Accomplishments this month:
- The Computer Help Desk has successfully become the single point of initial contact for all Moodle and CourseSpaces queries. The Computer Help Desk has fielded a large number of support calls for both of these services. The start of a new semester brought a flurry of course shell requests, requests for assistance with importing course content to course shells, cross-listing multiple sections of a course, and resolving any course enrolment issues.
- Our Desktop Support Services unit has begun providing services to three new client groups. The UVic Students Society (UVSS) started receiving desktop support on Jan 1 and the University Radio Station (CFUV) and the Department of Chemistry in the Faculty of Science will start receiving desktop support on March 1, 2014. Over the coming months Desktop Support Services staff will bring these departments’ computing environments into a far more secure and better managed environment including Enterprise services like Netdrive for departmental shares, UVic Active Directory and managed Symantec Endpoint for antivirus.
- The wireless optimization and expansion project is evaluating whether expansion of wireless is required in buildings across campus. We have now completed all building surveys and Facilities Management is busy installing data infrastructure in Bob Wright Centre, Cornett, Cunningham, Engineering Lab Wing, and the Engineering Office Wing. We are following closely and installing wireless access points as soon as hardware arrives.
- Jennifer McClintick started as the new Administrative Assistant in our General Office on January 2, 2014. Welcome Jennifer, we are happy to have you on our team!
- We are working closely with the Facilities Management CARSA, Mystic Market, and Continuing Studies Expansion project managers, clients, and various construction trades to ensure infrastructure for each of the building projects technology is appropriately planned.
- We have improving our David Turpin building Videoconference Facilities with larger displays and more modern equipment and are now planning furniture improvements as well.
- We upgraded the audio visual system in Harry Hickman Building Room 105 (HHB 105) to allow instructors to individually control all sixteen digital dimmers for better control of room lighting.
- We successfully delivered audio visual and technology services, including webcasting, for the Provost’s Diversity Research Forum.
- A number of staff attended training on Apple computer and mobile device management hosted by Apple. This training helps to keep our staff current with the latest best practices on deploying, securing, and managing these Apple devices.
- Our five new Co-op Computer Help Desk Consultants have completed basic training (our version, not the army kind!) at the Computer Help Desk. These new staff members join our team of staff to offer help and assistance to students, faculty, and staff at UVic. More in-depth training on specific topics such as hardware service, network troubleshooting, and learning management system support will continue throughout the semester.
- An upgraded Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) backup service for workstations was put into production over the winter break.
- An additional print server was created to in order to help resolve some of the printing issues we experienced late last year. The new print server will host newer print drivers that were conflicting with older printers.
- The Centre on Aging (COAG) Ladner offices are consolidating into a single location. This is providing an opportunity to consolidate and upgrade their network, server and desktop computer environment. Systems staff will be implementing UVic-managed services and products that will provide a more stable, secure and supportable environment. All data will be moved from the onsite file server to UVic file servers, existing consumer grade networking equipment will be replaced, and all desktop computers to be refreshed to the latest TSC standards. Preliminary work has begun on this project including creating the project charter, sourcing a vendor to install a 100Mbps connection to BCNET, working with Facilities Management on floor plans and conducting a site visit. Renovations to the space by the landlord must be completed before the network and desktop upgrades can be performed. The project plan will be submitted to the PRC early next week.
- We continue to upgrade or decommission Windows XP workstations on campus. Microsoft is no longer providing security updates for Windows XP after April 8, 2014 so all computers running XP need to be upgraded or removed from the network as they will become a risk to the university.
- We have been actively migrating telephone voice mail boxes to the new Better Voicemail system. This new voice mail system integrates full with MS Exchange and allows for voice mail messages to be received in Exchange mail boxes and listened to on computers or smart phones. For more information, see Better Voicemail. Departments who have not responded to communications are being contacted directly; over 700 users (out of 3500) have migrated as of Jan 31.
- The router located in Enterprise Datacentre 1 (EDC1), which supports research traffic, is no longer supported by the manufacturer and was replaced on January 30.
- Our new Project Management Methodology was released. This new methodology, our fifth iteration, includes new templates and reflects an more pragmatic approach to project documentation and is aligned with our new IT governance model.
- The WebVote online voting system was effectively utilized in the Faculty Certification Vote. With 711 out of 860 eligible voters casting their votes, 82.67 per cent is one of the highest turnouts ever encountered with WebVote. We are pleased that the Faculty Association, the University, and the Labour Relations Board felt confident enough in the WebVote system to utilize it for this important vote.
- The Identity and Access Management (IDAM) team attended a multi-day training session on our new SailPoint software system in Vancouver, along with UBC and UNBC staff. This new system will replace our existing Oracle (formerly Sun) Identity Manager system, which is used to automatically create and disable access to online resources, such as email, SharePoint and Active Directory as an individual’s status changes at the University.
Projects Snapshot:
- PC0380, Exchange 2013 Implementation, the client testing team met to go over scenarios and divide up work. Initial testing, other than Android OS version 4.4, to the development Exchange is working and we will be bringing up an Exchange 2013 development instance.
- PC0376, Data Centre redundancy, to improve network redundancy and pilot new supervisors in redundant mode, the Bob Wright Centre distribution router has now had dual supervisors installed.
- PC0384, IDAM User Research project charter, was granted approval to execute. Identity and access play an important role in the online user experience and yet they are difficult concepts to grasp. By undertaking user research it is our goal to understand what, when and why our IDAM users do what they do and how we can design more effective solutions.
- PC0385, Course Experience Survey System Implementation project plan, was granted approval to execute. Project PC0337, Course Experience Survey System Evaluation and Acquisition, resulted in the acquisition of “eXplorance Blue” for performing online course experience surveys. This project implements the eXplorance Blue software for use by Summer 2014 courses.
- PC0389, Online Academic Community project proposal, was granted approval to plan. The Online Academic Community (OAC) has been a pilot WordPress site hosting service for select faculty, staff and students since May 2013. The OAC provides pilot members with an environment to create personal WordPress sites and blogs where the content is hosted entirely on campus. Before this project became available, instructors who wished to have students create blogs as a course assignment had to update and maintain a private instance of WordPress on campus (or using another Canadian hosting service) to meet FIPPA standards. The small pilot phase allowed University Systems to test and gain feedback on the usability and technical architecture of the service. The project team now proposes to make this service available to all faculty, staff, researchers and students at the University of Victoria.
- PC0363, Blackboard Transact project plan, was granted approval to execute. This is the implementation of the Blackboard Transact system as a OneCard platform for UVic. Initial implementation includes replacement of functionality provided by legacy systems (UVicID and CBORD) including ID card production, UPASS validation, and Meal Plan / Food Services integration, as well as the replacement of all Point of Sale units within University Food Services with Blackboard-compliant NCR Point of Sale.