October roundup
October was a busy month for IT Services as we continued to support the University community with their tech needs. Last month alone, we successfully handled 5,304 support queries. Find a summary of our activities below.
1. Congratulations to Ramsay Paterson
We are delighted to announce that Ramsay Paterson, Senior IT/AV Technician, was nominated during the recent ‘Together, Research Excels’ campaign, lead by Professor Tom Brown, Vice-Principal (Research, Collections and Innovation). His nomination read:
“Nothing ever feels too much when you are asking Ramsay for help. He always goes above and beyond to get you the answers or support you need. You also know you are in safe hands when working with Ramsay on something.” Well done Ramsay!
2. Improvements to the Library Wi-Fi
We completed a major upgrade to the library’s wireless network, introducing Wi-Fi 6E technology. This next-generation solution enables access to 6GHz channels, offering faster speeds and greater capacity. Directional access points were installed in previously low-signal areas, and high-density units were added in busy zones to support more users without compromising performance. Further improvements during Independent Learning Week included repositioning equipment to eliminate signal obstructions, ensuring a smoother and more reliable wireless experience for all library visitors.
3. Hosting a one-week work placement
We recently welcomed a local sixth year, Andrew, to spend a week with various teams to gain exposure to the world of IT. Andrew shadowed our Business Relationship Management team, IT Service Desk, IT/AV team and IT Security team during his time with us. At the end of his placement, he said: “Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. It gave me a clear idea of what I want to do in the future, and every member of staff was brilliant at involving me—welcoming and friendly throughout.”
4. Go Nitro delivers PDF training to staff
Nitro PDF Pro is available to staff through Software Center or Self Service, as part of the University’s subscription, for quick PDF editing. Following the success of previous online training sessions hosted by Go Nitro, we asked if they’d be interested in running a twice-yearly session for staff to recap how to use the application and showcase any new features. We will arrange another session for staff in Spring next year.
5. AV support sessions in the Booth
The Booth Lecture Theatre in the School of Medicine has undergone a significant AV upgrade over the summer. It now features a 15-metre-wide LED display that can be configured into three screens, replacing the original three projector setup.
We teamed up with Streamtec, our AV supplier, to deliver sessions to staff over September and October.
If you didn’t manage to attend a session, keep an eye on the OSDS staff team as we’ll promote future sessions there.
6. Spooky Cuppa Teams
For Halloween, we hosted Hide and Shriek: a quiz for staff in our Microsoft 365 User Community. The challenge was to guess the creepy St Andrews location with a horror character edited into the scene. One example was “Where is Monica meeting Chucky?” Participants submitted their answers through a live poll. It was a fun way to test local knowledge and explore ways to capture information from your audience during online events.
