The new IT Services of USI

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Institutional Communication Service

25 February 2019

The USI Lugano campus Computer Service and the IT network services manager Ti-EDU,  which is in charge of the IT services at the Mendrisio and Bellinzona campuses, have joined forces and, as of January 1, 2019, are together under one roof, that of USI. The name of the new service unit is IT Services.

The idea of integrating Ti-EDU with the USI Lugano campus Computer Service is not news, as the two co-directors of the new IT Services at USI, Mario Gay (former head of Ti-EDU) and Giovanni Taddei (former coordinator of USI Lugano campus Computer Service), explain: "Around ten years ago we made our initial considerations on how to combine and streamline the IT activities that over the years had developed on the different USI campuses . Then, with the knowledge of the upcoming project for the new USI-SUPSI campus in Viganello (East campus), and especially with the arrival of USI Rector Boas Erez, who advocated the cause of a grouped service, the idea moved forward and became a project which initiated this year with, among other things, the transfer of all Ti-EDU staff from Manno to the USI Lugano campus”.

The integration process will extend until autumn 2020, when the new East campus will be inaugurated, will be developed on three levels: network management (the 'historical' task of Ti-EDU, which together with other services will continue to be provided to SUPSI), the provision and management of IT services, and the development of shared management applications. In particular, USI's new IT Services will benefit from the synergies generated by joining forces, reaching thus a critical mass that will not only allow for greater stability and operational redundancy, but also greater specialisation, which is essential to address major challenges such as IT security and data collection, storage and management – as well as to contribute to increasing the digital literacy and skills of the academic community in general.

 

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