[:en]
As we approach the end of a turbulent year caused by a global pandemic and shrinking economies, we are filled with gratitude and pride when we look back on what we achieved and prevented from happening this year. As we see many businesses failing, we recognise our vulnerabilities and exposure to business disruption. The fact that SU could not only maintain and continue its operations, but even accelerate its digitalisation strategy, is evidence of exceptional efforts by the IT colleagues of our university. Nobody foresaw what happened this year. Our response was remarkable, and successful.
More specifically, the following IT-related interventions should be highlighted for the significant contribution to business continuity and support of general productivity:
- In March, immediate action by IT management in organising the necessary initiatives to upgrade and stabilise the IT infrastructure and services to support increased workload and data flow;
- Collaboration across functional borders to arrange new services like the provision of laptops to students, and continuously organise the provision of data bundles to qualifying students;
- Adjustments to administrative information systems to implement management decisions related to operational challenges;
- Initiatives to form new support structures to support staff and students working at home;
- Resilience and agility to continue with major projects and deliver on institutional requirements, without using the pandemic as an excuse;
- Finally, the general willingness to make sacrifices, collaborate and conform to new protocols and ways of working.
To all our partners and colleagues in IT and other functions of the university, we express our sincere gratitude for what we achieved together. We are now in a much better position to plan for known and unknown challenges that may occur on our journey to a digitalised society and university. How soon we’ll get there, depends very much on this good start and our perseverance, maintaining quality standards and focus.
Best wishes for the festive season, and I hope that all of us of will enjoy some rest to prepare for the next challenging year.
Attie Juyn
Senior Director: Information Technology
25 November 2020
[:af]
Namate ons die einde van ʼn onstuimige jaar nader, gekenmerk deur ʼn wêreldwye pandemie en kwynende ekonomie, kyk ons dankbaar en trots terug na wat ons bereik en voorkom het. Terwyl etlike besighede gesluit het of aansienlike verliese gely het, is die Universiteit ook gekonfronteer deur ons eie swakplekke en blootstelling aan besigheidsontwrigting. Die feit dat die US nie net sy normale bedryf kon handhaaf en voortsit nie, maar selfs die strategie vir digitalisering kon versnel, weerspieël die uitsonderlike diens van die Universiteit se IT-personeel. Niemand kon dié jaar se gebeure voorsien nie. Ons reaksie was voortreflik en suksesvol.
Die volgende IT-verwante ingrypings kan uitgelig word vir hulle beduidende bydrae tot besigheidskontinuïteit en ondersteuning van algemene produktiwiteit:
- Onmiddellike aksie deur IT-bestuur in Maart om die noodsaaklike inisiatiewe in plek te sit vir die opgradering en stabilisering van die IT-infrastruktuur om sodoende die verhoogde werkslading en datavloei te kan ondersteun;
- Samewerking oor funksionele grense heen om nuwe dienste te verskaf, byvoorbeeld die verskaffing van skootrekenaars aan studente, sowel as databondels aan kwalifiserende studente;
- Aanpassings aan administratiewe inligtingstelsels om bestuursbesluite oor operasionele uitdagings te implementeer;
- Inisiatiewe om nuwe ondersteuningstrukture te vorm wat personeel en studente wat tuis werk te ondersteun;
- Aanpasbaarheid en buigsaamheid om voort te gaan met groot projekte en die aflewering daarvan volgens institusionele vereistes, sonder om die pandemie as ʼn verskoning te gebruik;
- Laastens, die algemene bereidwilligheid om opofferings te maak, saam te werk en aan te pas by nuwe protokolle en werkwyses.
Aan al ons vennote en kollegas in IT en ander funksies van die Universiteit spreek ons ons opregte dank uit vir wat ons saam bereik het. Ons is tans in ʼn veel beter posisie om te beplan vir bekende en onbekende uitdagings op ons pad na ʼn digitale samelewing en Universiteit. Hoe vinnig ons dit gaan bereik hang grotendeels af van hierdie goeie begin, ons uithouvermoë, die behoud van kwaliteit-standaarde en fokus.
Beste wense vir die jaarlikse feestyd, en ek hoop dat almal ʼn ruskansie sal geniet en voorberei vir ʼn nuwe uitdagende jaar.
Attie Juyn
Senior Direkteur: Informasietegnologie
25 November 2020
[:]
