Questions and Concerns About the eUP Project

This community page is created and occasionally revised on "best effort basis" to help advance the University's interest and the goal of operational excellence via the eUP Project. UP constituents with UP Webmail accounts can directly modify this page. Special access can be requested (via Helpdesk) by UP constituents who don't have UP Webmail accounts. UP constituents may also post their concerns via social media (see instruction below).

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What is eUP?

• audio: "eUP: Anong meron dito?" from the Sciencia na Kayo DZUP radio Program, 21 Sept 2012

Transparency

• Was it consultation or information drive?
• Who were those consulted?
• How did UP come up with the Terms of Reference? What was the process like? Any documentation?

Accountability

• Project design and planning
  • Why Peoplesoft?

• Implementation

• Evaluation

Sustainability

Budget

• Continuity of project. From which unit will the MOOE come from after the project has concluded/closed?
  
  

eUP Team's Response

=Software License

• Will UP be entitled to future upgrades of the Oracle software? While reportedly license to such software is "in perpetuity," it is only limited to the version bought by the University. Such arrangement is vulnerable to obsolescence, not unlike a situation where you might have bought Windows 95 but can no longer upgrade it without buying new versions to keep up with needs and available hardware. This translate to additional tens of millions cost for the University down the line.

Technical Details

Headings: Network, Data Migration, Authentication, Customization, Maintenance

Network

• Latency. eUP servers will be hosted by PLDT's Vitro Data Center. UP networks are on PREGINET. They are wide apart in terms of the routes they'd take to reach each other. The same holds with connections between PLDT and other providers. See traceroutes below. This is an issue when it comes to UP's access to its own data. It can mean slow connections for users. User authentication is also potentially problematic due to delays.

traceroute from PREGINET to PLDT's Vitro Data Ctr. Notice the spikes on hops 6 and 7.

traceroute from Bayantel to PLDT's Vitro Data Ctr. In this case, traffic 1st goes to Hong Kong then back to Phils

traceroute from Smart Bro to Vitro Data Ctr. Note the number of hops.

eUP Team's Response

Use of Non-UP Cloud Computing Infrastructure

• Issues in cloud computing and storage

Data Migration

eUP Team's Response:

Authentication

• Authentication Authorities. Authenticating centrally or by CU?
  
  

eUP Team's Response:

Miscellaneous Concerns

"Best Practice"

• Oracle as best practice in top university. This remains largely unverified by 3rd parties or subjected to peer-reviewed evaluation of systems in place in such university. Besides, what are the relevant respects in such reported deployment to UP? What makes the University "world class"? Is it the software?

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Social Media

Other discussions may be posted via Facebook and Twitter.

• Twitter: please post with hashtag #eUPWatch
• Facebook: visit and like!

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References

• Ronald S Banzon, 2012. "EUP Implementation in UPD: Concerns" (presentation)
• Isabella Patricia H. Borlaza, 2012. "System reboot: Decoding the issues behind the techy façade of eUP." Philippine Collegian
• "Questions and Concerns About the eUP Project" (a compilation of questions and concerns from the different UPD units; publicly distributed at the eUP Kickoff in UPD, 6 Aug 2012)

SAIS-Related

• OUR, "How does the OUR Operate at Present?" (presentation)

See Also

• Terms of Reference for the Procurement of Products and Services for Key Components of the eUP Project of the University of the Philippines
• Procurement of Products and Services for key Components of the eUP Project
• Issues in cloud computing and storage
• UP's Strategic Plan 2011-2017
• eUP's Facebook Page