UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Information Services

Information Services: WordPress Downtime and New Editing Experience

UP WordPress (sites.up.edu) will be down for maintenance on Wednesday, July 31, from 8 a.m. to approximately 3 p.m. The system will be updated to the newest version of WordPress for improved performance, security, and reliability. During the downtime, some back end systems will also be improved and updated.

With the new version of WordPress comes a new and updated content creation experience. The traditional “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” text editor has been replaced with a new block-based page building editor. This gives you, as a WordPress content creator, more flexibility and control over the look and layout of your site than ever before. For further info please see this excellent primer video on Lynda.com.

If you are a site admin and feel you or your site contributors are not ready to move to the new editor, the “Classic” editor can be restored for you on a site-by-site basis. Please fill out the form below with the full URL of the site to request the Classic editor.

For any questions, concerns, or to request training on using the new editor, please contact atsi@up.edu.

 

 

 

Changes to WiFi: UPStaff Certificate Update

On Wednesday, July 31, information services will update the certificate used for authentication and encryption on the UPStaff WiFi network at 7 a.m. Upon connecting to UPStaff after 7 a.m., devices may prompt users to accept the “ise3.campus.up.edu” and/or “ise4.campus.up.edu” certificates. Users will need to accept the certificates to complete the trust relationship between the device and the network.

Please contact the UP Help Desk at help@up.edu or x7000 if you have questions.

 

Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) Coming This Summer

Due to a dramatic rise in the scope and sophistication of phishing attacks targeting UP staff, information services will be deploying Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for specific services on campus. The enrollment process should take about 5 minutes and it will significantly enhance the security of your account and personal information.

MFA combines two or more independent credentials to gain access to a system. These credentials include something you know (username/password) and something you have (token/smart phone/office phone).  The goal of MFA is to create a multilayered approach that makes it difficult for any unauthorized individual to gain access to a system.  If one factor is compromised, such as your password, the attacker will still need the other factor to gain access.

MFA will be deployed to staff this summer, with specific departments served week-to-week as we roll out MFA. Further communications will come from Curt Pederson, CIO, detailing installation and setup instructions.

Windows Update Change: Monthly Automatic Restarts Starting July 23

To enhance the security of university computers and the campus network, information services is modifying how Windows updates are being applied to Windows desktops.

Starting this month, we are requiring that updates be installed by the fourth Tuesday of the month, after which the patches will be installed automatically, and your computer restarted if those updates require it. Users will receive popup reminders to apply updates during the week before automatic updates are scheduled to be applied.

Best practices for this change would be to:

  • Install the updates yourself when notified.
  • Log out, but do not turn off your computer when not in use.
  • Save your work frequently.

Please note:  Updates will force a restart of your computer. A restart will cause any unsaved files to be lost.

More information is available on the UP Tech Support Portal Knowledge Base article, which includes screenshots and additional details, here. You may also contact the Help Desk at x7000 or help@up.edu.

Please Request Software for Classrooms, Labs by March 22

Information Services will be updating the computer lab & classroom builds for Fall 2019 in early April.  If you need new or updated software for the classrooms and labs for Fall 2019 term please click on this link and fill out the online survey. This message is intended for staff and faculty responsible for requesting software for labs and classrooms. Please remind your faculty members and any new faculty who may be coming for 2019 fall semester to fully represent your departments’ needs.

Alternately, copy and paste the link below into your browser to fill out the online survey. https://uportland.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5sAK57IvV3S4nvn

The software build and deployment process requires significant lead time; therefore, information services must receive your submitted software requests no later than Friday, March 22 if the software is to appear on the computer classroom/lab software build for the fall 2019 semester.

Information services is committed to providing the best computing experience for UP students. We look forward to your requests so that we can best serve our community.

Please contact the UP Help Desk with any questions at help@up.edu or by calling x7000 M-F 7:30 am – 5 p.m.

Information Services: Subscribe to System Outage Alerts

Information Services invites all campus users to subscribe to our new service for system outage alerts. With the release of our new Tech Support Portal, users can check system status at any time by selecting the ‘Tech Support’ app at https://myapps.up.edu or via PilotsUP. Once you enter the tech support portal, click on ‘System Status’ to view the status of our technology systems. If you would like to receive an email alert for specific system outages, please follow the instructions outlined in this help sheet. Users can also report system outages to our technology help desk.
If you need assistance or have any suggestions for additional service listings, please contact the help desk at help@up.edu or x7000.

Mandatory Cybersecurity Training: Please Complete by Dec. 31

Staff and faculty of the University are required to take or re-take certain training tests annually. A new requirement this year is cybersecurity awareness training. This is part of an ongoing effort to help ensure all employees are taking necessary steps to protect sensitive data and keep UP’s computing environment safe and secure. Please complete the online training course by December 31, 2018. Completion of the training is mandatory.

To access the training visit learning.up.edu, sign in using UP credentials, and then select ‘Cybersecurity Training’ in the Course Menu on the Moodle homepage. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Help Desk at x7000 or help@up.edu.

Please Request Software for Classrooms, Labs by Nov. 30

Information services will updating the computer lab/classroom builds for spring 2019 in early December.  If you need new or updated software for the classrooms and labs for spring term please click on this link and fill out the online survey.

The software build and deployment process is extremely labor intensive; therefore, we must receive software requests no later than Friday, November 30 if you want the software to appear on the computer classroom/lab software build for the spring 2019 semester.

Information Services is committed to providing the best computing experience for the students at UP. We look forward to your requests so that we can best serve our community.

Please contact the UP Help Desk with any questions at help@up.edu or by calling x7000.

“Taking On The Digitocracy” With UPCrossroads

“Taking on the Digitocracy” is the theme for the new season of UPCrossroads, the thought-provoking discussion series that tackles topics at the intersection of teaching and technology. Anne Santiago, political science, will lead a roundtable exchange on “Media Literacy and Digital Citizenry” on Friday, October 26, at 3 p.m., in the Digital Lab of the Clark Library. All are invited to attend and participate.  Refreshments will be provided.

UPCrossroads is sponsored by Academic Technology Services and Innovation in collaboration with the Clark Library. For accommodations, please contact Maria Erb at x8841.

Banner 9 Transitioning on October 1

Information services will fully transition to Banner 9 effective Monday October 1.  Access to Banner INB will be turned off on that date. Those who use Banner are encouraged to start using Banner 9 as soon as possible so that any potential issues can be discovered and dealt with prior to the end of September. Please note, access to Self Serve Banner (SSB) for grades, timesheets, etc. will not be impacted by this change.

Many departments have already forged ahead with Banner 9, with 86 percent of all Banner pages accessed in the last three weeks being Banner 9 pages. During that time, the following departments have used Banner 9 almost exclusively:

  • Development
  • Financial Aid
  • Graduate School
  • Moreau Center
  • Registrar
  • Residence Life
  • Student Accounts

You can access Banner 9 in via PilotsUP or My Apps (http://myapps.up.edu)

Please contact Lisel Stancil, information services, at stancil@up.edu for additional support or training for making this transition.