By Pauline Robertson Mar 2015

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1 By Pauline Robertson Mar 2015

2 ISSC, IS Shared Service Catalyst, is part of UCSS Created by Sector in response to sectoral interest in further developing shared services, combined with the John McClelland Review of ICT and the Government s Digital Strategy UCSS is a not-for-profit Shared Service organisation jointly owned by all Colleges and Universities in Scotland.

3 ISSC, purpose is to maximise the contribution that Shared Services can make to Scotland s investment in teaching, research and knowledge transfer. This will enable institutions to deliver more, and services can be enhanced with the funds available. ISSC has a three year Strategic Plan it is working to, in collaboration with the IS community in Scotland s Universities and Colleges, encouraging innovation and identifying opportunities for Shared Services that the institutions desire.

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5 Scotland has been recognised for centuries for the quality and innovation of it s education and we are fortunate to be part of shaping the latest chapter- responding to challenging and exciting opportunities presented by changing technology and landscape.

6 Scotland s Universities find themselves facing many threats/opportunities. Funding from sources other than government becoming increasingly important Students from outside Scotland are now paying customers with expectations of high levels of service Students are digital natives and expect services to be online and always available Students are increasingly coming from abroadmeaning that Universities compete for students in a global marketplace

7 Scotland s Colleges have been through much change recently. Mergers of many Colleges into the new regionalised model impacted most of the Colleges (meaning a lot of people and system changes and harmonisation has been the focus). Changes to accounting practices and status Students are digital natives and expect services to be online and always available

8 HE and FE in Scotland, and the UK, is structured in such a way that makes Shared Services attractive Peers or Competitors? HE and FE have traditionally been very good at sharing ideas and solutions. As HE becomes more competitive between peers this could cause wariness of Shared Service solutions HOWEVER the need to leverage the obvious advantages of collaboration to deliver great service and to compete with the wider world means that the Sector is still keen on Sharing.

9 Perhaps the best known example of a Shared Service in this area is UCAS, which provides a great example of how a single shared service can be of benefit to all. It is also a good example of how changing technology changes expectations and therefore desires.

10 Founded in 1994 Applications originally paper based Allowed universities to ensure that applicants were dealt with in a speedy and efficient way Eliminated headache of students accepting a place at more than 1 university- a Shared System enables choice of institution to Candidate, and visibility to institutions of which option student has chosen, so they can plan accordingly.

11 700,000 Applicants dealt with per year. Clearing process very popular- over 62,000 students accepted through clearing in 2014 Those interested in Clearing process are all interested at the same time. Peak of 239 logins per second on day that clearing opened. Very visible- if the service does not work most broadcasters and broadsheets will run with it as a major story.

12 UCAS now completely paperless for admissionsonline only. In order to service demand UCAS have embarked upon their Journey to Cloud initiative. Moved to Cloud to enable to deal with large peaks in demand and to ensure reliable service for this critical Shared Service. Won inaugural UK Cloud Award in 2014 for Best Public Sector Project for move to cloud in 2013.

13 APUC (Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges) is a Shared Service Centre of Procurement Expertise supporting the HE/FE sectors in Scotland. As well as shared Procurement services - APUC esolutions Team also support users in maximising use / benefits from a number of systems (including some developed in-house to meet specific sector needs) that all/most institutions use including- Scottish Government Provided Shared Systems PCS - Public Contracts Scotland PCS-Tender / Award Pecos eprocurmeent CCM (Collaborative Content Management) Scottish Information Hub HE/FE Sector Shared Systems Parabilis eprocurement Hunter (APUC) Contract Uptake website Supplier MI website unibuy EDAM (Equipment Database & Maintenance) (APUC) Sustain.ac.uk (APUC)

14 The Sector is very open to Shared Services where they provide value. Some further examples are JANET/JISC Norman Helpdesk Archer North East Data Centre UCISA / HEIDS Unidesk

15 Within context of Scottish Public Services, and Scottish Higher and Further Education, there have been recognition of the value that Shared Service can bring, as shown by McClelland Review 2011 HEIDS Above Campus IT Review 2011 Scottish Government s Digital Strategy

16 There are clear benefits from Shared Services for many of the services that are provided by HE/FE e.g. Delivering digital services to students who are used to professional commercial services Addressing supplier market power Competing in an increasingly international marketplace Maximising limited budgets- doing more with less Unable to match commercial salaries for expertise within stand-alone institutions

17 Institutions often have distinct ethos, strategies, priorities and markets which they do not want to become diluted or lost Some of the systems that are used are very different from commercial companies- i.e. Virtual Learning Environments, and Student Information Systems, are all complex systems designed for some very sector specific needs

18 Clear guidance from the Scottish Government that this is a desired destination of travel Many commonalities in needs for systems- i.e. all colleges must report statistics to the SFC in common format. An ethos of sharing as a good in, and of, itself recognised throughout institutions

19 Formed in 2014 the ISSC has been able to meet every lead for ICT/IS of member institutions (except UHI Colleges who are already establishing a ICT shared service). Catalysed workshops on open source VLE, Microsoft 365. Conducting Operational Reviews of state-of-play of institutions IT as is. Responding to McClelland and HEIDS ACIT report with recommendations Conducting Regional workshops of HE and FE institutions to identify Shared Services at a regional, as well as national, level.

20 HE & FE is a pioneer in Shared Services within the Public Sector They have been sharing IT for decades Their stakeholder (student) interactions are already highly digitised There are many challenges and opportunities to / for further sharing Commitment exists within institutions, and within government, to foster Shared Services for the resilience, quality, enhanced service and economy that they allow. The IS Shared Service Catalyst is here to identify, initiate and deliver Shared Services within the Universities and Colleges of Scotland & with partners in other sectors

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22 Name Title Institution Angus Warren CEO UCSS Pauline Robertson Head of IS Shared Service Catalyst UCSS Alun Hughes Chief Information Officer University of the Highlands and Islands Karen McPhillips IT Operations Manager Edinburgh Colleges Andrew McCreath Executive Director (Information Technology and Communication) Robert Gordon University David Cooper Head of ICT and Technical Services Glasgow Clyde College Mike Roch Director of Information Services Heriot-Watt University Gerry Dougan Advisor Colleges Development Network Steve Watt Chief Information Officer University of St Andrews Fares Samara Executive Director: Infrastructure City of Glasgow College

23 At present identifying the opportunities for Shared Services. Shared Service is only achievable in the Sector with the buy in and enthusiasm of the Colleges/Universities. We have a strong desire to build bottom-up shared services driven by the Sector s needs.

24 Summary IS Lead Engagement Workshops on key services Regional Workshops Overview of IS planning All of the above is combining to give the ISSC a holistic view of Shared Service opportunities and building trust to enable further and deeper sharing.

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