Welcome to the Information Communication Technology (ICT) department at the University of Bedfordshire.
The resources within our website will lead you to a wide array of technological services that we have made available to support teaching, learning, research and administration at the University.
The ICT department takes pleasure in supporting our customers with a fully integrated, modern, secure and safe learning and working experience.
We take a proactive and collaborative approach to deliver innovative, reliable, and sustainable technologies that optimize satisfaction and desired outcomes.
Minesh Tailor
Chief Information Officer
If you have a problem, a question or need some advise, please visit the ICT Service Desk
You can also call Ext 3366 or 01582 743366.
Our main office is on the 2nd Floor of F Block, University Square Luton, LU1 3JU
ICT Service Desk is in F209.
Please see floor plan for directions to the ICT Service Desk directions from
ICT also has staff located at:
On behalf of the Information, Communication & Technology Department (ICT) we would like to welcome you to the University of Bedfordshire, and hope that during your employment we can be helpful and supportive of all your ICT needs.
ICT provides services and support to all staff, and by way of introduction we would like to provide you with some useful tips to assist you on your way.
A high level overview of ICT and the services we provide can be found in our Service Handbook below.
Your first point of contact for IT queries is the ICT Service Desk, located in F209, University Square, Luton, LU1 3JU.
The ICT Service Desk is staffed between 08:30 – 17:00 Monday – Thursday and 08:30 – 16:30 Fridays.
There are different ways to contact us:
You will be given a username and password which will allow you to access the University’s ICT services. Your username will be your first initial and surname; occasionally it may be necessary to add a number on the end should more than one combination of initial and surname exist.
Once you have logged in you will be forced to change your password immediately, and you must aim to change your password regularly to keep your accounts and data secure. Information on how to reset your password, and instructions on how to set up your security questions should you forget your password, can be found in the Password Reset Guide
Your ID Badge is provided by Facilities and Estates, and should be collected from the Campus Centre reception.
Tip: Do not let anyone know your password, and do not write it down on a post-it note next to your PC. If you forget your password and you have not set the security questions, you need to visit the Service Desk as passwords cannot be given over the phone or emailed to you or anyone else.
Tip: Do not save your files to your desktop, as they will be saved in your profile causing lengthy log in and log out times. Please save your files to the “U” drive, where they will be automatically backed up on a regular basis.
University Wi-Fi is called Eduroam. See the instructions on how to connect to Eduroam or the guest Wi-Fi using a range of different devices.
The University uses Office365 Online for our corporate email service, which is accessed via: outlook.beds.ac.uk. Your username when accessing email over the web will be your email address, and the password will be your IT Account password. You can also access your email via the Outlook client installed on your PC.
Your email address is firstname.surname@beds.ac.uk. In a few cases where colleagues have identical names, your email address may feature a number after the surname.
The phonebook at in.beds.ac.uk lists all currently employed members of staff. There is a link which allows you to update your own staff directory entry. We recommend you update your staff directory entry at your earliest convenience, so your colleagues have a way of contacting you. Please note: the information you enter will take 24 hours to display in the phone book.
The VDI Remote Working tool is available to enable you to work remotely.
This allows you to connect to a virtual University computer from home and access your personal and shared drives, as well as a large number of University applications.
If you wish to brush up your IT Skills or gain more experience with Microsoft Applications, we provide free staff access to Microsoft e-learning courses and Virtual Academy. You can also access some useful guides and Self Help resources
We maintain strict information security policies and procedures for on-campus ICT services. You should report any security incidents to the ICT Service Desk on: 01582 743366 Ext: 3366. Please see details of the Network Acceptable Use policy and some additional information and tips regarding safe web browsing. We encourage you to view this from time to time to ensure you are aware of any changes.
You must read and abide by the Network Acceptable Use policy and our other policies:
ICT policies are available via Document Search. Please use the search term 'ICT'.
Tip: Should you wish to improve the security of your home PC, anti-virus software is available free from ICT.
Staff are eligible to download and install a number of different software applications at home, or purchase software for home use at a considerable discount. See the details of our current benefits. Please note that these benefits do change so should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the ICT Service Desk.
If you have a project that needs new IT in any form, please contact ICT first.
ICT welcome ideas on how we can improve our service provision to you, whether it’s an enhancement to an existing service or suggestions for a new one. Just email your idea to ICTIdeas@beds.ac.uk and we’ll get back to you.
All IT related projects whether systems or infrastructure related, need first to be presented and approved at the ICT Strategy Board held on a bi-monthly basis and chaired by the DVC Resources. This is the main governance vehicle for such projects.
The ICT Service Catalogue is a high-level description of the services that ICT provide, from 1st Line support via the ICT Service Desk, 2nd Line desktop, audio-visual, systems infrastructure, telecoms and network services, through to 3rd line Corporate Information Systems. Descriptions of the services, and how to access them, are included, along with Service Level targets for each service.
We welcome feedback, which should be sent to Minesh Tailor, CIO at minesh.tailor@beds.ac.uk
What is the difference between an incident, major incident and a request?
These are common terms within our industry and are a way of separating and describing the different types of customer queries and prioritising them adequately.
The definition of an incident in the IT world is something that is broken or not working as expected. These typically have a higher impact and would need a resolution to the incident a lot faster than a request as it is affecting their current ability to work.
A Major Incident are those for which the degree of impact on the University is extreme or for which the timescale of disruption becomes excessive (to even a relatively small percentage of users). These incidents and managed by an Incident Manager and a Service Incident Report is also completed to document the root cause and any service improvements to avoid a similar situation. Major Incidents are the highest priority of incident and have a high focus within ICT.
A request is where our customers want something from us, whether it be information, a password reset, a new laptop or advice. It tends to be something enhanced, new or additional to their current set up and for this reason the impact and fulfilment time can be longer than that of an incident.
Why do I need to call the Service Desk for issues? I would prefer to call someone else or perhaps see someone local to me instead.
Its best practice in the IT industry to operate a single first point of contact. Some of the benefits of this framework are that all queries are logged and assigned a reference and a priority, so you have an audit trail of your query.
It allows us to capture major incidents and monitor trends more easily as we have a complete view of everything that is happening in the University.
Additionally, our Service Desk prioritise all queries in line with the whole University to ensure queries are dealt with in line with their priority.
Calling another member of ICT directly could cause an interruption to another customer’s experience, disturb a video conference or a lecture should they be attending issues in these locations. They may also be distracted and forget your query altogether.
Why will ICT not support my non-standard hardware?
It is not possible for ICT to support all and any hardware. Computer/tablet/phone hardware is set up and made differently and requires different support; a bit like cars and mechanics. We cannot guarantee we will be able to support a piece of hardware we have no experience with.
Why are there only standard items of hardware we can purchase?
There are limited funds for hardware so we work with suppliers to get the best specification product at the best value. Keeping to a specific model also enables us to repair machines more easily as the correct parts are available and interchangeable. ICT staff can provide better support as they can familiarise themselves with the standard model rather than having to be competent with many different types of hardware and the supporting software. There is the capability to log non-standard hardware requests, but we recommend against this as we are unable to support it.
Why doesn’t ICT support students?
Students are supported by the Student Information Desk (SID) and the Learning Resource Centre (LRC). They are located centrally in areas populated by students so are easily accessible. A central point of contact is better for students than having multiple contacts for separate issues. Any issues related to ICT are reported to ICT for the student by the LRC and SID.
Why can ICT not help me with issues regarding the staff website - in.beds.ac.uk?
The staff website is a hosted service which means it is supplied externally to the University. This relationship with the provider was sourced and is managed by the MARC department.
Why will ICT not move my equipment without a request being logged with Facilities?
Estates and Facilities organise moves. They also move all office furniture and IT equipment, ensuring adequate power supplies. ICT only connects the IT equipment once it has been moved.
Why can't I have a PC and a laptop?
A desktop computer is supplied as standard to all employees at the University. A laptop will be supplied if requested with a business justification. Due to current financial constraints only one type of computer equipment will be supplied.
How often must I bring my laptop into the University to avoid Microsoft products deactivating?
At least once a month to get all updates and security patches, including authentications. When in the office, the device must be left connected to the network for few hours to enable the updates to be down loaded and applied. If this process is not followed, Microsoft products will no longer show as genuine and will result in Microsoft Office being unable to edit files.
I've smashed the screen on my Tablet/phone, what do I do?
Raise an incident with the Service Desk We have a contract with O2 to repair smashed screens on devices.
Where can I find out what equipment is in the room I plan to teach in?
Go to - Equipment in Rooms
My PC is really slow, what is the process to get it replaced.
You must raise a request on the Self-Service Portal Browse to the Service Catalogue > Hardware and Loan Item Requests > Computer Health Check. A member of the Desktop and Media Services Team will attend and assess the machine and will either make a recommendation for a new machine or help you with trying to improve the performance of the machine.
Who do I contact regarding Teaching and Learning systems?
The Learning Technology Team is responsible for providing technology which supports teaching and learning – and to some extent, research – across the University. They have Functional responsibility for the following:
Contact them via the BREO helpline: 01582 489205 / ext: 9205 or the BREO support contact form