A Note From Bill...
Direct Customer Feedback
Account Management Update
eCommerce on Campus
Security Training
Survey
Staff Profile
Staff Happenings
Tech Sessions
Technology Training Courses
IT Employment Opportunities at Stanford
Quote of the Week

Past Issues

Did you find the recent IPP process valuable?

Yes
No
Didn't have one.

Results from last issue's survey question: Do you think the staff initiatives that Bill outlined at the Town Hall, and his column in this issue, can make IT Services a better organization in which to work?

There were 29 responses. 20 said "yes," 3 said "no," and 6 said, "I'll wait to see."

Shirley Hodges started at Stanford in 1995.

 

How would you describe your current job responsibilities?

Managing the CRC is the equivalent of managing a family-owned business. We need to understand our Stanford client's needs, be able to deliver the service they need for a reasonable cost so they come back for more, support our skilled and talented consultants so they don't leave the family, and magically come in at the end of the fiscal year at +/- 5% revenue as compared to expenses.

It's a constant balancing act.

Which aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?

I enjoy working with the CRC team. The CRC consists of a group of highly skilled, client-focused individuals who work well as a team and find ways to have fun along the way. Each day brings a new surprise which also keeps it interesting.

What did you do before you came to Stanford?

Prior to Stanford, I worked at Pacific Gas and Electric for 14+ years. I started as a developer, moved to rolling out CAD-based systems to the mappers, supervising the Tier 2 UNIX Help Desk, implementing applications to support the Gas Supply business, and finally managing a group providing desktop support to the 5,000 employees located in downtown San Francisco.

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

I enjoy spending time with family and friends, walking the wildlife refuge on weekend mornings, and finding a quiet spot—preferably in the sun—with a book.

What is your favorite movie, book, song?

Movie: Anything with Katharine Hepburn.
Book: Dragonriders of Pern.
Song: Anything that's Classic Rock.

I would like to welcome Lynne Myers to Client Support. Lynne is a tremendous asset and she has provided quality support in the Finance group for many years. Lynne will report directly to me. However, her focus will continue to be across all of IT Services. She is responsible for leading IT Services in the development, understanding, and implementation of IT metrics for initiatives that will compare IT value across academic institutions and for looking at the long-term impact on business operations.

Lynne has a wealth of knowledge and many years of financial management at Stanford. She has strong business skills and technology understanding that will allow her to link business goals with related technical tasks and strategies.

We are excited to have Lynne in Client Support.

- Jan Cicero
Client Support

I’m pleased to announce that Dani Aivazian has joined the Process and Account Management team, and is settling in nicely. It’s not a complete change for Dani; she’ll continue to work on several of the organization-wide projects and processes she has in the past, such as the Mentoring Program, Employee Wellness, and the IPP process.  She’ll also be putting in some time on the OMR project, bringing her facilitation skills to the “Umbrella” team.

We’re delighted to have her on the team. Dani won’t be moving; she will stay in her current Pine Hall office.

- Nan McKenna
Client Support; Process and Account Management

Comings and Goings

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

• Janice Weese (Karen Cox, Shared Communication Services; Order Management)

The following people have joined Information Technology Services. Welcome!

• Russell Brown (Carolyn Kane, Shared Communication Services; Operations)
• Russell Scheil (Maria Maravilla, Client Support; Computer Resource Consulting)

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

Tech Briefings: None This Week

The summer Tech Briefings schedule is light. Check the Tech Briefings home page for specials and last-minute additions.

Tech Express: ReportMart1 Upgrade

ReportMart1, the portal (web site) that is used to access PeopleSoft, STARS, Kronos, Pinnacle, DSS, Space Mgmt., R&DE, and CAMS legacy reports, was upgraded on 7/31/2006 to replace Brio with Hyperion Performance Suite (HPS).

Representatives of the ReportMart1 team will demo the new portal and discuss the changes involved in this upgrade. Topics will include: new URLs; documentation; the plug-in installation for PC users; "Connect" (vs. "MyApps") for Mac users; improved searching; bookmarks and favorites; procedures for exporting data and saving/rerunning reports locally; known issues; and Q&A.

Thursday, August 17, 2006
12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Turing Auditorium
Bill Roden and Anh Hoang, presenting

Check the Tech Express home page for future sessions and to subscribe to the mailing list.

Seats are still available for the following IT Services Technology Training classes the week of September 18:

- PowerPoint, Level 1 (ITS-1321), Tuesday, September 19, 9:00–4:00, $275

- Sundial Tips and Tricks (ITS-2301), Tuesday, September 19, 1:00–4:30, free

- Excel, Level 1 (ITS-1121), Wednesday, September 20, 9:00–4:00, $275

- IT Services Site Training (ITS-8301), Wednesday, September 20, 1:30–4:00, free

If you are interested in signing up for one or more of these classes, we advise you to register by Monday, September 11. Classes with low enrollments may be cancelled one week in advance.

Early Bird Special for TechPort, Online Technology Training for Stanford (ITS-0611): A license provides access to online courses and books through August 31, 2007, $145.

- Don Cameron
Client Support; Technology Training Services

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

Req #21583 Network Administrator. 100% FTE. Range 4P3. Hiring Manager: Karen Zack.

Serve as the official Local Network Administrator for a primary client. Register devices for network access. Maintain the registration database. Periodically check for devices no longer in use. Develop and publicize policies and procedures for the attachment of devices to the network that cover protocol support, security pre-requisites, registration procedure, and device configuration.

Req #21796 Principal Backbone Network Specialist, VoIP/IPT Engineer. 100% FTE. Range 4P4. Hiring Manager: David Macia.

This individual will be Networking System’s representative for projects pertaining to VoIP/IPT and other future Voice and Data convergence technology projects. As the liaison between Networking and Communications, this individual will insure the seamless integration and delivery of VoIP/IPT services onto the Stanford network.

Req #21838 Computer Information Systems Analyst. 100% FTE. Range 4P2. Hiring Manager: Karen Zack.

This position provides computer support primarily to the school of Earth Sciences. This includes desktop and local server consulting with expertise in Mac and Windows desktop computers, as well as Windows and Mac-based servers. The Computer Information Systems Analyst serves as a technical expert regarding all aspects of desktop computer support.

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

“Intelligence is quickness in seeing things as they are.”

- George Santayana

A Note From Bill...

September marks the beginning of the ergonomic portion of our Wellness program. I previewed a summary of the overall program during our August 8th Town Hall meeting. It includes:

• Ergonomic assessment and remediation of chairs, furniture, workstations, etc.
• Quarterly massage days for staff on a sign-up basis.
• An IT Services web site with key information.
• Goals on IPP’s for Managers and Directors to ensure staff have access to ergonomic resources.

The ergonomics assessment and remediation plans respond to your Employee Survey feedback. Specifically, you noted the lack of proper tools to get your work done.

IT Services is partnering with Stanford Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) to complete on-site ergonomic assessments and remediation of all workstations by December 15, in advance of the Winter Break for 2006. The remediation will include new furniture, equipment, and chairs, (as needed) which will be paid for by IT Services and EH&S.

Before the workstation assessments can occur, everyone in IT Services needs to take a survey and complete some basic ergonomics training.

The survey is set to close down at midnight on Tuesday, September 12, 2006. To access the survey, go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=589682528387. There are 16 questions and an optional text box for comments. It only takes about three minutes to complete the entire survey. The survey is completely anonymous.

Staff members have two options for completing the training: you can either attend a Turing session or you can complete an online module.

Each Turing Auditorium session is one hour long. They are scheduled on Monday, September 11 at 10:00 and at 1:00, as well as on Tuesday, September 12 at 10:00. There is no need to register, but you will need to sign-in at the session. Supervisors, managers, and directors will attend separate training later this week.

An online training module is also available. The class title is Computer Workstation Ergonomics (EHS 3400). It must be completed by Friday, September 15. Detailed instructions are contained in my email message of September 5, 2006.

If you are curious about where things stand with the rest of our Wellness program, let me give you a quick update.

• We had our first massage day on August 8, and will be scheduling two additional days later this quarter.
• The goal for the IPP managers will be included in their FY07 IPPs. These goals will be documented during the IPP goal-setting phase (Phase 1), which begins Friday, September 15.
• The One-Stop Wellness page is up-and-running.

Thank you again for completing the ergonomics survey and participating in the Wellness program. I'm excited that we're getting this important work underway. As I said in my email, I am certain it will make a big difference in our quality of life here in Jordan Quad.

- Bill Clebsch
IT Services

IT Services Soliciting Direct Customer Feedback

Effective September 1, 2006, IT Services is beginning a regular sampling of our customers for feedback on HelpSU requests resolved each week by our IT Services support groups.

We will make a random selection of customers from the 1,500 or so that we help each week, and invite them via email to complete a five-question web-based survey where they rate their satisfaction with our assistance.

On a 1-6 scale (1=Very Dissatisfied, 6=Very Satisfied), they will rate us on:

1. Timeliness of the service provided.
2. Extent to which their problem was resolved.
3. Customer service attitude of the staff providing the service
4. Technical competence of the staff providing the service.
5. Overall satisfaction with the service provided.

There will be an opportunity to submit comments.

Individual comments will be passed to cognizant managers. Summary information will be generated and shared with IT Services staff as a whole, via an expanded IT Services Metrics page we are working on.

We plan to do our first customer satisfaction run on Friday, September 8, sampling the HelpSU requests marked "Resolved" between September 1 and September 8. We plan to continue this weekly, each Friday night.

We anticipate creating a monthly report on our "Customer Satisfaction" measure, which will be publicly available via the Metrics site.

Members of the IT Services Client Satisfaction Team are: Bill Clebsch, Jan Cicero, Jay Kohn, Jim Knox, Chris Lundin, Kathy Lucas, Lynn Myers, Nancy Ware, and Nan McKenna.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

- Chris Lundin
Client Support; Help Desk Services
and the Client Satisfaction Team

Account Management Update

One thing we’ve heard from many of our clients over the past two years is that they are looking for IT Services to provide more assistance with IT planning and strategy. They clearly see this as one of the functions we should be providing as a part of the technical services we provide. In response, the Account Management group has implemented an additional method to stay in touch with our clients and to be proactive helping them with their IT strategies.

The approach is the Account Management team; a group of people from across IT Services representing the services purchased by a specific client. We’ve begun with two clients: Humanities & Sciences (H&S) and the Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation (DAPER). We will be adding the Graduate School of Business (GSB) next. The teams will meet as needed to discuss strategy for specific clients, create templates which can be reused across clients and services, bring an IT Services-wide perspective to client issues, and share information.

Both teams have already met to discuss some specific client issues. So far, it has proven to be a good addition to our client service.

The H&S team members are: Alvin Chew, Bruce Vincent, Drew Saunders, Jay Kohn, Jan Cicero, Jane Marcus, Karen Cox, Kim Seidler, Liz Goesseringer, Nan McKenna, and Dan Stillmaker. The DAPER team members are Bruce Vincent, Drew Saunders, Frances Locke, Jay Kohn, Jan Cicero, Maria Maravilla, Meighan McWilliam, Nan McKenna, and Steve Tingley.

- Nan McKenna
Client Support; Process and Account Management

eCommerce on Campus

According to Financial Insights, a major research firm with a focus on the credit industry, 2005 showed a significant increase in credit fraud from online transactions, with a cost to business estimated at $60 billion dollars. In an effort to address this issue, the credit card industry has collaborated in the creation of a common body of Information Security requirements and standards. These are collectively known as “Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards” (PCI DSS). All vendors who process, store, or transmit cardholder account and/or transaction information must adhere to these standards or face substantial penalties in the event of an information security incident.

With over 80 eCommerce vendors currently on campus who process credit transactions, a project was established last April to enhance the security of the University’s eCommerce gateway to ensure compliancy with the PCI standards. These enhancements included modification of the existing gateway code, as well as firewalling the eCommerce infrastructure. On August 24th, following several weeks of testing, the enhanced gateway was successfully put into production. Many thanks to the eCommerce project team for their outstanding work on this successful implementation!

For additional information about eCommerce on campus, please see: http://co.stanford.edu/ecommerce/  

New storefront owners interested in using the gateway infrastructure should send email to: ecommerce-team@lists.stanford.edu.

- Michelle Collette
Client Support; Project Management Office

Security Training

IT Services and the Information Security Office are pleased to offer a series of classes and training opportunities on a variety of Information Security topics. These classes will be offered over the course of the next year and were developed to provide technical support staff, business managers, and end-users with the information they need to secure their systems, networks, and data. The classes are provided free of charge to all University, Medical Center, and SLAC affiliates.

Upcoming classes in September include training for Systems Administrators and Technical Support staff:

• ITS-2823 Securing UNIX and Linux Systems. September 14th, 9 to 4:30 in Turing Auditorium.
• ITS-2825 Securing Windows Systems and Domains. September 15th, 9 to 4:30 in Turing Auditorium.

These classes are being presented by AEleen Frisch, author of numerous technical references published by O’Reilly Press, including “Essential Systems Administration,” “Windows 2000 Commands Pocket Reference,” and “Mac OS X for System Administrators.”

Tina Darmohray, from the Information Security Office, and Eric Nakagawa, from Internal Audit, will present a class specifically geared for University managers and administrators:

• ITS-2813 Managing Information Technology at Stanford. September 27th, from 10 to 12 in Turing Auditorium.

This class will discuss the responsibilities that all staff have for maintaining the security of University data under their stewardship. This class will have a special focus on the Administrative Guides that address computing and information security.

Other scheduled information security classes include:

• ITS-2811 Basic Computer and Network Security Awareness for Non-Techies.
• ITS-2827 Hardening Systems Through Hindsight.
• ITS-2829 Encryption Technology.

Enrollment for these classes is done through STARS and additional information, including course descriptions and instructor bios, can be found at: http://securitytraining.stanford.edu.

- Michelle Collette
Client Support; Project Management Office

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, September 20, 2006