University of Zurich – Finding quicker, more effective ways to connect bright minds

 

 

Managing information efficiently

Fast, effective collaboration is critical in a university environment, where students frequently undertake group assignments, and academics across institutions often join forces to conduct state-of-the-art research.
Roberto Mazzoni, Head of User IT Services at the University of Zurich, begins: “Our staff and students are in constant communication: currently, more than 500,000 internal emails are sent at the university every day. While email is an efficient tool to transfer certain types of information, we were confident that in some cases, other options such as file sharing, wikis, forums and online communities would be faster and more effective.
We wanted to enhance our collaboration suite by offering a broader range of ways for people to communicate. To encourage a strong user uptake, we set out to find a solution capable of supporting the vast array of operating systems used by students and staff across the university.”

 

 

Projectdetails

Customer
University of Zurich

Topics
IBM Notes
IBM Connections
IBM Sametime

 

 

Introducing the next generation of collaboration

Working closely with IBM and Belsoft, an IBM Business Partner, the university added IBM® Connections, a social network platform featuring a treasure trove of communication options such as on- premise file sharing, forums, wikis, blogs, surveys, polls, and online communities to its enterprise collaboration suite, embracing IBM Notes® and IBM Sametime®.
“We have made IBM Connections available to a subset of users,” continues Roberto Mazzoni. “The initial uptake has been extremely positive – staff and students are keen to start taking advantage of the solution right away. For example, the HR department is already using the platform to organize orientation for new staff and to give them further information about their respective departments and faculties.

 

 

The Connections solution fits seamlessly into the university’s existing collaboration hub, which includes offerings such as IBM Notes® for email and IBM iNotes® for webmail. Using IBM Notes Traveler, students and staff can access emails from mobile devices, enabling them to work more productively away from their desks. Thanks to IBM Domino® IMAP support, access to email with virtually all devices from all platforms is possible. Users also take advantage of the IBM Sametime® instant messaging solution for quick conversations – helping to reduce unnecessary emails and phone calls.
Roberto Mazzoni adds: “Furthermore, we use IBM Notes and IBM Domino to allow students and staff to sign up for IT courses and university tours online – a much more convenient option than email or telephone bookings.”

 

 

„Our IBM solutions help us to enhance academic life at the university.”

Roberto Mazzoni

Head of User IT Services, University of Zurich

 

Benefits:

Richer
collaboration between staff and students sparks even greater academic success

Lower
data security risks in comparison to storing and exchanging information externally

Greater
variety of communication options enables users to work more efficiently

 

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