IT Staff Convention 2008: Session Overviews
From Provider Notes
IT Staff Convention 2008: Session Overviews
IT Staff Convention 2008:Hiring: Finding the Right Person for the Job
Sometimes filling technical positions is difficult. In this session, the conversation will cover ideas to increase candidate pools, assessing technical and other skills during the hiring process, and general strategies to hire the right person, expeditiously.
- Moderator: Michael Herzog, School of Medicine
- Notes: Cindy Kwan, Vet School
IT Staff Convention 2008:Homegrown vs. Off the Shelf: Determining the Right Path
When evaluating software solutions, organizations often struggle with whether it is better to create a “homegrown” solution or to buy something “off the shelf.” Participants in this discussion will talk about what tensions are commonly present when making this kind of determination and ultimately what factors should be considered when making the final decision.
- Moderator: John MacDermott, School of Arts and Sciences
- Notes: JoDe Beitler, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
IT Staff Convention 2008:Server Virtualization Vendor Panel
In this session led by our on-site Dell engineer, Anthony Ferguson, three vendors--Microsoft, VMware, and Virtual Iron-- will be on hand to discuss their virtualization solutions. Part of the session will be an introduction to their products through brief presentations, and the other portion will be a panel discussion where the vendors will be available to address questions about all aspects of virtualization technology.
- Moderator: Anthony Ferguson Dell
- Notes: Steve Strawser, Information Systems and Computing
IT Staff Convention 2008:Collaboration Technologies
From Share Point to wikis to IM and beyond, there are many technical solutions available for collaboration. This session’s discussion will focus on what tools are being used on campus and in what capacity.
- Moderator: Eric Stern, School of Nursing
- Notes: Cynthia Compere, Information Systems and Computing
IT Staff Convention 2008:Thin Computing
What exactly is thin computing and which environments on campus can take full advantage of thin technologies? In this session, the discussion will concentrate on its possible applications, cost, management, usability and support.
- Moderator: David Comroe, Wharton
- Notes: Kristin Nelson, Information Systems and Computing
IT Staff Convention 2008:Bare Bones Videoconferencing: From My Faculty's Desktop to Yours
Ad hoc, face to face collaboration through videoconferencing is useful for many faculty and researchers. This session will talk about what is necessary when setting up an end user to have the capacity to video conference “at will” through their desktop computer. Who makes a good candidate for this technology, where and in what capacity is it currently being deployed on campus, and what pitfalls should be avoided will also be discussed.
- Moderator: Donald Huesman, Wharton
- Notes: Dan Dougherty, Information Systems and Computing
IT Staff Convention 2008:Negotiating Service Level Agreements with Faculty
One important part of ensuring faculty have all the technical support and services they need for their research and teaching is to discuss and formalize expectations about service levels in advance. This session’s conversation will discuss how to negotiate service level agreements with faculty and how best to respond when those agreements are challenged.
- Moderator: Helen Anderson, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
- Notes: Mike Lazenka, Information Systems & Computing
IT Staff Convention 2008:Green IT
Currently a campus-wide spring evaluation team is meeting to develop recommendations for greening up our technology practices. In this session, the team’s co-leads will share their current findings and will engage participants in a discussion about the recommendations and next steps for Penn’s green IT efforts.
- Moderators: Bob DeSilets, Information Systems and Computing, David Toccafondi, Van Pelt Library
- Notes: Elizabeth O'Grady, School of Medicine
IT Staff Convention 2008:Encryption
Protecting sensitive data through encryption is a crucial component to any security in depth strategy. The most recent revision of the PennNet Host Security Policy calls for sensitive data on laptops and other portable devices to be encrypted. During this session, participants will discuss encryption, both in terms of technical solutions and implementation strategies.
- Moderator: Janet Lind, School of Medicine
- Notes: Deb Stagg, Wharton
IT Staff Convention 2008:Supporting Research Infrastructure
This session will discuss the current challenges and trends in research computing. Participants will share what is going on in their departments—what researchers are requesting, how they maintain awareness and control over systems, and how they are responding to the needs of researchers.
- Moderators: Michelle Gallert and Brandon Lodriguss, Wharton
- Notes:
IT Staff Convention 2008:Determining the Return on Investment of Automation
You may assume that automating a currently manual process will save time and resources, but how do you figure out if the return on investment is really solid? This discussion will cover what kinds of things to look at when considering the replacement of a current process with an application or other automated technology.
- Moderator: Jim Cunningham, Information Systems and Computing
- Notes: Tejash Patel, Annenberg School for Communications
IT Staff Convention 2008:YouTube and iTunes U at Penn
Penn has a substantial and growing presence on iTunes U, but what about YouTube? Some universities, like UC Berkeley, are starting to put content on YouTube and Penn is considering it too. Typically, YouTube is looser in format and allows participation via viewer response. This discussion will center on what place YouTube could have at Penn and how it differs from our iTunes U presence.
- Moderator: Gates Rhodes, Information Systems and Computing
- Notes: Erin Murphy, Wharton
