Policy development to support bandwidth management and optimisation (BMO)

1. Policy development to support bandwidth management and optimisation(BMO) 17-19 July 2007; KENET, Nairobi

2. Introductions • Hosts and organisers: • Victor Kyalo, KENET Director • Facilitators: • Duncan Greaves, TENET, South Africa • Martin Belcher, INASP, UK • About INASP and TENET • Participants from: • Leading users of bandwidth for education and research in KENET • Universities and higher education institutions • Research organisations • Other interested parties

3. Who is here? • Participants drawn from those people who actually manage and input into any ICT related policy development work and/or those that author the actual policy documents. For example, those from the following categories of people: • ICT/Computer centre director and/or deputy director responsible for ICT policy development and implementation • Other senior staff responsible for the development and implementation of ICT and related policies • Head librarians or senior library staff who will be involved in the development and implementation of ICT and related policies • Introductions: • Name, institution, role within your institution, questions…

4. Questions • How many people in your IT department? • How many computers on your network? • How much bandwidth do you have? • What is the biggest problem on your network?

5. Workshop outline • The following content areas will be covered during the workshop. • Bandwidth management and optimisation (BMO) challenges and solutions overview • User authentication requirements and features to support effective policy • The role of a supportive policy environment within BMO and institutional success • Why policies often fail and characteristics of unsuccessful policy development • Developing appropriate policies for use in BMO • Sample policy review and development • Planning an effective policy development process • Writing an effective policy • Implementing policy • Policy implications and applications in bandwidth management and optimisation

6. Expected outcomes • After the workshop all participants will have: • Examined the importance of a supportive policy environment for successful BMO • Reviewed key policies and an appropriate policy development framework • Reviewed BMO supportive policies • Created an institutional level policy development action plan

7. Additional areas and objectives • Are there other areas that participants would like to see covered in relation to this workshop? • Or in the wider area of bandwidth management and optimisation?

8. The bandwidth challenge • Available bandwidth is limited and insufficient to meet demand • Existing capacity is usually running at maximum capacity • As a result it is often unusable • Universal flat lining during working hours • The cost of bandwidth is extremely high • Expanding bandwidth capacity is limited due to finances, supply, technology

9. What does this mean? • The university is not participating in the digital information revolution • The university is not providing its staff, researchers and students with the information they require • Existing digital library resources are under-utilised, further investment in digital library technology is unrewarding (high cost/low use) • Lack of access to up-to-date, local, regional and global research information = restricted research potential • Low level of return on investment • High network costs (c.$5000+ per month) • Low level of productive use (page downloads taking >10 minutes) • Low incentive to invest more within the university infrastructure • Poor ICT investment (including staff, training, etc.) • More computers / same bandwidth = slower access / less research

10. Libraries and access to information • Impact on the library or library mediated information • Slow or no access to information resources • Restriction on the kinds of information services that the library can offer in the digital environment • Limited bandwidth is being used to access all sources of information, not just formal, quality controlled resources • Comparison: a library with a very small door, that only allows a small number of uses in or out at any one time and is often closed. A locked or under utilised resource • The library community are central in the development of supportive policy environment, as bandwidth should be considered one of the essential tools that they need to deliver their services

11. Detail of the challenge • Bandwidth is a resource that is… • Limited, in high demand, expensive, of high value • Existing bandwidth is often not managed • 59% of institutions do not monitor or manage bandwidth at all • Further examination of the data indicates that this figure is in fact much higher • See the ATICS Report: for full details of the situation in African universities • http://www.aau.org/renu/docs/ATICS2006.pdf

13. Possible solutions? • Do nothing ! • often the reality but not the answer • More bandwidth and lower cost • Local, national and international consortia • Better management of the existing resource • Improved access, no additional bandwidth costs • Combined approach (low cost + management) • Half price + double usable speed = quadruple access • Increased long-term sustainability

14. ATICS: “Improving bandwidthmanagement is probably the easiest way for universities to improve the quantity and quality of their bandwidth for educational purposes.”

15. BMO capacity development activities Programme outline

16. What is available? • Information briefing packs targeted at senior institutional managers and ICT professionals. • Policy development workshops and training materials to support the development of supportive policy environments. • Network traffic monitoring and analysis workshops, training materials and software tools. • Network control and network traffic shaping workshops, training materials and software tools. • Web caching workshops using Squid. • Standalone training and documentation resources in bandwidth-friendly Email service provision and scheduled download strategies and techniques. • Publication of bandwidth management handbook, October 2006 • See: http://bwmo.net/ • Extension of programme likely…

17. When and where? • Seminars and training workshops have been run (up to 1 Sept 2006) at national and local level in: • Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe • Regional and international events: • For francophone Africa; Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Congo and at least one other country • Two Pan-African technical workshops completed • International workshops; Italy and elsewhere? • Timetable • Current programme nearing completion (August 2007) • Likely extension and expansion of activities • For further details see: • http://www.inasp.info/training/bandwidth/

18. Timetable and house keeping • Dates and times • 17-19 July • Tuesday/Wednesday; 9.30 – 16.00 • Thursday 9.00 – 12.00 • Housekeeping • Accommodation • Refreshments • Lunches • Travel and expenses • Cell phones – how to deal with them?

19. Thank youAny questions?

20. Funding and support • Thanks to International Development Research Centre (IDRC) (Canada) for supporting this workshop… • Funding and support for the wider "Bandwidth optimisation and management training support" activities has been made available from both the Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) • VLIR: This programme is undertaken as the "Optimization of the use and management of bandwidth ay university level" undertaken with financial support from the Flemish Interuniversity Council • IDRC: This programme is undertaken as the "Supporting training for the optimization of university bandwidth in Africa" undertaken with financial support from the Canada Fund for Africa

21. INASP in Kenya • Active in bandwidth management and optimisation • Active in PERI (programme for the enhancement of research information) via the Kenyan Library Consortia • E-resources subscriptions and access (these are available to all universities and research organisations in Kenya) • ICT training and skills development • Publishing support and training • Library support and development • A national level programme, national coordinators: • Jacinta Were, University of Nairobi Library • Further information: • http://www.inasp.info/peri/countries.shtml then click on Kenya