University Systems News for December 2013

Accomplishments this month:

• Our wireless infrastructure upgrade project is now complete!  All wireless access points have been replaced and the old Cisco Wireless Services Modules (WiSM) have been removed.
• In parallel to the wireless infrastructure upgrade project, a wireless optimization and expansion project is also in progress; this project includes surveying upgraded areas to evaluate if expansion of the wireless service is required. Through this project, the Library and Medical Sciences Building have had additional wireless capacity added and the Bob Wright Centre (Sciences Building) will be next.  This is a challenging project because we are actively responding to client requests for additional capacity at the same time as surveying campus!
• We are happy to announce that a new Administrative Assistant was hired to replace Barb Hubbard when she retires at the end of April 2014.  Jennifer McClintick was the successful candidate who comes to us from the School of Nursing.  Jen begins work in our General Office on January 2, 2014 and Barb will have four months to pass all her knowledge on!  We are sorry to see Barb move on, but are happy that Jennifer will be joining our team!
• The NetLink password change and password reset webpages have been updated to let clients set a longer NetLink password!  The current NetLink password policy allows for a password between 6 and 8 characters; this has been deemed insufficient by security standards and so we have addressed this problem by allowing passwords to be between 8 and 30 characters.  Change your password online!
• The new Human Resources website has gone live with significant improvements to the content and usability of the site, a modern UVic design and branding, and leverages the central content management system (CMS).
• An agreement has been signed with Monster Worldwide Canada to provide applicant tracking services, and replace the legacy uHire system with a modern platform.  The project team will convene in January to begin the first phase of the implementation.
• BlackBoard Transact UPASS self-service revalidation kiosks have been installed in University Centre. These kiosks will enable students to self-service revalidate the UPASS components of their ID Cards at the start of each academic term, while leveraging the new One Card system.
• The Affiliate Identity Management System (AIMS) has been updated to include a number of improvements.  This system allows faculty and staff at the University to sponsor a guest to use various resources at UVic.  The application handles a workflow style process to enrol the guest as an affiliate and at a point defined by the sponsor, expire their affiliation with the university.
• Our videoconference facilities  in the David Turpin Building are now equipped with Shaw High-Definition television connectivity.
• Our standard PC models from Dell have gone end-of-life and we are working to evaluate and assess replacement models.  Unfortunately, we have faced supply chain challenges and lacklustre replacement models from Dell.  In response, we are actively in discussions with Lenovo about their enterprise-class offerings.
• A Co-op work term project at the Computer Help Desk has converted our training handbook into e-book format.   This is significant as we train 4-5 new Co-op students every term!  An additional project to document a number of frequent Computer Help Desk tasks (such as creating a work order) in video format is also complete. These videos will be integrated into the e-books to provide visual learners with a how-to guide for a number of frequent tasks.
• In order to track “quick” problem resolutions at the Computer Help Desk, specifically those that are resolved without opening a trouble ticket, we use a web-based “quick-pick” button.  A proof-of-concept hardware quick-pick button has been completed by two Co-op students at the Computer Help Desk. This Raspberry Pi based solution will allow Computer Help Desk Consultants to press a button to track each in-person contact received at the Computer Help Desk; this reduces the effort required to track these contacts and aims to improve the accuracy of tracking these contacts.
• We have implemented a new version of the Cisco AnyConnect Virtual Private Network (VPN) client for Mac OS that includes compatibility for OS 10.9 Mavericks.  This new version eliminates connectivity issues that some of our Mac users have been experiencing.
• We are continuing to actively work on upgrading any Windows XP workstations to Windows 7 Enterprise.  Microsoft has announced it will discontinue support for Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2003 on April 8th, 2014.  This includes ceasing production of security patches and fixes for Windows XP and Office 2003, which means that workstations that continue to use XP will become increasingly vulnerable to security attacks after April 8th, 2014.
• We have been actively have been upgrading or removing an old buggy version of the TSM backup client on many workstations.  As part of this upgrade process, many TSM nodes were deleted as most University Systems-supported workstations are now using Folder Redirection to save all workstation data to the Enterprise File Services departmental and home shares instead of on the local hard drive.  This helps to protect sensitive data from theft or loss due to hard drive failure or fire.
• The flood in Ian Stewart Complex caused damage to a number of workstations and peripherals.  We have deployed new replacement equipment, and moved a number of computers to help the department recover from this situation ensure operations are back up and running in a timely manner.
• Our new Network Architect, Hans Yodzis, joined us Dec 2!

Projects Snapshot:

• PC0353, ENS Enhancements, project plan was granted approval to execute.  This project will redesign and redevelop the university’s Emergency Notification System (ENS) with a number of enhancements.
• PC0380, Exchange 2013 Implementation, project charter was discussed.  Through the course of discussion, we discovered that the most significant complexity and risk in the project was with the integrations between Exchange and the rest of our environment.  The project is being re-factored into smaller more manageable components.
• PC0381, World Financial Systems Database, project charter was granted approval to execute.  This project is being funded and done at the request of Dr. Basma Majerbi from the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business.  Academics across the university require access to financial information about countries around the world. This information includes GDP, debt levels and CPI broken down by country and region. This information is currently compiled in a spreadsheet and is not readily accessible to academics.  This projects aims at building a self-serve website with an interactive filter to allow users to customize their view of the data.
• PC0352, Identity Management System Refresh, project plan was granted approval to execute.  The purpose of this project is to implement the newly acquired Sailpoint IIQ identity and access management system and begin the transition process of moving University of Victoria’s identity management system from the unsupported Oracle Waveset/Sun Identity manager 8.1 to Sailpoint IIQ.
• PC0382, PSAB Reporting, project charter was granted approval to execute.  Last year the Province of BC directed Universities to adopt the accounting standards issued by Public Sector Accounting Board of Canada (PSAB).  The purpose of this project is to create SAS reports to help Accounting meet the deadlines for PSAB reporting, use Attribute reporting in Banner Finance to assist General Accounting in capturing the information for the reports, and perform an initial load Attribute information into Banner.

Customer Satisfaction

Our Computer Help Desk and Desktop Support Services use a ticketing system to track issues they are working on.  When an ticket a closed, clients are provided with the opportunity to complete a customer feedback survey using a 5-point scale.