, maintenance, performance, change management, standards, and monitoring.

Specific responsibilities include providing operational leadership across all supported platforms and building a culture of operational excellence, and participating in the IT Services leadership team.

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

Quote of the Week

"Voici mon secret. Il est très simple: on ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux."

(Here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.)

- Antoine de Saint Exupéry

News

A Note From Bill...

I suspect that most of you have heard that Bob O'Leary has been planning organizational changes to Administrative Systems that can better help it deliver its services, and I know that many of you are concerned about how this transition might impact your friends and colleagues in AS. While there is not a lot of detail to share at this moment, the Executive Directors and I will keep you informed as Bob and his leadership team more broadly communicate the details of the plan.

Change is a constant in IT. Not only are the technologies themselves changing, but also the challenges and problems that we set out to solve. Throughout the Valley, IT companies must continually cut costs and raise productivity just to stay competitive. The same pressures exist on IT at the University: to keep improving our services and adding new value without raising—and often lowering—our prices. As a result, our fundamental strategy is to continue to create an organization that is agile, adaptable, and productive for Stanford.

Over the last eighteen months, IT Services has made many significant and steady changes that have fundamentally reshaped our organization to better meet the University's needs. We created a new division—Shared Application Services—to better meet our clients' data, systems, and services requirements. We delivered a zero-based budget, and eliminated many overhead positions to reduce costs and deliver our key competencies. We invigorated the leadership team with new skills to improve delivery. We restructured Enterprise Help Services and the Project Management Office to improve our clients' experience and project delivery. The list goes on. And yet, I think you will agree, there has also been a sense of stability.

That sense of stability comes not from lack of change, but rather by addressing the change with steady, strategic, and goal-oriented thought and action. It comes from having an organization with people who are committed to being agile and who quickly adapt to new demands and new clients. What has been stable is the rate of change. That change will continue as we move forward into next year and work to constantly improve our IT Services community to better serve the Stanford community.

- Bill Clebsch
IT Services

Changes in CRC

I am very pleased to announce the Senior Technologists and their teams. A few months ago, the CRC decided to create the Operation Manager position to provide insight and guidance into our financial and business processes. Maria Maravilla moved into this role and she has done a phenomenal job of working through the outstanding issues, managing the operational procedures, and working through the financial model with a fine-tooth comb. She has done such a great job that we feel we can move Maria back into a Senior Technologist role and hand off some of the operational functions back to the CRC Director position.

Here are the Senior Technologists and the new assignments:

Maria Maravilla:
Athletics
Clark Center
Office of Research Administration
President/Provost Office

Kim Seidler:
Humanities Center
Humanities and Sciences
Office of General Counsel

Brian Wankel:
Administrative Systems
Dean of Research/Grad Policy
Geballe Labs for Advanced Materials
Human Resources
Internal Audit/Risk Management
IT Services
Office of Development
Public Safety

Karen Zack:
Baxter Labs
Office of Accessible Education
Psychiatry
School of Earth Science
Vaden Student Health Center

Tim Poston:
Tim will be managing projects and actively participating on these teams:
Global Climate and Energy Project
SIMO Lab
Special Projects

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. Thanks very much for your support as we have been working through these decisions.

- Shirley Hodges
Client Support; Computer Resource Consulting

Forsythe Print Services Closing Down

This July marks the end of an era; the Forsythe Print Services will officially close its doors. Bert Stubbs, Director of Operations in Shared Communication Services, remembers that the print shop, which once met many of the printing needs of the University, was in full swing when he first arrived here 38 years ago. No one remembers the actual date when the service was established. In its heyday, the print shop produced several million pages of print per month; everything from unofficial transcripts, print labels, expenditure statements, student bills, communication bills, course evaluations, and much, much more.

In many ways, the print service has mirrored the evolution of computing on campus. Initially, print jobs were executed from central terminals and TTYs (teletypewriters) by print shop staff. As computing became decentralized and PCs appeared on every desktop, departmental administrators had the ability to execute their print jobs locally. University staff with ten or more years of experience may remember trekking over to Forsythe to pick up print jobs from their assigned "bin." Recently, with the migration of student bills and course evaluations to a soft format, print needs have dwindled to well under 100,000 pages per month and it is no longer cost-effective to offer a centralized print service in-house.

In recent months, a project was established to identify a local vendor to whom the remaining print needs could be outsourced. In keeping with the times, not only did the successful vendor have to meet high standards for print delivery and customer service, but they also needed to meet very stringent standards for information security including data encryption and secure data delivery. American Legal Copy, located in Palo Alto, was the successful vendor. They met, and in some cases exceeded, all of our requirements. In recent weeks, remaining print service clients have been successfully transitioned to our new vendor partner.

Many thanks to the Outsource Print project team for making the transition to outsource printing such a success!

- Michelle Collette
Client Support; Project Management Office

Technology Training Initiative

The Technology Training Initiative is in full gear. The team consists of Bruce Vincent, Nilda Bonet, Dani Aivazian, and Jay Kohn. Our progress to-date has focused on key development areas: Backup, Storage, Database, Unix, and Windows.

We began by working with existing job descriptions and qualifications, along with competencies from both the Stanford Job Family matrix and the IT Services Competency Model. Using these we are on track to deliver technical training templates by the end of August that will help staff in these areas develop their skill sets. Specifically, the templates include descriptions of skills and competencies required by classification level (4P3, 4P4, 4P5), along with related Education (Training, Assessment, Self-Help) Opportunities.

We have completed drafts for the BackUp, Storage, and Database areas, and have begun the UNIX and Windows drafts. Once the first set of drafts is ready, we will bring them to the various workgroups for discussion with managers and staff.

Our goal is to clarify expectations and put tools in place that can support development and career planning in these areas first. We plan to work through other jobs in IT Services as an FY07 initiative.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any member of our team.

- Jay Kohn
Shared Communication Services

Order Management Redesign Gets An Umbrella

The Order Management Redesign (OMR) project has made significant progress in the last couple of weeks towards our objectives:

  • Greater consistency in requesting and fulfilling an IT Services billable service.
  • Greater efficiency with current order processing so that every request, internal and external, can be tracked from start to finish.
  • Make ordering of services a better client experience.
  • A short-term (months) solution utilizing current tools.
  • Improved accuracy in billing.
  • A single point of entry to request any IT Services billable service.
  • Provision of a predictable acknowledgement to the client so that they are aware of order status.
In the past two weeks, we have identified technical and resource constraints that are affecting our timeline. We are in the process of adjusting our timeline outward as a result. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be modifying the timeline to include the following:
  • The newly identified technical approach/complexity.
  • The current resource constraints.
  • The request to build more design review into the timeline.

The Order Management Redesign effort has really been stepping up over the last few weeks as the various sub-teams (Service Desk, Data Center, Voice/Communications, Technical Infrastructure) are actively engaged in detailed design of processes and procedures. The teams are working assiduously in their core areas to come up with efficient new processes which will speed and streamline order fulfillment, increase accuracy, and increase customer satisfaction.

In order to pull all of these design efforts into a cohesive whole, the OMR project has established an "Umbrella Team" which is chartered with making sure the new process works efficiently end-to-end.

The Umbrella Team is now planning for detailed design review by staff members in all areas of the process. This will start with a review of proposed process flows by specific workgroups, e.g., Order Management and Help Desk in July and early August, culminating with an OMR "Hack-a-Thon" in September.

The "Hack-a-Thon" is designed as an open, anyone-interested-can-attend design review session in Turing Auditorium where the entire new OMR process will be walked through from beginning to end. Participants will be asked to raise concerns, ask questions, challenge assumptions, kick-the-tires (but not the presenters) of the new process, and really give a thorough review to the process changes being proposed.

The Umbrella Team wants to ensure that the new process works for all of its contributors and most importantly, that it improves customer service.  Members of the Umbrella Team are our consultant, Ann-Marie Lancaster, Chris Lundin, Christine Soldahl, Dani Aivazian, Desiree Jafferies, Erich Snow, Tom Goodrich, and Steven Swinkels.

Look for an invitation to the "Hack-a-Thon" in a few weeks. Anyone who works in the OM process, anyone who is interested in the OM process, and anyone who is interested in the idea of hacking a process towards the purpose of making the end-to-end process design better will be welcome.

- Chris Lundin & Kathryn Osawa
Client Support

New ReportMart1 Portal

The new Brio/Hyperion Intelligence v8 portal with its 550 reports (ReportMart1) recently passed performance testing. The report owners and developers have been working with the upgrade team for the last month and are scheduled to complete their testing in mid-July. The team wants to extend a big "Thank You!" to all of the end-user testers for their cooperation and keen eyes as they caught the quirks between the two versions.

The new version is scheduled to go live on July 31st. The campus readiness team has developed instructions on how to download the new plug-in and re-establish saved parameters and favorites.

This information can be found under the Frequently Asked Questions link on the upgrade web site. Departmental road shows are being held across campus to explain the upgrade and review some of the basic Tips and Tricks. Please contact project manager Karen Gibbons if you are interested in scheduling a demonstration for your department.

- Melanie Purdy
Data Management & Reporting Services

What to do After an Emergency

Do you know what to do if an emergency, such as a fire, explosion, or earthquake occurs during work hours?

First, of course, ensure your own safety, e.g., duck, cover, and hold in the event of an earthquake. But, what are you supposed to do after that?

When it is safe to leave the building, see if anyone is hurt, offer assistance, and then leave as quickly and calmly as possible and go to your Emergency Assembly Point (EAP). EAPs are safe outdoor destinations where personnel meet to notify managers of their safety and get emergency information and assistance.

Stanford has adopted blue signage (a blue triangle enclosed by a circle) to denote EAP locations. All University buildings have EAPs. They are identified on hallway evacuation signs.

For more information about EAPs, including a complete list of campus locations, see: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/EHS/prod/general/erprep/eap/

For general information on Emergency Preparedness at Stanford, see: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/EHS/prod/general/erprep/

- Tom Prussing, Emergency Response Team Leader
Shared Communication Services; Technical Facilities

Next Town Hall August 8th

The next IT Services Town Hall session takes place on Tuesday, August 8. The meeting is scheduled for 10:30 to noon at Tresidder Union in the Oak Lounges. You should already see this meeting on your Sundial calendar.

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

- Nancy Ware
Planning, Metrics, and Communication

Quarterly Exceptional Nominations

There is still time to complete a Quarterly Exceptional nomination for the April-June 2006 quarter. The deadline is end-of-day on Friday, July 21.

Remember, this is a team-based award program. The criteria include:

  • A team that demonstrates exceptional performance and effectiveness, and consistently performs beyond expectations.
  • A team that has achieved a significant goal (or many significant goals) at an exceptional level, often demonstrating significant breakthrough results, during the past quarter.
  • A team that is considered a role model by others, and that consistently behaves in ways that demonstrate support of the values, vision, goals, and priorities of IT Services and the University.

An exceptional team, for example, is a role model of teamwork and collaboration. Teams are defined as three or more individuals. Teams can be focused on projects, can represent a cross-functional endeavor, and/or can be one or more work groups working collaboratively. Recipients will be announced at our next Town Hall meeting (August 8). 

Information about the program, including nomination forms, can be found on line at the Quarterly Exceptionals site.

- Nancy Ware
Planning, Metrics, and Communication

About its in bits

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, August 2, 2006