University Modernisation Fund Shared Services and the Cloud

1. 19th September 2011 TERENA-TF University Modernisation Fund Shared Services and the Cloud Matthew J. DoveyProgramme Director, Digital Infrastructures (Research)

2. The programme: • £12.5 million programme • Part of a suite of activities under the University Modernisation Fund (UMF), a HEFCE fund that aims to help universities and colleges deliver better efficiency and value for money through the development of shared services. • Managed by JISC • Two core strands: •  A: Investment of up to £10 million in cloud computing, shared IT infrastructure, support to deliver virtual servers, storage and data management applications. • B: Investment of up to £2.5 million to establish cloud computing and shared services in central administration functions to support learning, teaching, and research.

3. Strand A: Shared IT infrastructure

4. Background Principles • Using virtualised servers and storage on an industrial scale from the commercial sector should be cheaper than building data centres and buying servers within Higher Education Institutions • Researchers need to engage with a well ordered environment for data management to achieve efficient and effective data curation

5. The plan • Establish a brokerage in JANET(UK) that can negotiate service supply and connect suppliers to JANET and thus create “Trusted Cloud(s)” • Pilot cloud being designed for implementation at Eduserv Data Centre • Extend the role of Data Curation Centre to deploy data management tools, policies and support in the Trusted Cloud • Find “killer data management apps” that can be deployed to attract researchers into the Trusted Cloud(s): • Leicester University is providing support for joint NHS and university research teams working with tissue samples and anonymised patient data. • The University of Oxford is providing a database to a wide range of researchers in the arts, humanities and other disciplines. • Oxford is also providing an integrated set of tools to manage data within Life Sciences and other similar research projects. This will make it easier to submit data for longer-term storage in an appropriate standards compliant data repository. • Southampton University is providing electronic lab data management and collaborations tools.

6. JANET Brokerage • Working as the sector’s broker for Data Centre / Cloud services • develop relationships with commercial partners • aggregate sector requirements & represent the sector • negotiate advantageous terms for new services • Providing infrastructure base through brokered deals • Clearing house for spare capacity in sector and beyond • To add value through brokering and gaining beneficial commercial arrangements, frameworks and licences etc.

7. Guiding themes • Enabling re-use/re-sale of existing provision & capacity • Identifying new models and opportunities • Supporting adoption of new technologies & models • Support organisations and maintain autonomy within institutions • Promoting interoperability, open standards and data formats • De-risking new models and services (SLAs, T&Cs, governance) • Creating an effective competitive market for suppliers • Enabling new projects, developments, and shared services

8. JANET Brokerage

9. Strand B: Shared services for administration

10. Systems and Services Procurement Support What? • A specialist team established within JISC Advance to improve the effectiveness of (non-commodity) application systems procurement in the sector and to help institutions reduce costs by moving core business systems to an off-site shared service model. How? • A procurement service whose primary function is to support the buying/sales process delivering the best possible deals for sector and supplier • Creating the building blocks for the interconnection of administration systemshttp://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/umf/ssps.aspx

11. Systems and Services Procurement Support • The procurement service will • provide IT procurement advice and guidance to HEIs • identify and aggregate demand enabling fewer, larger procurements • establish framework agreements which institutions can use • lead IT procurements on behalf of HEIs • up-skill HEIs in the black art of IT procurement • help renegotiate unfavourable contracts • provide vendor and contract management

12. Systems and Services Procurement Support • The ESB service will connect HEIs to remote services • JISC Advance will build and operate a cloud-hosted shared service enterprise service bus (ESB) • JISC Advance will offer implementation expertise to HEIs who want to implement a local ESB • JISC Advance will develop and maintain adapters to connect applications to the shared service ESB

13. JANET Internet Hosting Environment Admin Systems Suppliers Consultancies and Integrators Remote Applications DARE RMAS modules Remote Applications Aggregated Procurements JISC Advance Enterprise Procurement Service Service Bus Assistance Training Guidance Frameworks Local ESB Demand Possible future connections to External Agencies Universities NHS SLC TfL Local Applications UKBA UCAS HEFCE HESA

14. Research Management Administration System (RMAS) • Cloud-hosted modules that support the management and administration of a university’s research programme from pre-award through to post award. • It will include information on costing; application submission; contract and project administration; monitoring and reporting. • Procurement managed by SSPS • New modules to connect to existing systems using a cloud-hosted shared service enterprise service bus. • http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/umf/rmas.aspx

15. RMAS Architecture CRM Workflow Electronic Document Management Academic Expertise Funding Sourcing Tool Shared Service Enterprise Service Bus Proposal Management Costing & Pricing Management Post Award Management Outputs & Outcomes Local ESB Module 1…n

16. Shared electronic resource management support service • This project aims to establish a service to deliver a baseline software solution for above campus electronic resource licensing, management and access. Managed by JISC Collections the shared service will provide institutions with a more joined up offering to help them better understand which resources to cancel or renew and to minimise errors in data that can result in institutions losing access to resources, directly impacting on researchers, teachers and students. • Collecting and managing the relevant data is costly. Whilst many aspects of the information are common across the whole UK HEI community, currently this information is collected many times over and updates or corrections to the data discovered by one institution cannot be easily shared across the community.

17. Digital Academic Records Exchange (DARE) • Project DARE will deliver a system for the secure on-line delivery of degree certificates, transcripts, Higher Education Achievement Reports and other student data and documents via Digitary as a Shared Service. • The service will be suitable for deployment as Software as a Service on a hosted cloud platform. • DARE is led by Liverpool John Moores University with Bath Spa University, Coventry University, Cranfield University, De Montfort University, School of Oriental and African Studies and University of Sheffield. • Working with Digitary, ULCC, Centre for Recording Achievement and HESA • http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/umf/DARE.aspx

18. Further Details UMF Programme http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/umf Matthew Dovey, Programme Director, Digital Infrastructure (Research) E-Mail: m.dovey@jisc.ac.uk Tel: +44 203 006 6016

19. E-Infranet ERANET - Objectives • Identify existing programmes • Analyse the programmes and policies • Provide a platform for debating • Exchange strategic views • Prepare and implement joint policy activities • Joint policy programmes and calls

20. e-Infranet Partners The project was originally established by representatives from ministries and funding agencies in nine countries

21. e-Infranet Partners

22. Focus Areas • Green • Cloud • Open A three-year project, 2010 - 2012. Project budget = 1.25m euros

23. Cloud Overview Overview of National Programmes in Europe – Cloud Computing Key Questions Why invest? Benefits to Research? Impact on Research Infrastructures? Cloud Workshop Directions Cloud Economics Horizon Scanning Cloud Brokerage

24. Cloud Workshop • Objective: identify key national and EU collaboration possibilites for more effective use of the Cloud across the ERA. Explore how to best organise this collaboration • Participant preparations: Position papers • Target groups: researchers, funders, policy makers, industry • Key topics: cloud economics and full costs, environmental implications of cloud computing, implications for funders , the role of cloud as part of a rich ecosystem of provision, likely longevity and maturity of cloud technology, possibilities for transnational collaboration, the legal framework, the emerging EU strategy on cloud • Conclusions: Three identified directions…

25. Cloud Directions • Cloud brokerage: the need to provide support service to the research community to enable them to take advantage of Cloud solutions • Cloud economics: the need for a comprehensive, clear and convincing study of the full economic and environmental costs, benefits and risks of cloud computing • Horizon scanning: the need for continued international horizon scanning of the cloud field and intelligence briefings for funders and researchers

26. Cloud Action Plan Action 1: Cloud Economics Action 2: Cloud collaboration and co-ordination - feasibility and blueprint Action 3: Policy Paper “Cloud strategies for e-Research: key issues for policy makers (costs, benefits, risks, governance, environmental, financial, technical, management, federation, standards, etc. )”

27. Cloud Objectives • Single focus on policy support for decision making process at international/EC and national funding agency levels • Co-ordinated expert input to evaluation of options for the strategic development of cloud computing infrastructure for the ERA

28. Further Details UMF Programme http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/umf Matthew Dovey, Programme Director, Digital Infrastructure (Research) E-Mail: m.dovey@jisc.ac.uk Tel: +44 203 006 6016

29. Questions • 16/05/2011 | Slide 29