NUS IT Report Card 2023

CONTENT

02 “First” Thoughts from CITO 05 Meet Our: NUS IT

13 Cyber Security 17 Artificial Intelligence 19 Staying Connected 27 Digital Enablement 29 XR (AR/VR) 32 Supporting Research

35 Refresh! 40 Feature on NUS IT Staff 41 Outreach to Students: Internships and Student Workforce 34 Admin Excellence

Management Team

07 Awards & Accolades 09 Speaking

Engagements

43 46

Building NUS IT Community

Special Thanks

02

2023 marked an exciting year of firsts for us. It is more than an honour to receive the Best Unit -Highest Efficiency Award personally from President Tan at the inaugural NUS Admin Excellence Awards Ceremony 2023. This strong affirmation heralded a promising start to our new 5-year NUS IT Strategic Plan, a digital blueprint that leads NUS in exploring innovative and sustainable technologies, as well as untrodden territories. Over the year, we were also heartened by the numerous awards from prestigious international organisations – in the areas of infrastructure, applications and thought leadership.

“First” Thoughts from CITO 2023 in review

MS TAN SHUI-MIN CHIEF IT OFFICER, NUS

STAYING AHEAD IN THREE AREAS OF PRACTICE LEADERSHIP

ACHIEVING NEW FIRSTS IN ‘AI-VOLUTION’ Our enterprise version of ChatGPT, NUSChat , has been supporting an average of 7,000 queries monthly, enhancing productivity as well as contextualising responses that incorporate NUS policies and information. Besides NUSChat, we have also introduced 2 other AI tools. One is Minute Mate which can effortlessly generate meeting minutes. This is a game-changer for efficient documentation and follow-up, and the job of a meeting secretary is now much easier! The other tool is “First Things First” – A Year of Many Firsts SAFE (Security And Freedom for Everyone) is a comprehensive, multi-year programme that protects the NUS community, systems and data against cyber threats. This bold undertaking intricately balances user convenience with IT security. 2023 saw the rollout of Microsoft MFA and Workspace ONE for staff, while we continue to bolster the security and resiliency of our applications, infrastructure, and network. Network: Pioneering Singapore’s 100% solar-powered campus Wi-Fi For network, we implemented the Outdoor Wi-Fi project across all three NUS campuses in 2023. A solution ahead of its time, we delivered Singapore’s first 100% solar-powered campus Wi-Fi over 5G to provide seamless outdoor connectivity. With $3 million cost savings and numerous international awards, it solidified our status as a practice leader in delivering highly reliable, innovative and sustainable Wi-Fi solutions. Digital Enablement: A star is born The inaugural Digital Enablement (DE) Star Awards 2023 celebrated the success of NUS in harnessing the transformative potential of digital tools. Our practice leadership shone through in this arena with an impressive 7,500 man-hours savings through DE projects implemented in the past 18 months, significant of our commitment to building a Digitally Fluent NUS Workforce. Cyber Security: ‘SAFE’ly Yours

the PDFAide which lets you chat with your PDF documents, extract information, and navigate complex content. You can actually upload and ask any question on the PDF!

FROM SAVING LIVES TO FINDING OUR WAY THROUGH AR/VR Virtual Reality (VR) has helped NUS transcend conventional classroom teaching. The Good Citizen and Virtual Reality in Agitation Management (VRAM) apps offer highly interactive virtual 3D environments, eliminating resource constraints and hazards for learners. Both award-winning apps, the Good Citizen teaches laypersons to be first responders in crisis scenarios, while VRAM enables medical and nursing students to better manage agitated patients. These apps have resulted in 81% of learners reporting higher empathy and 92% greater confidence when dealing with patients. Pushing boundaries in AR, we launched the Pathfinder app, a cutting-edge Augmented Reality (AR) solution that helps us navigate around campus, starting with Techno Edge and SDE4. CONNECTING THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE uNivUS , our super app, continues to connect our NUS community from the past, present and future. To deliver a seamless mobile experience that enhances campus life, we added 11 new core capabilities (like Chope@NUS, Happy Index Integration, Onboarding Tutorial, etc.). And finding someone within NUS and Zoom calling them is now a breeze with the launch of Outlook People Finder .

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IN PURSUIT OF ADMINISTRATIVE EXCELLENCE

A NEW RECORD For our internship programme, we welcomed a new record number of 25 interns who completed 20 over projects during their tenure with us. A NEW OFFICE IN FEBRUARY NUS IT now boasts a cozy and welcoming office environment, “a second home” away from home that caters to the diverse needs of our staff, boosting their motivation and productivity.

We remain steadfast in our pursuit of administrative excellence, implementing cost-efficient solutions. For example, we migrated Qlik to Power BI achieving significant savings of $500,000 in 2023 alone.

SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY Using the campus as a testbed, NUS IT’s High-Performance Computing (HPC) system was deployed in the Sustainable Tropical Data Centre Testbed (STDCT). It provides high volume computing workload for the research community using novel green technologies.

Click to launch video

WITH APPRECIATION My heartfelt appreciation goes to our stakeholders, partners, users and senior management for their invaluable support, and to the unwavering commitment of NUS IT team. We also had the privilege of contributing to major local and international conferences as speakers and panellists. We shared what we learnt and continue to learn from what others shared. In seizing this moment, I would like to extend warm wishes for a joyous, blessed and extraordinary 2024!

“Every crisis is an opportunity.” - Ang Leong Boon (IT Security)

“Embrace the journey, find joy.” - Teng Tat Wee (Faculty & Research Systems)

“Embrace, Evolve, Excel.” - Adrian Lim (Corporate Systems)

“I’m a sojourner to bless.” - Chew Kia Meng (HR & Finance Systems)

“Live. Laugh. Love. Learn. Pray.” - Caren Chua (IT Communications & Engagement)

“Be SAFE!” - Tan Khon Han (Digital Workspace)

MEET OUR NUS IT Management Team

“Inspire growth. Empower through trust.” - Jeffery Wong (IT Service Desk)

NUS IT REPORT CARD 2023

“Trust in the Lord always.” - Tan Shui-Min (CITO)

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“Don’t Panic.” - Rikky Purbojati (HPC-AI)

“Impossible is possible.” - Shariffa Salmah (IT Administration)

“Thankful for Everyday.” - Ng Tiong Beng (IT Infrastructure)

“NU rturing and S trengthening I nnovative T eams. ” - Patrick Ng (Student Systems)

“Nothing works unless I do!” - Nelson Wong (Network)

“Beat Yesterday.” - Chan Hse-Ming (IT Applications)

“Hardworking, Approachable and Problem Solver.” - Tan Boon Leng

(Systems & Platforms)

“Seize the day!” - Lee Chee Chong (IT Governance & Administration)

“Forward thinking. Loyal. Goalkeeper.”

- Pierre Morel (Applications Architecture)

CITO of the Year Award at the Women in Tech Summit

The E-Learning in Structural Analysis (ELISA) 3D app facilitates hands-on learning for Civil Engineering students by simulating complex construction structures, allowing them to perform calculations, analysis, and design in a risk free 3D environment.

Ms Tan Shui-Min The awards ceremony recognised and celebrated women, allies, and organisations across the APAC regions for their outstanding contributions to the technology industry. The judges highlighted Shui-Min’s ability to support the NUS IT team in delivering high-quality and impactful changes within a very short timeline - “It’s impressive how you have paved the way for a digitally empowered business and workforce, ensuring long-term success beyond the initiatives started in 2020.”

NUS Annual Digital Education Award (ADEA) 2023

SafeSim Risk is designed to train players to identify hazards and good practices at a virtual construction site and to understand the likelihood and severity of identified hazards based on their observation in the virtual world.

This remarkable achievement epitomises the relentless effort of our dedicated Network Team from NUS IT and key technology partners, Cisco and NCS Group, in embracing cutting-edge network technologies like software-defined networks and Wi-Fi 6. NUSNET6 – our next-generation campus network infrastructure, provides a robust, reliable, and secure network that seamlessly caters to the diverse needs of our students, faculty, and staff. This award is a celebration of our shared vision and determination to make NUS a borderless university, where education and research know no boundaries. We’re honoured to be the only IHL to win at this year’s awards ceremony.

Annual Digital Education Award (ADEA) 2023

Awards & Accolades

IDC Future Enterprise Awards 2023 Singapore - Future of Connectedness Award

NUS IT REPORT CARD 2023

Our NUS Outdoor Wi-Fi Project was honoured

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NUS Admin Excellence Awards

with this award in recognition of its

innovative and disruptive use of technology through process optimisation, the provision of people-centric services, and the pushing of new boundaries.

OpenGov Singapore Recognition of Excellence

NUS IT clinched the prestigious Unit of the Year with the Highest Efficiency Award at the inaugural NUS Admin Excellence Awards ! We’re immensely grateful and proud to be presented the award by NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye for our commitment to excellence. A special shout out to our Digital Enablement Team, hailed with the President’s Innovative Project: Special Mention for their support in enabling ground-breaking projects across departments. Kudos to them for their instrumental role in enabling many innovative projects! Under the same category, our Student Systems team in NUS IT who collaborated closely with the Registrar’s office also secured an award for their outstanding project — “Enabling Agile Curriculum Management through Digital Transformation.”

Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Digital Education Award (Team)

“International Customer Experience Award” “Best Use Of Technology (Silver) – Over 10,000 Employees”

eLearning Forum Asia (eLFA) 2023 – Exemplary Teaching

Virtual Reality in Agitation Management (VRAM), provides a highly-immersive way for medical and nursing students to learn effective management of agitated patients using empathic means, in a safe, repeatable, and controlled manner!

and Learning (Gold award)

This award recognised and showcased NUS IT’s success in revolutionising IT support through “Empowering Delightful Customer Interactions via the Anywhere Service Desk”!

Mr. John Yap, from NUS IT’s Interreality group, was part of the award-winning NUS team led by the Department of Chemistry which created “ChemPOV”. This innovative gaming app allows students to navigate and learn complex chemical synthesis reactions effectively in a virtual setting.

Annual Digital Education Award (ADEA) 2023

Tan Shui-Min, 13th April, Lifelong Learning Institute, Huawei Tech4City Competition Shui-Min’s talk on the theme, ‘Enjoy Living and Learning with Digital Technology,’ presented on how the Interreality Technology Team used innovative applications for learning. Participants were able to use the wisdom shared by her and other experts to their fullest advantage for the Huawei Tech4City competition.

Tan Shui-Min, 8th June, Marina Bay Sands Singapore, ‘Addressing Diversity and Digital Skills Deficiency in a Rapidly Changing Future’ at the 10th Annual CIO Leaders Summit With a proactive approach to diversity and inclusion, we emphasise inclusive practices in hiring and workplace accommodations. Our CITO added, “Before diversity became a buzzword in recent years, NUS IT already boasted a diverse workforce. And honestly, if you ask me if that’s due to some strategy or policy, I’ll tell you that we have none. Instead, this is a testament to our winning formula—our inherently unbiased mindset!

Tan Shui-Min, 20th April, NUS University Hall, Panel Moderator Shui-Min skillfully moderated the “Looking into Industry 5.0 Kaleidoscope” panel discussion, a part of the Phoenix Series by NUS Office of Risk Management and Compliance, featuring distinguished speakers exploring AR/VR, AI, and automation technologies.

Zhou Luli, 22nd May, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), HEUG Asia-Hong Kong 2023 Conference At the HEUG Asia-Hong Kong 2023 Conference led by Professor Ting Chuen Pong, Zhou Luli (Associate Director, Student Systems) of NUS presented our Curriculum Management System, inspiring Higher Education Users Group institutions to embrace digitalisation and streamline curriculum processes for institutional transformation.

Speaking Engagements NUS IT REPORT CARD 2023

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Tan Shui-Min, 14th September, Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre, Panel discussion titled “AI for Business: Embracing Opportunity and Catalysing Growth through Intelligent Automation,” IBM Think Singapore Shui-Min represented NUS at IBM Think Singapore 2023, an event graced by Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information, and Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity. This prestigious large-scale event saw over a hundred C-level leaders and about 500 people from Singapore’s Tech industry. During a captivating panel discussion titled “AI for Business: Embracing Opportunity and Catalysing Growth through Intelligent Automation,” alongside Ms. Parul Mishra, Vice President of Product Management at IBM Watson Orchestrate, Shui-Min delved into our remarkable journey as an AI-First Institution. She emphasised the importance of organisations embracing an open, innovative, and agile mindset. “At NUS, we have been pioneers in riding the AI wave, showcasing our forward-thinking approach. We focus on how AI helps three main areas: people, data and ecosystem. It’s been a wonderful journey thus far, adopting and practicing our agility mindset as we forge ahead!”

Tan Shui-Min & Ang Leong Boon, 7th & 8th November, Workshop on the Quality Standardisation of University’s ICT System and Management (AUN-ICT), Bangkok, Thailand Shui-Min and Leong Boon (Head, IT Security) represented NUS at this workshop. Co-hosted by Prince of Songkla University and the ASEAN University Network (AUN), the workshop was a collaborative effort amongst senior university leaders to develop a new set of unified standards for comprehensive Informative and Communications Technology (ICT) quality and management amongst universities in ASEAN.

Tan Shui-Min, 23rd September, Shanghai, Keynote speaker at the segment themed “Smart Teaching and Learning Accelerate Intelligence in Education, Huawei Connect This annual flagship summit gathers about 300 global education experts and representatives from universities to delve deep into the world of intelligent education. Shui-Min was invited to be a keynote speaker at the segment themed “Smart Teaching and Learning Accelerate Intelligence in Education”! Technologies like AI, networks, and cloud are pushing the boundaries of business design, boosting productivity, and redefining business models. Industries are plotting new roadmaps and moving ahead with greater speed. For educators, Extended Reality (XR) offers the chance to recreate impossible scenarios, enhancing the learning experience. Let’s not forget the cost savings too! And, at NUS, our XR tech is revolutionising education, making complex concepts come to life and enabling learning from anywhere, anytime!

Tan Keok Tay, 17th February, Ang Mo Kio Secondary at their Career Conference Tan Keok Tay, Associate Director (Digital Enablement), had an animated Q&A with very interested students when he shared his NUS IT experience at the AMK Secondary School Career Conference!

Rikky Purbojati, 28th February to 2nd March, Singapore Expo, held a booth for HPC-AI efforts of NUS IT NUS IT was invited to the SupercomputingAsia 2023, a prestigious APAC event! Over the 3-day conference at Singapore Expo, Rikky W. Purbojati (Head of HPC-AI) and his team showcased how our high-performance computing facility enables and supports compute-intensive research in scientific domains.

Ong Li Ping & Leong Yuet Mei, 15th March, HERUG 2023 Conference at Tecnológico de Monterrey Leong Yuet Mei, Senior Associate Director (HR & Finance Systems) and Ong Li Ping, Associate Director (HR and Finance Systems), shared with Higher Education and Research User Group (HERUG) peers how NUS IT’s latest strategies transformed the education sector.

Tan Keok Tay & John Yap, 3rd March, NTU, presented Digital Enablement and Interreality efforts of NUS IT respectively John Yap (Associate Director, Interreality Technology) & Tan Keok Tay (Associate Director, Digital Enablement), inspired colleagues from other IHLs at the IHL CIO Forum 2023 when they gave talks respectively on the Interreality efforts and Digital Enablement of NUS IT which yielded innovative solutions with great productivity gains.

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Tan Shui-Min, 17th March, Universitas Indonesia, presented Digital Transformation of NUS IT Shui-Min shared “Reimagining NUS through IT” at Universitas Indonesia.

Tan Shui-Min, 1st March, Fira Barcelona Gran Via, presented NUS IT’s digital transformation Shui-Min was invited to speak at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) at Barcelona for the “Accelerate the Digital Journey of Education” track led by Huawei. She shared how NUS embarked on a digital transformation journey to create a future-ready campus network.

Tan Shui-Min, 2nd September, Marina Barrage, Short Speech at the flag-off for RunBIG Shui-Min kickstarted the NUS RunBIG as one of the VIPs at the flag-off at Marina Barrage on 2nd September and said, “we see NUS Giving RunBIG as a wonderful opportunity for us to run together as a team, to keep fit and to contribute to a worthy cause by supporting the Enhanced Financial Aid Scheme (EFAS)!”

Tan Shui-Min & Tan Boon Leng & Yung Shing Gene , 20th March, School of Computing Guest lecture, presented Green and Sustainability efforts of NUS IT to students As special guests for a School of Computing lecture by Dr Danny Poo, Shui-Min, Tan Boon Leng (Head of Systems and Platforms), and Yung Shing Gene (Architect, Integration), presented Green and Sustainability efforts of NUS IT to our students.

Ang Leong Boon, 29th March, One Farrer Hotel, presented at “Deep Dive into the Zero-trust Approach for Security in Education” event by GovInsider At the GovInsider event, our Head of IT Security, Ang Leong Boon, provided a better understanding of the ins and outs of the zero-trust model in safeguarding educational institutions.

SAFE CYBER SECURITY

Password-less Experience

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NUS IT introduced a password-less experience for logging in to NUS systems and applications, aiming to enhance security by reducing vulnerabilities to breaches and phishing attacks commonly caused by password-related risks. With the uNivUS QR Authenticator, like SingPass logins, users no longer need to remember their passwords, and just need to have their devices logged in to NUS systems and applications. This significantly lowers the chances of someone stealing log-in information.

NUS IT also added a of security called Mu Authentication (MFA using Microsoft Auth It works with Micros two-factor authentic more modern and pr

NUS IT REPORT CARD 2023 Project Highlights

E The SAFE (Security And Freedom for Everyone) project is a transformative and crucial initiative for NUS IT, aimed at protecting the NUS user community, systems and data against cyberthreats. Commencing in 2022, this bold multi-year undertaking is unique in that it intricately balances user convenience with IT security. It encompasses three main strategies to synergistically uphold a strong cybersecurity posture: (1) Password-less Experience, (2) Multifactor Authentication (MFA) and (3) Workspace ONE (WS1).

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Workspace ONE (WS1)

Being a borderless university with devices used wherever we are, it is important to keep them protected. With SAFE, only devices with WS1 endpoint security solution can access applications with confidential data. This solution not only administers protective software, automatic updates, and patch management to our devices but also enables NUS IT to control security rules. Additionally, staff no longer need VPN to access intranet resources remotely. WS1 also creates an NUS Playstore app where users can download legitimate software safely. Given the scale of SAFE, any change would have had a huge impact on NUS. To ensure a smooth transition, a comprehensive set of change management initiatives was implemented. These included engaging and informative emails, a dedicated webpage offering easily digestible information, and 14 roadshows conducted across all three campuses.

Multifactor Authentication (MFA)

an extra layer ultifactor A) for NUS staff henticator.

soft 365, making our cation (2FA) system ractical.

As of October 2023, 80% of users have enrolled their devices into WS1. CYBER SECURITY

SAFE SAFE has not only strengthened our security measures but also improved users’ authentication experience. In the near future, SAFE will pave the way for personalised user-IDs. Several key staff-centric applications including CHRS and Concur are now made accessible only via WS1. As of end October, close to 80% of users have enrolled their devices into WS1. We are grateful to the community for their enthusiastic enrolment, and we look forward to all of NUS benefitting from the improved security and convenience.

After its deployment to all staff in 2023, MFA will also be rolled out to students by August 2024 to enhance the cyber protection for this large community of NUS users.

Click to launch video

NUS IT REPORT CARD 2023

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No more Password Expiry (Perpetual Password) NUS students and alumni no longer need to change their password every six months! The “No More Password Expiry” project signifies a strategic leap in efficiency and security for NUS. With the elimination of the mandatory six-month password reset for students and alumni, users benefit from a stable and memorable password, simplifying the login process for a seamless and hassle-free experience. The adoption of a perpetual password underscores our commitment to simplicity, security, and user-centricity, successfully fostering a digital environment that is both efficient yet secure for the University.

Bolstering Network Security This year, we embarked on a comprehensive project to strengthen our network security protection capabilities. Noteworthy accomplishments include the successful upgrade of our internet firewall in March and the implementation of a new Extranet firewall in October 2023. The successful and seamless execution of these endeavours have contributed significantly to the overall enhancement of the University network. Our upgraded internet firewall ensures secure, reliable, and consistently fast internet speed, providing users across the campus with a minimum of 100mbps connectivity at any given time. Furthermore, the deployment of the extranet firewall has granted us the essential visibility and control over traffic from self-managed networks to our NUSNET, reinforcing our network’s resilience and security.

NUSCHAT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ChatGPT has captured global attention, including within the NUS community. While ChatGPT can serve as a valuable productivity tool to our staff, it also presents certain inherent risks, such as sensitive data exposure, privacy concerns, and security and compliance issues. In response to these challenges, NUS IT has established an enterprise ChatGPT using Microsoft Azure’s OpenAI service called NUSChat.

NUSChat elevates productivity and streamlines administrative processes while maintaining strict adherence to NUS policies. It also offers seamless integration with a spectrum of business applications in the NUS ecosystem. NUSChat is built upon the powerful GPT-4 platform, ensuring staff receive precise and contextually consistent responses. NUS data was also used to fine-tune GenAI model, allowing NUSChat to have knowledge about NUS without fundamentally modifying the models with our data.

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T NUSChat has revolutionised the way our staff work, allowing them to leverage ChatGPT’s abilities in their work for smoother and more efficient tasks. It empowers staff to engage in more intelligent conversations by facilitating inquiries on NUS-specific topics, particularly those pertaining to IT, Human Resources and Procurement policies. More importantly, users can reap these advantages without compromising the security of sensitive information in the public domain, ensuring a confidential and reliable platform for work-related interactions.

Since its recent rollout in end July, the tool has been widely adopted by the NUS staff community with a n average of 7,000 queries per month. Being one of the first generative AI applications rolled out in NUS, NUSChat marks a significant milestone in the advancement of AI capabilities at NUS, bringing to life our vision of “AI volution”. We look forward to a broader AI adoption driving innovation and operational efficiency across the University!

Empowering Delightful Customer Interactions via the Anywhere Service Desk NUS IT embarked on a transformative initiative to enhance our IT support services and elevate the user experience using innovative technology solutions. We achieved this by using the AWS Connect Contact Centre service, a game-changer with unparalleled flexibility, scalability, and security. Powered by AI, this solution enabled sentiment analysis and AI-driven voice bots, reinforcing customer service and knowledge domains. As a testament to its effectiveness, this initiative has been recognised at the

Chat a bIT

Minute Mate and PDFAide Besides NUSChat, we have also introduced two other AI tools. One of them is “Minute Mate” which can effortlessly generate meeting minutes from transcripts, including discussion points and action items. This is definitely a turning point for efficient documentation and follow-up, making the job of a meeting secretary much easier! Another AI Digital Enablement tool is the “PDFAide”. This tool lets you chat with your PDF documents, extract information, and navigate complex content using natural language. You can actually upload and ask any question within a PDF!

International Customer Experience Award 2023 (iCXA’23) . Users now enjoy faster issue

resolution with the 24x7 IT support and enhanced user experience as the AI voice bot can provide personalised responses with high accuracy. Since its launch, NUS has achieved above $200K in cost avoidance and 11% (200 hours) annual productivity gain for IT support staff.

STAYING CONNECTED Outdoor Wi-Fi In a collaborative effort between the National University of Singapore (NUS) and StarHub, the outdoor 5G Wi-Fi project, powered by solar energy, began its journey in 2020 and has now successfully completed the installation of outdoor Wi-Fi units across all three NUS campuses in 2023! This pioneering project marks Singapore’s first 100% solar-powered campus Wi-Fi over 5G, providing seamless outdoor connectivity. “

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The project’s key success factor is its cost-effective and speedy deployment, eliminating the need for underground cables. This innovative solution not only aligns with NUS’s commitment to a Smart, Safe, and Sustainable campus but also addresses the challenge of limited outdoor connectivity. With installation time reduced by 50% to a mere four days and cost savings of approximately $3 million for a campus-wide deployment, our eco-friendly system, powered by solar energy, champions sustainability and delivers real time Wi-Fi insights for optimal performance. Expanding NUS’ Wi-Fi capabilities outdoors, coupled with the utilisation

of existing 5G SA coverage, we open doors to pioneering learning methodologies, and enhance NUS reputation in the domains of education, research, and innovation. We were recognised through accolades like the Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards for Education and the Singapore Business Review (SBR) Excellence Award . Our work has also garnered attention from prestigious international media platforms such as Channel News Asia, The Economist Impact, The New York Times, and Nikkei Asia. This has further solidified our status as a practice leader in delivering reliable, high-speed wireless coverage in the education sector.

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With a vision for innovation and a commitment to co-create with the NUS community, we engaged NUS students to redesign our outdoor Wi-Fi access points. Their task was to create visually appealing designs considering ergonomics, functionality, durability, and feasibility. The Outdoor Wi-Fi Student Design Competition emerged as a conduit for student talent and input in this ground-breaking project.

Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)

Click to launch video

STAYING CONNECTED

OUTDOOR WI-FI

In a campus where indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi have been successfully navigated... What’s next for NUS? NUS Wi-Fi on the Move! Our 5G Wireless AP Unit offers lightning-fast, reliable connectivity, a portable unit with a battery. Through this innovative solution, we can now bring our secure, reliable NUS wireless network beyond our campus boundaries, to all of Singapore. For teaching, learning, administration, campus security, and research, this means seamless operations and remote-secured connectivity. In the near future, with NUS-secured Wi-Fi available everywhere, beyond our campus boundaries and throughout Singapore, it would underscore our leadership in this arena of innovation and cutting-edge networking technology, fulfilling NUS IT’s vision of a truly borderless university.

Click to launch video

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Outlook People Finder In a large organisation like NUS, with over 50,000 staff and students, it can be challenging to find specific contacts since there is a likelihood of multiple contacts with similar or identical names, causing confusion and inefficiencies. To address these challenges, NUS IT proactively developed its own customised contact management solution known as the Outlook People Finder and deployed it in June 2023. This innovative Outlook Add-in streamlines contact search processes, significantly enhancing efficiency.

This was achieved by building an interface with CHRS (Cloud HR System), NUS’ online platform solution for HR and payroll functions. This allowed People Finder to extract first, last and full names of individuals, optimising the search experience. With this solution, NUS staff and students can now search for contacts within specific departments, schools, and faculties. Search results display comprehensive contact information, effectively eliminating any potential confusion arising from individuals sharing similar or identical names.

People Finder also makes it very easy and allows user to quick send or even make a Zoom call to that person. This project exemplifies the resourcefulness and dedication of NUS IT in enhancing the digital workspace for our staff and students , facilitating smoother communication and information retrieval within the University.

Comprehensive Contact information

High Level People Finder Application Design Diagram

STAYING CONNECTED uNivUS A multi-year initiative, the uNivUS super app houses a myriad of more than 40 applications to date, connecting NUS staff, students, alumni and visitors with useful information and services customised to suit their needs. “uniting NUS individUalS”, uNivUS has evolved to be the primary point of entry to all NUS digital services for NUS users, as they adopt various personas (from student, alumni, staff, to even life-long learner). Ensuring it continues to deliver a seamless, mobile experience that enhances campus life in 2023, the uNivUS team focused on unlocking more core capabilities and improving existing apps. In the coming year, users can look forward to more opportunities to connect via new social functions built into the super app.

Click to launch video

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Chope@NUS: Students and staff can now book their favourite study corner in Med+Science and Central Library during reading week. Achieved 23,000 accesses in its first month.

Unlocking more core capabilities

Happy Index Integration: A centralised feedback platform created to obtain fuss-free and valuable insights from users for future improvements to the application.

Alumni R&G Voucher: This creates awareness and opportunities for alumni to upgrade their skills using the vouchers.

STAYING CONNECTED

uNivUS

Improving existing apps

Calendar Widget

The new Calendar widget displays a user’s upcoming schedule on the homepage for greater convenience. For students, the widget includes classes and exam schedules.

Bus route and location

A quick walkthrough is now available for new users, allowing them to explore uNivUS’s full potential.

Onboarding Tutorial

Users can now see real time bus locations via MAPS app

Launching in 2024, the UniFriends suite of apps will create a digital community hub where users connect, explore interest groups, shop at virtual marketplaces, be alerted on events that their friends will be attending, and extend a helping hand to others in the lost and found corner.

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In partnership with the Office of Student Affairs (OSA), this latest uNivUS addition is a wellness feature based on the 7 Pitstop Principles for Wellbeing (Personal Skills, Interaction, Time Out, Sleep, Thoughtful Eating, On the Move and Purpose) and is designed to reduce stress and maximise productivity! Enhancing Wellness

PITSTOP

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A Lifetime of Connection Previously, upon retirement from NUS, faculty staff would undergo an automatic deletion of their accounts. However, to foster enduring engagement and staff connections with the university, a commendable initiative has been implemented — a lifelong account exclusively designed for retired faculty members.

This ensures that retired faculty members can still seamlessly maintain their relationship with NUS through a dedicated and perpetual account. This strategic measure not only acknowledges the valuable contributions of retired staff but also facilitates ongoing communication, fostering a sense of continuity and collaboration within the NUS community.

DIGITAL ENABLEMENT DE Stars Awards Graced by NUS President Prof Tan Eng Chye, the Digital Enablement Star Awards (DE Star Awards) is NUS IT’s inaugural event to celebrate the success of NUS staff and departments in harnessing the transformative potential of digital tools, accelerating their productivity. Based on the submissions, NUS had saved an impressive 7,500 man-hours from digital enablement projects implemented within the past 18 months in 2022-2023 alone.

Formally referred to as the DE Awards, this ceremony takes place every two years. As our colleagues grow in digital competency and adoption, we elevated its prestige, infused the event with elements of stardom and it is now known as the DE Star Awards. This year, to add even more star factor to the event, we were honoured to have the President of Singapore Computer Society, Mr. Sam Liew, as the Guest-of-Honour.

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Ms. Low Zhiqi (College of Design and Engineering) was crowned the DE Influencer for her efforts in pushing several digital tools: Miro, MS Bookings, Power Automate, and Power Apps. Her influence extended even further when she shared her expertise at the “Sharing @EXCITE” event in June 2022. This stands as proof that even small steps can make a big impact in the world of digital enablement. Danny Ling from NUS Business School , the winner of the DE Superstar award, shares a similar strategy to digital enablement. Danny’s method involved automating routine administrative tasks such as using Power Automate to generate over 600 offer letters for the Business School, resulting in time and cost savings, as well as fewer errors.

“RiskRadar 1.0” , a horizon scanning tool created by the AnalytiRisk team, which comprised staff from Office of Risk Management & Compliance (ORMC), Office of Data and Intelligence (ODI) , and NUS IT, won the DE Galaxy award. The tool, driven by Power BI, conducts risk scanning and identifies early warning signs of potential risks from public media sources. Users would be apprised of the current and immediate challenges and be able to foresee potential risks and opportunities. Office of Admissions won the DE MODEL award where MODEL stands for MOst Digitally-EnabLed. This prestigious recognition goes to the top department with the largest number of staff trained in Digital Enablement tools, solutions developed, and potential hours saved per year.

In 2024, the DE Star Awards will be alternated with the DE Hackathon, a thrilling showcase of innovation and creativity where participants leverage their skills to solve real-world challenges, enriched by training sessions conducted by NUS IT.

XR (AR/VR) The Good Citizen VR In emergency medicine, doctors routinely grapple with a frequent influx of cardiac arrests and suicide attempts. Recognising the criticality of early interventions and the importance of bystander CPR which can increase survival rates by two to three times, educators and medical professionals initiated a mission to educate laypersons. Transcending conventional textbook knowledge, the Interreality Technology team introduced an innovative approach by using virtual reality (VR) to address knowledge gaps.

The app’s accessibility, self-directed nature, and cost-effectiveness make it a versatile tool for public education, saving time and resources compared to traditional classroom / attachment to an emergency department.

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consequences of their responses. It was first available to NUS staff and students as a learning module. These scenarios aim to impart individuals with the requisite knowledge and skills, instilling them with confidence and enhancing empathy to encourage them to step forward to render aid. The app’s unique approach of offering a highly interactive virtual 3D environment through Meta Quest 2 VR devices has eliminated real-life constraints and hazards, allowing users to explore various outcomes without consequences.

Through the creation of an immersive virtual reality (VR) with realistic local scenes, users are immersed in a first-person perspective as a responder in two simulated scenarios: 1. Performing CPR and using an AED on a collapsed victim before paramedics arrive and 2. Intervention in a mental health crisis of a peer and encouraging peer-to-peer support. The meticulously developed, highly interactive and replayable scenarios allow participants to embody the main avatar where they experience the emotions as a first responder and the

NUS received the Medical Education Grand Innovation Challenge (MEGIC) 2023 and was invited by IMDA to showcase the Good Citizen VR app at the Digital for Life Festival Roadshows, along with over 120 esteemed partners in late October and early November this year.

The future project plans include the design and development of additional scenarios, focusing on diverse emergencies. These scenarios include responding to: • a trauma scene of a bleeding person with epistaxis and wounds, • a person having seizures, • a choking person, and • a person with severe allergic reaction. In 2024, we will have many more XR (Extended Reality) projects coming up, including our very first VR solution in NUS Metaverse!

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Virtual Reality in Agitation Management (VRAM) Virtual Reality in Agitation Management (VRAM) presents an innovative and immersive platform tailored for medical and nursing students to enhance their proficiency in the empathic management of agitated patients within a secure, replicable, and controlled environment. A notable 92% of students utilising VRAM reported a significant boost in confidence when handling agitated patients, while 48% experienced an augmented sense of empathy in their approach. Recognising its excellence, VRAM received the esteemed Annual Digital Education Award (ADEA) in 2023. The application is currently undergoing commercialisation in collaboration with the International Licensing Organization (ILO), aimed at securing licenses for adoption by other Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) and healthcare facilities, marking a pivotal step towards widespread integration within the medical education landscape.

Pathfinder

Effortlessly navigate the NUS campus with this Pathfinder app, a cutting-edge solution that streamlines the exploration process. This app, launched in mid-2023, seamlessly integrates Augmented Reality (AR) technology for indoor navigation and is currently operational in SDE4 and Techno Edge. Pathfinder empowers users to effortlessly locate various Points of Interest (POI), including offices, canteens, cafes, and other amenities. Offering dynamic route options based on preferences for speed or accessibility, the application enhances the navigation experience through its AR integration. Users can visually engage with Points of Interest (POIs) and their surroundings, optimising the overall navigation experience on campus.

Click to launch video

NUS IT REPORT CARD 2023

The Sustainable Tropical Data Centre Testbed (STDCT), officially opened on 29th November 2023, is a pioneering initiative, marking the advent of the world’s first data centre research testbed customised for the tropical climate. It aims to enhance Singapore’s global competitiveness by delivering sustainable and highly efficient SUPPORTING RESEARCH Sustainable Tropical Data Centre Testbed 32

data centre solutions including cutting edge cooling technologies, capable of withstanding high temperature and humidity prevalent in the tropics. This not only aligns with Singapore’s climate change commitments, but also embodies our belief in using the campus as a testbed for innovation. Jointly led by NUS and NTU, the project is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and supported by a consortium of 20 industry partners. NUS IT plays an integral and critical role in contributing to the project’s success by deploying and managing a high performance computing (HPC) system within the data centre. The HPC system showcases the data centre’s capacity to support power intensive IT equipment and provides extensive computing resources to the NUS research community.

STDCT was officially opened on 29th November 2023, using the NUS campus as a testbed for innovation.

The HPC system offers

20,000 CPU cores

200+ GPU accelerators

500 terabytes of data storage

catering to up to 1,500 users annually

Remarkably, this HPC system is poised to replace 70% of existing central HPC resources, underscoring its pivotal role in advancing technological capabilities within the research community.

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NUS Discovery 2.0

NUS Discovery 2.0, a key component within the NUS Element publication platform, offers the university a significant advancement in our system integration capabilities with other NUS source systems. It empowers academic staff to present their academic profiles and research expertise through an enhanced search functionality, thereby optimising search engine visibility and facilitating online discoverability. The implementation of a standardised profile platform ensures seamless access to our comprehensive staff repository, currently comprising approximately 1,280 profiles , with a modernised and uniform user interface. Further enhancing efficiency, automated synchronisation mechanisms keep profiles up-to-date with minimal manual intervention, reflecting our commitment to maintaining accurate and timely information.

Research Grants Pipeline Monitoring App

This centralised platform allows faculty research administration to manage, track and report university grants that are in the pipeline or awarded to research projects managed by the faculty’s Principal Investigators/Researchers. It replaces manual tracking using Excel, resulting in greater efficiency by facilitating the monitoring of all research grants at faculty level . It comes with life cycle view, from grant proposal to its submission, award and finally the disbursement of funds. Faculty of Arts and Social Science users have already experienced productivity gains of ten hours per day or 2,400 man hours per annum . This app is promoted to other faculties, with Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy being the next to implement their research grants monitoring process onto this new platform in November 2023.

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New eClaims system New Secondary Appointments System (CWNED) An example of our continual pursuit of administration excellence, this new in-house system replaced existing CHRS functionalities to enable the end-to-end submission, approval and payment processing related to Consultation Work, Non-Executive Directorships and Other Paid Work in NUS. Its user-friendly dashboards, batch upload functionalities and approval workflows allow users greater visibility and ease of tracking of such data. In the future, the system will be enhanced with direct integration to FS2 for the collection of fees and automated cross-checking against the University’s Office of Risk Management and Compliance’s Conflict of Interest policies. Replacing the existing SAP system, the new custom-built system offers specially designed screens, in-built validations, calculations and end-to-end workflow to empower staff and department admins to self-submit salary-related claims for payment via Payroll. With its end-to-end claims processing and tighter integration with CHRS, this has significantly reduced manual collation and data entry, resulting in manpower savings. Since its launch in March, we have seen an encouraging increase in the volume of self-submissions. At present, the system caters for claims by both full-time and part-time staff and will be expanded to cover contingent staff soon.

Modernisation of Admissions, Financial Aid and Scholarships Application & Management System The UAS2 applicant portal now includes a financial aid module, streamlining the application process for prospective students. This integration allows applicants to apply for admission, scholarships, and financial aid all in one place, simplifying procedures and offering a user-friendly interface. Its straightforward design enables easy tracking of application status and outcomes without the need for multiple platforms. With its more user-friendly interface, the updated application form has led to a significant decrease in applicant inquiries. In parallel, the UAS2 admin portal has undergone a transformation with the incorporation of the new financial aid module. The update has streamlined the processing of financial aid applications, introducing advanced features like auto routing for efficient allocation to officers. This improvement enhances operational efficiency, allowing officers to focus more on reviewing and approving applications rather than manual routing. The UAS2 admin portal now plays a crucial role in enabling the accurate and swift processing of financial aid applications, ensuring timely support for students.

REFRESH!

Office Makeover

Our façade has received a fresh coat of paint , highlighting it with distinct, eye-catching colours.

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NUS IT last saw a major renovation of its building in 2005. Since then, incremental renovation works had been carried out to accommodate the growing size of the department over the years in line with the University’s increasing IT needs. However, as demand still persistently exceeded available capacity, we embarked on the ambitious Office Makeover project in 2020. We successfully moved back to our newly refurbished office in February 2023 ! NUS IT now boasts a cosy and welcoming office environment, “a second home” away from home that caters to the diverse requirements of our staff, ensuring their motivation and productivity.

The building is now equipped with facial recognition door access systems, reinforcing physical security and reducing the need for physical staff cards.

REFRESH!

OFFICE MAKEOVER

Our revamped office was thoughtfully designed

with a variety of different spaces to maximise collaborative opportunities amongst staff. Even the rooms were named after our NUS IT mascot, bITbIT! The establishment of our seminar room “Orange Carrot Meadow” provides a versatile venue for conducting workshops, seminars, and department events, attributed to collapsible walls that allow the room to be nimbly configured for different purposes. In addition, our NUS IT Burrows meeting rooms support enhanced video conferencing capabilities through Zoom, providing seamless hybrid communication amongst in-person and remote participants.

Purposeful spaces

Ergonomic office equipment , such as adjustable chairs with lumbar support, standing desks, and 3 monitors ensure com during the hours spen at desks.

Our discussion pods offer a convenient and flexible space for staff to engage in quick, on-the fly discussions.

To ensure privacy during individual calls and meetings, a number of single pax telephone booths are situated around the office.

NUS IT REPORT CARD 2023