IM&T Blog at UNC

Receive Helpful Information, Outage & Maintenance Details, and Support Tips by Following the Technical Support Center on Twitter and Facebook

2011-08-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Technical Support Center (TSC) has a few important updates we have made to improve our support options. To expand our support options we are now using Facebook and Twitter to deliver helpful information, outage & maintenance details and support tips. Our Facebook page can be found by searching for UNC Tech Support within Facebook or by going directly to www.facebook.com/UNCTechSupport. Once you have accessed the Facebook you will need to select the “Like” option to receive our posts. You can also follow our updates on Twitter by navigating to http://Twitter.com/UNC_TSC and selecting the follow option.

InSight News Listserv

2011-07-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

The InSight News Listserv has been created in effort to inform you of what is happening with the InSight Reporting Portal. Through this listserv you will be informed when new reports are available, reports have been modified, and when reports are ready for review, as well as other information about InSight and reporting.

Attempt will be made to keep the number of emails you receive to a minimum.

If you would like to join this listserv, please subscribe by sending an email to listserv@listserv.unco.edu. Do not put anything in the subject line and delete your email signature if you have one. Type in the body of the email, "subscribe INSIGHT-NEWS" (without quotations). You will receive information about how to send to the list, how to contact the list owner, and how to unsubscribe from the list.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

2011-04-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

Come join IM&T in their second annual shred fest, happening TODAY from 11-1 on the East side of Kepner/Carter Hall Parking Lot. This would be a great chance to get rid of any outdated or sensitive personal of office paperwork in a secure way, at no cost to you!

Not only will you be able to get rid of sensitive documents that have been taking up too much space in your office or home, but you will also be entered into a raffle to win a prize! IM&T is giving away an IPod Nano, ITunes gift card, laptop accessory kits, t-shirts, mugs, hats, shoulder bags AND MORE!

We’ll see you TODAY from 11am-1pm!

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2nd Annual Shred Fest!!!

2011-04-15T08:49:00.001-07:00

Information Management and Technology and College Credit Union are proud to present the second annual Shred Fest 2011! Next Friday the 22nd, Earth Day, bring your documents to Kepner parking lot during our mass shredding event! Enter in a raffle to win one of several amazing giveaways!

No amount is too big or too small! Please ensure that items you would like to shred follow the your team and the state's document retention guidelines:

http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/rm/rmman/sch8.pdf

We hope to see you there!

Course Evaluations & EvaluationKIT Reminder

2011-04-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

Almost one year ago the UNC IM&T department implemented another method to gather Course Evaluations. EvaluationKIT is an exciting, online method of capturing Course Evaluation responses that is also easier on our environment. Did you know that each year, the colleges and departments of UNC purchase and use approximately 60,000 forms? That’s a lot of paper. Not to mention, someone has to take all of those 60,000 forms and get them scanned… labor intensive and bad for the environment.

A few years ago, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CETL) responded to faculty requests and put together a pilot using EvaluationKIT. The pilot proved to be successful and compatible with Banner and Blackboard. Extended Studies, CETL and IM&T are hoping that colleges and departments will voluntarily adopt the use of this new technology.

Colleges and departments who voluntarily use EvaluationKIT will have a lot of benefits. They will no longer have to pay for the OMR forms (bubble sheets), they will receive technical support and pedagogical evaluation assistance by request, they will be assured that only one evaluation will be accepted per enrolled student per course, they will be able to manage their own survey and get direct access to their college and department results only, and also be able to provide their students with a common experience. If you are having trouble with students filling out evaluations, you might want to think about offering extra points for them if they do it online, or book a lab during the last week of class and require students to fill them out while there.

If you would like to use EvaluationKIT or you need help using EvaluationKIT, please call the Technical Support Center at (970)351-4357(HELP).

The Rumors are TRUE!!! New MacBook Pros are Arriving on Campus SOON!

2011-02-25T11:04:00.000-08:00

Have you heard the rumors about the new MacBook Pro? Well, IM&T is excited to bring you this exclusive update about their availability to purchase RIGHT HERE ON CAMPUS! Yesterday, Apple confirmed the rumors and released its new line of MacBook Pros and they will be available for purchase at BearLogic in the University Center sometime next week. This year marks a significant revamping of MacBook Pro, especially in the 15 and 17 inch computers. The new MacBook Pro boasts its sleek, compact design and usual speeds and feeds along with many new features. The biggest “upgrades” that you will notice are the addition of Intel’s Sandy Bridge processor, Facetime-enabled HD camera, high-speed Thurnderbolt I/O port (reportedly 12 times faster than Firewire) and AMD graphics.

Here’s some in depth information of the fantastic feautures, add-ons and upgrades you will find with the new MacBook Pros.

The Facetime camera was launched by Apple last October, but the latest MacBook Pros are equipped with even better HD cameras for video chat. This camera has, reportedly, three times the resolution of last year’s models. The new MacBook Pros boast better basic specs than their predecessors.

The I/O technology known as Thurderbolt can support transfer speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second and also supports PCI Express, Firewire, USB and gigabit Ethernet using adapters. The jack itself resembles a DisplayPort and can connect to external monitors. Don’t forget that adapters are required for HDMI, DVI and VGA formats. The goal for Apple and Intel is to have other devices implement Thunderbolt to take advantage of those fast speeds

The new MacBook Pro is also including an SDXC memory card slot. Although the cards are extremely expensive, the SDXC slot can support existing SD memory cards as well.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro has exchanged the previous Intel's Core 2 Duo processor in favor of either a 2.3 GHz Core i5 or 2.7 GHz Core i7 on Intel's Sandy Bridge platform. Hard drives start at 320 GB instead of 250 GB. You will still get 4 GB of DDR3 RAM, which is the same as last year’s models, but it's even a little faster at 1333 MHz instead of 1066 MHz.

The basic 15-inch model changed from last year's dual-core Intel Core i5 processor to a quad-core 2.0 GHz Core i7 Sandy Bridge processor. The smallest available hard drive is now 500 GB instead of 320 GB. As with the 13-inch model, the base RAM is only slightly differs.

The 17-inch model also uses a new quad-core with a 2.2 GHz Core i7 Sandy Bridge processor in the standard configuration. Basic storage capacity has increased from 500 GB to 750 GB. The RAM will be the same as the other models that are available.

(See Apple’s website for a full spec comparison.)

Even with all of these awesome add-ons and upgrades, the new MacBook Pros have not gone up in pricing, and remember that you will get a special higher education pricing if you purchase from BearLogic on campus!

For further questions or to “test drive” a new MacBook Pro when they make their debut in the store next week, head over to the University Center and speak with one of their knowledgeable employees.

Technical Support- You Asked, We Listened.

2011-02-17T10:37:00.001-08:00

You have asked, and we have listened. The Technical Support Center has expanded its on-campus staffing and hours of operation. When you dial 970-351-HELP (4357) you will speak with an on-campus representative during the following hours:

Monday-Thursday: 7am-10pm

Friday: 7am-5pm

Saturday-Sunday: 10am-7pm

*Holidays and University closures excluded

The updated hours of operation, previously supported in part by an off-campus company, have been identified as critical to the support needs of the campus community. Based on your feedback, we found that the service of the off-campus organization was not meeting your needs. These results indicated that our on-campus student and full-time staff better understand and meet your technical needs and expectations. To ensure we capitalize on this success our on-campus services will be staffed mainly by UNC students. This will allow more UNC students the opportunity to learn important professional skills such as customer service, technical troubleshooting and problem solving skills.

The campus community also identified that it was critical to the academic mission that we maintain the availability of technical support representatives 24/7/365. To achieve this, the remaining hours not staffed by on-campus UNC personnel will be facilitated by an answering service. This group will document your support request and notify on-site staff for troubleshooting and resolution. We have limited the use of this group to hours were less than 3% of our total telephone contact is made. An additional benefit of this updated support model is that we will be able to avoid any increase to our existing cost model.

We want to ensure that our services align with your needs and believe that our updated on-campus model will bring us closer to this goal. By utilizing our students as a primary resource and expanding our on-campus hours we will improve your technical support experience while decreasing the cost of continuous support to the institution.

Have you got your shopping fix for the holidays? Gift cards burning a hole in your pocket?

2011-01-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

The holidays have come and gone. It’s the New Year now! One of your resolutions may be to get back in shape after partaking in some serious holiday binge eating (but wait… isn’t round a shape?). Or maybe your resolution is to rein in on your spending; after all, Christmas shopping has a strange way of draining checking accounts. Now that all the “day-after” shopping sprees are over, like Black Friday, where can you find the flying-off-the-shelf deals? Maybe you were just naughty this year and Santa found out and didn’t get you that sweet techie device that you wanted for Christmas. Well we know of a friendly little store in the UC where you can spend the gift cards and cash that your family gave you for the holidays: Bear Logic! If you don’t have any money to spend, at least come in and check out the new renovations. Bear Logic is supported by the UNC Information and Management Technology department and is the not-for-profit resource for the tech tools you need to succeed in the University setting. You will find a great variety of computers, software, printers, and accessories all at special academic pricing. Translation: MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK and you can justify the big purchase to your parents or significant other. Bear Logic accepts cash, check, Visa, MasterCard and Discover. They also offer great payment deferral options so you can pay over the next six months, interest free. Below is just a small sampling of some of the great techie devices and accessories that they have in stock and ready to be put to use by YOU this semester!
iPod
2GB iPod Shuffle $49
8GB iPod Nano $149
16GB iPod Nano $179
iPod Classic $249
8GB iPod Touch $229
32BG iPod Touch $299
64GB iPod Touch $399

Wi-Fi iPad
16GB $499
32GB $599
64GB $699

Wi-Fi + 3G iPad
16GB $629
32GB $729
64GB $829

Accessories for your iPad
Keyboard Dock $69
Case $39
Dock $29
USB Power Adaptor $29
Dock Connector to VGA $29

Gaming Consoles
Wii $199
Xbox 360 $199

Software
Acrobat 10 $55
Endnote $199
Finale 2011 $279

Adobe Creative Suite starts at just $199 for student and teacher licensing.

If you have any questions, you can visit Bear Logic’s website at http://www.unco.edu/bearlogic/index.html. The staff at Bear Logic is knowledgeable and ready and willing to help you will all of your tech needs.

Xtender- What is it and What's New?

2010-12-30T11:51:00.001-08:00

On December 18th, Information Management and Technology upgraded to the newest version of EMC ApplicationXtender, more commonly known as Xtender throughout campus.

Not sure what Xtender is? Xtender is an instant document management solution that minimizes the costs and risks of paper while increasing productivity by streamlining the capture and management of documents. Xtender scans, stores, retrieves, and preserves information, while providing role-based access from either a desktop interface or web browser.

For those of you who are “technologically challenged” and still aren’t quite sure as to what I am talking about, Xtender is the application that a number of the departments here at UNC use to scan documents. Currently, Accounts Payable, Human Resources, Financial Services, the President’s Office, Financial Aid, Admissions, Graduate School, Academic Support & Advising, Center for International Education, Register/Records, Accounts Receivable, Card Office, Health Center, Department of Teacher Education, Academic Support & Advising, Payroll Services, and Institutional Reporting and Analysis (among others) are actively using Xtender.

The recent upgrade took our version of Xtender from 5.4 to the new major release of 6.50. This upgrade was necessary to provide all the new features that they have to offer as well as receive extended support. This upgrade is part of our annual maintenance agreement and came at no extra cost to the University.

Xtender is now certified to run with Windows 7, while WebXtender can run with Internet Explorer 8.0. Xtender will also now display PDF documents created with Adobe version 9.0 or 9.1

Some exciting new features that come with the upgrade are that you will be able to:

• Rotate Pages and Save Rotated Image

• Reorder pages within a document

• Copy or Move Pages to New Batch

• See That Page Thumbnails have been redesigned

One of the most exciting features that the upgrade has to offer is that Xtender will be accessible from URSA with Single-Signon! Beginning with this release, Xtender users will be able to sign on to URSA, and launch Xtender without having to sign in again. This direct link will perform in the same way Banner can be launched from URSA without having to authenticate again.

You may be asking yourself, “will this new version require any retraining or change the way I scan, index or view documents?” You will be thrilled to know that Xtender users will find no major changes to methods of document scanning, indexing or retrieval. However, this new version includes new features outlined in this document that provide significant improvement in the functionality of Xtender.

Xtender is available for all faculty and staff to use on campus, and if you would like to get it set up on your computer or throughout your department, just submit a work order through the Technical Support Center at 351-HELP.

Happy Holidays, or are they….?

2010-12-21T10:21:00.000-08:00

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), approximately ten million Americans have their identity stolen each year, with the majority of these thefts taking place over the holiday season. As more business is being done online and sensitive data being stored on personal computers, the risk of fraud has increased exponentially. The holiday shopping season makes the risks even higher as online retailers provide large discounts to attract buyers who are searching for the best deals. While shoppers look forward to these bargains, identity thieves are even more eager to steal the plethora of personal information that will be shared between consumers and businesses. While technology can help these buyers reach potential purchases and find those great bargains, it also makes them more vulnerable to identity theft and scams.

Unfortunately, no one is immune to these types of crimes and they can have a tremendous impact on your finances long after the holidays are over. The rush of the holiday season can make it a busy time for identity thieves but shoppers can take simple steps to help guard their personal information. If you see any suspicious activity or feel you have become the victim of identity theft, you should report it as soon as possible.

Most of the time people don't realize their passwords or credit card numbers have been stolen until it is too late. The information is harvested by spyware, viruses, phishing attacks, and other malicious programs and then shared with other hackers or sold online through underground websites. Here are 10 tips on protecting your identity during the holidays, written by Jessica L. Behunin, CISSP ®, IT Security Analyst in the Information Management and Technology Department at UNC.

Shop smart - When shopping, limit the credit cards you carry and don't take extras. Leave your Social Security card, birth certificate and passport at home.

Keep receipts and check your statements - For post-holiday statements; be sure to examine every charge on your statement before paying. Your receipts provide a great cross-reference check and guard against suspicious activity. Remember, by law, you have 30 days from the date of your statement to notify your financial institution of any discrepancies, otherwise you can be liable for any purchases made.
Protect computer prior to online shopping - Make sure your security patch and antivirus software is updated regularly. Consider purchasing technology that protects against potential viruses that threaten your identity.

Watch where you shop online - Always check for the lock icon on the website's browser status bar, which signals a secure site that is safe for transactions. If you have never heard of a website before, check to make sure it has security precautions in place and that it is not a fake website set up by identity thieves.

Don't write a check - give cash or a gift card. All of the information on a check, such as your name, signature, address and other information, can be used by thieves to steal your identity.

Shred documents with personally identifiable information, preferably using a security micro-cut shredder.

Strengthen passwords - so that they will not be easily cracked by hackers. Use strong passwords with at least eight characters, including a combination of letters, numbers and symbols that are easy for you to remember, but difficult for predators to pounce upon.

Watch your purse/wallet at parties - restaurants, fitness clubs, shopping carts or your car.

Don't take the bait on phishing scams - and beware of shoulder surfing (when a thief looks over your shoulder while you're at an ATM, either directly or via a camera).

Stop mail, newspaper delivery if traveling during the holidays.

These are just a few simple steps you can take to protect yourself over this holiday season and make sure that it is a good one!

Employee Spotlight: Sam Penn

2010-09-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

Sam Penn, a Colorado Native, was originally born in Englewood, Colorado. He attended college, right here, at the University of Northern Colorado. Sam graduated with his B.A. in 1996 and his M.A. in 2002. He is currently the Manager for the Learning Management System (Blackboard) and the Technical Support Center. He began working for the IM&T department as a student in 1997 and has been here ever since.

He is married with twins. Their names are Abby and Luke and they are 2 years old.

His favorite thing about working for IM&T is the people that he works with, from the clients to our staff. If he could trade jobs with anyone in the world, it would be Tim Tebow because he will spend two years getting paid a ton to hold a clipboard and learn.

His advice to the readers is to have fun!

Employee Spotlight: Ben Jenkins

2010-09-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

Ben Jenkins is originally from Golden, Colorado and works as a University Aide in Network Communications in the IM&T department. Ben graduated from UNC in May with a double major in accounting and CIS. He also played basketball at UNC last year. He was the Vice President of Beta Alpha Psi, a professional accounting organization. He has worked for IM&T for a total of almost two years.

Ben’s girlfriend Austyn, pictured with him above, also goes to UNC and will graduate in December. He has a step brother and two step sisters that live in California. Some of his hobbies include basketball and hunting. Ben is currently studying for the CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate). He hopes to use this to expand his knowledge in networking and to use it for his future career. He hopes that he can use it to help the networking team here at UNC.

Ben has two French Brittany dogs, Chance who is 7 months old and Maggie who is 10.

He says that his favorite thing about working for IM&T is the people. He says that he works with a great group of guys who all have a good sense of humor. He loves the team atmosphere.

If he could trade jobs with anyone in the world, it would be Pat Riley- the Miami Heat coach. He would want to coach the kind of talent on his team like Lebron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade.

Employee Spotlight: Jeanette VanGalder

2010-08-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

Jeanette VanGalder is a Colorado native, originally from Trinidad. She is the Chief Information Officer of the Information Management and Technology department. She started in the IM&T department in August of 1980. She is married and has a son, Kevin, and a daughter in law, Erin, who live in Denver. She also has a boxer grand-dog named Diesel.

Jeanette’s favorite hobbies are work, work, work and occasionally she plays golf. She was practically born with a golf club in her hand. Her favorite thing about working in the IM&T department is the staff! She says that she can’t think of anyone she’d like to trade jobs with and that it really scares her because that must mean that she really must like her job!

Employee Spotlight: John Schafluetzel

2010-07-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

John Schafluetzel is a Greeley native where he attended University High School in 1970. The summer after he graduated high school, he began his work here in the I.M.T. department as a student lab assistant. John went to college here at UNC and graduated in 74’ with a degree in business administration & CIS. After graduating college, he went to work for the state division of ADP (their department of I.T.) for a year and a half. He has been back at the UNC I.M.T. department ever since.

John is currently a half time IT Programmer/Analyst, but before that he was an assistant director for I.M.T. John has spent most of his time at work managing operating systems, database administration and operations, and systems programming. He started out as a programmer and his position evolved over 30 years of working for this department. John retired in 2005 with 30 years under his belt… and then came back!

John is married to Sandi and they have been married for 38 years. They have 4 kids, a golden retriever, 3 maltese and a cat…. But he doesn’t acknowledge the cat.

John said that his favorite thing about working for I.M.T. is the challenges. He also really enjoys working with the other people in the department as well as our customers. When asked if he would trade jobs with anyone in the world, he simply said “No, I’m retired.”

Ashley Hubbard

2010-06-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

Ashley is the fourth person from the right. This is a photo of her and her family during an ugly sweater contest... she lost.

Ashley Hubbard is originally from Stockton, California and has one more year left to complete her bachelor’s degree in organismal biology with a minor in environmental studies. She plans to go for her wildlife conservation master’s degree once she graduates.

Ashley is currently the computer lab manager with Information Management and Technology and has been working for this department for the past two years. She likes working with her co-workers because they are all funny. She says that they are good people to joke around with.

Ashley is currently single and has 2 dogs and one EVIL, demon cat.

IF she could trade jobs with anyone in the world, it would be anyone whose job is taste testing beer or ice cream. She loves both, but thinks she would end up being huge if she had one or both of these jobs.

2010-06-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

Did you know that our own, Scott Moellmer, has ridden more than 50,000 miles on his bicycle?

He is originally from Seattle, Washington and went to college at CSU to study Physical Science.

Scott is an I.M.T Professional I, where he works in exam scanning, evaluation processing, monitoring application works, insight, and security access. He gets a lot of face time with the professors and TA’s of the university in the basement of Carter hall. Scott has been working with UNC I.M.T for 29 years and throughout those years, he has really enjoyed working with most of the professors and all of his coworkers.

Scott is married to Patricia and has 2 children. His daughter, Jennifer, is 21 and his son, Michael, is 18. He has two maltee-poo (maltese and poodle mix) and a rotweiler mix dog. He also has a cat and a corn snake. Scott got the corn snake for his 50th birthday and says that it will grow to be 5 feet long in a few short years.

If Scott could trade jobs with anyone in the world, it would be the guy in the goofy suit at Disney World. Except for the humidity and hot suit, it seems like the perfect job to Scott. He wants to let all of the readers know that it is important to learn everything that you can in life, and to be flexible.

Scott wanted to leave you with these words: “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean the cars aren't trying to kill you (words for a bicyclist).”

Employee Spotlight: Jordan Novak

2010-05-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Jordan Novak is originally from Minot, North Dakota, eh?

After growing up and spending his first year of high school in North Dakota, Jordan moved to Loveland and finished high school at Loveland High. After that, he decided to come to UNC for college. Jordan graduated from UNC in 2005 with a degree in business administration with an emphasis on computer information systems.

He currently works for the Information Management Technology department on the URSA team as a web developer. Jordan spends most of his time at work fixing and updating web applications, but he also looks at current applications and where to add to their functionality and fixes account issues. Jordan’s favorite thing about working here is being able to work with his coworkers in achieving high level goals. He really likes the program and the people who work here.

If he could trade jobs with anyone else in the world, he would be a private jet tester because he would just want to fly in private jets all day long and travel the world in luxury. Jordan’s girlfriend is named Kimberli and they live North of Greeley in Nunn. They have two pet mules, (half horse half donkey) names Bert and Ernie. Jordan recently purchased a house in Evans and will be moving in June 3rd! CONGRATS JORDAN!!!

Jordan enjoys four wheeling, playing video games, camping, swimming and pretty much any type of outdoor activity. Some advice that Jordan wants to give everyone reading this article is to “always eat your vegetables!”

Employee Spotlight: Nicki Hessler

2010-05-12T11:49:00.000-07:00

Nicki Hessler is the administrative assistant in the Information Management Technology department and has been working here for one and a half years. She is also a recent graduate in dietetics. Nicki is originally from Sterling, Colorado but lives in Greeley now. She plans on moving to Sterling in July where she will start her internship rotations. Her internship rotations will be in the areas of community, food service and a clinicals. She will be doing this internship in Greeley, Fort Collins, Sterling, Fort Morgan and she must complete 1200 hours. Nicki said that her favorite part of working in IMT is that she gets to work with lots of fun people. If she could trade jobs with anyone in the world (Paul Sharp- sorry, it’s not you…) it would be Jillian off of the biggest Loser because she thinks that Jillian makes a really big difference in people’s lives. Nicki really wants to impact lives like Jillian does. A little known fact about Nicki is that her food can’t touch on her plate or she won’t eat it. Her last day working in IMT will be May 28th and we will all miss her dearly when she leaves for her internship. Her work has been excellent and much appreciated. We all wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors!

Exam Scanning Hours Extended for Finals Week!

2010-04-29T10:36:00.001-07:00

Good news for professors out there who are planning on doing final exams on bubble sheets: The exam scanning hours have been extended during finals week!

Hours for exam scanning while you wait will be extended to 8 am.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, May 3-6, and 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Friday, May 7. Hours will also be extended to 8 a.m.-5 p.m. the following week Monday-Wednesday, May 10-12, to assist faculty with final grade preparation. Hours will return to 8-9 a.m., 11a.m.-1p.m. and 3-4 p.m. starting Thursday, May 13.

We sincerely hope that the extended hours will help professors here at UNC.

iPads @ BearLogic

2010-04-09T09:24:00.001-07:00

Did you know that you can buy the new and highly coveted Apple iPad right here on campus?

The iPad is a revolutionary product at an unbelievable price! The iPad is the best way to experience the web, email, photos, and video. There are three demo iPads on display at Bear Logic in the University Center.

During a press conference just 6 days after iPad’s release, the CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs announced that approximately 450,000 iPads had been sold to date. This product is moving off the shelves faster than stores can get hold of them

Their first shipment of iPad’s came in at Bear Logic last Monday and by Tuesday, they were completely sold out.

You can still make it into the store to check out their new renovations to the retail space and the iPad demos. BearLogic is currently waiting for a shipment from Apple that will bring more iPads. They are taking preorders.

Sydney Specht, a senior elementary education major said that she think’s the iPad’s are really cool. “I’d buy one right now if I could!”

Specht also said that she liked the new layout of the store. “It’s organized, clean, and the staff is really knowledgeable.”

If you’re looking to get a great discount on a Mac computer, BearLogic is featuring a Tax Day Sale. Bear Logic will discount in stock Macbooks by more than 6%! The Tax Day Sale will be taking place on April 15th and 16th and includes all in stock Apple computers, Apple Protection Plan and displays. With the purchase of a Mac computer, you will also receive a free HP printer.

Bear Logic is also excited for the release of Adobe Creative Suite CS5 which is expected to be announced later this month.

Certified Apple Sales Associate, Jordan Metcalf, said that the iPad is a great tool for students to use, but feels that it’s important to check the product out before you buy it to make sure it’s the solution for you.

Jordan and the rest of the staff at BearLogic invite students, faculty members and staff to come into the store and check out the new iPads and store layout.

PUT AWAY THE NO. 2 PENCILS, INSTRUCTOR COURSE EVALUATIONS ARE GOING ONLINE!

2010-03-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

Students, are you sick and tired of completely filling out the bubbles on the sheets used to get and give instructor feedback? Don’t worry about sharpening that No. 2 pencil because many of the instructor evaluation sheets can now be accomplished online, if your instructor chooses to use the new system. UNC’s IT department will be updating the archaic procedure formally called optical mark recognition, more commonly known as bubble sheets, this spring to a new web technology called EvaluationKIT.

Not all classes will be using this new technology this spring, but it is hoped that by the fall many faculty will begin voluntarily using the online course evaluation application. Not only is this a new and exciting technology, but it is also easier on our environment. Did you know that each year, the colleges and departments of UNC purchase and use approximately 60,000 forms? That’s a lot of paper. Not to mention, someone has to take all of those 60,000 forms and get them scanned… labor intensive and bad for the environment

About two years ago, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CETL) responded to faculty requests and put together a pilot using EvaluationKIT. The pilot proved to be successful and compatible with Banner and Blackboard. Extended Studies, CETL and I.T. are hoping that colleges and departments will voluntarily adopt the use of this new technology.

The majority of the funding for activity this came from the technology fee assessed to students and partially from the Center for Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL).

If you’re a faculty member who is interested in using EvaluationKIT, please contact the representative from your college as listed below:

Clinton Harris                                  College of Education & Behavioral Sciences

Deborah Borelli                               Humanities & Social Sciences

Chris Vegter & Janie Voris              Monfort School of Business

Rebecca Croissant                          Natural & Health Sciences

Monica Coverdale                           Performing & Visual Arts

Colleges and departments who voluntarily use EvaluationKIT will have a lot of benefits. They will no longer have to pay for the OMR forms (bubble sheets), they will receive technical support and pedagogical evaluation assistance by request, they will be assured that only one evaluation will be accepted per enrolled student per course, they will be able to manage their own survey and get direct access to their college and department results only and also be able to provide their students with a common experience.

Let’s simplify things and lend a hand to our environment!

UNC I.T. Helps to Bring Internet to Rural Schools

2010-03-15T11:48:00.001-07:00

University of Northern Colorado IT department only supports internet services at UNC, right?

WRONG!

Last year, UNC partnered with CBOCES (the Centennial Board of Cooperative Educational Services) to bring internet to rural school communities such as Kersey, Ault and Gilcrest. CBOCES is an organization which provides cost effective, shared educational services and programs for 15 member school districts located in the Northern Colorado counties of Larimer, Weld, Morgan and Boulder. Their mission is to provide value-added resources that enrich educational opportunities for all students though collaboration.

One of the reasons that UNC’s IT department and Enrollment Management area partnered with CBOCES for this project was to get publicity into schools, promoting UNC and getting their name out to students so it is at the top of their mind as a choice for higher education. The internet service that UNC provides for these schools is called EAGLE-Net and it provides K-12 schools access to Internet 2 which is an education and research network. EAGLE-Net is short for the Educational Access Gateway Learning Environment Network and is a Colorado cost-sharing, non-profit consortium. EAGLE-Net provides educational benefits and services to connected Colorado school districts. UNC’s IT department is enabling the access for a technology-rich and quality education to students in Kersey, Ault and Gilcrest. These students would not be able to connect to Internet 2 without the collaboration and help of UNC and CBOCES.

Antivirus and Firewall Protection for UNC Faculty, Staff and Students at NO ADDITIONAL COST!

2010-03-09T11:16:00.000-08:00

Do your personal computer a favor and not only read this blog, but put the information to action! Malware such as viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, adware, bots, zero-day threats and rootkits are just waiting for the opportune moment to strike your personal computer and crash it. Well, don’t worry because UNC’s Information Technology department has your back! You can forget about paying the $49.95 (give or take) to renew the AntiVirus software on your computer and take advantage of the Symantec download that the University is offering at NO ADDITIONAL COST!

UNC’s IT department has recently made Symantec available for download to your personal computer, which will help ward away attacks from nasty malware. Symantec is new AntiVirus software that is now available to faculty, staff and students at UNC on URSA. This new software integrates essential technologies such as antivirus, antispyware, firewall, intrusion prevention, device and application control.

It is important to download this software because it will help protect your personal computer as well as protecting UNC’s network.

To download Symatec to your personal computer, just log into URSA, go to either the employee or student tab, and you will find a link to download this protective software. It gives you a choice to download either 32 or 64 bit, depending on the architecture of your computer. If you are unsure of the artitecture of your computer, go to “My Computer” and then click on“Properties.” It should tell you what type of operating system you have, either 32 or 64 bit.

Be sure to take advantage of Symantec to protect your investment!

Employee Spotlight: Paul Sharp

2010-03-05T10:08:00.000-08:00

This week the Information Technology department is spotlighting Paul Sharp. He is the director of client services and his office in the University Center, although he is often found in many other parts of the University of Northern Colorado’s campus. Paul has been working at UNC for more than 25 years. He really enjoys working for IT because he gets to work on a lot of different types of technology. If he could trade jobs with anyone in the world, he would trade with his father because he is retired.

Paul is happily married with 2 kids.

Being a Pilot: A Small Headache for the Greater Good

2010-03-02T08:40:00.000-08:00

Chances are that you have been asked to be part of a pilot group at one point or another during your professional career. You may have even refused to take part because you didn’t want to deal with the inconveniences and headaches that participating in a pilot group can bring.

For those of you reading who might not know what a pilot group is, I will explain it now. A pilot group is also referred to as a pilot experiment, a pilot study, or just a pilot. According to Wikipedia, it is basically a small-scale preliminary study conducted before the main research in order to check the feasibility or to improve the design of the research. They are usually put together to avoid time and money being wasted on an inadequately designed project. A pilot is often used to test the design of the full-scale experiment so that adjustments can be made before rolling out the new project. The pilot participants have a vital role in critiquing the design so the design group can then make the changes necessary to make the change as painless as possible.

The IT department is often looking for people to test out new applications or changes to the ones that are already in use. Some of the applications that have been tested in a pilot group before being introduced to the rest of the UNC community include Windows 7, Office 2010, Apple 10.6OS, Internet Explorer 8, Thinapp Software Virtualizations, Grader, Academic Alert, Banner 8 and most recently MidTerm Grades and HP Thin-Clients.

On Friday, it was agreed upon that I would be a part of the HP Thin-Client pilot group. When I came into work this morning, I noticed that something giant and archaic was missing from my desk: my CPU (central processing unit). It was replaced by a smaller piece of equipment that was hiding behind my computer screen and was about the size of a Cheese-It box (regular, not family sized). Excited to be a part of cutting edge technology I tried to log on to my computer. It didn’t work the way that it normally did. Was I frustrated? Not really… Inconvenienced? Maybe just a little. So, I called tech support and they literally came running to my office to show me how it worked. After a two minute tutorial, things began to run smoothly. The tech support group asked me to keep a log of things that I noticed were different or more difficult. They want to know the bad things about Thin-Clients so that they can analyze and fix the problems before they are rolled out to a larger group. At the end of the day, I guess I don’t mind having a couple inconveniencing minutes to help improve a process and save other people from experiencing the same problems. I also really enjoy getting personalized support and learning the system a step ahead of everyone else.

If you’re a person who usually has trouble adapting to new technology, you are the perfect person to participate in a pilot. If you are a person who likes to be a step ahead of your colleagues, you are the perfect person to participate in a pilot. If you are uber-critical about new processes, you are the perfect person to participate in a pilot.

So, next time you are asked to participate in a pilot, say yes! Change can be difficult, but if you participate in a pilot you can help make change a positive thing.

Employee Spotlight: Jennifer Rasmuson

2010-02-26T09:48:00.000-08:00

If you've ever been in the University Center, you have probably passed by Jennifer at least once. She is the Manager of BearLogic and has been working in UNC's IT department for five years. She obtained her undergraduate degree in marketing and then went on to complete her M.B.A. BearLogic currently employs eight people and Jennifer says her favorite part about her job is getting to work with students because "it keeps you young!" She thinks the most challenging part of her job is the fast pace in which technology changes. It can be hard to stay up with the newest trends. She also thinks that following the acronyms and "crazy tech talk" that her peers use can be hard because she does not consider herself to be a "techie." If Jennifer could trade jobs with anyone, it would be Michelle Obama because, "it's like being the President of the United States but without the extreme pressure." She thinks it would also fulfill her need to rule the world. "If I'm gonna shoot big, i should go REALLY big."

She wants people reading this to know that BearLogic is a non-profit retail store. It is not state funded. That's why students are able to get such great prices on all the the tech gear sold there. Any money made from BearLogic goes to the university general fund where it helps to keep students employed, among other things. "You have to buy this stuff anyways, so you might as well buy it as BearLogic and keep a student working! At the end of the day, the money you spend at BearLogic will come back to you in some say," said Jennifer.

Jennifer has a husband, Craig, who was the coach for UNC's basketball team for seven years. They have two awesome kids, Ella, who is 13 and Mitch, who is nine.

BANNER 8 UPGRADE: The "Rest" of the Story

2010-02-24T10:18:00.000-08:00

You've heard about the Banner 8 upgrade and you know you have been affected by it, but do you really know what went into the planing and implementation of this project that was rolled out on budget and on time?

The short window of time that the system was down was just the tip of the iceberg for the University of Northern Colorado's Information Technology Department to roll out the Banner upgrade. It took months of planning, assembling and testing before the three day conversion that the university members saw on January 30th-February 1st.

The Banner product is used at More than 1,000 colleges and universities throughout the United States. Some colleges and universities have not upgraded to Banner 8 yet, but they are well on their way. The company that wrote Banner (SunGard) required all universities and colleges to upgrade by April 2011.

The Information Technology department began this project in July of 2009. It all started by researching how other universities make the conversion, taking the lessons learned from other institutions and applying them to make our upgrade smoother. After understanding the difficulties that other universities faced with Banner 8 and reading the documentation, IT staff had to build the 30+ servers it actually takes to run Banner. After assembling the server, test plans were written by IT and other departments. then the Banner 8 software was installed on the servers. After months of constructing a test environment, the Information Technology department asked Payroll, Accounts Receivable, HR, Accounting, the Registrar's office, Admissions, and other departments to conduct their tests to verify that Banner 8 was working correctly. Finally, after everything was tested, the Banner 7 information was transferred to Banner 8 and it was ready for faculty, staff and students to use.

All in all, the time, research, and effort put into this project was quite substantial and affected many people from the university. Many of the 70+ staff members in Information Technology worked on this project diligently for more than six months, as did personnel from Payroll, Accounts Receivable, HR, Accounting, the Registrar's office and Admissions.

Next time the UNC's systems are down for maintenance, you can bet that staff members have been putting in a lot of extra time and effort to make sure the maintenance or transition goes smoothl

If you have any questions about the Banner 8 conversion, you can call technical support at 351-HELP.

Employee Spotlight: Heath Moore

2010-02-19T07:54:00.000-08:00

Heath is originally from Longmont, Colorado and has been working at UNC's IT department since November. He currently maintains and installs smart classroom technologies. His favorite thing about working for IT is that he can help students in their learning process by keeping the smart classrooms up and running. When there's a problem with a smart classroom, he's a man to fix it! He loves contributing to education, "even if it's just a little thing like fixing a problem with the smart classroom." I asked him, "if you could trade jobs with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?" To which he replied, "Well... I think my boss is going to read this, so I'm going to say that I don't want to change my job with anyone!" Then he thought for a moment and said, "Pat Boland, so i could own the Denver Broncos!" One of his favorite quotes is, "Be patient with the new guy, he's trying to learn as fast as he can." Heath is married to his high school sweetheart, has 3 great boys and a dog named Lilli.

Reader Spotlight on Abdullah ALbagshi

2010-02-17T11:49:00.001-08:00

Meet Abdullah ALbagshi!!

What year are you at UNC?

Freshman, and honestly, I find it difficult to belong to this place for many reasons. At the top of this list, it's Geographical location.
In Saudi Arabia, I went to an all boys school, so it is different to be in a university where there are more women than men.

What major are you studying?
Right now, i am studying special education, but I'm thinking to change my major to communication disorder or speech debility.

what do you want to do when you graduate?
I will return to Saudi Arabia and find a good job there.

Is there anything you would like to say to the IT department at UNC?
Keep going! Make school easier for us and please be more specific when you explain something. Be patient with international students like me! I have a hard time understanding IT stuff.

Sharepoint- Get With It!

2010-02-15T08:02:00.000-08:00

University of Northern Colorado Colleges and Departments- are you a part of Sharepoint? If you aren't, you really should be. Sharepoint is a versatile technology that UNC faculty and staff can use to increase efficiency of business processes and improve team productivity. It offers tools for collaboration that help people stay connected across organizational and geographic boundaries. Sharepoint can be accessed from any browser, anywhere.

Sharepoint offers a secure single workspace for your college or department to coordinate schedules, recognize birthdays, organize documents and participate in discussions. It will allow you to author and manage documents, let others check out the document before editing, view past revision, and restore previous versions. Sharepoint also offers a place for the colleges and departments, whop have their own site, to participate in forums such as blogs and wikis. This tool will help you to create community within your college or department.

The best part about Sharepoint is that it comes at NO ADDITIONAL COST to faculty and staff members!

If your department or college would like to create their own Sharepoint site, it's as easy as filling out a form and faxing it to the Technical Support Center. Before you know it, your group will have these tools at their fingertips, wherever they can open an Internet browser. To get a copy of the form, go to www.unco.edu/it and click on the "forms" button on the left hand side of the page. Once you are there, click on number "3". Scroll down and click on "Sharepoint", and finally you will be able to open and print the Sharepoint Site Creation Form.

Don't let you college or department go another day without using this collaborative tool that is readily available for your use.

Worms, Spyware, Trojan Horses, Viruses and MORE!

2010-02-09T10:51:00.000-08:00

Does your home computer seem to be running slow? Does it seem to have a mind of its own? If so, your computer may be infected with malware. Malware is short for malicious software which gets installed without your knowledge. Some more common types of malware are viruses, spyware, worms and trojan horses.

To help prevent malware it is important you have a reputable antivirus and keep it updated. Pop-up blockers keep those annoying advertisements from appearing, but they can also stop malware from being downloaded. Other ways to protect your computer are using a personal firewall, keeping Windows updated and knowing the files you share with other are not infected.

Even with all that protection, your computer can still get infected. If you are a member of the UNC community and you suspect your personal computer has malware installed, you may bring your computer to the Information Technology's Bear Logic at the University Center and let our service center fix your computer. The Bear Logic Service Center is very affordable and has all the tools to get your home computer cleaned of malware. For more information about Bear Logic's Service Center, please visit http://www.unco.edu/bearlogic/GeneralArea/service.htm

Self-Paced e-Learning from SAS

2010-01-25T12:56:00.000-08:00

SAS is a software package providing data manipulation, statistical analysis and reporting. SAS is licensed by the university for student use at no cost to the student.

Included in the university license of SAS software is unlimited access to basic SAS Self-Paced e-Learning courses. These web based courses provide instruction on basic SAS software concepts, programming, data manipulation, analysis, and reporting.
Available Courses:
· SAS® Programming 1: Essentials
· SAS® Programming 2: Data Manipulation Techniques
· SAS® Programming Introduction: Basic Concepts
· Advanced SAS® Programming
· Querying, Reporting, and Analyzing Data Using SAS® Enterprise Guide®
To access these courses
· Go to https://support.sas.com/edu/viewmyelearn.html
· Create a SAS profile account using your e-mail address and a password.
· Enter the activation code(s) for each of the desired course(s).

Please call the Technical Support Center at 970.351.4357 in order to obtain the activation code for the desired course you wish to take.

SAS software will be needed to participate in these courses. SAS software can be obtained from The Barnes & Noble College Bookstore or is available in the following Labs:
· Candelaria 0345 PC Lab
· Gunter 1530 Lab, 1700 Lab
· University Center Computer Commons Lab

If your browser questions a website's security, stop, think and verify

2010-01-19T09:41:00.000-08:00

When visiting the "https" secure sites of banks and online shopping retailers, you may see an onscreen warning, such as "There is a problem with the website's security certificate" or "Secure Connection Failed." Don't just click to continue or to make an exception. The warning may only indicate that there is a harmless temporary problem with the site or with the network. But it can also mean that the site is bogus or has been compromised by hackers, and someone is listening in on your conversation with your bank or retailer.
Be smart. Contact your bank or retailer by phone to find out if they know about a problem with their website or the network. Don't be the next victim of fraud.

Winter Break Classroom Changes

2010-01-11T08:48:00.000-08:00

We have just finished the upgrade of technology in eight classrooms. These classrooms are part of the “FY10 Classroom Build Project” that will continue through the summer of 2010.

Five classrooms that didn’t have technology, are now equipped with a projector, electric screen and sound system with speakers.

Three rooms were upgraded from Projector Rooms to High-Tech Classrooms. High-Tech Classrooms have everything the Projector Rooms have plus an instructor’s lectern, laptop computer, document camera, VCR-DVD player and a push button room control system. All the rooms that were completed over the winter break are located in Candelaria Hall.

During the spring and summer, classrooms in Crabbe, Frasier, Guggenheim, McKee, Michener and Ross halls will be getting similar upgrades.

For more information about all the technology classrooms on campus, please visit the Smart Classrooms web site at www.unco.edu/smartclassrooms/smartclassrooms .

Banner 8 Implementation Update

2010-01-04T14:09:00.000-08:00

We have reached phase II of our Banner 8 implementation. The test Ursa portal for Banner 8 is now available to the designated testing areas.

The new Banner 8 test link is http://Ursatest4.unco.edu. Use your firstname.lastname like you would use for production Ursa.

Please log on to ursatest4 when you need to access INB. INB links are available on the My Banner tab.

It is important for us to test the system in the same way you use Banner now. We will be contacting the student areas separately to test the student and faculty tabs.

We are planning on a Banner 8 go live date of 2/2/10. There will be a 3 day window prior to this date where Ursa and Banner INB will not be available.

Data Storage Expansion Project

2009-12-29T09:23:00.000-08:00

UNC Information Technology department is expanding data storage for faculty and staff. The project will take place over the next 3-4 months and will be seamless to most areas. Storage is based on containers of space and will allow more flexibility when adding or removing disk space on an individual basis. For more information please contact the UNC Technical Support Center @ 1-4357.

Check Out Bear Logic For All Your Last Minute Holiday Shopping!

2009-12-21T08:17:00.000-08:00

Bear Logic is UNC’s campus technology store, located on the first floor of the University Center. For the holidays, Bear Logic has stocked items that are highly requested for gifts. Great gifts like video game consoles, laptops, iPods, and accessories. Bear Logic has also special ordered things such as TV's, video cameras, some household electronic items, video games, and more! We are always happy to order items that are requested if they are available to us through our approved vendors.

Payment Plans
Employee Payroll
University employees may participate in the payroll deduction plan as long as they are approved through the Payroll department and have a purchase of at least $600 (we usually reduce to $300 for Christmas). The entire purchase is totaled with tax added and a $25 fee attached. Divide the total by 6 months and that is the payment amount that will be deducted from an employee's paycheck each month. You may only have one deferral in process at a time. If an employee leaves prior to a deferral being paid, the remaining amount will be subtracted from their last paycheck. If the remaining amount is more than the final paycheck, then the employee must make arrangements with Bear Logic for the remaining amount.

Student deferral
The student program is similar to the payroll plan except that students must be in good standing with the university. This is determined by reviewing their account balance and verifying that they are an enrolled student. Students pay their account over 6 payments, but the first payment is required at the time of purchase. The remaining 5 payments will show on their account monthly. Students may only have one deferral at a time. Note: Student employees do not qualify for the payroll deduction plan; they must be processed under the student plan.

These plans are not just available for the holidays, take advantage of them anytime!

Exam Scanning Survey Available Online!

2009-12-14T07:09:00.000-08:00

If you use the Exam Scanning Services on campus, please take the survey located at www.unco.edu/it. This survey will help Information Technology assess how to better help you and your exam scanning needs in the future. Hard copies of the survey are also available at the Carter Hall Exam Scanning location, if you prefer to fill it out that way. Thank you!

Important Guide for Cleaning your LCD Screens Properly

2009-12-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

Information Technology recommends you follow this helpful guide on how to clean your LCD screens. These screens are located on your computer, television monitors, and PDAs. These screens are susceptible to collect dust, lint, and finger smudges. A common mistake is to clean it like glass; however these screens can become damaged if the proper steps are not taken. Please refer to the following link http://www.cleanlcds.com/ to find this information and more, including a step-by-step guide to cleaning this type of screen. Also included is a list of materials needed for proper cleaning (cleaning fluid and cleaning cloth). These items are also available for purchase from this website. However, you may also get these materials at Bear Logic (UNC’s computer store), located on the first level of the University Center.

Information Technology’s Fall 2009 Newsletter is Available

2009-11-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Information Technology’s fall 2009 newsletter,“Technically Speaking”, is now available. It is the purpose of the newsletter to inform the campus of current and future Information Technology initiatives in an effort to promote effective communication. Blackboard, Banner, lifetime email accounts, new smart classrooms, and much more is available in this issue. Copies are in faculty and staff mailboxes today! Technically Speaking is also available online on the Information Technology website, or you can follow this link http://www.unco.edu/it/ITNewsletters/Fall2009.pdf.

New Upgrades Complete (ODS, EDW, and Evisions)

2009-11-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

The Operation Datastore(ODS) and Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) were successfully upgraded over the weekend. The ODS/EDW system is now on version 8. This upgrade was a prerequisite for the Banner 8 upgrade planned in Feburary 2010. The Operational Data Store (ODS) is a short-term data storage, structured to facilitate easy operational reporting from Insight. Because report queries can exhaust a system's resources, the ODS exists apart from the Banner ERP database to help conserve the resources of the transactional system for daily operations.

Evisions Upgrade planned for 11/23/09 5am -7am. Evisions products(Intellecheck and FormFusion) are used with the University Banner software to provide document enhancement, distribution solutions, and enhancements to payment methods. The upgrade will allow for software to be delivered securely through a web client and will no longer require client installations. The new system has been tested in test environment by Information Technology and functional units on campus.

UNC's Operation Datastore (ODS) In the Process of Being Upgraded

2009-11-16T08:17:00.000-08:00

Information Technology is upgrading the campus Operation Datastore(ODS). This system provides data to Insight and Webfocus reporting tools. IT will be upgrading to ODS 8 in preparation for the Banner 8 upgrade this spring. We have tested the new version of ODS against all of the Production Insight reports. Insight will be unavailable from 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, through 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 23, while Information Technology upgrades the system that provides data to Insight and Webfocus reporting tools. IT can help test reports in development or make sure a mission-critical report is working on the new version. For more information, contact Bret Naber at bret.naber@unco.edu.

Maintenance Windows

2009-11-09T07:27:00.000-08:00

Regular preventative maintenance on the UNC servers is conducted every Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday from 5-7am. During this period of time, access to various applications such as email, Banner, BearDrive, etc. may be disrupted. Maintenance does not typically occur on all systems on the same date and time; it may be possible to access certain applications during the regular preventative maintenance. However, if you cannot access a university system, please try back after the scheduled maintenance window (outside of 5-7am on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday). Hopefully, preventative maintenance times will not conflict with any major events. However, if it is imperative that you have access to a system during our regularly scheduled maintenance time period, please notify the Technical Support Center as soon as possible and they will try to work around your needs.

UNC SharePoint = A Web Based Collaboration Tool!

2009-11-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

Microsoft SharePoint is a unique online collaboration tool that can be accessed from your web browser, without having to install anything to your computer. SharePoint was designed to make collaboration between members of a team (the member must be an employee of UNC) efficient, effective, and comprehensive. With SharePoint, people can have access to resources and knowledge shared by their entire team. The features within SharePoint include: a calendar, file sharing, task assignment, announcements, surveying, helpful links, RSS feeds, and posting messages to Microsoft Outlook.

The calendar is beneficial because it gives a snapshot of important events coming up (meetings, vacation, absences, and holidays). With the file sharing feature (this is similar to a swap drive) documents can easily be accessed by persons within the team, allowing many people to work a particular document. Tasks can be assigned through SharePoint. This makes it easy to delegate and keep track duty assignments for your team. Posting an announcement can be done on SharePoint in order to inform your team of important news. If you are interested in feedback from your team, you can use the survey feature. This feature allows you to collect helpful data on how to improve within your team. If there are helpful links to websites that are relevant to your tasks and duties that your team performs on a regular basis, they can easily be posted onto the SharePoint page for all to readily access. An RRS feed can be subscribed to so announcements that are sent to the SharePoint will also be sent to your Outlook email account.

SharePoint was designed to keep people in touch with co-workers in an effort to facilitate and improve collaborative efforts. To get Microsoft SharePoint for your team, please visit www.unco.edu/it/supportu.htm and search “SharePoint Creation”. Follow the link “SharePoint Site Creation Form”, fill out the form, and fax it to UNC’s Technical Support Center at (970)351-1354 and a representative will assist you. For more information on using SharePoint and its many features, please refer to this tutorial http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointtechnology/HA102055631033.aspx.

Academic Computer Refresh Program (ACRP) AKA “Faculty Refresh”

2009-10-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Information Technology is beginning the fourth year of the Academic Computer Refresh Program (ACRP). The purpose of the ACRP is to ensure that all fulltime faculty and staff within each college are equipped with a computer that is less than five years old. Starting in December, approximately one quarter of all computers assigned to fulltime faculty and academic staff is refreshed. Historically computers refreshed were determined by the age of computer regardless of who they were assigned to. Due to recent improvements with the centrally managed asset management database, refresh decisions will be based off of the computers that are assigned to each fulltime faculty and staff member within each college. A list of fulltime faculty and staff members will be provided to college Deans or their delegates to verify that all fulltime faculty and staff are identified. After the list is approved, Information Technology will compile a refresh list based off of the newest computer assigned to each fulltime faculty and staff member within each college. All computers on the list purchased prior to Fiscal Year 2007 will be selected for refresh this year. Information Technology will email all faculty and staff on the list and survey them to identify a computer which best fits their needs based off the selected standard hardware configurations.

The Standard Computer Hardware Configurations are selected annually by a committee consisting of representatives from Information Technology, NHS, HHS, MCB, PVA, University Libraries, UNC Foundation, Auxiliary Support and The Office of Academic Affairs. The goal of the committee is to select a computer configuration which meets the needs of faculty and staff while remaining fiscally responsible. The standard configurations this year feature upgraded memory and hard drive storage space. Monitors will be excluded from all Windows based desktop computers. Information Technology conducted research and found that based off of an average usage of 8 hours per day, a standard LCD flat-panel monitor should last 10 to 15 years. Follow this link http://www.unco.edu/bearlogic/PDFs/Computer_Refresh_FY10.pdf to a website outlining this year’s standard configurations. If a faculty or staff member deemed for computer refresh feels that the standard configuration does not meet their needs, they will work with Information Technology technicians to design a system that meets their special requirements and also be fiscally responsible. The cost of any upgrades to computers will be the responsibility of the department.

Once a computer has been refreshed, Information Technology will work with each college to reassign the computer to any part time faculty, graduate assistant, or student employee. This allows the oldest computers within a college to be replaced with four-year-old trickledown computers.

Information Technology’s Annual Report for Fiscal Year 08-09 is Available Online

2009-10-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

Information Technology has published an annual report for FY 08-09. The report is meant to provide information about Information Technology’s activities that took place in FY 08-09. Within the report there is information on Information Technology’s strategic plan (which was guided by the university’s academic plan) and completed projects for the fiscal year that support each goal. Also, one will find articles highlighting a few of the new technologies that had been implemented. These articles describe what the technologies are, how they are used, and how they benefit the campus. Lastly, the annual report illustrates, with helpful graphs, Information Technology’s funding and expense sources, BearLogic’s (UNC’s technology retail store) revenues and expenses, received Technical Support Center (TSC) calls by category of support, a break-down of most frequently used applications (Word, Excel, SAS, SPSS, etc.) used in the computer labs, and much more! Please check Information Technology’s annual report at http://www.unco.edu/it/aboutus/IT_annualreport.pdf and find out how IT has been benefiting the campus over the past fiscal year.

Information Technology will move your Computer for Free!

2009-10-19T08:58:00.001-07:00

The subject of a recent blog pertained to the transition of tracking computers from Asset Management to Information Technology. Information Technology is now tracking all computers and printers less than $5,000 and will be coming by each department to do a physical inventory (please refer to the Inventory: Coming Soon to a Computer Near You blog for details). Because Information Technology is now tracking these computers, we ask that you do not move them to another location without contacting the Technical Support Center, (970)351-HELP; so we can assist you, at no charge. Information Technology asks this for three main reasons. First, we can make sure that the computer is set up properly for you and so that you continue to have available access to the parts of the network that you need. The second reason is that of security. There may be information on your computer that is sensitive and should be removed prior to being transferred to someone else within your department. The final reason is so that Information Technology can keep an accurate inventory; this also helps when it comes time to have your computer replaced within the faculty/staff “refresh” program. Again, please call (970)351-HELP if you need to move your computer to another office or do not need it anymore, Information Technology would be happy to move it for you, free of charge.

Innovative Technology Committee Evaluating Windows 7 and Apple OS 1.6 “Snow Leopard”

2009-10-12T07:28:00.000-07:00

Information Technology, the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) and other academic representatives have assembled technical staff and trainers to test and evaluate new software in a controlled environment prior to campus wide deployment. This assembly is referred to as the Innovative Technology Committee. Two software programs that they are currently evaluating are Windows 7 and Apple OS 1.6 “Snow Leopard”. The evaluation of both of these software are in Phase 2 – Detailed Testing and Compatibility. There are four phases that encompass the evaluation process; Phase 1 – Technical Overview and Research, Phase 2 – Detailed Testing and Compatibility, Phase 3 - Early Adopters (pilot group that uses the software in everyday business), Phase 4 – Campus Deployment. The initial testing of Windows 7 indicates improvements from Windows Vista. The committee will continue to test and identify any problems with the operating system. ITC will move to Phase 3 after Windows 7 has been officially released from Microsoft. As far as “Snow Leopard is concerned, ITC is testing to verify that there are no compatibility issues within our Apple enterprise environment. At this time, Bear Logic will not sell upgrades to UNC Faculty and Staff until the committee has completed Phase 2 testing and is prepared to fully support the upgrade. If you are interested in becoming an Early Adopter of Apple OS 10.6 please contact the Technical Support Center at 351-4357. To follow the evaluations of these software through the phases, please visit www.unco.edu/it/aboutus/innotech; also there, are more detailed explanations of what each phase entails.

Inventory: Coming Soon to a Computer Near You

2009-10-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

Information Technology is now tracking all technology assets (computers and printers) less than $5,000 on campus. This responsibility used to belong to the Property Control department. Soon, representatives from Information Technology will be scheduling appointments with each college to do a physical inventory. After each physical inventory, Information Technology will update the existing information and send a report back to a designated contact in the college. IT will then ask that the updated information be reviewed to make sure that it is accurate; IT will also ask that the list of staff and faculty members be reviewed and updated; in order to better accommodate the faculty/staff computer “refresh”. The “refresh” program is a four year refresh program aimed at keeping the technology current. IT will not track any non-computer items, those items will still be accounted for by Property Control.

New Blackboard Support Model!

2009-09-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

UNC Instructional Designers and Technical Support Center (TSC) have formed a team to take care of Blackboard support needs at UNC. Calls for Blackboard support to the TSC (970-351-4357) will be recorded and immediately triaged to the best resource to resolve the issue. Beginning September 28th for a two to three week period, Instructional Designers (ID) will rotate into the Technical Support Center to respond to Blackboard calls. When an ID is not physically in the Center, one will be “on call” and readily available to assist with BB support during normal working hours. This support model will be monitored and evaluated for its performance and faculty satisfaction along the way. With time this model will become the long-term solution for Blackboard support; making it a more robust and reliable resource for UNC faculty and staff.

September is National Campus Safety Awareness Month, and October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month

2009-09-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

We are currently in September, which is National Campus Safety Awareness month. The main goal of NCSA month is to create awareness on campus about how to make sure that its students, faculty, and staff exist in a safe environment. NCSA month emphasizes that the best way to create awareness for campus safety is through collaboration; between the different campus populations of faculty, staff, and students. For more information, please visit www.ncsam.org. October is upcoming, which is National Cyber Security Awareness month. One main element that is being emphasized by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) this year is that file-sharing can be dangerous. For example, when you are connected to file-sharing programs (e.g. sharing music, games, or software) you may unknowingly allow others to copy private files; even give them access to private folders. File-sharing can be an excellent method for viruses to infect your computer. This information and more about file-sharing is contained on table tents and post cards that will be deployed around campus. For more about cyber security, please visit UNC’s cyber security website.

Academic Alert, Which Helps Faculty Alert Advisors of Struggling Students, is now Live!

2009-09-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

Currently, a new software program went live this past week that will assist faculty and advisors with struggling students. From the 3rd week through the end of the 4th week of the semester, the faculty will be able to use this reporting tool to help them identify struggling students to academic advisors. Academic Alert is a new program that can be found under the “Faculty” tab in URSA. When faculty open the Academic Alert channel, they will see all of their classes listed. Under each class, certain students will already be identified for the faculty as potentially “at-risk” students. This will be based on their enrollment status (e.g. first-time students, student athletes, and students already on academic probation). Faculty can then specify what is going on, if anything, with a brief synopsis under the students’ name. Academic Support & Advising runs a report frequently that will show which students were identified by faculty through this program, and then intervene appropriately. This new tool should be a helpful way to identify and reach out to students whom may need help to realize academic success. Please see above for screen shots of what you will see once inside Academic Alert.

Improvements in the New Version of Grader!

2009-09-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

There is a new version of Grader that will be piloted soon. A few new features are available in this new version. The first new feature is called single sign on functionality; which means that once you have signed into Ursa, you do not need to sign in again to Grader; simply click the Grader tab to gain access. Another feature includes being able to look at previous semesters of Grader materials as they accumulate; you will be able to look at the four most recent semesters. The upgrade also advances the help that you receive when you are in the Grader application; help documentation is integrated into the application to better assist you with questions you may have. Finally, navigating the Grader tab has never been easier; many steps have been taken so that this upgrade delivers an improvement in finding what you need in Grader! If you are interested in being a member of the pilot group and helping determine the go-live date for the new version of Grader, please contact Bret Naber, the director of Applications Development and Database Support, at Bret.naber@unco.edu.

Attention Mac Users!

2009-08-31T07:19:00.000-07:00

There have been a few changes that have been made through Information Technology to accommodate Macintosh users around campus. Information Technology deployed servers to enhance the support of our Apple computer environment. Beginning this fall, IT is performing automated security updates to the Apple computers. These updates will be implemented conveniently from servers to your Apple computer; you will likely not even know when the updates have occurred. Additionally, the login page will look slightly different due to a couple of changes. The “computer use policy”, is now on the same screen as the login window. Also, the way you login will be simplified. All you need is your PDID (first.lastname) to login, which is the same login information as you would use to access your email, or your Ursa account. It is the goal to be able to access all of your important UNC accounts through this one user name; this is another step toward that goal. Another goal of IT is to create a common configuration within campus computer labs. Common configuration is important because the most frequently used software is installed within each computer lab. This way, you will not have to go across campus to use a certain application such as Quark, Photoshop, Google Sketch Up, or InDesign. The look of the content on the computers will appear similar too; in order to simplify the navigation and use from computer to computer; whether it be in the University Center, Frasier, or Candelaria.

Check Out the New and Improved Information Technology Cyber Security Website!

2009-08-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick reminder that there is a major resource for information that is meant to help protect you and your identity. Information Technology has a webpage that specializes in cyber security education and awareness www.unco.edu/cybersecurity . This webpage has information for students, faculty, and staff on how to help protect you against identity theft, viruses, and improve your cyber security knowledge. The webpage has been updated with more information, more topics, and has been reformatted with a different layout; which will make navigation easier. For training on cyber security you can contact the Technical Support Center (351-HELP), to take an online course. This online training offers more on how to protect you, by using helpful informative documents, and visual aids which include short videos on common information security precautions and common computing threats. If you would rather receive information in person, please call the Technical Support Center (351-HELP), and they will arrange for a certified Information Technology security analyst to come out to you. Have a wonderful first week of classes!

Get the Most Out of Your Smart Classroom Experience!

2009-08-18T07:14:00.000-07:00

Technicians from Information Technology have tested projectors, speakers, doc cameras, and DVD players within each smart classroom on campus over the last couple of weeks making sure they are fully operational for the upcoming Fall semester. To get the most out of your smart classroom experience, Information Technology recommends that you visit the classroom that you will be teaching in and familiarize yourself with all of the controls on the podium. Another way to learn about your classroom and about smart classrooms in general is by visiting this link, which is on the Information Technology website. This page will give you information on technologies which are included in your smart classroom, as well as direct you to smart classroom training, and smart classroom support. As a reminder, support is always available to you. From Monday through Thursday 7am-7pm and Friday 7am-5pm, you will have access to onsite support; this means that you simply need to pick up the phone located on podium (which will automatically dial the Technical Support Center) and inform the representative of your problem and they will dispatch a technician immediately. Smart classrooms calls are top priority for the Technical Support Center. Outside the aforementioned hours, support will still be available to you. Simply pick up the same phone at the podium, and a representative will assist you over the phone. Please use this resource for any problems that might occur with the equipment. For training on how to use the equipment in these rooms, please refer to the smart classroom link, or contact CETL to schedule a training session. For more information about the types of smart classrooms please visit the link or visit the most recent newsletter and visit the article titled, “More Smart Classrooms Being Added”. Have a wonderful week!

Symantec Antivirus Is In the Process of Being Upgraded

2009-08-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

Information Technology is in the process of upgrading the campus antivirus and firewall desktop application. The previous version, Symantec Antivirus (SAV), consisted of antivirus software and a firewall. However, the antivirus and firewall had to be run separately. With the new version of Symantec, Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP), there are many more features. SEP is equipped with antivirus, an integrated firewall, network threat protection, and zero day protection, which are centrally managed for you. In order to install SEP on each computer on campus, Information Technology will be physically visiting each computer to do the upgrade. This process has been underway for the past couple of months. So far, the upgrades have been nearly completed for Central Campus. Following Central Campus will be West Campus. The target date for the completion of all upgrades is December 31st, 2009. Above is the icon that will appear on you bottom toolbar after SEP is installed, next to the time display. Please post comments and let me know if this blog was helpful! Have a great week!

There Is Now an Easier Way to Access BearDrive for Faculty and Staff!

2009-07-31T15:56:00.000-07:00

There is now an easier way for faculty and staff to access their BearDrive. This convenient way is referred to as BearDrive Desktop. BearDrive Desktop is an application that allows you to access BearDrive from your desktop instead of having to log onto the website. This application makes accessing and saving documents easier. To install this application simply click here for instructions. After you have completed the installation, you will see an icon at the toolbar in the bottom right hand of your screen (Seen in the picture at the right). To then access BearDrive from the icon just right-click and choose “Connect”. Now you can save files like you would normally if you were saving them to your “My Documents” or “My Desktop”; however, instead when you go to “Save As” you will save them to the “BearDrive Home” in “My Computer”. After you have saved in BearDrive Desktop, it is automatically uploaded to your BearDrive, with no additional steps! Another convenient feature is that you can install this application on your work and home computers. This application is only supported by Windows machines at this point. For more information about BearDrive, please visit SupportU or the BearDrive FAQ page. For training on how to use BearDrive, please visit the Center for the Enhancement for Teaching and Learning (CETL). Have a great week!

Faculty Staff Account Activation Coming Soon!

2009-07-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

A new tool will be available soon for new Faculty and Staff. This tool is known as the Faculty Staff Account Activation. It is a way for faculty and staff to establish their network password by using some of their own personal identifying information (e.g. SSN, DOB, and Bear number). Faculty Staff Account Activation will help expedite the setup and access to network resources for new faculty and staff without needing to call the Technical Support Center (351-HELP). To quickly and conveniently access the Faculty Staff Account Activation, new faculty and staff will simply need to click on the link on the URSA login page. It will be located under the “New Students Start Here” section on the left hand side of the page. Please comment on this blog and let us know if you found this tool useful.

UNC is Helping You Keep Your Identity Safe

2009-07-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

In compliance with the Federal Trade Commission’s new regulation “Identity Theft Red Flags”, UNC, as a financial institution, will be implementing a “Red Flag” notification system in URSA. This rule requires financial institutions and creditors to develop and implement written “identity theft prevention programs”. The purpose of the URSA notification is to alert any UNC student or employee immediately after any of their personal information is changed; personal information such as; address, phone number, or bank account. This is to ensure that you are informed of any and all changes made to your personal information and to help protect your identity. This system is similar to what banks use to notify you if any information has changed from their database; they will send you a notification via email immediately following. The concept is the same, except the notification will come through your URSA home tab instead. This application will go live August 1^st.

Searching UNC’s Website Has Become More Efficient With the Installation of Google!

2009-07-13T03:36:00.000-07:00

UNC's search engine has recently been dramatically improved with the installation of Google UNC Google Mini! Google Mini offers all the query power of Google, but exclusively for UNC's website. The search window (on the homepage) has not changed its appearance; the only change is in the efficacy of the search. This new and improved search engine will be implemented this week. Check it out, and happy hunting (not that you will need it!). Web authors - want to improve the search results for your pages? Check out the information on optimizing your pages for searches.

Cisco VOIP Phones to be Placed in All Residence Halls

2009-07-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

There will be an upgrade to all the phones in the residence halls taking place this summer. After piloting the use of VOIP phones in several residence halls last academic year, the decision was made to install these phones in every residence. These phones are identical to the Cisco VOIP phones in the offices and departments around campus. One main feature that students gave positive feedback on was a calendar of events that is accessible from the display on the IP phone; they really appreciated this avenue of communication about events/activities around campus. Another feature these phones have is to be able to alert students of an emergency through the emergency alert system. If there is an emergency alert, there will be a message sent out and displayed on each phone. The emergency alert system is the same that is used for the emergency text alert (for more information on this feature, please visit the Spring newsletter http://www.unco.edu/it/ITNewsletters/Spring2009.pdf ). This summer IT is installing approximately 1,250 additional phones; one per suite. In addition to the physical installation of these phones, IT is performing a series of upgrades on the different components of the phone system this summer. Cisco’s latest version of VOIP not only provides the latest features of functionality but also simplifies the compatibility of the different components that make up a campus VOIP system.

Banner 8 Update

2009-06-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

Currently, the IT department is building the infrastructure (services, storage, backup, structure, and security) for Banner 8. The operating system and database software are in the process of being implemented. There will be more information on end-user (person using the computer) testing available in mid to late July 2009. This information and end-user feedback will come from a “Test Environment” that will be developed to help ensure that Banner 8 will run smoothly and with as little hiccups as possible. The test environment will invite members from the functional units to test compatibility strengths and weaknesses associated with Banner 8. For more about how Banner will improve when upgraded to version 8, please visit this link to the Spring 2009 newsletter, http://www.unco.edu/it/ITNewsletters/Spring2009.pdf. In consultation with the functional departments, October 2009 has been chosen as the target date to go live with the new version of Banner, Banner 8.

SSL-VPN In Pilot Stage

2009-06-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

SSL-VPN is the newest version of the Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPN’s purpose is to give you access to UNC network resources (OWA, shared files, and other files stored on the network) when you are not physically on campus. The upgrade to the VPN deals with a new and improved way to log onto the VPN. This new upgrade is called SSL-VPN. The new version of VPN increases compatibility with different kinds of computers (PC, MAC); as well as cuts out installation requirements. Previously, one would have to search for the software and download the version compatible with their computer. Now, all you have to do is log onto a website https://remote.unco.edu/unco, and you are hosted by the network from there; safely and securely. There is currently a pilot group that is testing this new version. Reports are that the new version is progressing well and with good feedback, minor changes are being made accordingly. Please note that the previous version of VPN is still available, but will be disabled December 31st, 2009. This means that SSL-VPN will be the exclusive version starting January 1st, 2010. For more information on SSL-VPN please follow the link to the Spring 2009 newsletter and look for “Upgrading the Virtual Private Network” on Page 1, http://www.unco.edu/it/ITNewsletters/Spring2009.pdf. Please post a comment if you have any questions or comments about any of these postings. Have a wonderful week!!

Improved Way to Publish Your Webpage Will Add More Security!

2009-06-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

Beginning June 22nd, there will be a new process to publish a webpage. The process has been simplified via the way you log onto your website. The process calls for you to use your first.lastname information. Please note that this new process on how to log onto your website will not disrupt or change any of the content you have already created for your site. Also, the process change will take a couple days, June 20th and June 21st, so please refrain from publishing anything on your website until the change is complete. Ronna Johnston has drafted an informative document with more details. The document will be available via UNC Today and email; I will also post it below. Have a great week!!

Hello,
There are upcoming improvements to the process used to publish web pages to www.unco.edu. When logging on to update your Website, you are currently asked to enter a username beginning with WFUNCO\ . On June 22th 2009, this process will change and you will no longer have to remember a separate Web logon. You will instead need to enter UNCO1\ followed by your (Personal Digital Identity) firstname.lastname account and current password. This is the same logon and password you use to log on to your PC or Ursa. When your network password changes, you will also need to change the password of your Web software, such as Dreamweaver, to match.
The purpose of this change is also to enhance the security of the Web environment. Beginning June 22, you will need to always log on to the VPN site, http://remote.unco.edu, to publish Web pages. Once this log on has occurred, pages can be published using an FTP or Web authoring software, such as Dreamweaver. This VPN site can also be used for off campus Web publishing.
This change will NOT impact the current Web content you have created, it will only change the way you log on. Please visit http://www.unco.edu/websupport/webauthors/logging-on/ for instructions or contact the Technical Support Center @ (970) 351-4357 for any questions, comments or concerns regarding these changes.
To accommodate these changes to the Web server, Web authors are asked not to publish information to the UNC Web server beginning Saturday, June 20 through Sunday, June 21. This will allow time to move the current content to the new Web server environment. Any changes to Web sites made during this time period will potentially be lost.
Thank you for your cooperation in this change.

Welcome!

2009-06-08T11:00:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the Information Technology at UNC Blog! My name is Chris Cobb and I am the graduate assistant for Information Technology. It is my job to help communicate current and future IT initiatives to the UNC campus. The IT department is committed to communicating these initiatives to the campus in the most effective manner. It is the purpose of the “Technically Speaking” newsletters (fall and spring), and this new blog to help facilitate communication. This blog will be updated each week with information on new IT initiatives, and updates to current ones (e.g. Banner 8). I strive to make this blog an informative and interactive resource to improve IT/campus communication. I encourage you to post comments on each posting giving feedback, suggestions, or sharing reactions. Thank you!