50 years HRZ: the anniversary
The University IT and Data Center at the University of Bonn is celebrating its 50th anniversary at the beginning of November 2024 with a ceremony and a special event week.The anniversary provided an opportunity to reflect on the development, transformation and progress of the digital world at the University IT and Data Center as a central IT service provider in the academic sector. As part of the campaign week, the HRZ is embarking on a ‘time travel into the past’ and dedicated each day of the campaign week to a decade, starting with the work at the HRZ ‘today’ (2024) and concluding with the work at the HRZ in the decade in which it was founded, the 1970s. The working methods and technologies of the University IT and Data Center over the past 50 years are compared and illustrated with today's innovations. This has resulted in the new website section ‘History’ and the video series ‘HRZ time travel' (Youtube).
Photo gallery celebratory ceremony 2024
Here you can gain an insight into the ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the University IT and Data Center.
The Ceremony
On 6 November 2024, the 50th anniversary of the University IT and Data Center was celebrated with a ceremony. Around 130 invited guests, including current and many former employees, looked back together on the history and IT development of the data center.
‘At the HRZ, the focus is always on people,’ emphasised Dr Rainer Bockholt, Director of the University IT and Data Center since 2003, at the opening of the event.
Prof. Dr. Maren Bennewitz, Vice-Rector for Digitalisation and Information Management, Prof. Dr. Max P. Baur, former Chairman of the IT Board of the University of Bonn, Daniela Korden, Project Manager for DiCe projects at the HRZ and Susanne Sigmund, former HRZ employee, gave welcoming speeches.
One highlight was the keynote speech by Prof. Dr Harald Ziegler from Ruhr University Bochum, whose spectacular extrapolation revealed that ‘[...] one data center year corresponds to approx. 22 university years. What changes in a working life changes at the HRZ in two years, i.e. an HRZ employee has to retrain at least 6-7 times in a working life.’ One characteristic of all HRZ employees is therefore - despite the fast pace of technological progress: Their flexibility. But it takes far more than just flexibility and problem-solving skills to work efficiently at a data center.
In addition to video presentations and slideshows with images from the HRZ archive from the past 50 years, the guests also enjoyed live music with light, cheerful flamenco sounds.
HRZ-milestones
On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the University IT and Data Center of the University of Bonn looks back on the milestones of the past five decades and the development of the digital world at the University of Bonn. 50 years in 150 seconds - enjoy this brief insight into the history, transformation and progress of the University IT and Data Center at the University of Bonn.
50 Jahre in 150 Sekunden
Development over the decades
IT service provider in the course of digital transformation
Not only are today's tasks and areas of activity at the University IT and Data Center exciting, the development of the University IT and Data Centre is also interesting. If you would like to find out more about the beginnings and development of the HRZ, you can gain an insight into the working world at the HRZ in the various decades since its foundation on the following pages: