How To Improve Your Knowledge Of It.Usf.Edu

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1 Contact IT it.usf.edu iusf it.blog.usf.edu This Issue (866) Live Online Support Featured: Support Services 2 TechSmart, The Computer Store, Back to School Sales 3 What s Up With IT Staff? 4 Upcoming Events 5 Change Management 6 Application Gateway 6 Technology Fee IT Help Desk FAQs 8 A Message from the System Vice President Welcome to our third issue of The Network, marking the completion of our first publication cycle. We are happy to offer this mode of communication to the University community and hope that in combination with our social media efforts, we ve created an increased awareness of IT projects and initiatives during Please take a moment to peruse our achievements from the past fiscal year on page 2. Moving forward in , we continue to focus on the technology needs of our students, faculty and staff in support of student success, research and our community. Starting with our main customer service median, the ServiceNow implementation this past July, is an improved entry point for submitting all IT requests. ServiceNow will not only benefit our endusers, but also our internal users such as our helpdesk staff. The new customer self-service interface enables more visibility and increased communication on both sides. Other projects on our horizon this current year include the implementation of the University s first enterprise content management system, allowing for consistent technology to support USF s web presence. For more information, visit it.blog.usf.edu. IT will also focus on improving our research technology efforts, as well as our infrastructure in our pursuit to develop a long-term data center solution. And with mobile application development on the rise, USF IT will be hosting its first Higher Education Enterprise Mobile Application Conference in February where attendees will learn about mobile application vision and strategy. We invite the University community to learn more about USF IT by visiting it.usf. edu. We re hosting a variety of events this FY including our 2nd Annual Technology Fair in the Marshall Student Center in September, as well as activities in support of National Cyber Security Awareness month in October. We hope to see everyone during our events and look forward to networking with you throughout the FY! Sincerely, Mike Pearce

2 Student Success Increased UStoreFiles to 4 gigs per student Further developed MyUSF and iusf Customer Service Implemented ServiceNow Implemented Change Management Administrative Effectiveness Established Business Intelligence Advisory group to define BI process Research IT Achievements 2012 Creating a statewide infrastructure in support of SSERCA Opened the Advanced Visualization Center June 2012 Communication Strategy Higher Education Enterprise Mobile App Conference Created 75 new team sites in Share Point to enhance departmental collaboration IT Infrastructure Wireless network has been expanded to an additional 11 buildings and 3 outdoor areas Governance & Funding Expanded the use of Project Management tools in IT. Employee Recruiting, Retention, & Development Reclassification of job titles for IT teams is nearly complete IT staff participated in a variety of conferences and speaking engagements Support Services Help Desk, ServiceNow, and TechSmart Support Services is one of the largest areas in Information Technology. Under the umbrella includes the USF Computer Store, IT Help Desk and Service Center, Software Engineering, IT Service Management, and Workstation Support for the Tampa campus. Craig Woolley, Assistant Vice President of Administration and Support Services, is keeping busy with his hands in all these areas. This last year has been really exciting, as we close out a lot of projects as we start a lot of new ones, says Craig. New projects include assisting with the brand new SMART Lab located on the second floor of the Library. With 330 new computers, 13 collaborative spaces, including interactive white boards, Craig s staff has kept busy leading up to the unveiling. Eric [Pergola], Patrick [Sebesta], and Jason [Hair] worked tirelessly the last few months to get the Lab environment ready and to make the user experience fun and easy. They really did a fantastic job and I couldn t be prouder of my team. The new computers are using advanced technology that provides a more flexible learning environment. ServiceNow, USF s service management software, was a new addition in Students, faculty, and staff will see the new interface when they log on to submit a help ticket. There is easier tracking of incidents and reporting features. Students walking through the Marshall Center may have also seen TechSmart pop up across from the Computer Store. Through a partnership between the Computer Store and Student Government, TechSmart was born. Students can utilize the services here: Printing, Help Desk, and Service Center in one location. They can print posters for clubs and organizations, classes, and projects, while personal computers are fixed or passwords reset. There are a lot of great services on campus that students should be aware of, says Craig Woolley, The Computer Store has such great, competitive pricing, and they can t be beat. Microsoft Office for $15? That s phenomenal and we were able to get those prices for our students. When asked what other services Craig wanted USF to know about, he immediately pointed out the Service Center. Located on the 6th floor of the Library, the Service Center is open Monday through Friday during business hours and is where students, faculty, and staff can drop off their personal computers for service. They work on all makes and models and will diagnose your computer s problems efficiently and effectively. When you purchase certain packages from the Computer Store, your warranty is covered at the Service Center. The IT Help Desk is also making positive waves these days. In addition to staying very busy with the first week of classes, they are staffing more and more students to answer your tickets, phone calls, and questions. By employing students, IT is able to learn a lot from them while training them in new skills like customer service and technology. They become well trained and sought after once they graduate from USF. So many of our graduating students get great, full-time jobs with large companies like Microsoft, Sypris Electronics, and other security companies, stated Craig. The next year should be very exciting for Support Services as they continue to enhance many of our favorite services around campus, and begin the process of bringing new ones to our students, faculty, and staff! 2

3 TechSmart TechSmart, a new service on campus, has a new website! TechSmart is a partnership between USF IT and Student Government giving students increased access to printing, the Help Desk, and tech support. Visit usf.edu/techsmart for more info. New Process for USF Beginning August 6, departments can begin issuing purchase orders to the USF Computer Store using the FAST requisitioning process. The Computer Store will continue to provide quotes to departments looking to make technology purchases, but will now be approved by Purchasing. This new process will help reduce the manual work behind the scenes to a more streamlined process for both parties. Departments will still be able to use Pcards. Back to School Sale August is Back to School month! A variety of specials will be running all month! You can take advantage now! Check out different bundles we ve put together and special education pricing only available to faculty, staff, and students. Now is the time to look into upgrading your home computer or laptop! usf.edu/computerstore twitter.com/usfcompstore facebook.com/usfcomputerstore 3

4 What s Up with IT Staff? Ashlee Nuehauser, Project Management Office [ ] OPS are doing real world hands-on activities. That s one of the great aspects of working with IT; students are making themselves more marketable once they graduate. - Jenny Paulsen Senior Director Ashlee Nuehauser has worked for Information Technology for 2 years as a student assistant in the Project Management Office. Reporting to Catherine Nivison and Christopher Teeples, Ashlee provided support for her coworkers, took meeting notes, and managed projects in Microsoft Project by updating schedules and putting together presentations. The Project Management Office in IT coordinates and tracks many of IT s projects across the Tampa campus. The office handles timelines, resources, scopes, and project budgets, and provides updates when necessary. Ashlee graduated with her Bachelor s in Accounting in May and had a Project Analyst job lined up with Ultimate Medical Academy in Tampa almost immediately. The skills she acquired during her time with IT helped prepare her for a new career she did not even know was possible. I ve learned more about Excel and Microsoft Project than I thought possible, says Ashlee on the skills she developed in the last two years with IT. Catherine said of Ashlee, Her business background was definitely a factor in why she was so successful, [she] showed up with a professional attitude and seemed eager to learn. Those are qualities we re looking for. Ashlee s role helped prepare her for life after graduation because she was able to gain real-world experience with hands on activities; she worked in the system, worked closely with IT s directors and staff to refine projects, and even was able to participate in Microsoft Project training. I didn t realize the opportunities in the field [of project management] until I started looking, and I m excited to start, Ashlee said of her new role at Ultimate Medical Academy. Her best advice for students at USF? Take advantage of the learning experiences here and go outside of your comfort zone. By Alisha Ales 4

5 Events USF Technology Fair The 2nd Annual Technology Fair was held on September 21st at the Marshall Center and was a success! The lobby was packed with students, faculty, and staff collecting stamps and winning prizes. National Cyber Security Awareness Month USF IT is hosting events the whole month of October in honor of National Cyber Security Awareness Month! Join the conversation by participating in the Cyber Security Poster and Video Contest (bit.ly/ocko91)! The winners can receive up to a $100 VISA gift card! Deadline to submit is Higher Education Enterprise Mobile App Conference HEEMAC, the Higher Education Enterprise Mobile App Conference, is coming to USF! If you re interested in the development of mobile applications for higher ed, this is the conference for you! 5

6 Change Management New Strategies for Better Service Did you know... All the USF business systems have scheduled maintenance windows, so if they need to be worked on, there is a set time every week IT can bring down the system with minimal disruption to courses or business? It s true! The calendar is posted to the IT homepage and is updated on a consistent basis. What does this have to do with Change Management? That s a great question! Change Management was in implemented in Spring 2012 to help IT and other organizations that utilize the business systems, like FAST, GEMS, Blackboard, and OASIS, to efficiently manage changes to the system. Meaning, everyone will be communicating more effectively when administrators need to utilize a maintenance window. Change Management reviews the planned maintenance, who it will affect, what other systems might be affected, and can anticipate any challenges that may arise because of the maintenance. This new system also helps to reduce the amount of unplanned downtime of systems. That sounds easy enough, how does it work? Another great question! Some changes to systems are deemed routine and authorization to perform these changes is granted to the department. If the change is considered significant, the changes are evaluated by the Change Advisory Board. This board is made up of representatives from all over IT, and they meet once a week to discuss upcoming maintenance. Contributor: Mike Sink The Application Gateway I wish this software wasn t so expensive, said no USF student ever. Why? Because our students are using the Application Gateway at apps.usf.edu! Still relatively new to USF, many incoming students are unaware they can use premiere software whenever they want, wherever they are, from any device - FOR FREE. Software packages include Adobe Master Collection, which includes Photoshop, InDesign, Flash, Dreamweaver, and more, Microsoft Office, SAS, CHEMCAD, ArcGIS, MATLAB, and over 40 other programs. Apps.usf.edu works with your browser any browser, by logging in with your NetID. It s that simple. Students can also use their S drive to save their work so they can access it from any device. Visit apps.usf.edu for more information. 6

7 Technology Fee USF is currently in the beginning of its fourth cycle of the Technology Fee project funding. The revenue from this fee shall be used to enhance instructional technology for students and faculty at USF. These projects are proposed by USF students, faculty, and staff and are designed to enhance USF life on all campuses. To date 278 proposals have been submitted totaling $82 million. Over 45% of those have been funded costing $31 million. EYE ON IT Security Awareness Visit the IT Security page for tips on how to stay safe online. Latest editions include: do s and don ts Using the cloud safely Tech-support phone call scam Metadata System Maintenance Visit it.usf.edu for more info on the proposals. Editor s Note IT accomplished so much in ! In addition to the events we coordinated, technology on campus continued to grow at a rapid pace. Classrooms all over campus received technology upgrades, giving faculty and students access to new and state-of-the-art projectors, laptops, and SMART Boards. Most importantly (according to our students) the wireless network continues to expand all over campus, even the Botanical Gardens was recently outfitted based on student demand. The academic year has just started and IT is ready to face new opportunities and challenges ahead. MyUSF & Blackboard Fridays 12:01am - 5:00am Research Computing Services Thursdays 10:00pm - 1:00am OASIS Sundays 4:00am - 12:00pm GEMS/FAST Sundays 4:00am - 12:00pm Forest Domain/Exchange Servers Saturdays 11:59pm - 9:00am Thanks for checking us out! Alisha Ales ales@usf.edu 7

8 IT Help Desk FAQs from you! Who can access USF-GOLD wireless network? USF-GOLD and USF networks are available to all students, faculty, and staff with a valid NetID. They can be accessed by any mobile device with a wireless connection. The USF network requires the user to register once per semester and is not encrypted. USF- GOLD requires a little more configuration (found here) and you are not required to re-register. USF-GOLD also features WPA or WPA2 encryption. How can guests of USF access the wireless network? Guests of USF that do not have a NetID can still access the wireless network free of charge. Open the list of wireless connections on your device and select USF-Guest. Once connected, you will be directed to the Guest Registration Page. Once you complete the registration page, you will have access to the network for 24 hours. More information. Where can I print on campus? Finding places to print on campus is very easy! All students receive an allotment of $2.50 per day to use at the labs and printing stations all over campus. Students can print in the Library, Marshall Center, and Engineering, plus several more locations. Students can also use their free printing dollars at TechSmart towards posters! View all locations here. What is an ADR? ADR is an acronym for authorized department representative. An ADR is someone in a department who can request the creation of, changes to, and removal of domain accounts (example: Forest accounts). They can also request access to network drives and printers for others in their department. Where can I download antivirus for my computer? The antivirus software, Symantec Endpoint Protection, is available for download to all faculty, staff, and students with a valid NetID. You can download this program on any personal Windows-based computer for free of charge. Keep your computers safe! Download Symantec. USF Information Technology Contact Information Information Technology it.usf.edu Classroom Technology usf.edu/cts USF Computer Store computerstore.usf.edu USF IT Security security.usf.edu Technical Support Telephone Online - it.usf.edu/help Walk In - LIB 117 Special Thanks Alisha Ales Kathleen Long Help Desk Staff Osman Rahman Mike Sink Dana West Craig Woolley 8