OIT Technology News: February 2024 Edition

SMU CSO Recognized by Baldrige Foundation for Leadership Excellence in Cybersecurity

Congratulations to SMU CSO George Finney for being recognized by the Baldrige Foundation with its 2024 Award for Leadership Excellence in Cybersecurity!

Streamlining Grant Management at SMU: A Milestone Achieved

In 2023, a significant transformation took place on campus with the implementation of the Grants Module, marking a crucial milestone in the enhancement of our PeopleSoft modules within my.SMU.

Streamlining Communication: SMU's Journey to Microsoft Teams

In the fall we announced that this year, SMU employees will receive Microsoft Teams headsets to replace their phones, unless specifically requested. This transition is essential as Microsoft Teams will replace Skype for Business.

Collaborative Efforts to Implement New Veteran Status Self-Identification Page in my.SMU

During the latest enrollment process, students gained the ability to self-report their veteran status, thanks to a recent update implemented in my.smu. Previously, SMU only collected data for students who requested VA benefits, resulting in an inability to capture veteran data accurately for those who did not seek benefits.

OIT Strategic Plan Winter 2024 Update

In 2022, OIT released a three year strategic plan, which we have just provided status updates and a brief summary for each of the items within the Strategic Plan document.

AI in Your Inbox? Improving Incoming Emails Being Marked as Junk

Find out how you can improving incoming emails being marked as junk, using Abnormal Security, an artificial intelligence agent that helps to determine if a message is malicious, unsolicited, or unwanted.

XWiki Project Gets Closer to Migration

The XWiki Implementation Project has entered its next phase and is working through the technical aspects of migrating years of posts and updates to our campus wiki system.

Microsoft Outlook & Teams: Exploring the Pros and Cons of New Features – To Stay or Go?

Recently, Microsoft made additional enhancements, prompting users to explore the new Outlook for Windows and new Teams which is available on both Mac and Windows. When a product is in beta status, it's important to examine the features and assess options before making the switch.

Data Science Workshops Are Open to All This Spring

This hands-on workshop series guides users in the basics of using SMU’s resources to take advantage of AI workflows, learn the fundamentals of deep learning, start programming and more.