UNIVERSITI MALAYA
“ WE ARE AND HAVE TO BE CREATIVE IN TERMS OF GETTING
THINGS DONE ”
ASIAH ABU SAMAH DIRECTOR OF ICT ,
UNIVERSITY MALAYA
Abu Samah also recognises that potential cyber threats are always growing . “ Our whole IT team is stretched to its limit to ensure that UM ’ s services run smoothly . They are always on standby . We also engage the SOC ( Security operation Centre ) to help us monitor during and beyond office hours . The tools in place are very important , no doubt , but what ’ s just as crucial is that the people overseeing our security systems are just as resilient in responding to these , sometimes verypersistent cyber threats .”
Spurred by post-pandemic development , the University now plans major changes to cater for wider modes of learning . After the easing of COVID restrictions , the university began its initiative to expand its remote learning programme , as lockdown had acted as a kind of lab , providing insights into alternative education methods , and bringing about the realisation that viable remote learning was demonstrably possible . UM now offers courses through both the remote and hybrid learning modes and is seeking to further expand them .
Asked about the challenges that UM faces in terms of digitalisation , Abu Samah says : “ We are actually trying to be responsive in an environment that is very sticky . There are processes which virtually glue us to the ground , as we have to abide by certain procedures which limit our flexibility , and so it ’ s really a great challenge for us to respond to environmental stimuli as fast as we would like to .”
To add to this tangled web , there were also many Supply Chain disturbances that UM faced whilst simultaneously trying to undergo its digital shift . “ We faced many problems at this critical point ,” says Abu Samah , “ especially when purchasing IT peripherals which require ordering from overseas . This was mainly due to the lockdowns and related shortages . We acknowledged the obvious problem but could only mitigate the situation by making everyone aware of the delivery waiting-times . The situation was global , so it was felt across the board , and we know of cases where vendors faced order backlogs of up to 52 weeks .”
It must be understood that the growing global movement towards automating , digitising , interconnecting and modernising institutions is a conundrum that takes on
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