OIT News
Monthly news briefs, information and announcements
Office of Information Technology, NC State University
Issue 32, June 2010
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For the up-to-the minute reports on OIT systems, see SysNews:
http://sysnews.ncsu.edu
For help with computing problems, contact the NC State University Help Desk:
http://help.ncsu.edu
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01: New computer purchasing requirements coming soon
02: Postini services rollout postponed
03: WolfWise team announces GW Instant Messenger, continues work on GW8 upgrade
04: ComTech implements new wireless feedback form
05: Go wireless more!
06: OIT Lunch & Learns in June: “The Basics of Usability” & “Choosing a Digital Camera”
07: SAR training scheduled for July 14
08: Government-issued ID required to get new AllCampus Card
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01: New computer purchasing requirements coming soon
The University of North Carolina General Administration (UNC-GA) has announced a new Combined Pricing Initiative (CPI) for campus desktop and laptop computers purchased with state-appropriated funds. The CPI was developed in response to Senate Bill 202 passed in 2009, which requires campuses to save money and improve efficiencies by consolidating UNC system information technology (IT) purchases.
The mandatory CPI program combines the purchasing power of the entire UNC system, giving all campuses the benefit of reduced prices on a range of standard desktop and laptop computer configurations intended to meet universities’ diverse computing needs while reducing the total cost of ownership. The CPI also includes energy-efficiency requirements, which will help reduce energy use in university buildings as required by state law.
NC State’s Purchasing department, campus representatives and OIT are working to implement easy-to-use procedures for campus. These are expected to be in place by the end of July. More information is available at the NC State Consolidated IT Purchasing Web site.
02: Postini services rollout postponed
OIT is postponing the rollout of the Google Postini central e-mail archiving and antispam and antivirus services until mid to late July. The postponement is due to continuing work on developing an automated accounts provisioning system. OIT expects to set a new implementation date within the next week and will communicate this information to campus.
To learn more about the Postini project, visit the Postini Implementation Project Web site or to learn more about your responsibilities for retaining university business-related e-mail, see the 3D Memo: New Central E-mail Archiving and Antispam and Antivirus Protection Services.
03: WolfWise team announces GW Instant Messenger, continues work on GW 8 upgrade
The WolfWise Implementation Team is pleased to announce that Novell GroupWise Instant Messenger (GWIM) is ready for release to all of campus. GWIM is a secure instant messaging service, which allows real-time communication between computer users. Although GWIM integrates with the GroupWise client, it does not require the use of the GroupWise client or the Novell client. Anyone with valid Unity credentials can log in and use GWIM. For more information, please see the GroupWise Instant Messenger Web site (no longer available).
The WolfWise team is also preparing to deploy GroupWise 8 (GW 8) in early fall. The team is currently testing the plan to move legacy NetWare post offices 1-10 to the WolfWise Linux operating environment. The team expects to have testing completed in the next few weeks and plans to upgrade the legacy Netware post offices in the production environment shortly thereafter.
Once the NetWare post offices are upgraded to Linux, the team will install GW 8 in its test environment and then in its production environment. The GW 8 deployment will apply back-end fixes for known bugs, improve IMAP stability, allow for ActiveSync (for mobile devices) and improve the performance of Windows, Mac, Web and Linux clients. For more information about the WolfWise migration, visit the WolfWise Web site (no longer available).
04: ComTech implements new wireless feedback form
To improve your wireless experience on campus, OIT Communication Technologies (ComTech) has implemented a new wireless feedback form to gather your ideas and suggestions. If you would like to comment on the campus wireless coverage or would like to report a problem with a particular wireless location on campus, please complete the Wireless Connection Issue Feedback Form.
If you experience a persistent problem in a particular wireless location, please contact the Network Operations Center at 513-9675 or send an e-mail to support@ncstate.net.
05: Go wireless more!
Due to increased customer demand, OIT ComTech has upgraded its Nomad (Wireless) Registration System to allow students, faculty and staff the ability to register up to five wireless devices. The registration system allows campus users to gain immediate network access without using their Unity ID and password after initial registration.
Once the device has been registered, it will automatically authenticate itself to the Nomad system using the registration profile that is associated with the user’s Unity account. To complete registration, a user must connect the device that he or she wishes to register to the Nomad network. Registrations must be renewed each semester. For more information or to register a wireless device, visit the Nomad Registration System Web site.
06: OIT Lunch & Learns in June: “The Basics of Usability” & “Choosing a Digital Camera”
OIT’s Brown Bag Lunch and Learn series will present the following workshops in June:
- Exactly what is usability testing, and how can it benefit you and your organization? “The Basics of Usability” workshop will be held from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 22 in 216 Scott Hall. Jennifer Riehle of OIT Design, Education and Outreach will explain what usability really is, the benefits and challenges of usability testing and how paying attention to usability during the design and development of both Web pages and Web applications can improve the user experience. To register, visit Classmate.
- “Choosing a Digital Camera” will be held from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, June 24 in 216 Scott Hall. Choosing a digital camera is no easy task. There are countless models with numerous features at a plethora of prices. Christopher Donald of OIT Design, Education and Outreach will help you see the complex considerations in digital photography through a clear and concise lens. For more details on this workshop and to register, visit Classmate.
07: SAR training scheduled for July 14
Security Access Request (SAR) training for campus requestors and approvers of access to secured university data will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, July 14 in the ITTC Lab 2 of D.H. Hill Library. Please visit Classmate to view available classes and to sign up for training.
08: Government-issued ID required to get new AllCampus Card
Effective June 7, university faculty and staff are required to present a valid government-issued ID such as a driver’s license or passport that bears their picture and either an address of record or nationality in order to receive a new AllCampus Card. They will also have to return their current campus ID.
OIT Security and Compliance is requesting the verification process to avoid fraudulent receipt or use of the AllCampus Card. This level of verification is also required for the potential use of the card in accessing government, partner and commercial computer applications. Employees receiving AllCampus cards in Phase I of the campus re-carding process may have to produce a valid government-issued ID at a later time.
If employees can not produce their current AllCampus cards, they will have to complete a proxy form stating why they could not. The form also states that “NC State University is not liable for financial or criminal repercussions associated with lost, stolen, damaged or fraudulently used AllCampus ID cards, department copy cards and employee badges.”
AllCampus cards are used for granting physical access to certain campus buildings or rooms (gym access or highly sensitive labs) as well as electronic access to computer stations and vending machines. The card can also be used as a university debit card for purchases on campus.
To view the AllCampus Re-Card Phase II Schedule, visit the AllCampus Re-Card Web site.
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