Symantec Managed Security Services Seminar

CST together with Symantec would like to invite you on March 3, 2011

to learn more about cloud based network security services. It is typical for the complexity of an organisation’s network security to grow disproportionally over time, one answer to this challenge is to delegate the most complex and time intensive tasks.

The Symantec Managed Security Service (MSS) is a proven ten year plus, 24/7/365, global coverage Service that can do just that, a few of its specialist security services include:

· Firewalls:- analysis of traffic, threats, trends and attacks.

· Intrusion detection systems:- identity real attacks, as opposed to false alerts.

· Endpoint security:- Safeguarding the endpoint no matter where or when.

· System log scrutiny:- collection, archive and reporting.

· Exploit & vulnerability analysis:- detect the weakness before it develops an incident.

The Benefits of a Managed Service are vast, however the underlying motive is to simplify IT security management and reduce costs, some of the reasons our customers move to a managed security service are as follows:

· Recognition to do more - they understand and wish to improve their security posture, (especially as threat become more complex and prolific) but are unsure what to address first for the most return on the investment including just where to start.

· Resourcing– they consider it is either a matter of employing more staff or heaping more responsibilities on existing workloads, neither are attractive for an organisation that wants to have its staff focusing on its core business practises.

· Compliance – Audit, regulatory or trade policies have resulted in a mandate to undertake a network or computing security function that is out of current the skill and resource pool.

· Event Details

Event:	Symantec Managed Security Services Seminar
Date/Time:	Thursday, March 03 09:30 - 13:00
Location:	London The Shaftesbury Room (4th floor), Institute of Directors,116 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5ED GBR

· Agenda

Thursday, March 03

9:30 AM — 10:00 AM Registration

10:00 AM — 10:15 AM Security Strategy: Emerging threats - new game, new rules!

10:15 AM — 11:00 AM Managed Security Services – monitoring, management and reduced risk.

11:00 AM — 11:15 AM Coffee Break

11:15 AM — 12:00 PM Endpoint Protection – finding the needle in the haystack

12:00 PM — 1:00 PM Lunch https://symantecevents.verite.com/20094

National Outsourcing Association

Introducing the NOA

Established as a not-for-profit organisation, operating for over 20 years, the NOA acts as an independent body.

Vision: Our principle objective is to ensure the effectiveness and success of outsourcing, shared services and insourcing through the promotion of best practice and innovation in their application and development.

Mission Statement: The NOA aims to be the centre of excellence in outsourcing. The NOA’s main objective is to communicate to a wider audience:

– The principles of best practice in outsourcing, shared services and insourcing
– The significant benefits and strategic lessons of outsourcing, shared services and insourcing

International: The NOA is part of the larger umbrella organisation, the European Outsourcing Association. Currently, the NOA has affiliate organisations in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. Visit the EOA website

Members: The NOA represents member organisations across the sourcing industry. Members fall into three main categories:

• Users – UK and overseas companies who engage in outsourcing, shared services and insourcing
• Suppliers – companies who provide these services
• Support services – legal, consultancy and recruitment companies which support the sourcing industry

Events http://www.noa.co.uk/index.php/site/events

5 ways that managed print services helps the environment

by Bob Jones, GoArticles.com

1. Reduced levels of paper and ink resources

2. Lower toner usage

3. Less help desk support and call outs

4. Printer power consumption is monitored

5. Better fleet optimisation

http://yourmpsa.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2213:5-ways-that-managed-print-services-helps-the-environment-&catid=37:mps-industry-news&Itemid=37

Shared-service savings could mitigate £2.9bn funding cut

Joining forces to finance services could yield total near to budget reduction. Simon Baker writes

Senior university managers' "lack of enthusiasm" is conspiring to block the path to shared services among institutions that could yield as much as £2.7 billion in savings for the higher education sector each year, according to a new report.

The study from Policy Exchange, a right-leaning think tank, suggests that as much as 30 per cent could be shaved off UK universities' annual £9 billion bill for goods and services via joint partnerships.

But cost savings of that magnitude - almost as great as the government's £2.9 billion cut to the higher education budget - could be achieved only if universities were able to find a way around the requirement to pay VAT on shared or outsourced operations.

The report, Higher Education in the Age of Austerity: Shared Services, Outsourcing and Entrepreneurship, says the VAT issue is still a key obstacle to the wider use of shared services in the higher education sector.

It contends that the government should either adopt measures used in the NHS to exempt contracted-out services from VAT, or implement a European Union directive that would allow universities to set up partnerships without facing extra tax bills.

Alternatively, it could be possible to avoid the need for legislative change by moving in-house functions such as finance, human resources and student records into separate companies run by the private sector, but still majority owned by the university.

This joint venture model, which has been advocated by private firms such as University Partnerships Programme, the campus infrastructure specialists, would allow a new company to be registered in the same VAT group as its parent university.

However, for outsourcing and shared services schemes to work, institutions must overcome suspicions about the private sector and a cultural aversion to institutions working together, Policy Exchange argues.

"The VAT issue aside, the chief obstacle to usage of shared services within UK higher education is a lack of enthusiasm among senior managers," the report says.

"British universities are among the most autonomous in the world and are rightly protective of their independence, but this can lead to reluctance among managers to establish major partnerships with other institutions which may entail the loss of a degree of control over services."

The study highlights a number of "successful and productive" shared arrangements, including The Bloomsbury Colleges consortium, a voluntary collaboration between specialist colleges at the University of London, but it adds that there is scope for much more.

It also identifies substantial potential savings for the sector in the way it uses IT, citing the £250,000-a-year clawback achieved by University College London by using Microsoft's free email service.

Universities are also advised to build on their successes in creating spin-off companies and offering successful in-house operations to outside customers.

The report cites the example of a bus service owned by the University of Hertfordshire that evolved from a student-only carrier to an established local company serving the wider community.

Alex Massey, the report's author, said: "With students facing higher levels of debt, it really is time for universities to start taking efficiency and value for money seriously.

"There is no reason why activities such as accommodation, IT systems, catering, administration and other non-core services should always be provided in-house, and far too many institutions replicate functions that could be carried out on a shared basis."

From THES 23 December - 5th January 2011 by simon.baker@tsleducation.com.

Happy New Year!

2011 is undoubtedly going to be a challenging year for many institutions. We hope that JISC Legal will help us make informed decisions on the legal issues which might otherwise hamper the effective use of appropriate technologies in teaching, learning, research and administration. JISC, we’ll be keeping a close eye on sector needs, and they are already preparing guidance in relation to legal aspects of cloud computing, and those in relation to outsourcing and mergers. However, if you feel there’s a need not being covered, please let them know – details at http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/ContactUs/FeedbackForm.aspx.

Managed Print Services

10 considerations when evaluating or implementing a Managed Print Services program
1 -- Does your MPS program put the emphasis on “management” or on “print”?
A successful MPS program requires people, process, and technology (hardware and software). If the program’s focus is on the equipment to deploy, including a break-fix contract price, terms and supplies, but leaves out the organizational structure and process performance, then you do not have a true, comprehensive MPS program in place. A more effective MPS program will focus on who will be accountable for results, how to manage the process that will deliver the results, and what equipment to use for print/copy/fax/scan processes.
2 -- Is all the equipment managed equally?
If your MPS program does not manage all the equipment in your environment equally, no matter who owns the equipment or what OEM provides the maintenance, then you have a fragmented print service operation that is subject to a lowest “cost-per-copy” contract and you are probably unaware of many higher, hidden costs.
3 -- Is there one point of accountability and one invoice to pay?
One defining characteristic of a well-rounded MPS program is a single point of accountability for the entire office print/copy/fax/scan service. By centralizing the responsibilities for managing all of the equipment, people and processes, you can leverage procurement scale, standardization, budget consolidation, and have one consolidated invoice to pay.
4 -- Are the MPS tools installed and used?
One building block of an MPS program is the ability to monitor fleet activity (i.e. collecting output, service and cost data) as well as automate processes (proactive machine faults/alerts, meter collection and reporting overall performance.) Technology tools are necessary in order to meet these goals. These tools include, at the very least, an electronic monitoring system, an MPS call center application and a reporting system. Assessment, user behavior modification and MFP workflow solutions tools also can help.
5 -- Does the MPS program provide an initial in-depth assessment?
An in-depth assessment is recommended before starting an MPS program to establish a baseline of your fleet’s current state. The assessment should provide a roadmap for moving from the fleet’s current state to its future state. A list of the existing equipment to be kept, re-deployed, and retired should be one output. A map of current equipment, utilization and device-to-user ratios is another output. You can also create several future-state recommendations based on desired outcomes (such as total costs) along with best-of-breed equipment specifications.
6 -- Will the MPS program re-balance and optimize the fleet continuously?
Maintaining an excessive amount of equipment is expensive. Determining precisely how much equipment is needed, including the requirements of each location, involves delicate measurements and frequent reviews. Idle or overused equipment can be expensive in terms of dollars or user satisfaction. An MPS program should include periodic reviews (quarterly or annual at the minimum) by experts who can recommend optimization changes as necessary.
7 -- Will the MPS program relieve the IT help-desk from print-related issues?
According to IT help-desk studies, a significant number of calls to the IT help-desk (approximately 20%) involve relatively basic issues related to toner, machine service, etc. An MPS program should relieve the IT help-desk from these calls by providing an 800 number to the MPS call center, ideally backed by on-site and remote call center support, for resolving these issues.
8 -- What are the whole life costs?
Capital cost, running cost and disposal needs to be evaluated and budgeted for.
9 -- How sustainable is the product and service?
Device, and service carbon footprint needs to be evaluated. WEEE considerations, standby power consumption and ability to use recycled substrates and parts are some areas to consider.
10 -- Does the MPS program provide staff and subject matter experts to manage the MPS process?
Buyers often forget there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that must be done to manage office print/copy/fax/scan processes. Here is a partial list of MPS responsibilities that do not come with basic equipment maintenance:
· ordering supplies and re-stocking consumables on a daily basis
· providing preventive maintenance and first-level response
· managing multiple OEM service providers
· managing procurement, which includes consolidating and standardizing contracts and rates as they expire
· overseeing the budget
· verifying invoices and resolving bill disputes
· coordinating equipment moves/changes
· responding to user needs and conducting user satisfaction surveys
· coordinating with IT
· reporting performance and financials
· planning ahead for effective program management
· reviewing device utilization and overall performance
· making optimization decisions
· managing assets (maintaining equipment lists and data, planning and coordinating moves, adds, changes and disposals)
Customers are getting smarter about the total cost of ownership when they buy or replace office print equipment. But these companies don’t always recognize how important a comprehensive managed print services program is to realizing the full benefits of the newest technology. These 8 Things provide a checklist for making sure people, process, and technology are all considered when implementing an MPS program.

Best Shared Services Award

The London Metropolitan Network (LMN), a high-capacity broadband infrastructure has won the “Best Shared Services Award” from e-government development agency, London Connects.
Relevant Publications http://www.london.ja.net/index.php?id=16
ModernGov March 2010
ModernGov May 2009
ModernGov May 2008
ModernGov Nov 2007
Press Release 2007
eGovernment Sept 2006
Public Service Director Jul 2006