IT Matters

Promoting Sustainability: The Power of Small Changes

Making a difference to help the environment doesn’t have to be difficult. Just a few small changes at home and work will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Here are a few tips to get you started:

  • Turning your monitor off after 20 minutes of inactivity
  • Shut your computer down when you leave for the day
  • The greenest paper is no paper at all, so keep things digital
  • The more you do online, the less you need paper
  • Keep files on computers instead of in file cabinets (use Royal Drive for documents that need encryption or the ERP Systems Imaging System – contact the Technology Support Center for more information)
  • Review documents onscreen rather than printing them out
  • Use double-sided printing whenever possible
  • Print in draft mode to conserve ink: It will generally lighten the shade, but you’ll still be able to read your copy clearly
  • Distribute memos, manuals, minutes, policies (documents) via email: Instead of printing out memos for distribution, email them and let employees decide whether or not they wish to print them
  • Reduce your margin settings so that your printer uses less paper
  • Send emails instead of paper letters
  • Printers, scanners, and other peripherals that are only used occasionally can be unplugged until they’re needed
  • Turn off lights in spaces that are unoccupied
  • Bring your lunch to work in reusable containers is likely the greenest (and healthiest) way to eat at work

Resources:

  • Treehugger, T. (n.d.). 10 ways to green your work ethic. Retrieved April 20, 2016, from http://www.treehugger.com/htgg/how-to-go-green-at-work.html
  • 10 Awesome Going Green Tips At Work – Sustainable Business Toolkit. (2012). Retrieved April 20, 2016, from http://www.sustainablebusinesstoolkit.com/10-going-green-tips-at-work/

May 7: Campus Electronic Recycling and Document Shredding Event

EcoLogosWhen: Saturday, May 7, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Where: Drop off is located on Linden Street in front of St. Thomas Hall at the turn around circle
Cost: Free
This event is open to the public.

Bring your documents for shredding and your old electronics for recycling. Review the complete list of accepted and non-accepted items.

University staff and students will be collecting your old electronics. The equipment will be disassembled to salvage their parts for use in new electronics, and to prevent them from being sent to a landfill and damaging the environment. Make sure to only bring items that are accepted through this recycling program.

Cintas Document Management will also be sponsoring this event. Anyone can bring their documents and have them shredded by a certified Cintas employee in a mobile shredding truck. Further, all of the documents shredded by Cintas are recycled into secondary paper products, such as paper towels, to reduce waste and impact on the environment. In doing so, this saves trees, energy and gallons of water while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Employees cannot bring equipment from on campus offices.  University-owned equipment can be recycled by contacting the Technology Support Center to schedule a pickup.

This event is organized and staffed by members of Student Sustainability Club and the IT Asset Manager Office.  We would like to thank our sponsors Cintas Document Management and Vintage Tech Recyclers.

Campus Thin Clients Save Enough Energy to Power 15 Homes for a Year

Image by Peter Astbury

Over the past three years, IT Services has replaced 606 traditional computers with thin clients. Thin clients are computer terminals that are connected to a keyboard, mouse and monitor that have jacks and ports for USB and other devices. These thin clients have no hard drive or storage, as they remote into the University server to access our virtual desktop infrastructure.

The energy savings of thin clients are astounding. Suppose that our typical PC consumes an average of 30 Kwh per month. Then these 606 computers would have needed 218,160 Kwh of electricity to run this year. Using thin clients (consumes 8 Kwh per month on average), translates into a 73% energy savings (159,984 Kwh), which is enough energy to power 15 homes for an entire year.

In addition to consuming a lot less energy, they also yield additional reductions in our carbon footprint: a single thin client can be used twice as long as your traditional PC.

 

Resources:

  • U.S. Energy Information Administration – EIA – Independent Statistics and Analysis. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2016, from http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=97
  • Wikimedia Commons, image by Peter Astbury. Retrieved April 20, 2016, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thin_clients.png

Sneak Peek: Going Greener with Digital Signatures

An electronic signature, as defined by the US E-SIGN Act, is “an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record.”

In short, e-signatures allow companies to process documents without requiring signers to put a physical pen to a sheet of paper, and a combination of state and federal laws have enabled an environment in which e-signatures are considered legally binding.

Due to an increasing campus interest in e-signatures, and due to its many cost saving and efficiency benefits, IT Development and Applications (ITDA) is currently leading a multi-departmental team focused on researching and reviewing e-signature software solutions that would make this technology available to the entire campus. Although the product would be managed by IT, each department would own its business processes and would be responsible for creating forms and workflows for their departments.

Reduce Costs
When we adapt to paperless processes, we see an immediate reduction in costs associated with paper, ink, print maintenance and shipping. Beyond the cost saving for materials, there is a time-savings as well as documents will no longer need to be printed, filed, faxed and mailed.

Faster and from anywhere at any time
Using digital signatures will make the document tracking more efficient with the use of an online dashboard. Using e-signatures also has a faster turnaround time as documents can be signed from any device, anytime for instant transmission.

Increased Document Security
Paper documents require filing and a subsequent locking mechanism to protect your files. Creating digital documents increases security by being equipped with digital encryptions and audit trails.

Specific University Requirements

  • Security
  • Ability to upload documents
  • Distributed departmental authority to create and manage documents, forms and workflows
  • Integration to our Ellucian Imaging system and Ellucian data

The initial work team included representatives from CTLE, Development, Finance, Financial Aid, General Counsel, GCES, Student Engagement, IT Security, ITDA, Human Resources, and Registrar. After presenting initial findings to the Information Management Advisory Committee (IMAC), this group has been expanded to include the Internal Auditor and the Academic Advising Centers.

The return on investment for implementing e-signature software across campus is still being researched. Candidate documents have been identified by several offices and include: Student Engagement Conference and USPB trip forms, Finance authorization forms and check vouchers, and various forms used by the Registrar’s Office, Financial Aid and GCES (related to changing courses, withdrawals, internships, readers, probation, change of grade, etc.).

The next steps include refining the list of potential e-signature software solutions by the work team down to a single vendor, followed by presentation of the recommended vendor and ROI estimates to the IMAC and CFO to review and endorse. With proper approval, a pilot will be chosen and implementation would occur in the fall.

 

Resources:

Finding a smart classroom has never been this easy

classroomDB

Peruse the online classroom database to find the smart room you need for your next lecture or meeting. The database search reveals specific room equipment as well as room availability, and provides supporting materials and guides for specific technologies.

Standard equipment includes a computer, projector, screen, document camera, speakers and a control system. In some locations additional equipment is also available including a Smart board or Smart podium, microphones and, LCD or LED panels.

The database is continuously updated as technologies are upgraded and installed. Visit https://webnet.scranton.edu/classroomdb/ to find the smart classroom that will enhance your next lecture. This database is only accessible using an on-campus computer.

Recent Upgrades

  • The Estate: all spaces received a comprehensive upgrade, which included new display technology, a new user interface for
    the touch panels and tetherless projection capabilities.
  • Nurse anesthesia: three operating and observation rooms were created on the first floor of McGurrin Hall. The rooms provide the ability for lecture capture in a practical OR setting. There is also a debriefing room, allowing the students and faculty review the recordings when they are complete.
  • Other upgraded rooms include Hyland 305, O’Hara 406 & 627, Loyola Science Center 591 and the Chapman Retreat Center meeting room.

New Technologies

  • Apple TV has been deployed in Brennan 203 and 509, McDade 222 and Loyola Science Center 333.  If you would like to learn more or request training, contact the Technology Support Center.

Glen Pace Receives Sursum Corda Award

Congratulations to Glen Pace, Field Services Technician for being a Sursum Corda (Lift Up Your Hearts) Awards recipient. This award recognizes members of the University who have made outstanding contributions to the life and mission of the University. IT-355

Read the following except from Dr. Don Boomgaarden’s speech from the Spring Convocation that took place on February 16, 2016.

Born and raised in Dunmore, Glen is the younger of two sons. During his youth, Glen’s parents, Ruth and the late Carmen Pace, owned a neighborhood market, Dick Pace’s Market. Although his immediate family was small, Glen felt part of a larger family through the neighbors that his father’s market served.

Upon graduating from Dunmore High School, Glen considered two career paths: the military or college. Johnson College’s acceptance came in the mail first and so began his long career with electronics/computers. In 1988, Glen accepted the position at the University thinking he would stay about five years – just long enough to get some experience.  Well, five years has turned into 28 and he’s happily still counting!  In Glen’s role, he has the opportunity to work side by side with different members of our campus community including fellow staff, faculty and administrators, providing the best service and solution to get them back working again. Glen has been a mentor to new personnel in his department which helped them become successful as field service technicians. Glen is motivated, courteous, dependable and kind to everyone he meets: he can come to us on our worst day and make our lives easier, leaving us with a smile.

Glen served two terms as Senator for the Staff Senate. He has served on the Staff Senate Development Committee, various committees within the Information Technology division, the Jesuit Center work/life retreat and volunteers his time to provide computer technical assistance for local police departments. He helped to coordinate a donation of technology from the University to a Women’s Shelter in Dunmore. Outside of the University, Glen and his wife rescue stray cats for their local shelter, capturing strays from their community to be spayed or neutered by Eastern Pennsylvania Animal Alliance. Glen spends time visiting with his mother who, due to Alzheimer’s, currently resides in a nursing home. More than anything in life, Glen knows that helping others, doing what you enjoy and meeting others where they need you is the foundation of happiness.

It is with great honor that I congratulate and present to Glen the Sursum Corda Award.

Tool Highlight: Skype for Business

skypeCommunicate instantly with your colleagues through Skype for Business. With a click of a button, you will be able to text, make a video or voice call, or even start an online meeting. You can use Skype for Business from nearly any Windows PC or mobile device (Lync on Macs or mobile devices) on campus or anywhere in the world you have Internet access.

It is already installed on your computer
Go to your Start menu> All Programs > Microsoft Office 2013 > Skype for Business 2015

Although Skype and Skype for Business offer similar features, we have only approved Skype for Business for office use. If you’re using a Mac, click here for information regarding Lync.

Login Credentials

Your username is your scranton email: firstname.lastname@scranton.edu
Your password is your my.scranton password

Find your colleagues
skypebox

1.  Find the search box on the main Skype for Business contacts page, just below the Contacts tab.
2.  Click in the search box and type in the person’s name or their @scranton.edu email address.
3.  When you see the listing for the person you want to add, point at their picture or avatar to see your options (such as message, voice call, video call or add to contacts).

Additional features
–  By default, your contacts’ online status is determined by his or her Outlook calendar.
–  Meet with up to 250 people—even if they’re not on Skype for Business. All they need is a phone or internet connection.

Get started with Quick Start Guides
Microsoft.com offers detailed and comprehensive Skype for Business guides and online tutorials. Here are some quick guides to get you started.

Make sure to visit Microsoft’s Discover Skype for Business website for additional resources.

Please note: While Skype for Business is available to all faculty and staff, you may or may not choose to use it. 

Sneak Peek: Windows 10

windows10Windows 10, released by Microsoft last July, has been downloaded to over 200 million devices worldwide. This new operating system combines the look and feel of Windows 7 with the menu tiles introduced in Windows 8.

As with any new operating system release, some software applications or devices (such as printers, scanners) may not install or work correctly. This is why IT Services will be working with each department after a more thorough review has been completed. Computer upgrades will be gradual and necessary in order to keep our systems secure and compliant. Windows 7 will end its support on January 14, 2020.

When will my office computer be upgraded to Windows 10? How can I help?

IT Services is currently looking for volunteers to test Windows 10 alongside our IT staff to determine its compatibility with our University applications (e.g. AppXtender, iDOds, Banner, etc). Because office staff uses various applications to perform daily tasks, they are vital in providing us with feedback that will help IT with the campus-wide implementation. If you would like to be part of our early adopters team, please email itservices@scranton.edu.

Save the Date: IT Forum

Join us on March 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.  to learn more about Windows 10 features and the implementation process. IT staff will be available to answer your questions. A light lunch will be provided. Reserve your seat.

Training

A new operating system with new features also means that it’s very different to use. Training sessions are currently being developed and will be offered in the coming weeks. Visit scranton.edu/it_training to review our training options.

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