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About IT Services
View live vacanciesAbout IT Services
Don't settle for second best. Join us and let’s build something great together.
IT Services (ITS) is fundamental to the teaching and research success of the University and underpins all day to day operations. The services IT provides are available to the whole University community of around 25,000 students and staff. Our aim is to deliver services that are secure, reliable and resilient and, above all, serve the University’s mission and desire to transform. ITS continually develops new services to meet changing user needs, provides first-line IT support and facilitates business change and process improvement.
ITS provides the wired and wireless network infrastructure, devices and telephony, and manages our high-speed link to the internet via the academic network provided by JANET(UK). In addition, the department provides services to support research in the form of large scale data storage, high performance computing and specialist training.
At the desktop level, ITS provides the services to support around 8,000 centrally-managed PCs used in classrooms for student use and in offices for staff. More than 200 items of PC software are deployed to these desktops, including standard office applications and specialist software to support teaching and research. A managed Linux desktop is offered to science departments and there is also extensive supported use of OS X across the University.
The department is also responsible for providing the technical infrastructure underpinning many of the University's core enterprise systems, such as the virtual learning environment, web site, student record system, finance and HR systems. These are large, complex systems and we work closely with other departments to adapt and develop these software applications to meet new requirements emerging in response to a competitive Higher Education environment
Key investments and initiatives in IT Services
We're building exceptional student experiences
IT Services is delivering an ambitious digital transformation agenda by creating products and services which enhance the experience of studying, living and working at the University. Our diverse and inclusive team of the best engineers, product owners, technicians, analysts and project managers make this happen.
We are looking for the disruptors and innovators, those who see the world and the problems within it differently from everyone else. We encourage an open collaborative environment to create the best outcomes. In return we give you the opportunity to make your mark in higher education, where our services users are themselves pushing the boundaries of knowledge and tackling the most urgent global challenges.
We have a proven track record for delivering success
Our team is growing fast, using Agile and user-centred delivery processes to accelerate transformation. We are built around small, autonomous teams who are empowered to make decisions in the best interests of their customers. With a shared mission and community of talent you will always have the support and guidance to inspire your next project.
We have a big vision at the University. We have never invested so heavily in digital services, cloud infrastructure and service design. Are you ready to lead our next chapter?
Salesforce Deployment
In 2020 we deployed Salesforce as our core platform for all customer-facing activity, enabling us to replace some of our legacy technology with a cloud hosted enterprise solution. Our aim is to make it simple for students and staff to seek help, no matter where they are in the world or on their journey, and by doing so improve efficiency and engagement by centralising data in one location.
The initial deployment focused on enquiry management and over the coming years we will consolidate more of our activity in Salesforce, leveraging the full range of the platform’s capabilities. This exciting transformation will raise the bar for service delivery standards, consistency and satisfaction over the next five years.
UX Discovery Work
In 2021 we executed four months of generative UX research. The intent was to better understand how students and staff use our virtual learning environment: a platform which is used by 94% of students every week. We used a range of quantitative and qualitative techniques to uncover the ‘what’ and ‘why’ behind user behaviour.
Our intent is to remove guesswork and assumption from our service delivery, instead using UX research to inform decision-making and prioritisation. The research showed us that students are looking for a connected learning journey with a consistent look and feel across multiple platforms and courses. Increasingly they are seeking a sense of belonging and community. These discoveries will inform our future technology choices, ensuring we can foster innovation in teaching whilst getting everyday features right.
Amazon Web Services
Since 2019 the University of York has shifted its attention to cloud native development and infrastructure. Becoming an industry leader in the rollout of serverless technology in the education sector. Reinventing our approach to empower teams to develop and deliver new systems far quicker than previously possible.
For example the UoY app was built on AWS technology. Built internally, it has rapidly expanded to support a range of student and staff needs, from accessing student timetables to providing the latest events. Whilst forgetting your student card to access the library is no longer an issue. With a simple tap via the app providing access. This is just one example of how our pioneering approach has increased our agility and capability for building modern applications and interconnected services throughout the University.
Our networks enable world class education. Delivered through best in class connectivity
The University Wi-Fi network is the primary connection method for the twenty thousand staff and students it serves. With connectivity across the entire campus including our student accommodation, supported by two on-premise data centres, we manage infrastructure similar in scale to a small town and are always looking to improve.
We are in the early stages of a major hardware refresh including the redesign and upgrade of the Wi-Fi network across the entire estate. We have doubled the number of wireless access points over the last few years and doubled the internet connection to 20Gbps. The three year project will create an enhanced student experience by making it easy to connect any type of device securely and reliably while protecting the data and integrity of the University's digital assets.
A trusted partner in our community
The GuildHall in York is a Grade I listed building built around a 15th century hall. Owned by the City of York Council, the new era in its history has been entrusted with the University through its York Science Park subsidiary. This multi-agency project is transforming the ancient Hall into a publicly accessible resource providing office/meeting rooms for local enterprises, wedding ceremonies, arts events and cafes.
The University network team have provided consultancy services throughout the project from physical infrastructure to technical Wi-Fi designs. Through our experience of operating cutting-edge networks in historic buildings, we have been entrusted to provide the necessary advanced and innovative solutions for this culturally important community project.
