Technology - Edinburgh Napier University Digital Strategy

Edinburgh Napier has a rich history of being early adopters of new technologies and leading the sector in the design and management of core services, many unique to our business and sector requirements . Our balanced approach to risk ensures we focus on a few key technologies from which we have built a strong and secure foundation, allowing us to take advantage of selected emerging technologies, including those developed by our research community.

Through ongoing considered investment, we avoid “technical debt” which would hamper our ability to respond quickly to the needs of the organisation and opportunities that emerging technologies provide. Our strategic partnerships with a small number of vendors enable us to exploit the capabilities and security offered by a simplified estate, including a no-code/ low-code and “end-user developer” approach to application development.

We fully utilise the capabilities of existing technology solutions before seeking to extend or replace them, and avoid procuring solutions which include unnecessary functionality, in order to maximise the return on investment of all our technology solutions.

Unified communications technologies, integrated with our records systems, provide our students and colleagues with modern, inclusive communication services such as SMS messaging and chat.

Automation of systems management, provisioning and testing, speeds up deployment in a fast paced education environment where students and colleagues benefit from rapid infrastructure service provision.

We are exploring the exciting opportunities presented by the use of cloud computing, AI, sensor technologies and digital twins to support education, research and enterprise, enhance the user experience, and make the university operate as efficiently as possible.

Identity & Access

We provide robust identity management, so that the right people and devices access the right information at the right time for the right reasons, while keeping unauthorised access at bay. Role-based access ensures least-privilege principles are applied, protecting the sensitive and confidential information we hold without inhibiting the effective operation of the University.

Cloud

We are “cloud considered”, selecting the most appropriate hosting solution to meet the requirements with utility & user experience, interoperability, security and value for money as key considerations. This will include some on premise compute and storage for the foreseeable future. Our migration to Software-as-a-Service applications, which offer true multi-tenancy advantages, is underway for critical corporate services, such as Finance, HR and Property.

Data

Our data management ecosystem and data dictionary supports the university's operational and strategic objectives. Robust systems for collecting, storing and exploiting diverse data types, allied with modern data orchestration and analytics tools, enables reliable and immediate data for informed decision-making - a single version of the truth. This promotes a data-centric culture. Data governance & protection policies safeguard privacy and compliance with regulations.

Campus Spaces

We provide intuitive solutions in our learning and collaboration spaces which deliver a rich and inclusive experience for both online and on-campus participants. Technology is based on components that are flexible, interoperable, robust and scaleable to ensure a consistent and reliable user experience at best value. Centralised management enables automated alerting, and remote fault resolution in order to minimise system downtime and disruption.

Security

In order to safeguard our information and services, we take a risk-based, multi-layered approach to security based on the Public Sector Cyber Resilience Framework. Our infrastructure is monitored and regularly tested for vulnerabilities, while the user education programme promotes a security-conscious culture. We detect and respond to threats in real-time, integrating threat intelligence, human analysts and machine learning to enhance our response capability.

Disruptive Tech & AI

The next generation of technologies has the potential to reshape the way we live and work, including AI and the automation of knowledge-based work. We invest in those technologies which have a real world application in the operation of the University, such as sensor technologies to gather real-time data about our estate in order to manage our environment, or augmented reality applications to enhance learning, or simply, student induction to Edinburgh Napier and the city.

University wide

While being committed to Growing Sustainability

As well as being core to underpinning our University Values of Inclusion, Professional, Ambitious and Innovative and enabling objectives within our core and enabling strategies, this theme will support efficiency and efficacy of key support processes and systems and mitigating serious risk, ultimately impacting our financial sustainability:

Finance and Enablers: Total Income (£M)
Finance and Enablers: Financial Surplus (£M) (contribution for Schools)

Enabling Enterprise

Our services support student entrepreneurship, research commercialisation and industry engagement, enhancing the University's contribution to economic and societal development.

Education

We enhance learning and teaching through the use of technology and the skills to use it effectively. We leverage digital services to provide students with a modern learning experience that is accessible and flexible.

Technology Enablers