Computer operating system (OS) providers generally issue OS patches on a monthly basis, though urgent critical updates are released in addition to and sometimes out of cycle with the standard patches. Rebooting your computer(s) is an important step in applying these patches.
Stan Waddell, executive director and information security officer, and Alex Everett, security system specialist, will discuss general information security best practices and the Systems Administration Initiative (SAI) at the February Webmasters meeting.
The event will take place on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 2 p.m. in Toy Lounge, Dey Hall. Please note that this is a change from the usual Webmasters meeting location.
The presentation is appropriate for a non-technical audience and will provide valuable information on information security best practices and the state of Web security today.
Over the course of the next two to three years, Information Technology Services (ITS) Communication Technologies (Comm Tech) is replacing the legacy AT&T Centrex phone service with a new, hosted, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system from Verizon Business – Verizon Business Hosted IP Centrex (HIPC).
In addition to realizing cost savings for the University upon completion of the transition, this new technology will bring new phones along with the capability to move phones without direct coordination with an outside vendor. This alleviates long wait intervals that are currently imposed with the campus Centrex phone service. (Phone numbers will not change with this transition.)
In his post-Iowa caucus roundup, New York Times columnist Tom Friedman asks what candidates would be talking about if the campaign were about moving America forward. One topic, he writes, would surely be how to help the United States navigate the IT revolution and the changing global economy. Seismic changes in technology have given people cheap ways to innovate and collaborate, and those individuals have converged into new “ecosystems” of production.
He points to Gig.U as leading the charge.
The final phase of the move to Microsoft Exchange from the ITS centrally-managed IMAP system (webmail.unc.edu, imap.unc.edu) will end on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012 when Information Technology Services (ITS) retires the IMAP service. All users should migrate any remaining email in the IMAP system and confirm that their account can be deleted prior to this date.
To migrate IMAP email to your current Exchange account, visit https://my.ad.unc.edu/Migrator.aspx, log in, and click submit. To move email to HeelMail, http://help.unc.edu/heelmail-connected provides detailed instructions on how to self-migrate. For assistance, please call 962-HELP.
For employees who have already migrated their old email or have no need to, simply visit http://my.ad.unc.edu/ImapDeprovision.aspx, to indicate that your mailbox contents can be permanently archived, then deleted from IMAP. Just log in and click submit to confirm.
Do you use analytics and usage data to drive website-related decisions?
Then join Rachell Underhill of the Graduate School and Anita Crescenzi of the Health Sciences Library at the December Webmasters meeting on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. in the Graduate Student Center for a discussion of how analytics can drive decision-making.
A new Network Attached Storage (NAS) service that provides a storage environment allowing for shared administration is now available to campus. The ITS Open Systems group manages the backend storage and space allocations while departmental administrators manage security groups and access controls.
The initial phase of the initiative offers Windows file shares via the Common Internet File System (CIFS) protocol. NAS hosts departmental shared storage and personal home directories.
A new research bulletin, Protecting the Security of Research Data, has been published by the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR).
Authored by Larry Conrad, vice chancellor for information technology, Ruth Marinshaw, assistant vice chancellor for research computing and Stan Waddell, executive director and information security officer, the publication discusses an overarching approach by which campus IT solutions can be architected and deployed in such a way as to provide adequate management of research data assets without hindering the research process.
UNC-Chapel Hill faculty, staff and students are authorized to access this publication by creating and using an EDUCAUSE login.
Beth McGuire was at her desk at the Ackland Art Museum when she received the call on her work phone.
“The person told me that they represented Microsoft Outlook and that they were calling to warn me that my computer had a virus. They had been told to help me get rid of it. I was instructed to go to a specific website. They were very clear that if I did not take immediate action, my computer could crash at any moment and I would lose everything.”
McGuire, who works at the Ackland as a museum educator, suspected that the story didn’t add up.
“First, I asked for more specific information – their name and if they were from ITS (Information Technology Services). But they didn’t respond to those questions so I just told them I would have someone on campus take care of it.”
McGuire then called 962-HELP.
According to information security manager Judd Knott, McGuire did everything right.
Members of ITS’ ConnectCarolina Campus Solutions team delivered presentations at the first ever Southeast Atlantic Regional Users Group (SEARUG) conference, held Oct. 20-21 at Duke University. This is a regional complement to the national Higher Education Users Group (HEUG), an organization consisting of higher education institutions that use application software from the Oracle Corporation. Oracle is the provider of PeopleSoft, which is the underlying software behind ConnectCarolina.
Phishing, identity theft, malware and a variety of other online hazards lurk just below the surface for unwary Web surfers so check out Executive Director and Information Security Officer Stan Waddell's tips for safe surfing. Just click the link for Secure Web Browsing.
Blackboard instructors are invited to participate in a brief online survey to determine if they plan to use Sakai for courses in Spring 2012. In addition, instructors are asked if they prefer to learn Sakai on their own or wish to have a personal consultation to get started. The survey will close at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28.
To take the survey, please go to http://blog.sakai.unc.edu/.
The survey will help align support staff and resources with the faculty who will be using Sakai for the first time for courses in Spring 2012. The instructor survey is the next step in the Migration Timeline.
In addition, Spring 2012 Blackboard sites will no longer be created automatically. They will be created by request only. This will reduce the number of unused course sites in the system, allowing for greater accuracy in tracking and reporting migration numbers.
Sina Bahram, a “universal design” and accessibility expert, will present “Striving for Universal Design and Accessibility at UNC“ on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. in the auditorium of the Frank Porter Graham Student Union. The presentation follows the Carolina Technology Consultants (CTC) 2011 Fall Retreat and CTC Retreat participants are encouraged to attend.
Bahram, who is blind, uses assistive technologies such as a screen reader to navigate various computer systems and devices and is known for having an engaging, interactive presentation style.
His presentation will include:
• Lessons learned at NC State
• Systemic challenges with accessibility in Higher Ed
• Website demos (the good and the not-so-good).
• Issues that impact end-users, developers, policy makers, and implementers
The 2010-2011 Information Technology Services Annual Report is now available at http://its.unc.edu/CIO/index.htm, located under Resources on the right hand side of the page. The report is available in flash and PDF versions.
According to Larry Conrad, vice chancellor for information technology and chief information officer, organizations produce annual reports for a variety of reasons; to share information with stakeholders or perhaps for marketing purposes. In this case, Conrad says, it is to tell a story that often goes untold because so much of the work in ITS is done behind the scenes.
An email from History and American Studies Professor John Kasson that called attention to issues of Web accessibility was the catalyst for the formation of UNC’s Online Accessibility Work Group.
Although several accessibility initiatives were already underway on campus, Kasson’s email brought everyone “under one roof.” Comprised of representatives from Disability Services, the Equal Opportunity/ADA Office, Health Sciences Library, Information Technology Services, the School of Nursing and University Relations, the group’s mission is to improve the UNC-Chapel Hill Web experience for all users.
