UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX

INFORMATION SYSTEMS STRATEGY

ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT FOR THE PLAN & BUDGET 2004/05

Allocation and expenditure in £,000

ACADEMIC & NETWORKS.
PLAN /
ALLOC
/ IMPLEMENTATION / SPENT
Reliability, capacity, availability
Email. Replace one Exchange server. / 10.0 / DELL 4600 installed at a cost of £6.7k. Subsequently exchange3, due for replacement on 05/06, collapsed early. Replace early for £4.7k, using savings on email and filestore server allocation (line below). / 11.4
File store. New central file server (£10k) Miscellaneous software/licences (£2k). / 12.0 / New filestore server cost only £4.7k. Utility software not required. Savings used to supplement purchase failed email server (line above). / 4.7
UPSs / 3.0 / Chose to purchase single large UPS for new main server room, for £16k, the balance coming from contingency / 3.0
Access, services, applications
Applications s/w. £59k recurrent for existing software, and £6k contingency / 65.0 / 62.1
Support for disabled students. Indicative allocation. / 3.0 / Upgrade to JAWS screen reading software for the visually impaired. Seven special monitor arms / 3.1
PC laboratories: replacement programme. Summer 2004: A (50 for new room), F (60), Roding House (2). / 134.0 / All completed at a cost of £121.8k / 121.8
Printer replacement PC lab I / 1.0 / Moved old lab A printer to lab I, and bought two printers for lab A, on this and next budget / 1.0
PC laboratories: equipment and miscellaneous:indicative allocation / 10.0 / Two printer for new lab A for £2.9k, using this and budget above. Early expenditure on PC lab C in summer 2005 £9.8k / 11.7
Student accommodation additional firewall / 5.0 / Two systems purchased. / 5.7
Dial-up service. ISDN rental. / 8.0 / This is in effect a recurrent expenditure item. No expansion in capacity is likely to be needed. / 8.6
TAL, training
Fixed A/V installations: teaching rooms. Two new installations, with visualisers. / 30.0 / Installations in the new PC lab A and in 4N.2.3, with some savings from careful procurement. Underspend allocated to miscellaneous budget line. / 26.4
Fixed A/V installations: refurbishment. Indicative sum / 22.0 / No expenditure on refurbishments in this year. / 0.0
Miscellaneous A/V equipment indicative allocation / 20.0 / Various items: security for LTB; switch cover panels; LCD and other equipment for the Board Room; OHPs, unplanned spares and repairs / 30.6
Language learning technology / 10.0 / 15 recorders and headphones replaced. SHVS VCRs, TV/videos with teletext. Costs were lower than expected. Underspend allocated to Miscellaneous AV equipment (line above). / 4.8
Videoconferencing Lighting / 1.0 / Lighting included in videoconferencing system purchase (previous year). Underspend allocated to Miscellaneous AV equipment (above). / 0.0
MMC and LTB. Film-related equipment / 15.0 / Steadicam; various film-related equipment / 9.2
Maintaining and developing the infrastructure
EastNet. Maintenance for the Cisco switch/router interfacing the campus network to EastNet. / 15.0 / New contract in 2004/05 at lower price / 13.2
East 15 wide area network. Rental charges: Colchester-Loughton £15.4k, Hatfields-Roding House £900 / 16.0 / Spent. Slightly higher charges. / 16.3
SuperJANET charges. Network charge (estimated at £24.3k) and small items (£1k) / 25.0 / The new charging regime for JANET, based on total institutional income, comes into force in 2004/05. The charge levied is £25.8k, slightly higher than the estimate based on provisional figures. / 25.8
Departmental networks. Upgrade to 10/100 Mbps switches / 15.0 / In combination with the student accommodation upgrade (below), 80 switches purchased together with miscellaneous equipment. / 15.0
Student accommodation network Hub-to-switch upgrade / 11.0 / See above. Also some cable installation in the towers / 10.7
Wireless networking Secure wireless network device (£40k) Indicative some for infrastructure installation (£10k) / 50.0 / Initial technical and security issues investigated only. Funds carried forward to FY 2005/6 / 0.0
Network management Gigabit Ethernet monitoring tool / 10.0 / Decided to acquire a tool with higher functionality for £16.3k. Overspend balanced by savings elsewhere / 16.3
Backup/archive service. More magnetic tapes / 8.0 / Purchased. / 8.0
Microsoft software. Microsoft Campus Agreement fee and media / 48.0 / The fee is related by formula to University staff numbers. (The budget estimate is made 16 months before actual payment, hence the difference between budgeted and actual costs.) / 57.3
Hardware and systems software maintenance / 105.0
Contingency / 30.0 / Balance of cost of single UPS for new server room £13.6k 100 additional backup tapes, as we were running short £6.3k; Linux version of Unify database £1k, WebCT migration service £1.4k; contribution to ESE seminar room / 23.3
Commitments brought forward from 03/04
Resilient web services / 15.0 / New servers purchased with mirroring software. / 15.0
Lighting for videoconferencing systems / 3.9 / Purchased early in year / 3.8


Allocation and expenditure in £,000

ADMINISTRATIVE.
PLAN /
ALLOC
/ IMPLEMENTATION / SPENT
Reliability, capacity, availability
Firewall replacements. / 6.0 / Linux systems for hoe-grown firewalls purchased for £5.6k / 5.6
Central administrative system development
Document management / 25.0 / Work deferred until 2005-6 / 0.0
Financial planning / 55.0 / Business Objects Enterprise (reporting software) purchased / 52.0
Timetabling Software enhancement, training, and consultancy / 40.0 / Alternative deployment methods used – software purchase not required. / 0.5
Student online services. / 15.0 / A contribution to salary costs: in fact bulk of 03/04 and 04/05 combined spend is in 04/05. Brought forward surplus funds the balance. / 21.5
Integrate Human Resources system Training, consultancy, possible new modules / 40.0 / £25.8 spent in 04/05 (because of project delays) Balance carried forward to 05/06 / 25.8
Maintaining and developing the infrastructure
Central system support / 108.0 / £69.9k spent in year, £38.1k spent in previous FY (forward spend) / 108.0
Consumables / 2.0 / £400 spent / 0.4
Contingency / 20.0 / Small UPS for admin systems, after move to new main server room, £700. / 0.7
Commitments brought forward from 03/04

JSP, 24.08.04

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