by Phil George, IS&T Service and Architecture Manager

The time between August and October is one of the busiest for IT staff and also one of the most critical for the University. We want to make sure clearing and enrolment happen smoothly and that students receive the best possible first impression of Sheffield Hallam when they arrive. That’s why we have a two month IS&T change restrictions period. This increases protection of our vitally important University IT services by limiting the amount of change which takes place to IT systems, infrastructure and equipment. This year it’s between 5 August and 6 October inclusive.

What might be considered an IS&T change?

There are many different types of change – examples include the introduction of new services or adding features to existing ones, preventative maintenance or replacement of equipment, upgrades, correction of errors and even modifications to processes and procedures. These may be improvements but any change carries a degree of risk. In a University as large and complex as ours, there are lots of different systems operating side by side; making alterations to one service can adversely affect another – sometimes dramatically. That’s why we have a process of authorisation for changes.  At the start of the new academic year – when the impact of a possible failure is increased – those involved in that process have a heightened sensitivity to possible disruptions which might be caused unintentionally by a change.

Does that mean that no changes are allowed during these weeks?

No, it’s a balancing act.  Some changes provide enough business benefit to justify the risk they carry, even at this sensitive time. We need to take care not to prohibit changes which are really necessary, while not jeopardizing services through non-essential changes.

What about systems which students don’t use?

We are sometimes asked why systems which are not directly used by students are also subject to the change restrictions. The answer comes in two parts. Firstly there are systems and infrastructure which are essential for staff to use when providing services to students, even though the students don’t access the systems themselves. Secondly, we don’t want to risk possible failures in non-student-facing services taking support away from student-facing services.

To find out more, contact Phil George.