March roundup
March was another productive month for IT Services, with the team resolving 4,426 support queries and proudly taking part in Scottish Apprenticeship Week.
1. Welcoming cyber students from Dundee and Angus College
Earlier this month, Steve Watt, our Chief Information Officer, Ben Holme, our Associate Chief Information Office (Infrastructure) and Amanda Ross, our IT Security Officer, welcomed HND Cyber Security students to St Andrews. The visit included a tour of our data centre, an overview of our cyber and networking infrastructure and our Cyber Traitors workshop led by Liam Watt, our IT security assistant.
2. Bringing modern apprentices together with Saints Sport
To celebrate Scottish Apprenticeship Week, colleagues from IT Services, Saints Sport, Estates and Human Resources organised a team building event for modern apprentices. The group were tasked with different activities to encourage collaboration and networking. Clips from the day were broadcast on the University Instagram, as well as mini-interviews with modern apprentices to share what they enjoyed about their roles.
3. Spotlight on Sustainability Week
The University celebrated Sustainability Week from 16–22 March 2026, sharing IT initiatives that help cut waste, lower carbon emissions and support our community. These included donating end‑of‑use devices to Reusing IT, installing refurbished Agilico Zero printers that cut our footprint by 97.5%, and transitioning to a greener flash‑based storage solution that reduces space, power and CO₂ emissions. We also highlighted our CEEDA Gold‑recognised sustainable data centre and our plans for reassessment as the new Eden Campus facility progresses.
4. Running a recruitment event for modern apprentices
The IT Services team hosted a “Kickstart Your Career in Tech” event at Walter Bower House, giving young people and their parents an overview of Modern Apprenticeships and the roles within the IT/AV and IT Service Desk teams. The event included introductions from team leads and contributions from Elite Modern Apprenticeship. The event was well attended, and anyone interested in joining IT Services can apply for one of our IT modern apprenticeships on the University job site before 11 May.
5. Promoting modern apprenticeships in the community
During Scottish Apprenticeship Week, past and current apprentices helped promote the apprenticeship pathway across our local community. Gary and Ornob represented IT Services at the Apprenticeship and Careers Fair at Kingsway Campus, Dundee, where they engaged with young people about pathways into technology and highlighted our upcoming apprenticeship opportunities. Earlier in the week, big thanks also go to Erin Niven and Monica Cecil, who spoke to S4–S6 pupils at Madras College about Modern Apprenticeships.
6. Celebrating Talking Saints and Career Ladders
Dhani took part as a Talking Saint in March, sharing her journey from modern apprentice to Service Delivery Manager and offering advice for early‑career colleagues. She also attended the filming of the St Andrews edition of Career Ladder, a hit social media series by Max Klymenko.
7. Sharing security best practice
Across recent IT Services blogs, staff are reminded to stay vigilant by spotting “too good to be true” scams and understanding email security warning banners, helping users recognise phishing attempts, avoid risky links or attachments, and report anything suspicious promptly. Read the latest security blogs: