IBM Connections ready for students at University of Zurich
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The University of Zurich has implemented IBM Connections to enhance collaboration among approximately 40,000 users, including students, since its initial rollout in 2011. Despite facing challenges such as lack of management support and initial adoption limited to the IT department, the platform has evolved and integrated various community-focused features, enabling broader use across departments. With workshops aimed at empowering future community managers, students were granted access in 2017, promoting collaborative documentation and community building within the university.
IBM Connections ready for students at University of Zurich
- 1. IBM Connections ready for students at University of Zurich Roberto Mazzoni, University of Zurich, IT www.zi.uzh.ch Sandra Bühler, Belsoft Collaboration AG belsoft-collaboration.ch
- 2. Agenda • The speakers • The University of Zurich • The collaboration stack of the University of Zurich • IBM Connections • a long, long journey • what we did wrong and what works now • How students have been embraced 2
- 3. Sandra Bühler - Introduction sandra.buehler@belsoft.ch @SandraCH https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrabuehler 3
- 4. My office… as often as I can 4
- 5. Roberto Mazzoni - Introduction roberto.mazzoni@uzh.ch @davoser https://www.linkedin.com/in/mazzoniroberto 5
- 6. Not far from Sandra’s preferred office …. 6
- 7. The University of Zurich - Introduction http://t.uzh.ch/100s 7
- 8. University of Zurich – Top 100 8
- 9. University of Zurich – People People – including guests approximately 40,000 members 9
- 10. University of Zurich – Structure Decentralized and self-governed • 130 institutes (675 professors) • numerous associated institutes 10
- 11. IBM Collaboration Software @ UZH – History and Today • 2005 • The university's IT strategy retains the evaluation of a groupware containing the usual suspects: email, scheduling, contacts, tasks, mobile synchronization • Opting for document management, synchronous communication, workflows • Replacing the old solutions for approx. 35,000 users (email only, some scheduling solutions) • 2007 - 2009 • Open tenders • End of evaluation, final decision done by the university management • Internal “Going live” with IT services • 2010 • Official “Going live” and migration of the 40'000 users (yes, we found some more...) • 2011 • Sametime Standard with Sametime Meetings • Connections - adoption only by IT department 11
- 12. IBM Notes® @ UZH – History – Open tender • 2008 • Open tender • End of evaluation, final decision done by the university management • 2009 • Internal “Going live” with IT services • 2010 • Official “Going live” and migration of the 40'000 users (yes, they found some more...) • 2018 • What would be the result? • Who is offering the solution on premises? 12
- 13. Facts & Figures: email is not dead -> at all • 590’000 internal emails daily • 280’000 emails received from Internet daily • 190’000 (68 %) classified as SPAM • 61'000 sent to Internet daily • 131’000 email addresses registered for 50’000 persons or functions in the Domino Directory • E-Mail Quota: 20 GB, also for students With 20 GB quota (and additional 20 GB per person freely distributable within your organization), the UZH offers more email storage than most big providers do. That was unthinkable a few years ago and is still not achieved in many companies. 13
- 14. Facts & Figures: IBM Domino/Notes – daily access by email clients 2015 2017 20182014 iOS 74% Android 23% Windows 3% Traveler: 3160 Devices 1 % Blackberry 14 2016
- 15. IBM Connections – the next step in collaboration 15
- 16. IBM Connections – a long, long journey • 2011: IBM Connections kicks in • Licensing support by Belsoft • Missing Management Support • First rollout within IT Service • Connections 3.0 • We did wrong what can be done wrong • No management support • No plans which component should be used in which manner • No community manager established • Nevertheless: IT department employees won’t miss it after short time of usage! • Upgrade to 4.0 • Ask the experts: Simon Vaughan (@SimplyS1mon) to mention one who really helped to fix it 16
- 17. IBM Connections – a long, long journey – 2nd Glance • Combination of two no-no’s • No management support and no Community Managers established • The role of HR • Let’s have a minute of silence… 17
- 18. IBM Collaboration Software @ UZH – History and Today - Connections • 2011 • Connections - adoption only by IT department • 2013 • Connections for projects and pilot groups • 2014 • Preparing Roll Out for all employees • 2015 • Starting Roll out • 2016 • 2017 18
- 19. IBM Connections challenges – Change the behavior of the users • It is a great platform - can be spread even if your management does not promote it • Show the features people always missed for their work • It is not “normal” to work with a Social Business environment • It is not a matter of age ! • People like email, they used it for years • People are shy (you won’t have digital natives in your administration) • People can’t distinguish between privacy and transparency 19
- 20. IBM Connections – Integrate to your environment • Make IBM Notes/iNotes and IBM Connections one experience if you have Notes • Add IBM Connections to Notes • Easiest way to get rid of attachments in emails • Get your tasks from your activities to your calendar • Show up your community calendar in Notes • Get the profile pictures back to Notes through Sametime • IBM Connections Desktop Plug-in • Replaces your File Shares with much more benefits (Versions just to mention one) • Yes, the OS X Finder integration is different 20
- 21. IBM Connections approaches – Integrate people with their projects • Identify stakeholders that will help spread the word and help them with their projects • Integrate in working environment • show advantages and simplifications in the daily work • Find teams that cross borders • Adopt communities to their needs • University Management • University Crisis management group needs to collaborate with all other departments • Main library wants to collaborate with all department libraries • Faculty projects need collaboration tools (Physics Olympiad 2016 and European Girl’s Mathematical Olympiad 2017) 21
- 22. Simple but effective Folder Access for Files • University Management • Grants access to stakeholders to minutes of meetings with Connection Files • Reuse Notes Groups for access management using folders only • Flexibility of different access models 22
- 23. Be prepared for hazards • University Crisis management group • Scenarios in case of hazards ready to use (selection) • Radiation Protection • Biological Safety/Security • Fire Safety • Chemical Safety • Hazardous Waste Management • People from different departments involved in associated communities • Subcommunities for handling diffent hazards 23
- 24. Be prepared for hazards • Content “private” only • Yes, it’s fine to keep Communities restricted • ensure that members gain confidence • also social business must be learned • prepare content for later public access 24
- 25. Private Communities 2nd Glance • Yes, it’s fine to keep “some” Communities restricted • ensure that members gain confidence • also social business must be learned • prepare content for later public access 25
- 26. Enable collaboration • Main Library • 1 public library (not only University Library, Zentralbibliothek) • 1 main library for science • 1 main library for medicine • 50 libraries spread across the city • one library system hosted by Swiss Federal Institute of Technology for all 26
- 27. Enable collaboration – 2nd Glance • Main Library • 60 libraries spread over the campus • Within the 130 departments, with great attention for 675 kingdoms • Who could spread the voice better ? 27
- 28. The role of HR – or forget the minute of silence • If you want to forget your minute of silence… • Identify the needs HR has • Find stakeholders willing to optimize processes • And now the voice is spread over 130 units by more than 600 people! 28
- 29. Managing Workflows with Subcommunities • Evalulation process for Institutes • Goal: reduce email without introducing new tools • One Connection Community with all information for all evaluations • One Subcommunity for each evaluation • Managing Workflow by changing access rights during evaluation process • On Cummunity member level • On File access right leve 29
- 30. Rollout for 12’000 people in 2016 • Most of them will not play an active role • Prepare the rollout and spread the voice • YES, HR can help! • Units want to use it! 616 Communities (+ 71%) 2669 Activities (+34 %) 643 Forum (+80 %) 438 Wikis (+ 16%) 225 Blogs (+ 55%) 30 2017:
- 32. Sharing knowledge • The video idea was born at engage.ug two years ago • User groups make the difference • Video shots on site within two months • Early adopters within the University were happy to contribute • HR department • Association of doctoral students, postdocs and scientific employees of the University of Zürich • Others willing to contribute • Connections rocks! 32
- 33. Seasons greating from our president 2016 33
- 34. Sharing knowledge – the IT contribution • The Connection rollout to all employees of the University was the contribution of the IT • Should Collaboration address students also? • Of course! • Licensing for all campus members was an issue before April 2016 • UZH has his own learning management system (https://olat.org) 34
- 35. Students – we are ready for you! 35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F96sCdoO0xo
- 36. From fall semester 2017: access for students • Upgradet to Connection 5.5 • had to migrate first from SuSE to RedHat ... • The entry hub for collaboration • Students have been integrated since autumn 2017 without further ado • Institutes use Connections as a documentation (especially Wiki's) and collaboration platform for students • Students open their own communities 36
- 37. Workshops for future “Community Managers” • Rollout is not a technical challenge !!! • It’s a organisational one • Prepare units to be aware of it • Community Manager • There is no technical role for it • People need to be enabled for it • Workshops • Your users know what they need • Let them find out and assist them • IT will be critical: loss of control 37
- 38. Workshop for future “Community Managers” • Workshops are open for students 38
- 39. It’s open – let it open ! • Let them use and show them all options ! • Notes integration • Desktop plugins • Mobile Apps • If you miss it: they will found out! • You can’t loose control – you never had! • It’s social ! • It’s open, let it open • The only way they can contribute their own ideas and are also prepared to rethink their own processes • People need to learn and will learn to handle it • Discuss consequences of errors 39
- 40. Thank you for your attention 40