Survey

Will you leave the Bay Area for Thanksgiving break?

Yes
No

Results from last issue's survey question: At home, do you use a Mac or PC?

There were 72 responses. 24 use a Mac, and 48 use a PC

Tips From Your Admin

Scheduling meetings and big events:

We need at least three weeks' notice to schedule meetings with other Stanford departments and at least three months' notice to organize conferences with other organizations such as Ivy+ or Common Solutions Group. 

Department Profile

its in bits occasionally publishes a department profile in place of a staff profile.

Who put the D in DDD?

The Documentation, Design, and Delivery group (affectionately known as DDD) is a group in the Client Support unit that provides creative and technical design services for web, print, and other media.

Formed in 2001, DDD united documentation staff from several ITSS workgroups into one department managed by Jim Knox. Today, DDD staff number nine: Cynthia Endriga, Nuriya Janss, Ammy Hill, Christopher Kittle (manager since 2003), Linda Pilkin, Dave Ream, Tom Wiggins, Marco Wise, and Brian Young. (Ammy Hill, IT Services’ Campus Readiness expert, moved into DDD in November; see related article, below.)

DDD staff offer a variety of skills including technical writing; editing; graphic design and print production; and web authoring, interface design, and coding. DDD designed and maintains the IT Services home page and internal resources pages. We also create and maintain dozens of computing-related service pages, program and maintain portal pages such as the Software at Stanford and Apple at Stanford sites, and collaborate with other workgroups in IT Services to customize and develop client-facing sites and pages such as HelpSU and WebLogin.

DDD has considerable expertise in print and graphic design—pretty much all of the postcards, flyers, posters, invitations, and advertisements for IT Services are designed and produced by the group. To see examples of our work, visit our online portfolio web page.

DDD offers its web and print design services to IT Services departments free of charge. We have also have a print budget which covers printing costs for promotional pieces for most of the organization’s services. Creating a new web service site or the design, production, and distribution of a print piece can take from four to six weeks. If you’d like to promote a service or prepare the campus for a planned upgrade, please contact us well in advance.

To learn more about the services we provide, visit the Documentation, Design, and Delivery  “What We Do” web page. To meet our staff, visit our “Who We Are” web page.

- Christopher Kittle
  Client Support; Documentation, Design, and Delivery
 

P. S.  We’re not really sure who put the D in DDD, but we suspect it was "D"ave.


Staff Happenings

Comings and Goings

Ammy Hill, IT Services’ Campus Readiness expert, recently moved into the Documentation, Design, and Delivery group. Campus Readiness already worked closely with DDD to promote new services and prepare the campus for system upgrades and changes, so the move made sense.

Ammy didn’t have to move far though, as she already resides in Spruce Hall along with her DDD colleagues. We’re happy and excited to welcome her.

- Christopher Kittle
Client Support; Documentation, Design, & Delivery Office

Welcome the newest member of the Project Management Office: Vini Jain.

Vini joins us from Genentech, where she was a Senior Project Manager and led multiple, concurrent projects focused on software and technology development and deployment. She brings strong project management and technical skills to IT Services. Vini joins us as a project manager, and be sitting in Pine Hall next to Sonia Siu.

- Joyce Dickerson
Client Support; Project Management Office

The Application Support Team is happy to announce that Raymond Chow has joined our team in the role of Sr. Application Administrator. Raymond comes to us from LSI Corporation and has extensive experience in supporting enterprise applications (Livelink, Kronos, & Equity Edge). Raymond is well-versed in Java, Visual Basic, Javascript, UNIX Shell scripting, PERL, CGI, HTML, ASP, SQL, and PHP. He has a Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Masters of Engineering in Electrical Engineering. He is OS independent—Windows, Solaris, Linux, and HP-UX.

Please introduce yourself to Raymond. He started on November 12th and is sitting with Adam Lewenberg on the 2nd floor of Polya Hall.

- Anne Pinkowski
Shared Communication Services; Application Support

The following people have joined IT Services. Welcome!

  • Jeremy Blanchard (Rocco Petrunti)
  • Juan Herrera (Rocco Petrunti)
  • Katherine Pappas-Kassaras (Christine Soldahl)

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

Tech Briefings

Tech Briefings

Fridays
2:00–3:30 p.m.

Turing Auditorium

November 30: Stanford Answers

Stanford Answers is a centrally-hosted web knowledgebase service that provides members of the Stanford community with easy access to consulting solutions and self-help information. The service runs on a tool provided by RightAnswers, Inc., and is licensed and hosted by IT Services.

Tom Goodrich will present.

December 7: Dreamweaver CS3

Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 software, which now includes CSS tools, Ajax components for building dynamic user interfaces, and intelligent integration with other Adobe software (including Photoshop), is the professional standard for creating and updating web pages and web sites.

Mark Branom will present.

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

Tech Express

(monthly)
12:00–1:00 p.m.
Turing Auditorium

December 6: TechPort

Looking for inexpensive computer training for your professional development?

TechPort may be the key to current and future job skills for you. Learn about the online courses and books available.

Leni Silberman will present.

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

Technology Training Courses

Upcoming Tech Training classes of interest to IT Services staff.

* = of particular interest to IT Services staff.

* Web Design Level 1: The Basics, Mon, Nov 26, 1:00–4:30 p.m., $195

* Excel for Finance Level 2, Tue, Nov 27, 9:00–4:00 p.m., $325

Sundial Tips and Tricks, Wed, Nov 28, 1:00–4:30 p.m., $195

* Dreamweaver Level 3, Thu, Nov 29, 9:00–4:00 p.m., $325

Access Level 2, Mon, Dec 03, 9:00–4:00 p.m., $325

Adobe Acrobat: Beyond the Basics of Using the Full Version, Mon, Dec 03, 1:00–4:30 p.m., $195

* Database Design and CPR, Tue, Dec 04, 9:00–1:00 p.m., $125

* Excel Pivot Tables, Tue, Dec 04, 9:00–4:00, $325

OpenOffice.org: A Free Alternative to Microsoft Office, Tue, Dec 04, 1:00–4:00 p.m., $125

Techport Open Lab, Wed, Dec 05, 9:00–12:00 p.m., Free

Excel Level 2, Wed, Dec 05, 9:00–4:00 p.m., $325

* Web Design: Forms and Basic CGI Scripting, Wed, Dec 05, 1:00–4:30 p.m., $195

Excel Level 1, Thu, Dec 06, 9:00–4:00 p.m., $325

ReportMart1 Introduction, Thu, Dec 06, 1:00–4:00 p.m., Free

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

IT Employment Opportunities

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

Req. #28018: Manager, Disaster Recovery Program, 1 year fixed term, Range 4P5, John Freshwaters, hiring manager.

Oversees all of the processes, practices, and planning for Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity for IT Services. Also oversees and coordinates with offices across the University on the IT components of their response, recovery, and continuity plans.

Req. #28129: Systems Administrator, 1 year fixed term, Range 4P3, Jon Pilat, hiring manager.

Requires knowledge of Linux systems (Debian preferred) including support, software packaging, and industry-best practices, as well as some programming experience with shell languages, Perl, C, or Ruby. You will need to be proficient with some form of centralized authentication, as well as understand the basics of DNS, routing, and virtual network interfaces.

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

"As we express our thanks, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

- John Kennedy

News

Grazing on the Grass

Please join us at the lawn area outside Turing on Thursday, November 29th from 3:30 to 5 p.m. for snacks and drinks.

Why, you ask? Because it's fun to get together! It's great for us to get a chance to visit and say hello in a relaxed setting. Come by for a short visit if you are busy that day, or hopefully for a longer one if you can fit it in your schedule.

Hope to see you there!

- Jay Kohn
Shared Communication Services

A Note From Bill...

Back in early September, I used this column to introduce a three-month system security improvement project. The specific objectives were to remediate findings of an information security audit, close known system security holes, and improve our security processes. Each objective had the overarching intent of protecting, to the greatest extent possible, the University data and infrastructure entrusted to IT Services . I made these goals the organization's number one priority and worked with leadership to place many other projects "on hold" to help staff remain focused on this effort.

We initially ramped up in late August when IT Services was notified by Randy Livingston, the Information Security Office, and Internal Audit that it was to address all of the issues raised in past information security reviews by November 15. On that date, we were to provide a comprehensive summary of all corrected issues and a detailed plan for correcting those issues that would require additional time to remediate.

I formally submitted our summary and plan on Thursday of last week and have received excellent feedback about its efficacy. I am proud of the way our organization has responded to this challenge. Many of you put in a tremendous number of hours on this project as clearly indicated by our time-tracking system, which shows over 1,700 related staff hours. I can't thank you enough for your efforts, particularly as they have led to some impressive accomplishments. I hope that we can keep that sharp focus on all of our future security work too.

The plan (PDF) is currently up on the IT Services web site. I urge you to read at least the Executive Summary. It highlights our security project commitments through the rest of FY08, as well as explicating what we need to do to ensure the future security of our services.

Information security is a cornerstone of our commitment to the University to keep IT up and running. It must be a core feature of all services that any central IT organization provides. We need to continue our focus on security as a key part of every project that we embark upon over the coming years.

Again, my thanks to all of you for what you have accomplished so far, and also for helping to keep security a key value in IT Services. I hope that you all have a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday with your friends and family.

- Bill Clebsch
IT Services

Holiday Party: Please RSVP

tree graphic The annual IT Services Holiday Party will be held Thursday, December 13, from 5:00 to 9:30 p.m. at the Stanford Faculty Club, lower level (map).

The party will kick off with cocktails and jazz at 5 p.m. The jazz combo will return for post-dinner dancing. Look for your invitation in your mailbox.

December 7 is the last day to R.S.V.P. to Crystal Ayala. Staff are invited to bring one adult guest (no children please). If you will be bringing a guest, please let us know when you R.S.V.P.


- IT Services Holiday Party Committee
Jan Cicero, Caren Kammeyer, Christine Wynkoop, and Vicki Hallett

Two Projects Receive Funding

On November 20, we requested funding from Randy Livingston to proceed with two additional projects: Workstation Protection—Data Encryption, and the Work Anywhere Toolkit pilot project. If you are interested, the funding request documents are available on the FY08 Externally Funded Initiatives section of the IT Services Documents page.

Funding for these projects is part of the annual 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. Please refer to the October 17, 2007 edition of its in bits for additional information.

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: funded on November 20
  • Discovery: Document Management Workstation Protection—Data Encryption: funded on November 20
  • Tape Recovery Full Test with Administrative Systems (part of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery program)

We will continue to keep you informed as additional funds are approved.

- Nancy Ware
Planning and Communications

Humanities & Sciences Web Site Project

The School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S) has been working on an ambitious project to update their departmental web sites to create a collaborative online environment. Development and deployment tasks are in progress, and H&S is hoping to roll out three pilot departments soon. With over 50 departments in the School of Humanities and Sciences, there's an opportunity to scale this service across the School. H&S staff have been working with groups from IT Services to leverage emerging technologies and in so doing, provide IT Services a chance to showcase many of our next-generation data center offerings.

The web site runs on a set of Linux servers running the Unix Group's Server Automation Environment and is built on a set of open source technologies including Apache, PHP, and MySQL combined with a third-party vendor web-collaboration platform.

IT Services has been working with the vendor to integrate their collaboration platform with Shibboleth for authentication and the eduPerson attribute schema for authorization. Network services are provided through the Forsythe Operational Zone and include administrative firewall connectivity and hardware load balancing. Back-ending the whole setup is shared Network Attached Storage (NAS), over IP.

Thanks to Gerald Villabroza from the Storage group and Meei-You Lee and Digant Kasundra from the UNIX team for their efforts in bringing H&S's vision to reality...very soon.

- Jonathan Pilat and Dan Stillmaker
Shared Application Services

Forsythe Data Center Access

Effective December 1, 2007, anyone in the data center computer rooms at Forsythe Hall is required to keep his or her Stanford University identification card or pre-assigned Temporary Access Card clearly visible at all times.

Individuals with a Stanford University identification card or pre-assigned Temporary Access Card who have been granted access to the computer rooms can continue to use the card readers to gain access. Lanyards will be provided at the sign-in station for those who do not have one.

Individuals, including guests who do not have a pre-approved Stanford University identification card or pre-assigned Temporary Access Card, must sign in at the sign-in station near the F235 door entrance. A valid picture ID will be required to gain access to the computer room. A representative from the Technical Facilities group will assign a visitor pass that must be visible at all times while in the computer rooms. Visitor passes are valid for one day. In the event that a representative from the Technical Facilities group is unavailable, instructions for contacting a representative from the Production Control Group will be clearly posted at the sign-in station.

Access to Forsythe Hall during off-hours, weekends, and holidays is managed by the Production Control Group. A courtesy phone is located at the main entrance and is set to ring directly to the Production Control Group should access to the building and/or computing rooms be necessary. The same protocol described above will apply.

If you have any questions, please contact Tom Prussing (725-6168) or your supervisor. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

- Bob Moya
Shared Application Services; Technical Facilities

Malinda S. Mitchell Award for Service Quality

The Customer Response Transformation, also known as The Phone Project, was awarded the 2007 Malinda S. Mitchell Award for Service Quality at the Stanford Hospital & Clinics award banquet. The award was established to give special recognition to departments or units that have a management respected by their staff and customers, and have demonstrated exceptional quality and teamwork in delivering customer service and improving their operations/service/care based on customer's needs and expectations.

The Phone Project addresses the customer experience accessing Stanford Hospital & Clinics through the phone. The customer includes the patient and their families, the referring physician, our faculty, and our staff. It is truly a multi-disciplinary project requiring leadership from the Ambulatory Care Clinics, the Office of the CIO, IT Services, and our Clinic Management and phone staff. Some individual clinics already attacked this issue and have been successful, but Stanford Hospital & Clinics had not developed a broad scale project to address the question of phone access across all of our clinics.

The process was launched with a comprehensive assessment in Spring 2006 and it was in Summer 2007 that we began to see the results. In December 2006, only seven of 17 clinics achieved the metric of answering 85% of calls offered. As of last month, 16 of the 19 achieve that goal.  The team has rolled out new technology and new business processes such as Automatic Call Distribution, appropriate self-directed menus, and a knowledge-based system now known as "BOB." In addition, staff training programs are under development. It is a combination of these technologies and processes that will enable the clinics to field the calls and address the inquiries. 

We are very proud of this effort and thank you all for your hard work throughout the years to focus on how phone issues affect the ability to provide excellent service to your customer. We look forward to continued improvements and additional innovation in this arena. Thanks for your dedication. 

There have been many dedicated contributors from each of our clinics. Under the leadership of Helen Wilmot, Carolyn Byerly, Jay Kohn, and Jerry Shefren, the following project team members were acknowledged during the awards banquet:

Beth Deresinski, Cheri Lewis, Deena O'Shea, Sandy Rozmarin, from Ambulatory Care. Jeremy Marks, Steve Renten, and Steve Shive from Office CIO. Marlena Kuruvilla from Process Excellence. IT Services members acknowledged included Jim Hsu, Dominga Zepeda, Susan Arsenault, Gayle Delia, Chai Ho, and Christine Moe.

- Helen M. Wilmot
Vice President, Stanford Hospital & Clinics

Stanford Virtual Phone Pilot

The Stanford Virtual Phone pilot launches after Thanksgiving. A virtual phone is software installed on your computer that makes phone calls over the Internet. You may have heard of similar services like Skype or Yahoo Voice, but the difference here is that Virtual Phone is configured to work like any Stanford phone. This means that when you call someone at Stanford, your name and Stanford phone number displays for them (it does not display to outside calls). You can also make calls to Stanford phone numbers (like 5-HELP) using five-digit dialing.

The pilot will be testing phones on Macintosh and Windows systems. The pilot begins with 50 IT Services users and will incorporate an additional 50 campus-wide users in January. To find out more, or to volunteer for the pilot, go to the Virtual Phone Project web page for more information.  

- Ammy Hill
Client Support; Campus Readiness

Holiday Toy Drive

The Family Giving Tree holiday toy drive will run November 27th through December 14th. Are you ready to make a difference again this year? The elves have started holiday preparations and we are excited to announce that IT Services will be hosting Giving Trees this year.

The Family Giving Trees holiday program works with local social service agencies that register families and homeless persons in need. Agency partners interview them to evaluate their current needs, and requests are sent to the Family Giving Tree elves who then print the wishes on cards and distribute them to host companies throughout the Bay Area.

There are several participation options:

  • Choose a card and fulfill a child's wish (cards will be located at Forsythe, Pine, Polya, Laurel, Redwood, Spruce, and Puichon from 11/26 through 12/14).
  • Sponsor a child's wish online
  • Choose an envelope and mail in your donation

Contact me if you have any questions, or visit Family Giving Tree for more information about the program (and a tax receipt if needed).

- Caren Kammeyer
Client Support; Project Management Office

BeWell@Stanford

What is BeWell@Stanford? It's the online destination, powered by Wellsphere, where students, staff, faculty, and other affiliates of the Stanford community can explore, share, and recommend ways to get active, eat better, relax, and enjoy life.

Exchange tips and ideas, discover new places, tell your success stories, and interact with other dynamic members from Stanford, or with members in other cities—from San Francisco and Los Angeles to New York. Be Well@Stanford is free for members of the Stanford extended community. The only requirement is that you or your partner have a Stanford email address (either @Stanford.edu or @StanfordAlumni.org). For more information, check out the BeWell@Stanford web site.

- Nilda Bonet
Human Resources

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 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, December 5, 2007.