NTU was awarded the Infrastructure Technology – Education category at the SBR Technology Excellence Awards 2024, recognizing its proactive approach to upgrading its digital infrastructure. The university faced a cybersecurity risk due to its reliance on older Windows versions, which Microsoft announced would discontinue support by 2025. NTU planned a meticulous upgrade to Windows 11 across its extensive campus networks.
The Centre for IT Services (CITS) at NTU spearheaded this critical project, demonstrating exceptional cross-departmental collaboration to ensure a smooth transition. Recognizing the diverse needs across the university’s ecosystem, from administrative staff in various departments to faculty members and research centers, the project team employed a System Thinking approach. This strategy enabled them to navigate the complexities of deploying Windows 11, considering compatibility issues with legacy applications and systems.
A pivotal project element was initiating a pilot in mid-2022 designed to address and mitigate potential issues. The success of this pilot laid the groundwork for a comprehensive deployment strategy, including detailed guides for pre-requisite checks, backup procedures, installation, verification, and user training. This strategic planning facilitated the mass deployment process in March 2023 and spanned NTU’s extensive campuses, including the sprawling 200-hectare Yunnan Garden Campus.
The deployment journey underscored the importance of unity and collaboration under the OneNTU Partnership. By fostering open communication and shared leadership, CITS, alongside other departments and entities within NTU, navigated the Windows 11 upgrade with confidence. This collective effort enhanced NTU’s cybersecurity posture and demonstrated a commitment to maintaining a cutting-edge technological infrastructure.
The SBR Technology Excellence Awards 2024 recognition of NTU reflects the university’s innovative approach to infrastructure technology in education. NTU has set a benchmark for technological resilience and operational excellence in the educational sector by addressing a critical cybersecurity risk through strategic planning and collaborative effort.
Singapore Business Review Magazine presents the SBR Technology Excellence Awards. To view the complete list of winners, you can click here. If you want to join the 2025 awards program and be acclaimed for your company’s outstanding contributions in pursuing technological innovation, please get in touch with Jane Patiag at jane@charltonmediamail.com.
