A Note From Bill...
Three Projects Receive Funding
Town Hall on WebEx
Security Project Update
IT Open House
Daylight Saving Time
Porter Drive
Student Orientation Sessions
Supercomputing 2007
Forsythe Power Outage: Next Steps
Survey
Tips From Your Admin
Staff Profile
Staff Happenings
Tech Briefings
Tech Training Classes
IT Employment Opportunities at Stanford
Quote of the Week

Past Issues

Will Stanford beat Cal in the Big Game?

Yes
No

Results from last issue's survey question: Will you attend the IT Open House this month?

There were 37 responses. 24 said "Yes," and 13 said "No."

Did you know there's an easier way to submit your HelpSU request directly to the Admin Team?

Just use this URL. The Request Category and Request Type are selected for you automatically.

Jim Brown started working at Stanford in 1996.

How would you describe your current job responsibilities?

As a member of the Desktop Systems Group in Shared Application Services, I am primarily responsible for development and maintenance of the Mac portion of Stanford Desktop Tools and other Mac installers and wrappers.

Which aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?

I really enjoy working with Tony Silveira and Jay Stamps to create new applications that help the technical support staff across the campus to achieve a more sustainable, high quality desktop computing experience.

What did you do before you came to Stanford?

I worked for a Defense contractor doing Project Management. I was also an IT manager for the last two years with that firm.

Before that, I spent quite some time in the Navy as a crewman in the P-3 Orion Anti-Submarine Patrol aircraft.

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

I have a 10 year-old son who keeps me pretty busy. I also enjoy playing softball in a couple of leagues.

What is your favorite movie, book, song?

My favorite band is Pink Floyd, Favorite book is Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer. Favorite song is Comfortably Numb.

Comings and Goings

William MacAllister joined IT Services October 1 in the UNIX Systems group. Initially, he'll be working on the directory service and with applications owned by the Dean of Research, but he'll be branching out quickly from there. We welcome Bill from the non-profit PRIDE industries, where he was a senior systems administrator and web developer. He also volunteers at the Grass Valley school district, helping out with their central IT infrastructure.

Bill will be sitting with Darren Patterson in Polya 211.

- Jon Pilat
Shared Application Services; UNIX Systems and Applications

The Technical Analysts Group welcomes our newest staff member, Dean Zanardelli. Dean worked most recently at EMC. Prior to that, he worked at SLAC performing desktop support for several years.

Dean will sit in Oak 125. Welcome Dean!

- Jason Cowart
Client Support; Help Desk Services

The following people have joined IT Services. Welcome!

• Nancy Gutgsell (Suzanne Schiessler)

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

October 19: Symantec Solutions Tour Bus

The Symantec Bus will be in the Jordan Quad parking lot from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. October 19th.

Highlights:

• Data Center Foundation
• Enterprise Security
• Information Risk Management
• Windows Protection Awareness (SMB & Enterprise)

October 26: Podcasts, iTunes, and U

In this presentation, Mark Branom (IT Services) and a panel of experts will discuss some of the techniques and basic tools to create, edit, and produce podcasts, as well as how you can publish your podcast on Stanford iTunes.

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

Tech Express

Thursdays (once a month)
12:00–1:00 p.m.
Turing Auditorium

November 15: Remote Connectivity with iPass

Ammy Hill will talk about the iPass service and how it addresses the increasingly complex needs of the mobile user.

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

IT Professional Development

This week Technology Training is holding a "Ruby and Ruby on Rails" training in PHIL. Our class is full. If you're interested in this training, please contact Nancy Baumann. If we have enough interest, we'll bring it back during Winter Quarter.

In the meantime, please note that we're also offering XML, JavaScript, and SQL this quarter with Ryan Richardson, instructor extraordinaire. The classes are listed below. You can register via STARS in Axess.

 

Upcoming Tech Training classes of interest to IT Services staff.

Sundial Tips and Tricks, Thu, Oct 18, 1:00–4:30 p.m., Free

Podcasts: Creating Audio Podcasts at Stanford, Mon, Oct 22, 1:00–4:30 p.m., $195

Word Merge, Tue, Oct 23, 8:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m., $195

Web Design Level 3: Cascading Style Sheets, Tue, Oct 23, 1:00–4:30 p.m., $195

PowerPoint Tips & Time Savers, Wed, Oct 24, 8:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m., $195

Webmail at Stanford, Wed, Oct 24, 1:00–4:30 p.m., Free

*XML Introduction, Thu, Oct 25, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., $325

FileMaker Pro Lite, Thu, Oct 25, 1:00–4:00 p.m., $195

Access Level 1, Mon, Oct 29, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., $325

Blogs: Setting Up a Blog at Stanford, Tue, Oct 30, 1:00–4:00 p.m., $195

Photoshop Lite, Thu, Nov 01, 1:00–4:30 p.m., $195

Excel Tips and Tricks, Fri, Nov 02, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., $325

*JavaScript, Mon, Nov 05, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., $325

ReportMart1 Introduction, Mon, Nov 05, 1:00–4:00 p.m., Free

Techport Open Lab, Tue, Nov 06, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., Free

*SQL Basics, Wed, Nov 07, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., $325

Dreamweaver Level 3. Thu, Nov 08, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., $325

WebEx

Webex Meeting Center Jumpstart (TOD-3501), Tuesday, October 23, 10:00–11:00 a.m.

WebEx Recorder: Record and Replay Your Meetings (TOD-3506), Wednesday, October 31, 10:00–11:00 a.m.

* of special interest to IT Services staff.

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 two new job postings for IT Services this week.

Req #27637: Administrative Associate, 1A3 at 100% FTE, 1 year fixed term, Cholada Chenhansa, hiring manager.

Responsible for administrative support for staff in Information Technology Services. The position requires the ability to work with a large number of staff in a variety of locations across campus and in close coordination with the Administrative Services team. This position involves routine tasks carried out under some supervision by the Manager and other members of the Admin Services team.

Req #27638: Contact Center/MPS Engineer, 4P3 at 100% FTE, continuing, Christine Moe, hiring manager.

Responsible for systems administration and analysis, engineering, installation (including customized call flow and routing), maintenance, and implementation of communication systems for both production and prototype services in support of Stanford's communications requirements.

Chris Rose is the winner of the $50 Employee Referral raffle this month.

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

"You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.”

- Friedrich Nietzsche

A Note From Bill...

At the October 16th Town Hall, we focused on what we mean when we say our main responsibility is to "Keep IT Up and Running." We begin with the obvious: It means we keep the network, the phone systems, servers, and the infrastructure systems up and running each day. But it does not stop there. It also means we listen to, and partner with, our clients. Each order processed, each help request satisfied, and each interaction with a client builds the trust and relationships needed to understand the evolving needs of the Stanford community. These interactions identify where improvements to our processes and solutions are required, as well as where key investments will make the biggest difference.

As we discussed at the Town Hall, there is a general expectation that technology advances will continue to occur and that we will be prepared to support those advances here at Stanford. This is one of the ways we stay relevant. That is why some of the most strategic investments we make are tied to the investments we make in our staff.

Stanford counts on the fact that we continually sharpen our skills and stay in step with the advances in our individual areas of expertise. As you review our plans—be they tied to improvements in our operations or the strategic goals we discussed at the Town Hall—you should continue to consider what this means for you and your personal development. Take time for these discussions with your supervisor, manager, or director to ensure that your IPP goals reflect agreements for your personal development.

Keeping IT up and running is the bedrock to achieving our strategic planning goals. Our plans are built on recommendations from you and conversations with our clients. The plan is available for your review on the documents page of the IT Services internal site, under the FY08 Strategic Plan, Initiatives, and Status Reports section.

Please use it to fuel workgroup discussions by asking how your plans and priorities align with what is discussed in the document. This is about our organization working together to provide the best possible systems, services, and solutions. I believe it is the reason each of us decided to work at Stanford.

- Bill Clebsch
IT Services

Three Projects Receive Funding

On October 11, we requested funding to proceed with the Integrated Email and Calendaring Implementation, the Remedy v7 Service Desk Upgrade, and the Service Management Project. Randy approved the funds requested for these projects. If you are interested, the funding request documents are available on the FY08 Externally Funded Initiatives section of the IT Services Documents page.

Each year, IT Services participates in the Systems Governance Group (SGG) planning process, which is led by Randy Livingston. This process is one of the ways we receive funds to support key projects contained in our annual plans. For FY08, Randy established the following priorities for this funding process:

• Support accurate and efficient management of money
• Support for the research mission, including interdisciplinary research
• Enable integrated reporting across multiple data sources
• Support efficient management of academic programs via better system integration
• Support for Work Anywhere, including collaboration across organizations and geographies
• Enable management of faculty appointments and promotions
• Support infrastructure needed for administrative processes
• Enable emergency preparedness planning and recovery
• Enhance network and data security
• Enhance identify management
• Enhance systems infrastructure

During the summer we presented a set of proposals for funding. In late September, Randy confirmed that a subset of the summer proposals would be considered for FY08 SGG funding. That subset includes:

• Integrated Email and Calendaring Implementation: funded on October 11
• Remedy v7 Service Desk Upgrade: funded on October 11
• Service Management Project (includes implementation of Remedy v7 Asset Management Module): funded on October 11
• Pilot: Work Anywhere Tools and Solutions
• Discovery: Document Management
• Workstation Protection: Data Encryption
• Tape Recovery Full Test with Administrative Systems (part of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery program)

We expect to request funds for the other projects on the list during November and December. We will keep you informed as additional funds are approved.

- Nancy Ware
Planning & Communications

Town Hall on WebEx

Yesterday's IT Services Town Hall meeting was broadcast live using WebEx's Event Center software. We did this to a small pilot group to assess the feasibility, and it seemed to work fine.

At the same time, we recorded the meeting using WebEx's Network-Based-Recording feature. The recording of the event (which includes the full audio as well as Powerpoint slides) is now available on the Web.

Your feedback on the utility of this recorded event would be useful.

- Chris Lundin
Client Support; Help Desk Services

Security Project Update

In September we launched a project to ensure that the appropriate security measures are in place and that security best practices were maintained and followed for our systems.

This project consists of two stages:

Short-term: Complete a program of security assessments and vulnerability mitigations. To meet this need, the project is completing weekly scans of the systems and applications operated and supported by IT Services. Any vulnerabilities identified by these scans are closely reviewed and an assessment of the risk is completed. Required remediation steps are identified and completed in a timely manner.

Long-term: Institute a program to enable the consistent application of security best practices. To meet this need we will review and update, as needed, our security guidelines and operational procedures to ensure consistent baseline configurations are maintained and that best practices are adhered to by IT Services.

Since forming the project, staff from across the organization have worked to address these goals. The weekly scan results clearly demonstrate the impressive manner with which everyone has contributed to this project. There has been a sharp drop in the number of vulnerabilities identified through the scans. The associated steps to remediate any critical concerns are identified quickly and the needed remediations are applied in a timely manner. Clients continue to express their appreciation for how seriously we take our responsibility to ensure that the systems and support we provide are as secure as possible.

We will issue a report to Randy in mid-November to outline our progress on the short-term items and to confirm our long-term commitments. It is essential that we maintain focus on these efforts. Attention to this project and its goals must continue to receive our highest organizational priority. Your director receives a weekly status report on these activities and can answer any question you have regarding specific plans and impacts to your workgroup.

- Nancy Ware
for the Security Project Communication Team

IT Open House

The 2007 IT Open House, to be held on October 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., promises to be the best yet. More than eighty campus-wide IT services and local vendors will present "Technology Today and Tomorrow." This year, we've moved the location from Meyer Library to the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center, with all participants in one exhibition hall.

The IT Open House is a great opportunity for IT Services staff to meet and talk with other technology service providers on campus. It's important for us to get to know our Stanford colleagues and become more familiar with the complementary services they provide. At the same time, the Open House is the one major annual event that provides our clients, and potential clients, the opportunity to see who we are and what we can do.

This year, we're including three Stanford faculty and a key administrator as speakers:

11:00 to 11:20: IT in Support of the Academic Enterprise. Hilary Beech, Senior Associate Dean for Administration, School of Engineering. A vision for technology-enabled administration at Stanford.

11:30 to 11:50: Clean Slate Design for the Internet. Nick McKeown, Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Current Stanford research on designing a new global communications infrastructure.

12:00 to 12:20: Technology in Medical Education. Dr. Neil Gesundheit, Associate Professor of Medicine, Associate Dean for Advising, School of Medicine. The use of computer-based cases to simulate clinical encounters.

1:00 to 1:20: Innovation in Managing Photos. Hector Garcia-Molina, Professor, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. A preview of PhotoSpread, a spreadsheet system for organizing and analyzing photo collections.

IT Services staff aren't eligible to win the raffle prizes, but there will be a wealth of things to see and do. Come and join the fun.

The IT Open House Planning Group members are Carlos Zertuche, Donna Cummings, Jane Marcus, Jim Knox, Kevin Stephens, Nuriya Janss, and Sean Riordan.

- Nuriya Janss
Client Support; Documentation

Daylight Saving Time

As a reminder, the date for the fall Daylight Saving Time shift was set to the first Sunday of November by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. On Sunday, November 4th, 2007, clocks "fall back" one hour at 2:00 a.m. local daylight time, which becomes 1:00 a.m. local standard time.

While we don't expect to find any new problems associated with the change, please be conscious of this as a possible cause for unexpected systems behavior during the week between October 28th and November 4th.

The springtime update of Sundial corrected the time for all meetings that were already scheduled. For meetings that were scheduled in Sundial prior to the spring DST update, the meeting title is prefixed with DST—. Any meetings scheduled after the DST update display as entered and do not have the DST— prefix.

If you or your clients experience any problems associated with Daylight Saving Time, please submit a HelpSU request.

- Jay Kohn
Shared Communication Services

Porter Drive

IT Services has been actively involved in assessing the state of the IT environment in the six buildings that make up the Porter Drive site. A core IT Services team has focused on the telecommunication, networking, data center, and support requirements. We have also created a larger team that includes IT representatives from the Business Affairs and Land, Building, and Real Estate organizations. This group will help us define all of the IT requirements needed for the move. Next week, we will send final recommendations to Randy Livingston for consideration.

Decisions about the organizations and groups that will be moving came, in part, from the Work Anywhere survey we took in June. Bill will be discussing the Work Anywhere program at a presentation October 19, 2007, from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Clark Center Auditorium. If you are interested in the findings from the survey, please attend this session. We plan to make it available via WebEx and it will be recorded for staff who are unable to attend.

- Jan Cicero
Client Support

Student Orientation Sessions

The start of the academic year is an exciting time for IT Services. Several products and services—particularly phones, cable TV, networking, and software—cater to a large student clientele. To prepare for new and returning students requires plenty of advance planning. Inventory must be procured, procedures in place, documents and systems updated, staff trained, and everyone ready for action.

As part of an overall student marketing strategy, several Client Support groups—Orders and Billing, Help Desk, and Software Licensing—joined forces at two student orientation events last month. September 18th was the official start of Student Orientation week. Tresidder Union, the Bookstore, the new Old Union, and White Plaza were teeming with tables providing information on everything from bike registration to religious life to banking options to parents’ clubs.

Representatives from IT Services staffed a table in White Plaza and handed out candy, pens, TV cables, and campus maps. Over 120 people visited the table. The majority of the questions were about software, cable TV, phone services, and setting up new computers in the dorms. The staff presence helped make the new students feel welcome and their parents at ease.

An orientation event for all grad students was held September 21st. Rows of tables covered Canfield Court on the lawn between Meyer Library and the Law School. Over 200 grad students visited the IT Services table that day. Computer network questions tended to focus on off-campus connections. Grad students had questions about statistical software packages, as well as Microsoft and Adobe products. Most don’t need new phone service. And they have already learned that they don’t have time to watch television.

Many thanks to everyone who played a role in the success of the student orientation events. The team that staffed the tables included Robin Cohen, Rahel Fidel, Vicki Hallett, Jim Knox, Chris Lundin, Steve McLenegan, and Jane Tansuwan. Additional behind-the-scenes help was provided by Debbi Barley, Pat Box, Nuriya Janss, Edith Marsiske, and Prescilla Young.

- Robin Cohen
Client Support; Software Licensing

Supercomputing 2007

This year, Stanford and SLAC will host a booth at the premier high performance computing conference: Supercomputing 2007. It will be held the week of November 12–15 in Reno, Nevada.

SLAC has shared a booth with Fermilab since 2000, but will now be sharing the space with Stanford. This is a conference composed of hard-core technologists who have literally seen it all.

The joint effort this year will throw these attendees a curve when they visit the SLAC/Stanford booth. The main attraction will be a display composed of twenty-five, 30-inch Cinema Displays on loan from Apple. Many folks have seen a large 11-foot by 7-foot screen, but the twist will be that the screen will be flat on the floor with a Plexiglas cover to allow walking on the display! We expect this will bring images up close and personal.

This display will illustrate how computing is used at SLAC to achieve scientific goals in photon science, particle physics, and particle astrophysics. Stanford will present a broad range of research topics including simulations of how blood flows through the body. The movies utilizing the large screen will include visualizations of electron wave effects traveling down the Linear Collider and a slide show of a molecule depicted with progressive levels of resolution.

"The idea is to show highlight reels to attract people to the booth for more in-depth information," said project leader Alf Wachsmann from SLAC's Scientific Computing and Computing Services (SCCS) group.

- Phil Reese
Client Support; Client Relations

Forsythe Power Outage: Next Steps

While the response to the Forsythe power outage on June 12, 2007 was overwhelmingly positive on many fronts, the event did highlight some need for improvement in our ability to respond and recover from such an outage. This has been viewed as an opportune time for IT Services, along with its clients and working partners, to note the vulnerabilities and take action to reduce or eliminate future exposure.

A committee with representatives from Shared Application Services, Shared Communications Services, and Client Support has been formed. The purpose of this committee is to improve readiness for the next unexpected event by addressing issues that were discussed in the debriefing on September 14, as well as others that have been raised in the interim. The committee, which met for the first time on October 11, will strive to include the affected parties, such as the Hospital and AS, in the remediation process.

For the purpose of creating and tracking action items, four sub-committees have been formed with the following areas of responsibility: Communication, SOC Notification, SOC Activation, and Infrastructure. These groups will be meeting again in approximately two weeks for progress updates with an eye towards closing all action items within three months.

- Gordon Spencer
Shared Communication Services; Production Control

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, November 7, 2007.