NUS_IT_Report_Card_2024

Contents

CITO’s Foreword 2 - 3

Intro to NUS IT Management Team 4 - 5

Awards & Accolades 6 - 9

Speaking & Panelist Engagements 10 - 11

NUS IT: Year in Numbers 12 - 13

NUS IT Report Card 2024 Hitting the High Notes in Perfect Harmony

Enhancing the Learning Journey 14 - 19

Accelerating Performance Excellence & Value 22 - 27

Elevating Research Frontiers 20 - 21

Driving Unified Success (Collaboration) 28 - 31

Empowering Cybersecurity Resilience 32 - 33

Staff Feature 34 - 35

Student Engagement 42 - 43

Staff Well-being 36 - 39

CITO’s Thank You Message 44

Staff Development 40 - 41

Charity Sale 2024 + bITbIT’s Origin Story 45

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CITO’s Foreword

Perfect Harmony Hitting the High Notes in

It is my pleasure to present the 2024 report card, showcasing the milestones and achievements of our IT department. Without a doubt, the harmonious teamwork of our diverse talent has been the key to our success. Much like a symphony orchestra, where each instrument plays a crucial role in creating a masterpiece, our department has been hitting high notes in learning, scaling new research heights, striking chords of performance excellence, and harmonising collective wins. We have also amplified our cybersecurity resilience, ensuring that our digital environment remains secure and robust. Our close engagement with staff and students, along with committed partnerships, are pivotal to realising our NUS IT vision of ‘Building a Borderless University, Powered by Infinite Technology.’

NUS IT Report Card 2024 Hitting the High Notes in Perfect Harmony

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None of these achievements would have been possible without a dedicated and talented team. We take immense pride in the development and engagement of our staff, celebrating their contributions and fostering a family-like culture within our department. It is this strong sense of community that propels us forward. Our close engagement with staff and students, along with committed partnerships, are pivotal to realising our NUS IT vision of “Building a Borderless University, Powered by Infinite Technology.” These relationships inspire us to innovate and excel, pushing the boundaries of what is possible, or what previously didn’t seem to be. Each accomplishment in this report card signifies progress towards the goals set in our current five-year IT strategic plan (2023-2027). We are in our second year of implementing this plan, and we have many more symphonic movements to compose! My heartfelt appreciation goes to my dedicated team for their commitment, and to our partners, users, and senior management for their invaluable support. Together, let’s keep composing and orchestrating a symphony of success and reaching the highest notes! Shui-Min Chief IT Officer (CITO)

Much like a symphony orchestra, where each instrument plays a crucial role in creating a masterpiece, our department has been hitting high notes in learning, scaling new research heights, striking chords of performance excellence, and harmonising collective wins.

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NUS IT Management Team

Tan Shui-Min (Chief IT Officer)

Chan Hse-Ming (IT Applications)

Lyonel Cha (IT Infrastructure)

Ng Tiong Beng (IT Infrastructure)

Adrian Lim (Corporate Systems)

Ang Leong Boon (IT Security)

Caren Chua (CITO’s Office)

Patrick Ng (Student Systems)

Nelson Wong (Network)

Introduction to NUS IT Management Team Introducing our dynamic NUS IT Management Team, the backbone of the University’s digital and IT ecosystem. Their unparalleled commitment and dedication have led to successful project rollouts that propelled NUS into new technological frontiers. With unwavering efforts and visionary leadership, they have transformed challenges into opportunities and set new benchmarks for excellence.

NUS IT Report Card 2024 Hitting the High Notes in Perfect Harmony

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bITbIT (NUS IT Mascot)

Chew Kia Meng (HR & Finance Systems)

Irving Neil Kwok (AI & Enterprise Services)

Jeffery Wong (IT Service Desk)

Pierre Alain Morel (Applications Architecture)

Rikky Purbojati (HPC – AI)

Tan Boon Leng (Systems & Platform)

Tan Khon Han (Digital Workspace)

Teng Tat Wee (Faculty & Research Systems)

NUS IT Building

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Awards & Accolades

GovInsider Festival of Innovation Awards - Digital Leader of the Year Our CITO, Shui-Min, was honoured for her outstanding leadership in driving innovation and guiding NUS IT towards our vision of creating a “Borderless University, Powered by Infinite Technology”.

THE Awards Asia - Teaching and Learning Strategy of the Year As co-investigators in the “Managing Aggression using Immersive Content (MAGIC)” project, we partnered with the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine to develop a Virtual Reality (VR) programme for teaching medical and nursing students to manage agitated patients with empathy. Judges praised the initiative for demonstrating how virtual or augmented reality can enhance learning at scale.

NUS Admin Excellence Awards We celebrated three wins at the Admin Excellence Awards by the NUS Agility Office: an Honourable Mention for Unit of the Year (Highest Impact), President’s Project of the Year for Project Scribe (in collaboration with the NUS Office of Risk Management and Compliance for the AI-Minute initiative), and an Honourable Mention in President’s Project of the Year for Chope@NUS, an innovative seat reservation system developed with NUS Libraries!

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ACEEU Asia-Pacific Triple E Awards - Digital Innovation of the Year (Special Recognition) Conferred by the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (ACEEU), we are proud to receive this recognition for our cutting-edge “NUS Wi-Fi on the Move” project, which extends

NUS Medicine Awards – Teaching Excellence Award (Team Category) Developed in close collaboration with the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies and the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, our Immersive Virtual Reality: Procedures (IVR-P) project was recognised for transforming traditional learning with immersive 3D simulations of four critical nursing procedures: intravenous therapy, subcutaneous insulin injection, wound dressing and urinary catheterisation.

our secure and high-speed NUS Wi-Fi campus network across Singapore.

NUS Annual Digital Education Awards (ADEA) – Team Category We won three awards for the following projects that incorporate Augmented and Virtual Reality: Immersive Virtual Reality: Procedures (IVR-P), SafeSim Design and ELiSA 3D.

OpenGov Asia’s Singapore Recognition of Excellence Our ground-breaking project, NUS Wi-Fi on the Move, was recognised for its innovative and disruptive use of technology, in extending our secure NUS Wi-Fi network beyond campus boundaries to encompass the whole of Singapore.

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Awards & Accolades

Singapore Business Review Technology Excellence Awards - Connectivity in Telecommunications

In collaboration with Starhub, we deployed Singapore’s first outdoor Wi-Fi powered by solar energy and 5G across all three NUS campuses and piloted “NUS Wi-Fi on the Move”, extending access to our secured private NUS network beyond campus boundaries.

IDC Future Enterprise Awards - CIO 100 ASEAN Awards Top 100 & Best in Future of Connectedness (Singapore and Asia-Pacific) NUS IT achieved outstanding recognition at the 2024 IDC Future Enterprise Awards! Chief Information Technology Officer Tan Shui-Min was honoured among the CIO100 ASEAN Awards Top 100, with Deputy President of Administration, Mr. Clarence Ti, accepting the award on her behalf. Demonstrating exceptional innovation, the NUS IT Network Team secured both Singapore and Asia-Pacific titles for Best in Future of Connectedness, celebrating the success of the ground-breaking “Wi-Fi on the Move” initiative. These prestigious accolades underscore NUS IT’s leadership and excellence in driving transformative innovation.

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Computer Weekly Innovation Awards APAC Our “Security And Freedom for Everyone (SAFE)” project is a transformative initiative for the university, designed to safeguard the user community, systems and data against cyber threats. This achievement is a testament to the collaborative success amongst numerous NUS IT teams, including security, infrastructure, applications, service desk and communications.

CX Asia Excellence Awards 2024 for Best Use of Intelligent Chatbot - Bronze Award Our IT Service Desk proudly clinched the Bronze at the CX Asia Excellence Awards 2024 for Best Use of Intelligent Chatbot, outshining over 300 submissions! This accolade celebrates our innovative approach to transforming the customer journey through intelligent chatbots. With the “Empowering Delightful Customer Interactions via the Anywhere Service Desk” project, our NUS IT team achieved remarkable feats, including $201,000 in ticket cost avoidance over two years and an 11% productivity boost for IT support staff. We are thrilled to receive this recognition and will continue to drive tech innovation!

iCXA24 for Best Use of AI - Over 1,000 Employees - Bronze Award In a global celebration of excellence in customer experience, the IT Service Desk earned a Bronze at iCXA24 for Best Use of AI - Over 1,000 Employees. This honour highlights our innovative “Empowering Delightful Customer Interactions via the Anywhere Service Desk” project. We are proud of this accolade and remain dedicated to pushing the boundaries of customer experience!

Duty of Care Awards - Runner-Up The inter-organisational team at NUS received the 2024 Duty of Care Awards Runner-up in Crisis Agility & Response from the International SOS Foundation! This recognition involved collaboration among the Office of Risk Management and Compliance, University Campus Infrastructure, NUS Health and Wellbeing, and NUS IT. The uNivUS app played a crucial role during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the university’s focus on crisis management and community well-being.

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Speaking and Panelist Engagements

GovInsider’s Festival of Innovation

IT (Applications) Director Chan Hse-Ming @ SAPNOW SEA

Head of IT Security Ang Leong Boon @ CyberSG TIG

Microsoft X AvePoint Copilot CXO

Throughout 2024, NUS IT showcased its thought leadership in technology and innovation through participating in numerous high-impact events. Chief IT Officer Tan Shui-Min highlighted the 5G smart NUS campus during the Economist Impact’s “Scope for Change” series. Her insights, featured in the Singapore Computer Society Magazine and Economic Times CIO Southeast Asia, focused on sustainability, digital fluency, and inclusion. She also contributed to the active discussion on AI and immersive technologies at the Microsoft X AvePoint Copilot CXO and Times Higher Education Digital Universities Asia forums. As a keynote speaker at Inspire Inclusion and a participant in SAP Innovation Day, SAPNOW SEA and GovInsider’s Festival of Innovation, Shui-Min shared her experiences and tips on cloud strategies. Likewise, IT Applications Director Chan Hse-Ming, and Head of IT Security Ang Leong Boon, further reinforced NUS IT’s commitment to innovation and cybersecurity when they spoke at industry conferences.

NUS IT Report Card 2024 Hitting the High Notes in Perfect Harmony

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We embarked on projects that require more sophisticated solutions, and they are very often uncharted grounds that are exploratory and experimental in nature. - Shui-Min at Festival of Innovation, GovInsider

GovInsider’s Festival of Innovation

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NUS IT: Year in Numbers

NUS Year in N Man-hours of productivity savings 265,800 Service Desk Tickets / year 105,000 Connected devices to our network 150,000 Cost savings and avoidance $11.9 M Resea 28

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S IT: Numbers Projected revenue increase $3.4 M Network Equipment (maintained by NUS IT) 18,400 Solutions rolled-out in 2024 50

arch CPU hours 80 M

Storage Capacity (TB), including HPC NAS 5,600

Staff digitally enabled by DE programme 4,700

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Hitting High Notes in Learning Enhancing the Learning Journey

Under the NextGeneSIS programme, NUSHub is a university wide CRM system dedicated to enhancing student engagement from prospective students to alumni and lifelong learners. It reinforces NUS’ digital presence through standardised marketing tools, ensuring a seamless and holistic experience for learners throughout their academic journey. The system offers personalised content and integrated omnichannel communication tools, creating unified

learner and FAQ portals. This fosters lasting connections with students, alumni, and prospects. Enhanced marketing capabilities will boost conversion and retention rates, thereby strengthening the NUS community and maximising ROI for substantial financial growth. NUSHub provides a comprehensive view by capturing and integrating students’ digital footprints, communications, and academic histories into a single platform. This holistic approach enhances inter-department collaboration, automates workflows, and elevates the overall customer experience. The NUSHub project represents a transformative leap towards a unified, efficient, and engaging NUS experience.

NUS will benefit from enhanced staff productivity in serving over 45,000 students and 250,000 alumni.

L

(NUS L Applica

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We anticipate securing up to $250,000 a year through compliance and grant payments from SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).

L3AP is a comprehensive, one-stop Training Management System designed to meet the operational needs of Continuing Education & Training (CET), Finance, and IT departments. This platform enhances both learning and administration efficiency while offering a seamless and intuitive experience for learners, faculty, and partners alike. CET is now empowered to make informed decisions about course offerings, resource allocation, and student engagement strategies. Automating tasks such as enrollment, scheduling, certificate issuance, and financial processing has significantly reduced

administrative burdens. This allows staff to focus on strategic initiatives that drive educational excellence and innovation. Consequently, schools benefit from improved productivity through streamlined and automated processes. In an era where workforce upskilling is paramount, L3AP is designed with scalability in mind, so that it can accommodate the evolving needs of CET Units as they expand their programmes. This has positioned NUS to better meet the changing needs of students and the broader workforce.

L3AP Lifelong Learning ation Portal)

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Hitting High Notes in Learning Enhancing the Learning Journey

(Graduate Admission 3)

A very highly efficient app that contains access to many useful NUS apps, links and alumnus card

The uNivUS super app remains the primary point of entry to all NUS digital services for staff, students, alumni, and visitors. A multi-year initiative, it is constantly enriched with new features to enhance user experiences through community engagement, personalisation, and discovery. The 2024 roadmap focuses on fostering a vibrant, inclusive community where users can connect, collaborate, and share via crowdsourcing on the integrated campus map. For greater user convenience, we have integrated internal shuttle bus information into the campus map,

synced Canvas assignment due dates into the calendar, and added a timetable view for classes. Sustainability remains a priority, with a marketplace feature encouraging resource reuse and resale. To promote exploration, a guided tour feature has been added for discovering local landmarks. We are also expanding uNivUS to include a new undergraduate applicant persona, providing better engagement by helping applicants track their applications and stay informed about relevant events.

Maps - Custom Location Marker

24K clicks in one month

Timetable View

Maps - Bus

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Graduate Admission 3 (GDA3) is an advanced platform that streamlines and enhances the entire graduate admissions process. A revamp of GDA2, it ensures efficiency and accessibility for both applicants and administrators. GDA3 offers new features and capabilities curated for different groups of users. - Reviewers can assess applications based on predefined criteria, reducing manual workloads - Applicants are kept informed about their application status and any additional requirements. The system is also integrated with internal platforms like EduRec, facilitating timely data transfer once offers are accepted

- Management can obtain real-time insights into application trends, demographics, and key metrics, aiding strategic decision-making The enhanced user interface and advanced functionalities streamline the process for both applicants and administrators, leading to increased engagement and satisfaction. Faculty administrators and reviewers can now process applications more efficiently, allowing them to focus on value-added tasks such as enhancing targeted recruitment efforts to attract top-quality applicants to NUS.

Approximate productivity gains of 33,000 man-hours and $1.6M

uNivUS Product Roadmap 2024

12K clicks in half a month

Calendar Sync - Canvas

Maps - Crowdsource

Marketplace

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Hitting High Notes in Learning Enhancing the Learning Journey

A cornerstone initiative within the NextGeneSIS Programme, the Identity Verification Services (IVS) project harnesses AI-powered technology to streamline the Non-Graduate Programme admission process, significantly enhancing user experience and operational efficiency. Currently, when applicants scan their passports, the system employs Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to automatically verify and populate personal information into the application form. We have further enhanced IVS to introduce an innovative approach during the onboarding process, enabling students to take a selfie that the system can match against their portrait and passport photos for verification. By addressing existing challenges and pain points, not only has the admissions process been transformed, it also sets the stage for implementation across the university, further solidifying NUS’ standing as a global leader in higher education.

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for Students To bolster protection against cyber attacks, we implemented Microsoft Multifactor Authentication (MFA) for all students before the new academic year in July 2024. MFA adds an extra layer of security if passwords are compromised. Currently, MFA is required for accessing Zoom, Microsoft 365 services (such as email, Teams, and SharePoint) and key NUS applications containing confidential information, including Canvas, myEduRec, and uNivUS. We will progressively extend MFA to other NUS services for enhanced security. This MFA implementation significantly strengthens NUS’ security posture, offering comprehensive protection against a wide range of cyber threats.

(Identity Verification Services)

Over $160,000 in productivity gains expected in AY24

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Scaling New Research Heights Elevating Research Frontiers

This year, two notable High Performance Computing (HPC) systems were deployed : ‘Hopper’ and ‘Vanda’. The state-of-the-art ‘Hopper’ HPC system significantly enhances the university’s capacity for compute-intensive scientific workloads. The advanced infrastructure empowers researchers and students to perform complex computations and data analyses with unprecedented speed and accuracy. This capability is essential for cutting edge AI research and applications, playing a crucial role in advancing NUS’ position as a leader in AI innovation both in Singapore and globally. Additionally, as part of a research collaboration with the Sustainable Tropical Data Center Testbed (STDCT) project at NUS, we deployed the ‘Vanda’ HPC system, which incorporates advanced cooling technologies. This deployment demonstrates significant power and water savings, highlighting NUS’ commitment to sustainability goals.

The Hopper HPC system a 400% increase in com performance compared previous system.

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ScholarBank@NUS is a centralised repository for all scholarly outputs of the University, including unpublished literature and research data. It ensures long-term accessibility and compliance with open access mandates from Singapore-based funding agencies like the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, which require researchers to publicly share their datasets. Integrated with NUS Elements and NUS Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD), it also deposits publications and theses from Master’s (Research) and Ph.D. students. As a world-class repository, ScholarBank showcases our researchers’ outputs, enhancing their online visibility within the international research community, fostering collaboration, and increasing citation counts. Implementation is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. Serves over 4,000 research staff and 1,600 faculty members

delivers

mputing to the

Research Data Management:

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Striking Chords of Performance Excellence & Value Accelerating Performance Excellence & Value

AI-Minute alone saves about 9,479 man-hours annually by accelerating the drafting process.

how to it now!

As AI continues to transform the technological landscape, NUS leads with AI-Know, a comprehensive AI platform that enhances the community’s digital competencies. AI-Know offers a centralised repository of AI-driven tools like AI-Chat, AI-Draw, AI-Minute, and AI-Guide, along with Digital Enablement training to boost AI literacy and skills, thus significantly enhancing staff productivity. By promoting citizen development and initiatives such as AI-Create, AI-Know empowers staff to create AI powered solutions and fosters a culture of innovation. To date, AI-Know has empowered nearly 1,000 staff members and engaged over 120 departments, advancing AI competencies across the university. It has streamlined processes in areas such as the Office of Student Affairs’ Hostel Appeals system and the Office of Risk Management and Compliance’s Student Safety Recommendations. This has enabled the teams to focus on strategic, high-impact tasks and informed decision-making.

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This project leverages advanced Generative AI technology to significantly enhance the accuracy of the responses, and the user experience provided by the NUS IT Care Chatbot. By integrating intelligent search capabilities through Watson Discovery, the chatbot delivers more precise and relevant responses, ensuring users can easily access all necessary knowledge articles to get the answer they need. This integration streamlines the support process, making it more efficient and user-friendly, ultimately resulting in a highly satisfactory experience for all users. The project was recognised as an award-winning solution at the International Customer Experience Awards (iCXA) 2022 for its transformative impact on user experience, productivity, and cost efficiency in IT support. It showcases the power of Generative AI to provide highly accurate solutions and substantial economic benefits.

do

This enhancement project has resulted in a remarkable 606 hours of productivity gain for users, a potential cost avoidance of $65,448 in IT support, and an impressive accuracy rate exceeding 85% for all IT inquiries in 2024!

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Striking Chords of Performance Excellence & Value Accelerating Performance Excellence & Value

The Integrated Operations Centre (IOC) is a state-of-the art initiative designed to unify processes, technology, and personnel to enhance NUS’ campus operations. The pilot phase will focus on security and facilities management within UTown. Utilising a Digital Twin platform, the IOC will monitor real-time data from IoT sensors, including CCTV cameras, lifts, fire alarms, and air conditioning systems, to optimise campus management. Predictive analytics will anticipate equipment maintenance needs, while automated communication systems will alert key personnel during emergencies. Additionally, a unified CCTV (UCCTV) system within the IOC will enhance security by consolidating multiple camera feeds for comprehensive surveillance. Scheduled for completion by Q4 2024, the IOC is pivotal in modernising campus operations. By integrating advanced technology and data-driven insights, the IOC will improve operational efficiency, security, incident management, and collaboration, while concurrently paving the way for future innovation implementation.

NUS IT Report Card 2024 Hitting the High Notes in Perfect Harmony

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Approximately $800,000 cost avoidance

Compared to traditional methods, we have achieved a 75% reduction in equipment, an 80% reduction in setup costs, a 92% power savings per hour, and a 95% improvement in setup turnaround time.

NUS Wi-Fi On the Move seizes the opportunity for high-speed, reliable internet access, catering to remote learners, field researchers, and staff needing seamless connectivity to NUS Wi-Fi. By extending secure NUS Wi-Fi beyond the campus to all of Singapore, this ground-breaking initiative ensures ultra-reliable connectivity everywhere. Piloted on 1 August 2023 and launched in 2024, this project leverages 5G technology to deliver lightning-fast internet, building on our award-winning outdoor Wi-Fi solution. Available to all within the NUS community,

it addresses the need for consistent and secure Wi-Fi connectivity. This pioneering leap sets a new benchmark for nationwide wireless services, ensuring users remain safely connected and productive anywhere, anytime. NUS Wi-Fi on the Move has transformed NUS into a truly borderless institution, revolutionising digital education and operations. The project has won multiple awards, including the SBR Technology Excellence Awards 2024 and the OpenGov Asia Singapore Recognition of Excellence 2024.

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Striking Chords of Performance Excellence & Value Accelerating Performance Excellence & Value

The Teaching Workload Management System (TWMS) is a cloud-based solution that offers a unified and streamlined platform for faculties and departments to plan and track teaching workloads for the academic year. It also provides a single source of truth for academic staff workload-related. With data retention for up to seven years, its built-in info for analysis function provides insights into past staff utilisation trends and helps optimise future resource allocation. TWMS was launched in six faculties and 13 departments in May 2024 and will be progressively rolled out across the entire NUS campus.

Phas man 1,300

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The NUS Online Collection project aims to reduce transaction costs and promote more cost-effective payment methods across the University. It alleviates the financial burden of credit card transaction fees by encouraging a shift towards free payment options such as GIRO, NETS, PayNow QR, and Direct Bank Transfer. Significant progress was achieved in Phase 1, which involved the implementation of NUSFastPay. There was a positive change in payment behaviour, with more users opting for cost-free methods, resulting in substantial savings for the University. In addition to promoting alternative payment options, a fee recovery strategy was implemented whereby fees would be recovered from those who continue to use credit cards. With the plan to extend this to eColl2.0, departments will be able to manage their transaction costs more effectively. This project has enabled NUS to pave the way for long-term financial sustainability.

Reduce transaction costs by $2.4 million annually In just three months (Jan-Mar 24): $996,000 successfully saved PayNow adoption doubled from 30% to 68% Credit card and eWallet usage halved from 45% to 22%

se 1 projected annual npower savings of 0 man-hours.

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Harmonising Collective Wins Driving Unified Success (Collaboration)

$1.19 million savings by avoiding an nBox refresh

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NUS embarked on a major transformation with the migration from nBox, our on-premises file storage system, to NUS Dropbox, a leading content collaboration platform. This initiative marks one of the most significant IT upgrades in NUS’ history. Nearly 13,000 staff are now equipped with NUS Dropbox and can enjoy a wide range of useful features and benefits such as Native MS Co-Authoring, ‘As-much-as-you-need’ storage for team folders, multi-platform support, and many more. This project is groundbreaking not only for its scale but also for its innovative approach. NUS is the first organisation globally to tackle a backend migration of this magnitude from Hitachi to Dropbox, developing a custom migration tool to ensure a smooth transition. This upgrade revolutionises daily productivity and also redefines how NUS approaches digital collaboration, empowering staff with advanced tools to thrive in an increasingly connected and flexible work environment. Nearly 13,000 staff members are now equipped with NUS Dropbox, enhancing collaboration.

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Harmonising Collective Wins Driving Unified Success (Collaboration)

Happy Index is a user-friendly feedback system developed by NUS IT for the entire NUS community. With the ability to incorporate Happy Index into virtually all touchpoints, it will enable the timely solicitation of user feedback, enhancing user satisfaction with NUS systems and services. Swift interventions can also be carried out to address any pain points. Furthermore, this tool can be easily deployed via web pages with QR codes or integrated into applications with minimal coding. UCI Dining Services, an early adopter of Happy Index, replaced a $60,000 vendor solution in six canteens and saved over 500 man-hours annually. The Undergraduate Admission System also utilised Happy Index to capture immediate feedback from applicants.

500 man-hours saved annually by replacing a $60,000 vendor solution in six canteens with this free tool.

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In Chief Information Technology Officer, Tan Shui-Min’s opening address, she revealed that the solutions developed during the hackathon could potentially save the university a staggering 400,000 man-hours—a tenfold increase from DE’Hackathon 2022!

The second edition of the DE’Hackathon, themed “Unlocking AI in NUS”, returned this year, fostering creativity and innovation among NUS staff. Organised by NUS IT, the hackathon encouraged cross departmental collaboration to develop AI-driven solutions addressing real-life challenges and enhancing work processes. Held from 8 to 12 July, the event culminated in the DE’Hackathon Awards Ceremony, where 11 teams showcased their innovative solutions. Notably, four teams included members from three different departments, and one team even had members from five departments! The awards ceremony, graced by Guest-of-Honour NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye, featured prizes for the top three teams and special awards for outstanding departmental and faculty participation, which were won by the Office of the President and the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, respectively. In his closing speech, Professor Tan emphasised AI’s critical role in driving the university’s future initiatives.

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Amplifying Cybersecurity Resilience Empowering Cybersecurity Resilience

NUS CyberQuest will make learning about IT security enjoyable and significantly improve our collective security awareness and practices. - Ang Leong Boon, Head (IT Security)

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IT Security e-Learning Game

NUS is enhancing cybersecurity awareness with the launch of CyberQuest—an engaging IT Security e-Learning game developed by our talented interns! This innovative initiative transforms e-learning into an adventure, challenging our NUS community to navigate various cybersecurity scenarios and test their knowledge in a fun and interactive manner. By incorporating gaming elements, CyberQuest makes cybersecurity concepts more relatable and memorable, encouraging everyone to stay informed and vigilant. However, CyberQuest is more than just a game—it’s a novel, thrilling and dynamic approach to strengthening NUS’ cyber defenses. As players navigate the cyberworld to handle real-world security challenges, they gain valuable insights and skills that can be applied in their daily lives. Each level conquered not only educates our community about security but also empowers them to become frontline defenders in safeguarding NUS.

The NUS community is now empowered to take a more engaged and proactive stance in combating cyber-attacks with the Cybersecurity Alerts system. This innovative system is designed to actively push security alerts to users in real time when suspicious activities are detected on their NUS-ID accounts. It covers critical alerts such as sign-in attempts from a new location, a new device, or a new browser, multiple failed MFA attempts, and password changes. Delivered via multiple channels, including email, SMS, and uNivUS, these alerts ensure that affected users are notified within minutes, enabling them to take immediate action, such as changing their passwords. The Cybersecurity Alerts system revolutionises our approach to cybersecurity at NUS. Not only does it bolster our defenses against potential cybersecurity attacks, but it also fosters a proactive, user-centric culture for the community to stay vigilant against cyber attacks.

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Staff Feature

Chua Sim Nee & James Wong Sim Nee and James, two rising talents within NUS IT, share their journey of contributing to the AI development in NUS. Despite coming from different teams, their shared passion for AI has driven them to push technological boundaries. Sim Nee, known for her innovative approach to user-centric AI solutions, collaborates closely with stakeholders to create tools that enhance productivity. James, the lead developer of AI-Know, focuses on refining performance and usability. Together, they are trailblazing a path for AI integration within the University, continuously striving to improve processes and deliver impactful solutions.

Jasper Seto & Shi Ronghua Jasper and Ronghua embody the department’s “work hard, play hard” culture. While both are committed to driving technological advancements during the day, they share a passion for running, which brings them together after work to unwind. Whether it’s pushing code or pushing themselves on a run, they know how to balance effort with relaxation. NUS IT encourages this blend of hard work and active play, fostering a culture where team members like Jasper and Rong Hua can connect through shared interests while staying energised for the next day’s challenges.

Staff

feature

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A Legacy of Excellence Ng Tiong Beng

We bid farewell to Tiong Beng, a leader who has been an integral part of NUS IT. Over the years, Tiong Beng made NUS IT his second home, watching colleagues grow and develop their careers, while guiding them with wisdom and care. His departure leaves a deep impact on many, as he has been not only a mentor but also a cherished friend to countless colleagues. Tiong Beng’s legacy of leadership and camaraderie will be missed, and his influence will continue to inspire those who had the privilege to work with him. Click here for full video!

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Staff Well-Being

Lunch-time Exercise Classes

Amid our hectic work schedules, finding time for exercise can often seem like a luxury. Yet, the benefits are undeniable, from enhancing productivity and morale to boosting energy levels and reducing stress. To address this, we teamed up with the Health Promotion Board and fitness consultants at Alpha Fitness to launch a series of exciting lunchtime exercise classes right here in our office. The atmosphere was electrifying with sweat and laughter as colleagues bonded over the energetic Piloxing sessions—a dynamic workout blending dance, Pilates, and boxing moves. For those who preferred something less intense, the Stretch-and-Tone sessions provided targeted muscle conditioning to enhance flexibility. Everyone who attended loved the workout—after all, ‘Health is wealth’!

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NUS IT has fully embraced our Staff Interest Groups (SIGs) this year, diving into sports and teamwork with great enthusiasm! Our staff eagerly participated in inter departmental tournaments and enjoyed weekly sessions of tennis, table tennis, running, and badminton. These activities not only promoted a healthy lifestyle but also fostered camaraderie and team spirit across the department. We are incredibly proud of our NUS STARS champions who have represented us with stellar performances: • 9-ball Pool: Kimberly De Guzman, Niel Romuga (Champion Pair) Staff Interest Groups

Wellness Carnival The NUS IT Staff Wellness Carnival 2024, held on 30th May, was a great success. Organised in partnership with Singlife, the day was packed with wellness activities and services that saw a high and lively participation. We offered complimentary health screenings, including Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), vision, and spinal checks. There were also free soothing head and neck massages to help our colleagues unwind. Staff could savour and purchase nutritious and delicious snacks from various vendors. The ‘Human Reset - TCM Based Preventive Therapy’ workshop was a highlight, offering valuable insights into holistic well-being. The carnival raised awareness on several wellness topics and received glowing feedback. We eagerly anticipate organising similar events in the future to keep our colleagues in the pink of health!

• Darts: Julian Ivandi, Kyi Thar Win (both part of the 2nd Place Team) • Bowling: Chiu Kok Onn (part of the Champion Team),

Rodel Tan, Niel Romuga, Tian Yingjiang, Aravindhan Ravichandran (3rd Place Team) Here’s to another exciting year of SIGs!

NUS IT’s staff welfare committee, the Fun Club, has truly outdone itself this year! Throughout 2024, the Fun Club orchestrated a vibrant array of activities that brought colleagues together and forged stronger connections. From lively cultural celebrations showcasing the rich diversity within our team to creative fundraising events that made a real impact on the charities we support, each event was an absolute blast! Whether we were

Fun Club

celebrating, donating, or just hanging out, the Fun Club ensured every moment was filled with energy, teamwork, and tons of fun!

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Staff Well-Being

Safety Day Safety is our top priority! This year, we proudly launched the inaugural NUS IT Safety Day, an initiative that created an awareness of safety and preparedness among our staff. Expert speakers from SCDF, the Singapore First Aid Society and the NUS Campus Emergency & Security team shared invaluable insights on fire safety and basic first aid, which are all crucial life skills for everyone. To honour their contributions to workplace safety, we conferred the prestigious bITCoin award on 15 dedicated volunteer Fire Safety Wardens and First Aiders.

Tea with CITO As part of their onboarding journey, all new NUS IT staff are invited to a tea session with our Chief Information Technology Officer (CITO), Ms. Tan Shui-Min. This session gives new employees a fantastic opportunity to chat directly with the CITO and connect with other new faces in the department, making it easy to build their social network in the office. The relaxed and friendly atmosphere of the tea session encourages open conversations and helps break down hierarchical barriers.

In addition, new staff members get the chance to show their appreciation for their office buddy—a seasoned colleague who has been supporting them in getting acclimated to the NUS IT culture. We aim to make every new team member feel warmly welcomed and thoroughly supported as they join the NUS IT family!

NUS IT Report Card 2024 Hitting the High Notes in Perfect Harmony

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bITCoin MVPs

Every quarter, we encourage staff to nominate colleagues with the following inspiring traits: Go above and beyond to support colleagues and project teams Embody the NUS IT shared values of Pursue Innovation, Push Boundaries, and Be Agile Demonstrate exemplary behaviors, such as promoting sustainability The MVP (Most Valuable Player) bITCoin award is our way of recognising and celebrating the outstanding contributions of our exceptional colleagues in NUS IT.

In the inaugural cycle in Q3 2024, five outstanding colleagues were crowned MVPs and received a specially designed gold bITCoin pin featuring our beloved mascot, bITbIT. We will keep the momentum going and continue to celebrate those who make significant impact on our team culture!

HWB Talks This year, to bolster our mental well-being and resilience, we partnered with the NUS Health & Wellbeing (HWB) team to offer a series of three ‘bite-sized’ one-hour talks, thoughtfully curated for our NUS IT colleagues. These sessions focused on mitigating burnout, managing workplace conflict, and promoting relaxation through mindfulness techniques. Well-received with high attendance rates, the sessions allowed participants to take a deep breath and feel the stress melt away!

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Staff Development

Competency Framework

The Competency Framework is a pivotal initiative dedicated to the development and advancement of staff. Specially developed for all NUS IT staff, it outlines the core and functional competencies for each job role, along with the associated proficiency levels for success. This framework empowers our staff to purposefully chart their career paths and actively manage their professional development. Designed to foster continuous learning, the framework aids staff in identifying areas for upskilling and seizing tailored training and development opportunities. For instance, this year saw the roll-out of Business English communication training for NUS IT staff across all levels, conducted by the British Council. Through the Competency Framework, NUS IT is committed to nurturing talent and cultivating a conscious culture of excellence. This ensures that our staff are not only equipped to meet today’s challenges but are also poised to lead in the future.

Townhall Townhall meetings are essential for fostering a sense of collective purpose within an organisation. At NUS IT, teams take turns hosting these dynamic sessions, collaborating with leadership to craft engaging agendas, showcase achievements, and share exciting project updates. These gatherings also provide a fantastic opportunity for colleagues to mingle and strengthen bonds. Occasionally, we invite distinguished guest speakers to inspire us. This year, we had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Tok Wee Hyong, an NUS alumnus and Microsoft expert, who dazzled us with his insights on the rapidly evolving field of generative AI.

NUS IT Report Card 2024 Hitting the High Notes in Perfect Harmony

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Development

LunchBytes Food for thought? LunchBytes is an exciting new initiative launched to offer bite-sized learning over lunch to our NUS IT colleagues on specially curated IT topics. Through microlearning sessions lasting an hour or less, LunchBytes fosters knowledge sharing and promotes a culture of continuous learning among our colleagues, allowing us to remain agile and up-to-date despite the rapidly evolving IT landscape. To kick off this initiative, NUS IT learned all about User Experience (UX) through a three-part series that included an in-depth exploration of design thinking and its associated activities.

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Student Engagement

Internship It’s been five incredible years since we welcomed our first group of interns! Starting with a modest team of eight interns in 2019, we proudly brought 27 talented interns into NUS IT this year. These young talents have played crucial roles in various projects, from enhancing student systems to driving initiatives in transformative technologies, positively impacting the university. At NUS IT, we immerse our interns in projects that shape NUS’ digital landscape. Over these five years, we have successfully executed over 90 projects, fostering a culture of innovation and impactful

solutions. Our programme bridges the gap between theory and practice, equipping interns with the skills and mindset to excel in a dynamic IT environment. Through internship, some of our students go behind the scene where they are a part of developing a system that they get to use in their campus life! Here’s to many more years of nurturing bright minds and driving innovation!

Engagement

NUS IT Report Card 2024 Hitting the High Notes in Perfect Harmony

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SLF Held every August, the Student Life Fair (SLF) is the flagship NUS campus event to welcome our incoming freshmen. This year, NUS focused on promoting our iconic mobile application, uNivUS to the new cohort of students. Since SLF is all about students, it was befitting that we enlisted the talents of our creative interns for the event.

Our creative intern designed an eye catching booth backdrop that showcased how uNivUS fitted perfectly into students’ daily lives, while our enthusiastic SWIFT student ambassadors did an amazing job highlighting the app’s key features. Students who follow us on social media will also get first-hand information about potential engagements! Overall, our participation in SLF was a great success. We connected with nearly 1,400 students and collected invaluable feedback on how to further enhance the uNivUS app to better serve the student community.

leveraging our pool of over 40,000 talented students. This initiative offers students valuable work experience, the opportunity to sharpen their soft skills, and a chance to earn some extra pocket money! This innovative model enables us to seamlessly integrate students as a vital manpower resource throughout the year, beyond the confines of the typical internship calendar.

SWIFT Launched in early 2024, SWIFT (Student Workforce @ IT) is NUS IT’s dynamic part-time student workforce initiative designed to address our growing manpower crunch. With rapid advancements in AI and other technologies transforming teaching, research, and learning, the demand for IT solutions within the university skyrocketed. SWIFT capitalises on NUS’ unique advantage as a top university,

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CITO’s Thank You Message

Thank you for your trust, commitment, and enthusiasm. Your ongoing support inspires NUS IT to continue to push boundaries and pursue innovation. Shui-Min

NUS IT Report Card 2024 Hitting the High Notes in Perfect Harmony

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“Do your bIT for charITy”

Our “Do your bIT for charITy” campaign, launched in 2021, aims to give back to the NUS community and introduce our department mascot bITbIT, to staff and students. Each year, we raise funds for NUS students in need through the sale of specially designed bITbIT merchandise, supporting the NUS Enhanced Financial Aid Scheme (EFAS). This year, focusing on sustainability, we reintroduced popular merchandise from the past three years and launched a limited edition bITbIT plushie keychain. Thanks to the generosity of NUS staff, students and partners, we raised a total of $10,000! We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your continued support of this meaningful initiative.

bITbIT’s Origin Story Have you ever wondered how our beloved NUS IT mascot, bITbIT, came to be? It began as a mission to transform mundane technical messages into something engaging with a lovable mascot. Inspired by our Communications Head’s pet bunny, Sesame Boy, the idea of a bunny mascot took shape. A rabbit is uniquely fitting for our IT department since it ends with “IT”. The name “bITbIT”, further cleverly combines “rabbit” with the digital concepts of bits and bytes. Charlotte Ho, a talented student intern from SDE, brought bITbIT to life with her creativity, making it the heart of our branding strategy and adding warmth to our communications. A copy of her original sketch, as shown on the left, now proudly resides in our Level Four Purple Carrot boardroom, welcoming esteemed guests.

PUBLISHED BY NUS IT Communications & Engagement Team

HEAD Caren Chua

Patty Woo

Ying May Ling Jay Wee Jun Yi Loh Yew Cheng

Gabriel Yong U-Ren

Logayashini D/O Ragumathan

Marilyn Tan Siew Hui Wong Chiaw Ding

Stella Ang

SPECIAL THANKS TO

NUS IT Team

NUS user community

NUS stakeholders

External partners & vendors

Irwin Wong and Duke-NUS IT Team