Guidelines for Transition to and Installation of a SOE

SOE General Information

Reasons for Transition to SOE in FAHSS

• the SOE offers the opportunity to centralise some software licensing, which will ensure that the majority of licenses throughout FAHSS are purchased correctly, used and maintained appropriately
• the transition to the SOE provides users with more resources on their machine, catering for a wide range of IT usage without needing FC staff to support each new request
• a high-level of user flexibility is attained through the SOE, permitting users to work in many different locations with different applications without unnecessary disruption
• implementing an SOE system conforms with current industry practices – it is the only way of providing ongoing surety of all activities in an IT environment, assisting with ongoing  issues such as security of data and reliability of services
• the implementation of a SOE assists individual FAHSS sections and Faculty Computing (FC) to control and predict IT costs – the ability to predict the volume and type of IT use in FAHSS is highly beneficial when undertaking long-term IT planning activities

Benefits of the SOE

• in the event that a machine fails, SOE users have the flexibility to move immediately to a different machine and continue working
• software is maintained and versions are controlled through a centralised process
• stability and performance of IT products are improved on an SOE
• support requests are managed more effectively and efficiently through IT product standardisation
• remote-control support capabilities are enabled through the use of an SOE, and this results in users receiving a quicker, more efficient support service
• an improvement in asset management capabilities is achieved through the SOE
• security controls are greatly improved, and offer protection to users from theft and hardware failure
• regular security/system updates ensure a high-level of user protection, e.g. from viruses
• data is backed-up centrally, although the user must still take the responsibility for their data

Problems/Concerns with the SOE

• the SOE can restrict end-user flexibility because of the necessity to comply with SOE demands, i.e. the responsibility of catering to many users
• the volume of data being held by users can have an adverse affect on the SOE data back-up process, i.e. digital media files such as MP3 and MOV files can be quite large and holding these on a network server is quite expensive, as is backing them up. The complexity and time to manage and maintain the server grows exponentially with the size of the data that people are storing. A better option may be to hold them on a DVD-R disk and not in a users local account.
• the implementation of the SOE into FAHSS increases the reliability and importance of central infrastructure
• server downtime will occasionally occur that will significantly impact SOE users
• there are some data security and privacy concerns relating to the management of the SOE, although it is important to note that all FC staff are versed in and abide by official UWA IT Policies
• some software applications may not work on the SOE environment without significant effort

SOE Installation Process

FAHSS and FC Staff Responsibilities

• do not share username and password details
• seek and follow the advice of FC staff when purchasing hardware and software, providing maximum advance warning to FC regarding changes in requirements
• store appropriate types of data in appropriate places
• minimise the amount of data stored if possible
• consider the impact of your IT use/actions on other users, for example:
• users placing large files on the server will impact upon its ability to service other users
• users’ machines which spread viruses will impact the network load available for, and reliability of, other users’ machines
• installing software or altering the settings on your computer without full knowledge of the consequences can jeopardise the security of your and other users’ data

• build, test and deploy software sets of an acceptable reliability and security with minimal negative impact on end users
• keep users informed of significant changes upgrades or giving advance notice of scheduled downtime
• offer presentations and training sessions on SOE issues where appropriate
• provide FAHSS staff with maximum advance warning of downtime
• review and monitor the SOE implementation, and respond to user demands and requests