In my editorial in May 2021, I wrote about the period of expectation we were then in – that the pandemic would release its grip on us and that we would put the new financial system into use. At the time, I thought the pandemic would be over earlier. We are now finally seeing the end –restrictions were removed on 9th February and the Vice-Chancellor decided on a return to education and work on campus. As for the new financial system, it and our new financial model were put into operation at the turn of the year. There is still a lot of work to be done before everything works as we want it to, but we can now state that a new modern system is finally up and running. I would like to take this opportunity here to express my warm thanks for all the work and effort that has been made and is still being made to make it work. I know it has been challenging, and a lot of people have worked extremely hard.
One issue that will also require commitment from all areas of our operations this spring is the work of establishing a systematic information security and performance management system, the ESIR project. The project was initiated after we found that we had shortcomings in our information security work, which has also been revealed because of the internal audits that were conducted.
The project is tasked with laying the foundation for systematic and effective work with information security at Stockholm University to protect and secure our information assets. This will result in increased security awareness of information management and the regulations that exist in the area. During the autumn, the project worked closely with four selected pilot departments: the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, the Department of Ethnology, History of Religion and Gender Studies, the Department of Law, and the Department of Molecular Biosciences. The Wenner-Gren Institute has developed the methods and models to improve information security at the university. Now is the time to implement the new system throughout all areas of our operations, so that all the faculties and departments implement these administrative processes during the spring. The goal is for all operations to have completed this by the end of June. This is important work that needs to be prioritized, in particular in this uncertain world.
The text is written by Åsa Borin, University Director. It appears in the section ”Words from the University’s senior management team”, where different members of the management team take turns to write about topical issues. The section appears in every edition of News for staff which is distributed to the entirety of the University staff.