17 October 2023 - DIG23 reflections - Ben Jones
Not having attended an in person conference since the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic, I approached the event with both excitement and trepidation. I was looking forward to hearing from not just other universities but also various organisations and companies particularly, in relation to 'smart campus', green IT initiatives, cyber security and how they were starting to look at, if not use, the buzzword of the moment AI.
It was good to be back in Brum for the event, with a nice walk along Corporation street, stopping for the obligatory coffee and croissant before crossing the Aston University campus to reach the conference venue. Nestled in the far corner of the Eastside Rooms I found the registration desk where the staff on welcoming duties were very friendly and quickly conveyed where the various talks, exhibitions and other facilities were to be found.
After a short wander around the many various stalls in the exhibition, it was time to head for the newcomer session, where the UCISA conference ethos and practices were set out in a friendly and inclusive manner ahead of the other sessions that would follow over the next 2 days.
The three main takeaways from the entire event for me would be:
1) The many varied ideas and stories around the need to change the more traditional ways of working, especially with regards to tackling big cross team projects or chunks of work in a more collaborative, holistic way right from the beginning. This is as apposed to the usual model of one team doing their bit in isolation before passing it on for the next team to add their contribution. In a similar vein there were ideas on framing IT Infrastructure investments in terms of aims or what such an investment would mean for the end users rather than simply stating it will deliver technology x, which in my view, is good general practise anyway.
2) The need to utilise some of the data we already have within our infrastructures to achieve our organisational ambitions for carbon reduction, cost reductions (especially within buildings) and providing better data for staff and students about the availability of facilities and resources.
3) Looking to the future and what opportunities, risks or challenges we might face. There were a number of discussions throughout the sessions on AI and how this could be used but also, and possibly more importantly, the need to ensure the models and datasets we feed it are free from biases.
The forthcoming proposed standards for post-quantum or quantum-safe cryptography is also something we should start to lend our attention to. What will this mean for the systems we use currently and how will this feed into purchasing decisions for future infrastructure deployments?
For those considering attending future UCISA DIG conferences, especially for the first time, I would say give it a go. You'll get to hear from many different Universities, companies and organisations on a range of topics, some of which you may not have thought about before. I certainly valued the opportunity to meet, share and hear from others around different approaches to common themes and problems.
