OIT News – February 2015

OIT News
Monthly news briefs, information and announcements
Office of Information Technology, NC State University
Issue 88, February 2015

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Follow OIT on Twitter @NCStateOIT
For up-to-the-minute reports on OIT systems, see SysNews
For help with computing problems, contact the NC State Help Desk

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

01: OIT prepares for move to Google Vault
02: Renewals extended for Mj2 lists and Google groups, calendar resources and generic accounts
03: OIT upgrades to Microsoft Office 2013 for managed desktop environment
04: Data Privacy Month: Love yourself! Love your data!
05: Nominations for Gertrude Cox Award due Feb. 13
06: OIT offers Google Apps and WordPress workshops
07: SAR training scheduled for March 12
08: Scrutinize don’t socialize!
09: Data center maintenance may impact major campus services April 11-12

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

01: OIT prepares for move to Google Vault
Over the next several weeks, campus users may notice changes in the Google Apps @ NC State environment as OIT prepares to move from Postini to Google Vault for email retention services. This year, Google will retire Postini, which has been providing the university’s email security and archiving services.

What you should know about this transition

  • OIT enabled Vault in its domain on Feb. 11. You may begin to see Vault-related icons in Gmail, but they will not become active until OIT completes the transition to Vault.
  • During the transition, OIT will freeze some of its mail infrastructure so that items cannot be added, deleted or changed. This behind-the-scenes action will not have a direct impact on most campus users.
  • You will be able to add a new employee or get a new account, but aliasing (firstname_lastname) tools will be offline. Please see OIT News – January 2015 for information on aliases. Stay abreast of downtime for Mail Manager tools via SysNews.
  • If you are a Postini customer who uses the “approved sender” list, please be aware that this functionality will not be available after the transition is complete. As an alternative, you can create filters to ensure your email is never marked as spam and is delivered to your Inbox. See Using Filters.
  • Once the Vault transition is complete, you may notice some changes in your email delivery. OIT encourages you to monitor your Inbox and Spam folder for a few days. If your messages are not delivered correctly, then:
    • select them to “never mark as spam” or
    • create filters to ensure they are delivered to your Inbox.

Also, as a reminder:

  • Be sure to check your current aliases and make any changes or deletions now. Don’t be caught by surprise when the Mail Manager tool goes offline.
  • If you are still using an IMAP client (e.g., Thunderbird, Outlook):
    • consider switching to the Gmail Web client.
    • make sure you are using smtp.gmail.com (NOT smtp.ncsu.edu) for your outgoing mail.

The transition to Vault should be relatively seamless for campus email users. You can keep abreast of the transition by checking the Central Email Archiving and Retention Services Web page regularly, reading OIT News and monitoring SysNews. Direct your questions to help@ncsu.edu.

Back to top

02: Renewals extended for Mj2 lists and Google groups, calendar resources and generic accounts
If you’ve looked for but haven’t received OIT’s annual renewal notifications for Mj2 lists and Google groups, calendar resources and generic accounts, don’t worry.

OIT is extending the renewal period through 2015. As a result you will NOT:

  • receive your annual email renewal notification as previously reported in OIT News.
  • be able to delete Mj2 lists or Google groups, calendar resources or generic accounts during the transition to Vault. After the transition, you can submit delete requests as usual via Web Registry for Google items or via email to help@ncsu.edu for Mj2 lists. OIT apologizes for any inconvenience that results from this extension.

This renewal extension will allow OIT staff more flexibility in their fairly constrained timeline for transitioning the university’s email security and retention services from Postini to Vault, which is coinciding with the normal timeline for renewals. This extension will also minimize inconvenience to the campus community.

If you are a service contact for Google groups, calendar resources or generic accounts, now is a good time to log in to Web Registry, add new administrative and technical contacts and remove any that are invalid.

Please direct all questions to the NC State Help Desk at help@ncsu.edu or 919.515.4357 (HELP). See SysNews for future updates.

Back to top

03: OIT upgrades to Microsoft Office 2013 for managed desktop environment
Beginning Monday, March 2, OIT Client Solutions will move its remaining managed desktop customers to Microsoft Office 2013. Many campus units and departments have voluntarily opted-in to receive Office 2013 in February.

Client Solutions will be updating to Office 2013 only on OIT-managed devices that are part of the WolfTech domain. All managed desktop customers are expected to have the suite of applications (i.e., Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Access, InfoPath, Publisher) by Friday, March 13.

NC State’s campuswide license for Microsoft Office allows it to be installed on university-owned stand-alone machines at no charge. To obtain Office 2013, visit­­­­­­ the Software @ NC State website. Faculty and staff can also purchase Office 2013 for personal use via the university’s Home Use program.

Back to top

04: Data Privacy Month: Love yourself! Love your data!
From password protecting to encrypting your data, there are several security measures you can take to protect yourself and others.

OIT encourages you to learn how during Data Privacy Month, which is held annually to empower campus users to protect their privacy and to control their digital footprint. Sponsored by the National Cyber Security Alliance from Jan. 28 to Feb. 28, Data Privacy Month also stresses the “protection of privacy and data as everyone’s priority.”

Take a few minutes to watch ALL of the brief SANS Securing the Human videos — especially Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Data Protection — to learn valuable steps for protecting the privacy of all campus constituents. Sign in to Moodle with your Unity ID and password and then click Enroll me to access these brief videos.

If you handle personal information such as Social Security numbers, financial information and educational and medical records, you have a duty and responsibility to protect it in the same manner you would want your own private data protected. Love yourself! Love your data!

Back to top

05: Nominations for Gertrude Cox Award due Feb. 13
Nominations for the Gertrude Cox Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching and Learning with Technology will be accepted through 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13.

The award recognizes “the creative pedagogy of NC State’s faculty and technical staff and their work in integrating new technologies into effective teaching strategies.” Nominations should recognize projects completed during the academic year 2013–2014. To nominate an individual or for more information, visit the Gertrude Cox Award website.

The Gertrude Cox Awards will be presented at the Teaching and Learning Symposium hosted by the Office of the Provost and the Office of Faculty Development on Tuesday, April 14 at the Jane S. McKimmon Center.

Back to top

06: OIT offers Google Apps and WordPress workshops
OIT’s upcoming training courses include:

  • Basics of WordPress will be offered on Tuesday, Feb. 17 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday, March 19 from 10 a.m. to noon in Room 110 of the Avent Ferry Technology Center. Learn everything you need to know to get started using WordPress here at NC State. Covered topics will include setup, configuration, themes, plug-ins, settings, options, and management of WordPress. To register, visit Classmate.
  • Google Slides will be offered on Wednesday, Feb. 18 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Room 110 of the Avent Ferry Technology Center. This session will focus on how to create, edit and share presentations. It will also include themes, transitions, animations, and more. If you would prefer to use your own laptop, feel free to bring it. To register, visit Classmate.
  • Create and Collaborate with Google Drive will be offered on Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Room 110 of the Avent Ferry Technology Center. In this hands-on workshop, you will learn everything you need to know to get started using Google Docs/Drive at NC State. You will learn how to use Drive in a collaborative environment, including editing a file simultaneously with other people, securing a document through file sharing permissions, and creating files for use by a group of colleagues or friends. To register, visit Classmate.
  • Gmail: Advanced – Plus Tools, Tips & Tricks will be offered on Wednesday, Feb. 25 from 9 a.m. to noon in Room 110 of the Avent Ferry Technology Center. If you’re comfortable with the basics of Gmail and are ready to take it to the next level, this more advanced hands-on workshop is for you. You will learn more about creating labels, filters and canned responses, scheduling Google Calendar Events, and using Google Drive through Gmail, along with any planned or newly released Google features. To register, visit Classmate.
  • Gmail: Beyond the Basics will be offered on Tuesday, March 3 from 9 a.m. to noon in Room 110 of the Avent Ferry Technology Center. This workshop will provide an in-depth overview of Gmail features, including Labels, Search tools, Contacts management, Chat, Tasks, Settings, Labs, and new features. If time permits, a brief introduction to Google Hangouts will be provided. To register, visit Classmate.
  • Google Calendar will be offered on Thursday, March 12 from 9 a.m. to noon in Room 110 of the Avent Ferry Technology Center. This workshop will focus on appointment slots, event attachments, maps and directions, sharing and embedding calendars, labs, quick add, search options, mobile notifications, scheduling online meetings, and more. For prerequisite information and to register, visit Classmate.

For other available training sessions, visit Classmate Scheduled Workshops. If you are interested in custom software training, please complete the Custom Training Form. Email all training questions to classreg@ncsu.edu.

Back to top

07: SAR training scheduled for March 12
Security Access Request (SAR) training for campus requestors and approvers of access to secured university data will be held Thursday, March 12 from 9:30 a.m. to noon in Room 108 of the Avent Ferry Technology Center. Visit Classmate to register for training.

Back to top

08: Scrutinize don’t socialize!
Cyber hackers will often impersonate people you know or companies you do business with to trick you into divulging private and sensitive information about yourself or other campus users. Let’s suppose you receive the following email from a familiar university IT security person:

“Hey you,
I stopped by earlier, but you were not there. I was monitoring the network and noticed that your computer is infected as a result of some questionable website you visited. We’ve known each other for a long time and I do not want you to get in trouble. Just shoot me your Unity password, and I will fix it without anyone knowing about it. You owe me one!”

What’s wrong with this scenario? Regardless of the sender, it’s a request to share your Unity password. If you do that, then your account will almost certainly be compromised. This is one reason why university policy forbids password sharing; it puts at risk your privacy and security — and the privacy and security of all other campus users whose records you can access.

Please remember that university IT personnel will never, ever ask for your password via email or telephone. Always treat such requests as fraudulent.

Be careful to scrutinize an email or even a phone call from a “person you know.” Don’t rush to socialize!

Learn more about protecting the privacy and security of yourself and others with SANS Securing the Human videos.

Back to top

09: Data Center maintenance may impact major campus services April 11-12
OIT will perform extended maintenance affecting multiple core components of the primary data centers’ infrastructure from 7 a.m. Saturday, April 11 through 6 p.m. Sunday, April 12.

OIT services with dependencies on the data centers may be degraded or unavailable for extended periods during the maintenance window. These services include, but are not limited to:

  • MyPack Portal and the services accessed through the portal
  • Other Human Resources, Financial and Student systems
  • Moodle and other Distance Education and Learning Technology Applications (DELTA) resources
  • OIT hosted systems
  • Network Attached Storage (NAS) shares and exports
  • OIT backup services
  • Remedy System
  • Virtual Computing Lab (VCL) services
  • WolfPrint services

For future updates, see the SysNews announcement.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Subscribe to OIT News

To subscribe or cancel your subscription online, go to http://go.ncsu.edu/subscribe-oitnews

To subscribe by email, send the following message to mj2@lists.ncsu.edu: subscribe oitnews

To unsubscribe by email, send the following message to mj2@lists.ncsu.edu: unsubscribe oitnews