With the new Microsoft contract, ETH Zurich will receive new cloud-based products in addition to the familiar tools. For example, features in the area of collaboration. The ordering, distribution and, in some cases, use of the products will be handled differently than before. And this affects every member of ETH Zurich.

After long and hard negotiations, ITS was able to conclude a new licence agreement with Microsoft, which has been in force since 1 March 2020.
A significant change compared with the previous agreement is the new Microsoft product range: the previous "on premise products" – software packages installed and administered on site - are increasingly being replaced by "cloud products". This also require a change to personal licensing. While previous "on premise products" could be installed on an ETH computer via software distribution and activated via ETH servers, the installation of the new products must be activated by the user. To make this registration as simple as possible, the IT Shop team has made access via the IT Shop possible. This ensures that the new licenses are activated properly and in accordance with ETH standards for all users. Further information can be found in the ITS Blog.

Fabio Consani, Group Manager Portfolio Management (ITS PPF)

Web conferencing is a relatively new service offered by ITS Multimedia Services, which was established in spring 2019 to complement in-premise video conferencing. One of the first tasks in this process was to select a suitable software solution. Almost exactly one year later, it transpired that Zoom was the right decision.

On 16 March 2020, the hour of Zoom struck (not only) at ETH: the closure of the campus meant that thousands of courses and other meetings had to be moved to a virtual environment within a very short time. And, despite the extremely short lead time, Zoom proved itself capable of accomplishing this task without any significant technical bottlenecks or problems.

Within a very short space of time, thousands of ETH members were provided with the necessary licences. At the same time, the documentation was expanded so that Zoom could be used intensively without personnel-intensive support. During the course of the semester, however, there was also some criticism, particularly with regard to data protection. Zoom promised to implement improvements and the data protection officer of the Canton of Zurich granted a licence for the duration of the emergency operations. Further use of Zoom is subject not least to the proviso that the data protection standards of ETH Zurich are met. Further information can be found in the ITS Blog.

Dave Ryffel, Videoconferencing & Collaboration (ITS MMS)

There are several networks supporting women at ETH Zurich, but so far none for women working in administration. The IT-Women@ETH network is thus the first of its kind at ETH and offers women in IT an active platform for sharing information and experience. More than 100 women are already on the list and we are looking forward meeting even more IT women and giving them a voice.

We want to attract more IT women to ETH! At ETH you can study and work in research and science, but you can also work in admin. The network aims to increase the visibility of ETH as an employer for women in the fields of IT services and IT. We also want to motivate women to consider working in IT, especially at ETH Zurich. Because ETH Zurich offers an interesting, highly dynamic research and study environment and a family-friendly atmosphere. We are happy to welcome any woman working in IT at ETH Zurich who is interested in becoming a part of the IT-Women@ETH network. The first event was a huge success. Please read the ITS Blog to find out more about the future of the network and how EQUAL is supporting the Female Associations.

Sabine Hoffmann, Communication IT-Women@ETH

The IT Services had its beginnings in the dome! For this reason, the ITS logo is a reference to the beginnings and to the dome roof of ETH Zurich. You can read how it all began on the ETH Website and in the ITS Blog. Contact us if you know any stories about IT at ETH and the ITS or if you have an exciting ETH IT find.

Sabine Hoffmann, PR & Communication of IT Services

ITS will be moving to Binzmühlestrasse 130 in Oerlikon this winter. Most ITS employees currently work in the ETH buildings STB, STC, WET and WEC. These four locations will move into the Octavo building (OCT) together. In addition to ITS, staff from the Real Estate Management, Facility Management, Services and Human Resources departments will also be moving into the OCT.