Over the past few months we've been looking in detail at the software applications used across UAS and GLAM to help with future decisions about how applications are used.
To start our adventure we investigated the information that we already have available; this included CaseWise (our enterprise modelling tool, find more information below), our Service Catalogue, the IT Services website and even active projects. We discovered that over 280 applications or packages are in use today, some supporting a few users and others supporting many hundreds. And this doesn't include the desktop applications (email clients, photo editing etc.) that are available for individuals to download and install as they wish.
To help us understand why people want and use these applications, we developed a simple framework to capture information on them. This looks at where they are used (Context), what they are (Details) and how users view them (Profile):
| Context |
| Capability (e.g. financial management) |
| Used for (e.g. timetabling) |
| Support Centre (who looks after and provides support?) |
| Org unit (where does the Business Owner sit?) |
| Details |
| Name |
| Description |
| Status (active, retired, removed) |
| Application or Platform |
| Profile |
| Technology lifecycle (new, stable, sunset, retired) |
| Development process (ad hoc, manual, automated) |
| Dedicated team |
| Business fit (functional, cost to operate, value for money) |
| Architecture (would you build it like this again?) |
| Platform (linked to) |
| Infosec (certified all, restricted, closed) |
Using this framework as its basis, the Applications Catalogue will help us, and others, to make informed decisions, and will be invaluable in answering the perennial questions of 'what do we have that does x?', 'how many applications are near end of life?', 'which applications don't fit our architectural blueprints?', and more.
Over the next months we will make the information we have gathered so far available in CaseWise and also via our website. Looking to the future, we want to make our model available to other parts of the university (such as departments and colleges).
For more information about CaseWise and the amazing things we have planned for this tool, contact Angela Lewis (angela.lewis@it.ox.ac.uk). To find out more about the Applications Catalogue, contact Dave Smith (dave.smith@it.ox.ac.uk).
More information will be shared about the Applications Catalogue in the coming months. Search for 'Application Catalogue' on our website to see the latest information.
