My current role within the University is IT Supplier Manager. I am responsible for managing the performance of IT suppliers, ensuring that the contracts and SLAs in place underpin the service levels provided by TIS, and ensuring that their performance meets (and preferably exceeds) their contractual obligations, and for managing the financial profile of the Technology and Information Services Directorate, liaising with our Finance contacts to review the financial spending and track any required changes to forecasts.
My previous role was as Operations and Maintenance Manager, leading the teams responsible for Third Line Support of all IT infrastructure and Systems, the Routine Operations Team and Service Transition. This was during a time of institutional transformation, and incorporated the adoption of industry standard best practice to re-align IT service delivery with the strategy of the University.
Prior to that I was Manager of the Infrastructure and Operations Team, which focused primarily on the provision of centralised servers and storage for the University, and the management of the Data Centres that accommodate the Infrastructure.
I had responsibility for Business Continuity planning within ICT over relevant areas.
I was the main technical person responsible for the University's Virtualised Server (PlymSERVE) and Storage (PlymSTORE) Infrastructure, having designed the system, and as Project Manager for both projects, successfully implemented the projects. The University currently has over 90% of its servers running in a virtualised environment, resulting in 75% savings in rack space and approximately 80% less energy consumed within the data centres, and allowing for greater flexibility in the provision of services to end users.
The University was a reference site for VMware as one of the largest virtualised Exchange Deployments, and I have hosted visits from a number of organisations including the Houses of Parliament and the Land Registry to highlight the benefits of the PlymSERVE/STORE architecture. I also presented at VMworld08 in Las Vegas.
In 2010 the Infrastructure and Operations Team successfully implemented a project to relocate the secondary Data Centre to an off-site location at a nearby Science Park, and together with the Network and Telephony Team allowed us to provide highly available Data Centre operations, with the virtualised server environment at either site now able to support full operation of PlymSERVE and PlymSTORE, along with standby links to JANET and backup telephony circuits.
I have managed the technical aspects of over £4.5m of IT Procurements, including the PlymSERVE/PlymSTORE hardware and subsequent refresh and the Secondary Data Centre, all of which have been conducted in accordance with the University's IT and Sustainable Procurement Strategies. I have been on the technical evaluation group for the National Server and Storage Agreement (NSSA) national procurement framework for Servers and Storage within the HE/FE Sector.
Qualifications
B.Sc (Hons) Computer Science, University of Exeter, 1989
ITIL v4 Managing Professional
BCS Specialist Certificate in Supplier Management
My career history is
2013 to Present
University of Plymouth
Third Party Service Provision Manager / IT Supplier Manager
2012 to 2013
University of Plymouth
Operations and Maintenance Manager
2005 to 2012
University of Plymouth
Infrastructure and Operations Manager
2000 to 2005
University of Plymouth
Deputy Application Services Manager
1998 to 2000
University of Plymouth
Network Services Supervisor
1997 to 1998
University of Plymouth
Senior Computing Officer
1996 to 1997
Microtest Ltd
Customer Care Manager
1993 to 1995
Henry Butcher & Co
IT Manager
1992 to 1993
Minet Ltd
Systems Analyst
1990 to 1992
CTV Information Systems Ltd
Technical Support Manager
1989 to 1990
Lanworth Ltd
Programmer