IT Matters

Information Technology’s Communications Plan

As it was introduced in the August edition of the IT Matters, the Division of Information Technology has been focusing on redefining how our division communicates with our campus. We understand that news and announcements can easily get lost on our active campus. Our goal is to improve our campus communications with regard to crafting messages that our audiences can relate to.

We implemented a communications plan that details our communication strategies for planned and unplanned outages, IT initiatives, and ongoing communications. We have built a matrix to address how to communicate based on the following criteria;

  • Impact of Change/Outage (campus-wide, isolated, internal)
  • When notifications should be sent
  • How communications should be sent
  • Definition of which systems are campus-wide, isolated and internal

For example:

We have defined a planned outage as necessary interruptions in customer services. These interruptions are necessary in order for IT to implement changes or perform system testing. In this case, based on our matrix:

  • if the downtime affects the entire campus (such as outages with our network, ERP, Portal Services, Phones, LMS, Virtual Labs, Email, Royal Drive, Royal Card, POS, Cable TV, scranton.edu website), we plan to communicate with the entire campus through email and the status.scranton.edu webpage a minimum of five business days or more in advance.
  • if the outage is isolated and affects a specific group of individuals (CMS, Digital Signage, Library Printing, Workflow, QA/DEV Environments,  Imaging, classroom technology), we plan to communicate only with those affected through email and the status.scranton.edu webpage a minimum of five business days or more in advance.

During the development of this plan, we identified the need to create a central place where outages were posted. We created a service status webpage , that offers an up-to-date report of the operational state of campus IT services at the University. Visit and bookmark the website: status.scranton.edu.

We have been using our communications plan since August. We anticipate that some minor modifications might be necessary as we receive feedback from students, faculty and staff.

 

Image designed by Freepik

Banner INB is set to retire!

Banner 9 Admin formerly known as Banner XE was introduced to campus at the January 2017 IT Forum. During that presentation we focused on the Why, Benefits, Challenges and Support of the Banner 9 Admin project.

To recap:

  • Why: To remain technically current and in compliance we must move to Banner 9 Admin. This release sets the stage for streamlined services for our Students;
  • Benefits: Modern Interface with enhanced features, such as filtering and sorting, scalable architecture and removal of java client dependency;
    Challenges We knew that there would be some; perhaps more than we expected;
  • Support: We have been working intensely with Ellucian to resolve issues and to bring a more stable product to you.

Last January, we had planned to solely be using Banner 9 Admin at the start of the 2017-2018 fiscal year. However, due to some of the challenges encountered with key functionalities, the retirement of INB was delayed. With upcoming releases being delivered by Ellucian before the end of 2017, the new date for Banner INB retirement is January 2018.

Review and Use: If you are not already comfortable with Banner 9, review some of the resources available in the my.scranton portal, under the Banner ERP tab, called Learn More: Banner 9 Admin.

Training: Attend a general training session: January 10 at 9 a.m. or January 11 at 2 p.m., both in TDC 405. Register for a session.

Report: For questions or concerns, contact the Technology Support Center at 570-941-4357 or techsupport@scranton.edu. The more detail that you can provide, such as browser, steps taken or screen shots will help us get to a resolution faster.

Royal Drive Replacement Process

As we announced last spring, we are moving forward with the replacement of Royal Drive, our enterprise file storage system. In the upcoming year, we will be implementing a storage solution that provides our campus with secure file storage, mobile access and content sharing. This will include the use of local network storage and Microsoft OneDrive/SharePoint services for staff and faculty. In addition to this, all full-time faculty have been invited to pilot Dropbox Business for a 2-year period with an annual assessment of utilization.

The anticipated implementation process, outlined below, employs a gradual adoption of the new systems in an effort to limit the amount of disruption in day-to-day operations.

Phase 1 has been completed: Dropbox accounts were provided to all full-time faculty.

Phase 2: Members of IT will be working with administrative and academic offices to identify the ways in which they are currently interacting with Royal Drive (such as scanning, reports and tickets). This process is essential so that we may account for these specific actions in our new storage solutions.

Phase 3: After outlining storage solutions for the scenarios identified earlier on, we will be providing the campus with local network storage to replace Royal Drive. We will also be introducing SharePoint and OneDrive for Business. Hands-on training will also be available.

OneDrive and Dropbox Resources

If you would like to know more about these cloud storage solutions, or would like to start using them, we invite you to review the various documentations that we have gathered. These are accessible at Scranton.edu/onedrive and Scranton.edu/dropbox (only for full-time faculty).

IT Town Hall scheduled for Tuesday, November 28 at 12:00 p.m.

Please join the Division of Information Technology for a town hall meeting on Tuesday, November 28. The meeting will be from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in Brennan Hall 509.

This event facilitates conversations about technologies on our campus. We invite you to come with your ideas and questions.

Added benefits:

  • Earn 10 points for Employee Wellness in the IT Professional Development Workshops activity
  • Win prizes
  • Bring your lunch – we will provide refreshments and desserts

We hope you will consider joining us.

Register online at https://www.regonline.com/ITTownHall1128

 

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Cyber Security Jeopardy on October 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

IT Forum: Cyber Security Jeopardy
Tuesday, October 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Join us at the next IT Forum for Cyber Security Jeopardy!

This event will use polling software to provide us with an interactive session where we will review information on safekeeping passwords, avoiding phishing attempts and data classification.

Included:
* A light lunch
* Giveaways and prizes
* Earn 10 wellness points for IT Professional Development

Please register at https://www.regonline.com/registration/Checkin.aspx?EventID=2051094

Information Technology Town Hall – Sept. 26

September 26, 2017
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Brennan Hall, The Rose Room (509)

Drinks and desserts will be provided.

Join us for our first Information Technology Town Hall. This event aims at facilitating conversations about available and upcoming technologies on our campus. We invite you to come with your ideas and questions.

Register online by September 19.

Windows 10: A Few Features You May Have Missed

Tip 1: Storage Sense
Windows 10 now gives us an easier way to locate old files that may be taking up vital hard drive space.

  • Go to Start
  • Settings (as pictured)
  • System
  • and select the option labeled Storage on the left
  • Select your C: drive to see what files are using hard drive space

Now you will be treated to a graphical representation of data storage on your hard drive.  You can simply navigate to the different locations and select larger unnecessary files to delete.

Tip 2: Steps Recorder
Windows 10 offers a great utility to assist in documenting tasks called the Steps Recorder.

  • Go to your search bar and type in Steps Recorder
  • Select the program

To start recording:

  1. Select Start Record.
  2. Go through the steps toperform your task. You can pause and resume the recording at any time.
  3. When you’re done, select Stop Record.
  4. Select Save, name the .zip file, choose where to save it, and then select Save.
  5. Now you can attach and send this .zip file to others. It can be viewed in any web browser.

 

 

How easy is that!

 

Written by Tom Kern, Field Services Technician 

New Technology: Royal Card

Near Field Communication (NFC) has been a growing technology in the field of campus card technology for almost a decade, allowing more convenience with higher security. NFC cards use contactless technology that allows the cardholder to “tap” their card on a reader, rather than swipe their card, which we have become accustomed. Additionally, the card is more secure than the traditional magnetic stripe using higher standards of data encryption.

For the last five years, the Division of Information Technology has been upgrading our Royal Card technology throughout campus to support NFC technology. We now have NFC technology on 84 door readers, 5 copier readers in the Library, 17 laundry readers in the residence halls, and NFC readers in each of the Fitness and Recreation Centers.

With the increased ability to utilize the NFC technology across campus, we have begun issuing new Royal Cards with the NFC technology this year, starting with the incoming Freshmen class. We will continue to retain the magnetic stripe on our Royal Cards while we continue to support readers on campus that are not yet NFC capable.

Over the next few years, we will continue to upgrade our campus hardware. This year we will be adding NFC technology to 23 more doors and to 6 point of sale devices in the DeNaples Center. By 2020, we will have NFC on all Royal Card devices on campus, which includes over 250 doors readers, 45 laundry readers, and 25 point of sale devices. When our campus is able to support NFC at all card reader locations, we will migrate from the magnetic stripe technology, to only supporting NFC card technology.

 

Business Process Improvement: Online Transcript Ordering Now Available

The Office of the Registrar and Academic Services is pleased to announce the availability of online electronic transcript ordering for current students and alumni.

This new feature allows users to order official transcripts via the Web at any time, 24/7. Official university transcripts for students who attended or graduated after 1992 can be delivered electronically in a .pdf format to designated recipients within an hour!  Students enrolled prior to 1992 can order their transcript online, which significantly reduces the processing time.

University of Scranton students and alumni can access transcript ordering by visiting the Registrar’s Transcript Requests website.

Students and alumni who submit electronic transcript requests will benefit from the many services this system can provide, including:

  • Convenient 24/7 access
  • Secure transactions
  • Immediate, secure electronic transcript delivery worldwide
  • Automatic real-time order updates via mobile text alerts and email
  • Online order tracking
  • Ability to order multiple transcripts for multiple recipients in one order

There is a standard $9.00 fee associated with ordering a transcript.

Questions? Email registrar@scranton.edu or visit the Office of the Registrar and Academic Services website.

 

Written by Julie Ferguson, Registrar

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