As we work to meet current and future information management and data security challenges, we want to give all staff more insight in to the purpose and priorities of the Chief Information & Digital Officer's team.

We also want to let you know that we’ll be sharing more information, and requiring more action, on information security in the coming months.

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On 18 June 2020 the CIDO held a first live Welcome meeting for all staff under his new Office. Tony and his colleagues – IT Director Mike Roberts, with Malcolm Days and Amber Thomas; Librarian, Robin Green; Director of SPA, Faye Murray and IDC specialists Peter Jackson and Mark Camilletti – spoke to nearly 300 staff from these teams to outline some key priorities.

The majority of the hour-long event was given to a Q&A session driven by live, online questions from staff.

Here’s some of what Tony had to say:

On the main areas of focus and objectives for the coming year

"Covid has thrown a bit of a curve ball (as we say in the States) making everything more difficult than we’d like to get things done. But we have now developed new policies and put two new committees in place. The University Information Management Committee (UIMC) reports to the University Information Management Executive Committee (UIMEC) and both are charged with the governance and control of information management and security.

The ITS team has been doing a great job from an infrastructure technology point of view; pushing through important changes – separating the email address book, separating the wireless network, making key changes through the Network Replacement and Security Programme.

For me, the work largely hinges around process, governance and structure. We need to get the organisational change right – through the policies we’re drafting, the committees now in place, and, hopefully getting a cross-departmental group together to look at the network architecture and how we make decisions. There’s a lot of wasted time, effort and duplicate spend around the University, simply because we’re not working in a joined-up way. It creates cost and it creates risk. We need to be better harmonised by building stronger relationships between the various parts of the University."

On building closer relationships with departmental IT teams

"Absolutely. The University is interesting. I’ve found that while the centre is worried the departments don’t want to be told what to do, largely the departments just want to know what the rules are so they can plan and get on with their work. There’s less friction and separation than you might think and a lot more opportunity for us to work closely together. If we work together. It can’t be seen as one side pushing the other. If we build relationships in the right way, there’s a great opportunity to achieve more and move faster."

On how and when to communicate change to end users

"First, we’re designing the change – better governance and use of data, tighter web editorial controls, minimum security specifications for connecting to our network – and then we’re relaying information to people as fast as possible. It’s an ongoing process. There’ll be change continuing over the course of the next few years and we’ll communicate it as we go. We are also standardising that communication, driving much of it through the new committee structures. The UIMC is now the go-to place for raising the issues and conversations about how change will affect faculties, departments and teams. Communication will always be agreed through the committees first before we cascade down to staff – and we need to do that in a very clear, joined up way, expanding the process as we move forward."

With lots of positive staff comment, the team plans to run these interactive events more regularly.