Revisiting MUHAS to review ICT systems
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences- MUHAS- is collaborating with Stockholm University through its Department of Computer and Systems Sciences (DSV), and the Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions (SPIDER), to strengthen and upgrade the ICT infrastructure and systems.
One product from the ICT audit that SPIDER/DSV did at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in 2017 was a service catalogue. The office of the Directorate of ICT (DICTs) has used it to maximise productivity and efficiency. Five years later, we have revisited MUHAS for an ICT systems review to weed out pain points and to ensure that staff and students are getting the most from their systems.
Planning the systems review began before the visit. The IT departments of the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences (DSV) at Stockholm University and the Directorate of ICT from MUHAS investigated if any systems were hindering operations, and if DSV had experience or solutions that would allow MUHAS to work faster and smarter. By the time the team travelled to Dar es Salaam a preliminary agenda for the review was in place.
The process started with a review of the 2017 service catalogue. Staff from both universities assessed system by system, before updating the catalogue to reflect the current IT systems reality at MUHAS. This exercise also enabled a revision of the agenda to accommodate the changes highlighted in the review exercise.
Network assessments required a walk about the campus, inspecting server rooms and CCTV monitoring, in order to assess the safety, reliability and security of these structures. A risk assessment workshop facilitated by DSV staff, provided the opportunity to share various mitigation strategies adopted at DSV. MUHAS highlighted the risk areas, allowing colleagues to interact around hindrances. The risk assessment workshop supported the MUHAS team to gain an external perspective to their IT landscape. MUHAS continues to work at ensuring that staff and students get the most from the systems, with support from DSV and SPIDER.
Snapshots from the 2017 ICT Audit
A technical team from Sweden, with experts from KTH and Stockholm University performed the ICT audit five years ago, in collaboration with MUHAS staff. Here are some snapshots from that visit.
Examining ICT infrastructure
Equipment inventory
Checking connections
Catalogue services
