OIT Technology News: Winter 2018 Edition

In this edition of OIT's Technology News, we highlight how Microsoft Certifications are making a difference in the classrooms, changes in Help Desk process are reducing wait time, updates on various security efforts in our winter security report, plus much more.

MOS Certifications Make Difference in Classroom Fall 2017 was the first semester that featured a course that included Microsoft Office Certification as a requirement. The class was a great success and served as a prime example of how essential Office skills are both in the classroom and the workplace.  IT Help Desk Streamlines Windows Software Installs on Macs OIT has streamlined the process of installing Windows or SAS on student laptops. What was a 2+ hours process is now less than 30 minutes with OIT's new process is saving students time.

2018 Winter Security Report Now Available Our Winter 2018 edition of the OIT Security Report is now available to the SMU community. In this edition, we cover Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities, what is a Bitcoin, how certain physical activities can increase your cybersecurity vigilance, plus “Ask Ms. Security” returns.

SMU Mobile App Gives Way to New Mobile-Friendly Services OIT is winding down its SMU Mobile app for iPhone and Android. The SMU Mobile app no longer appears in app stores and will stop working on February 28, 2018. The app is replaced with an improved Current Students page. using data to drive web design A look at how OIT's Web Team used data analytics to assess how students were using the page and inform the future user experience for the redesign of SMU's Current Students page.

Canvas Corner: February 2018 Edition This month, we cover new group assignment comment options, new Student View button, changes in the New Gradebook, other interface updates, and some navigation updates for students using the Canvas Mobile app on Android. Recent LANDesk Reboots: Why They Happened LANDesk clients have been updated to allow for more consistent and automated reboots with a focus on enhancing security, but have increased the number of reboots. Here is why these restarts occurred, and how you can lessen them.

2018 Classroom Technology Project List Finalized Academic Technology Council and the Academic Service Directors have met to address AV needs in the various classrooms. The project has selected 45 rooms to upgrade during the summer of 2018 by replacing AV gear or adding new components. Quick Tip: Change Email Notification Settings in Wiki.SMU A recent upgrade of the Wiki.SMU system has introduced helpful new features to the platform. Wiki.SMU sends you a report on recently updated articles, here is how to disable the email notifications, if desired.

Instagram Disables Privacy with New Feature Last month, Instagram released a new feature that allows people you follow or have chatted with to be able to tell if you are actively using the app. Luckily, there is a way to disable the feature. Quick Tip: Installing Software with LANDesk Did you know that you can install software on your SMU computers using a quick and easy self-service portal? You can! In this video, we show you how to use LANDesk to install software quickly.