The IT Service Catalogue describes all of the services offered by Central, Faculty, Library and Research IT teams across the University of Manchester.

This brochure provides an overview of our services.

Gerry Pennell is the Director of IT for the University of Manchester. For more information on the IT Leadership Team and to see the IT Services Strategic Plan, visit the IT Services website:

www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus

For further information on the services described in this brochure, contact the IT Service Desk:0161 306 5544 (ext. 65544)or visit:

www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk

@UoM_ITS

University of Manchester ITS

IT Service Catalogue

teaching and learning2

desktop computing and printing3

communication and collaboration4

research related IT services5

business services6

training and development7

IT security, compliance and governance8

technical IT services9

help and support10

my IT services1

my IT services1

www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk

IT accountAll staff and students are automatically provided with an IT username and password.

This personal IT account is used to gain access to our IT services.

EmailEmail accounts are provided to everyone as standard.

Internet accessHigh-speed internet access is available via our wired and wireless networks to allow our staff and students to get online. This

can be used in conjunction with our Virtual Private Network (VPN) service to provide on-campus levels of access and security

when working on PCs that are off campus.

My Manchester web portalMany of the main IT services are available to staff and students via the My Manchester web portal. This single web page links

several major systems in one website, including email, online storage, eLearning and administration tools.

Personal storageAll staff and students have backed-up, secure and online personal storage areas for their important files. Linked to each storage

area is the facility to create and publish your own personal web page on the internet.

Self service facilitiesA self-service IT registration and password reset facility is available online, 24 hours a day. Staff and students use similar systems

to update their personal contact details, view payslips and register on courses.

Anti-virus softwareFree anti-virus software is available for all staff and students for use on both University and personally owned equipment.

iManchester The iManchester mobile phone app for iPhone and Android allows easy access to the campus map, online directory and PC

cluster information.

Student related servicesHornet Students in University accommodation access the internet from their rooms using the Hornet service. The Hornet support team

maintain a website dedicated to IT related services in halls. Some University residences contain shared computers for general

use and we also offer a laptop bursary scheme and internet gaming support.

Software and discounts There is selection of software available for download and we also offer a number of discounts with external IT suppliers.

Graduation and careersGraduation services are available via My Manchester and careers-related IT services help students with the transition from

education to industry.

AlumniYour Manchester Online is an exclusive web portal for University of Manchester alumni to connect and interact.

teaching and learning 2

IT Services provide the enabling technologies behind a comprehensive virtual teaching and learning environment. This

combines methods for distributing teaching material with a collection of tools for sharing ideas, communicating with

audiences, facilitating live online participation and enhancing teaching material.

For studentsVirtual learning environmentThe virtual learning environment allows students to

access course materials online, submit their assignments

electronically and receive annotated feedback from tutors.

Reading lists, course and exam timetables are published

for easy access. Reminders can be set to ensure reading list

items are used in time for lectures and seminars.

Library searchThe entire catalogue of the Library’s electronic and

physical resources can be searched from a single point.

Books can be reserved and renewed online and we host

an extensive collection of past exam papers to assist in

exam preparation.

Grades and graduationGrades from recent assessments are published to the

My Manchester portal so students can view their academic

progress and targets. Our technology is used to stream

graduation ceremonies live over the internet along with

other prestigious lectures and events.

For lecturersCourse materialThe virtual learning environment compiles and delivers

course material to students. Supplementary tools, videos,

quizzes, teaching aids and the eLearning team’s course

design advice can all be applied to enhance the student

learning experience. Paper-based journals can also be

digitised for electronic distribution and in certain theatres,

lectures can be captured and replayed via a podcast at the

student’s convenience.

eAssessmentA suite of eAssessment tools covers all aspects of

administering, marking and invigilating online

assessments. Marking of assignments is made fast and

simple. Automatic electronic comparisons of work prevent

plagiarism and lecturers can adapt and enhance future

teaching materials, by analysing trends in answers.

Monitoring system and skills trainingThe University-wide progression monitoring system and

skills training catalogue is available for postgraduates. This

links to researcher’s individual profiles building an online

presence of academic achievements.

Teaching toolsTo aid course administration there are tools which can:

• view schedules

• book computer clusters for classes and exams

• allow students to electronically offer real-time

feedback during lectures

www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk

desktop computing and printing3

www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk

Desktops and laptopsIT Services provide around 14,000 desktop PCs and 3,500 laptops for staff and students across the University.

Software applicationsA comprehensive range of software applications can be accessed from our managed desktops to assist in daily work and studies.

New software and anti-virus tools are discreetly updated in the background to ensure software is up to date.

PC and printer lifecycleThe full lifecycle of PCs and printers is managed, including warranties, purchasing, setup, network registration and disposal.

PC clustersOpen access computers rooms (PC clusters) are available for students at dozens of locations across the north, south and

Fallowfield campuses, several of which are open 24 hours a day. Students can check online for the number of available

computers in each PC cluster.

PrintingWe manage the staff printing service and network printers based in offices around campus. For students there is a charged

printing system, allowing students to credit their personal printing balance online or via kiosks and to view their print history.

Printing, scanning and photocopying are all available using the printers in student PC clusters.

Print-related servicesAdditionally we offer a range of chargeable printing and

reprographics services for all customers, such as:

• Poster printing

• Thesis binding

• Hand out printing

• Laminating

• High speed photocopying

Managed desktops

Managed Desktops are PCs which have their

software set up and maintained in the

background using automated processes run

by IT Services.

Software installs and updates, security settings

and antivirus updates, user permissions,

P: Drive and shared area connections are

just some of the standard settings we apply to

thousands of Managed Desktop PCs remotely.

Samples of our posters? Photo required here

communication and collaboration 4

Email and calendarStaff and postgraduate researchers have calendars as part

of their email accounts and can see the real-time online

status of colleagues. Shared mailboxes and email addresses

are available and can be accessed simultaneously by

multiple people. Similarly, mailing lists can be created to

contact many people using a single email address.

Shared areasStaff are provided with shared areas so teams may store

and distribute files from secure, backed-up locations. There

are options for sharing files both on network drives and

online by uploading files to access controlled websites.

Files can be accessed both on and off campus.

IT informationIT Services provide large quantities of searchable

information to help, advise and promote the services on

offer. Most content can be found on our Knowledge Base,

the IT Services website and faculty intranets, but we also

produce brochures and regular IT news communications.

Collaboration toolsThere are various options to facilitate working together

and communicating with both targeted and wider

audiences. Wikis and discussion boards can be created

for sharing ideas. There are channels for announcements,

instant messaging, group text message facilities and

blogs. Workstation and group video conferencing facilities

are also available.

TelecomsOur telecoms office provides a full, managed telecoms

service with various options for routing telephone calls

or distributing a single number to multiple phones lines.

We also offer voicemail and mobile phone purchasing and

billing. Telecoms operate via nominated Telephone Liaison

Officers in each department.

Communications and MarketingOur dedicated IT Services Communications and Marketing

team work to promote our IT information, social media

and other publications across the University.

www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk

research related IT services5

IT Services provide support for e-Infrastructure services to staff and student researchers. Dedicated research IT and Helpdesk

teams provide expert points of contact for all research computing.

High Performance Computing

• Provision of local compute resources to manage

computationally intensive calculations, simulations and

problem analyses:

à Computational Shared Facility (CSF)

à Condor pools

• Local visualisation and data analytics capabilities

• Facilitation of access to regional, national and

international compute, visualisation and data analytics

services.

• Training courses for researchers in bibliography

software, intellectual property, blogging,

programming, high performance computing

and visualisation. In addition to our courses,

researchers can contact our experts for specialist

software support in areas such as programming

and statistical analysis.

• Support during research bid preparation, helping

researchers define IT requirements, costing estimates

and the completion of technical appendices.

• Research Data Management (RDM) provides

e-Infrastructure solutions to deliver highly scalable,

agile, research-data aligned secure storage.

We can assist in the design of RDM plans and provide

the means to transfer large files to or from our

storage facilities.

• Advance support for research use of site-licenced

applications such as MATLAB, Abaqus and

Mathematica, along with basic support of other

commercial and open-source software.

• We provide virtual servers, database hosting and

bespoke network infrastructure solutions to

researchers.

• We facilitate collaboration and networking.

Computational research clubs, drop-in sessions and

other activities are provided to enable collaboration

between researchers both internal and external to

the University. A number of tools are provided to

enable this, such as community wikis and forums.

• Multiple options for web hosting on both

manchester.ac.uk and external domains for research

project websites. We can advise on design, branding

and offer options for delivery of dynamic content

where required.

• Recording, publishing, bibliometrics and digitally

preserving journal articles for our researchers.

In addition we link research projects to individuals to

track their achievements, skills and progression.

Individual research profiles provide a way to publish a

researcher’s track record, which in turn helps extend

their research network and assist in bids for funding.

• Developing, maintaining and supporting bespoke

research and research administration software, providing

guidance on their uses and available functions.

• Communicating research related news, activities and

running seminars for the research community to

highlight our developments in IT and its use in

research projects.

www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk

business services 6

Business applicationsWe supply and manage the main IT systems which are essential to the running of the University.

Finance, Human Resources, Library, Student Records and Customer Relationship Management systems are all provided for use

by the University to facilitate day-to-day activities.

Access controlAccess to business applications is controlled via our approval system to restrict visibility of confidential data. Elements of

some of these systems are available to staff outside our administration departments, offering tools to view payslips, update

personal contact details and raise purchase requisitions. Information from our primary business systems is available for analysis

and reporting. A dedicated team of experts can advise on reporting options including presenting information graphically via

dashboards. Information from multiple systems can be combined to achieve the desired output.

Intranets and websitesIT Services teams manage their faculty-specific intranet and personal profile facilities. Websites are provided to many teams

across the University and we supply the content management software to allow staff to update the wording and images on

their own web pages.

Conference IT accounts Conference IT accounts can be created for visitors to allow internet and computer access during conferences.

PurchasingIT Services advises on all aspects of IT purchasing, including software, hardware and infrastructure. We negotiate contracts

with external suppliers; for larger purchases we undertake commercial analysis. IT Services run tendering processes and ensure

suppliers who bid for our contracts do so in a cost-competitive setting. Where software licences need to be purchased staff can

download them directly from our website.

New IT systemsIT Services should be consulted and can advise when you are looking to define, develop or select a new IT system. In addition to

offering our skills and expertise, IT Services will ensure compliance with standard University procedures regarding information

security and data protection.

Internal IT processesInternal processes specifically for IT staff help us manage our day to day administration, support, services and projects effectively.

www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk

training and development7

Courses Courses can be booked online and cover a wide variety of subjects, including:

• Guides to using our internal IT business systems

• Non-University specific software

• Management and soft skills, which complement offerings from the Staff Training and Development Unit

• Technical IT Training

• European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL)

IT training for students is usually undertaken as part of course studies. To make staff training more accessible IT Services

work closely with the Staff Training and Development Unit (STDU) to combine our IT training offering with non-technical

STDU courses. Specialised training is also available at faculty level along with induction material and advice for new starters.

Training documentation is designed in-house and support and guidance for those who wish to run their own IT training

courses can be provided. We also work with teams who request the design of new courses to be run by the IT Services

training team.

www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk

Training is delivered in a variety of ways, from traditional classroom-based training, to online self-study, which allows

flexible learning.

IT security, compliance and governance 8

Technical IT security• Anti-virus software is automatically installed on all

managed computers and is available free of charge for

both University and personally owned equipment.

• A dedicated security incident response team handle any

breach or computer virus outbreak.

• Our facilities for data storage, backups and transmission

are secure and safe from interception.

• We can advise on recommended ways of transferring

sensitive data, and setting up security in IT systems.

Information securityUniversity policy states that all University-purchased

laptops connecting to the network, must be encrypted

to minimise the risks of information security leaks. We

have established processes to maintain this. Additionally

we offer tools and advice on storing, protecting and

transmitting information.

Green ITThe University aims to provide efficient, effective and

sustainable IT infrastructure. Our Green ICT plan is

working to reduce our overall IT carbon footprint by:

• Virtualisation and consolidation

• Conserving data centre energy

• The introduction of Pull Printing

• Desktop power management

• Sustainable procurement

Compliance• For disabled staff and students the University has

purchased a number of hardware and software products

to suit particular needs.

• Student records data is maintained and archived by

our systems, enabling reporting and statistical analysis.

• We handle Freedom of Information, internal Human

Resources, HESA and police requests in addition to

assisting auditors in their investigations. PC login

information is recorded and we act on IT security or

copyright takedown requests where required.

• IT procurement is controlled to ensure large

expenditure contracts abide by tendering and anti-

competition laws to protect the University against

legal challenges on expenditure.

• We maintain an inventory of our software licences

and computer hardware across the University.

• Details of research grants and contracts, and all

University financial transactions are stored in systems

we provide.

• We offer a service to digitally preserve emails for

archiving.

IT Services continually maintain rigorous controls on our systems, data and processes to ensure our services remain robust

against IT security threats and to comply with legal requirements which govern how information is handled.

www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk

technical IT services9

Though there are constraints, technical IT services can be requested by any member of staff or student. We offer a consultation

procedure to review requirements and assess how we can help. Depending on the result of the consultation, any of the IT

services listed below can be provided. Consultations can be requested via the IT Service Desk.

Hosting • Websites

• Data storage

• Software applications

• Servers (physical and virtual)

• Databases

• Software Licences

Development • Development of websites or assistance with associated technologies such as providing digital certificates,

managing domain names and routing.

• Software application development and testing.

• Business analysis and systems design.

• Integrating systems and data.

Identity Management • User identity, authentication and access control.

Storage, Servers and Networks • Provision and administration of Windows, Linux and Unix server operating systems.

• Network and webpage monitoring and alerts.

• Infrastructure and storage design and consultancy.

• Network infrastructure design, installation, maintenance and resilience.

• Domain Name System (DNS) management.

Technical IT training Our Microsoft IT Academy programme offers self-study, technical courses free of charge to students and staff.

Courses are run online and are made available to help learners build on their existing IT skills.

www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk

help and support 10

IT Service Desk The IT Service Desk is the single point of contact for all IT questions or problems. It is open 24 hours a day*, 365 days a year.

Knowledge Base Our self-service Knowledge Base contains over 2,000

searchable articles written by our IT teams.

All staff and students can access these and a limited

selection is available to prospective students and visitors.

Online formThe IT Service Desk can also be contacted using an online

form via the Knowledge Base.

Walk-up IT Service DesksIT staff are available to help you at our walk-up Service Desk

locations:

*Out of hours, the Service Desk is operated by Northumbria University. Details supplied during the course of managing your request will be stored and reported back to the University of Manchester who will offer further assistance, if required.

www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk

Alan Gilbert Learning Commons Joule LibraryMain Library

Contact us

24 hours a day*, 365 days a year

• Tel:0161 306 5544 (ext. 65544)

• Submit your query online: https://servicedesk.manchester.ac.uk

• Visit one of our Service Desks

• Main Library: 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.

• Alan Gilbert Learning Commons: 9am-9pm, Monday to Friday and 9am-5pm, weekends.

• Joule Library (North Campus): 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday.

(ITS

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IT Service Catalogue

Service Catalogue Guide – Version 2.0

For the most up to date version of the catalogue visit: www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/servicecatalogue To report omissions or request changes contact: it-servicecatalogue@manchester.ac.uk

Contact us

For IT help and support visit: www.manchester.ac.uk/servicedesk or call 0161 306 5544To send general comments and feedback on any of our services visit: www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/talktous

Royal Charter Number RC0000797

The Directorate of IT Services, The University of Manchester Oxford RoadManchester M13 9PL

www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk