myCI 3.1 launches this evening

by Anonymous in , ,

We're pleased to announce that we will be launching a new minor update to myCI (MyCI 3.1) this evening (Friday, August 3, 2018).

Since the release of myCI 3.0 this spring, the Web Services team has continued to develop enhancements to improve ease-of-use and personalization of the myCI experience for students, faculty and staff. Highlights of myCI v3.1 include:

  • Ability to add favorites services to your “Pinned Services” section and change their order
  • Search for myCI services by name or description
  • Move of “My Apps” functions to the Account menu

To access a preview of the upcoming release, visit: http://go.csuci.edu/myci-beta/ and login using your Dolphin Name & Password.

Once you’re logged in, please use the “Leave Feedback” button to share your impressions or to let us know about any bugs that you find. We’re always looking for ideas for how to make myCI better than ever, so please let us know what we can do to improve your experience using myCI.

You can also view the myCI 3.1 release notes for the latest updates.

Please contact the ITS Solution Center at 805-437-8552 or email solutioncenter@csuci.edu with any questions about these forthcoming changes.

IT Solution Center self-service portal is now live!

by Anonymous in , , , , , , , ,

I'm so pleased to share that as of 5:00PM today we have launched the new IT Solution Center self-service technology support portal, powered by TeamDynamix.

The new IT Solution Center portal enables students, faculty, staff to:

  • Find answers to common technology questions
  • Submit requests for IT support
  • Browse the list of available technology services
  • View and update your open IT service requests and help tickets
A link to the IT Solution Center was added in our myCI, and we've provided links throughout the Information Technology Services (ITS) web site to the new Solution Center portal. All new tickets submitted via the support portal have been verified to be properly routing to our technical support teams.

Special thanks to Melissa Bergem and the ITS planning and implementation teams for their dedication to making this launch a success. Thanks to their dedication, we are able to launch our portal with over 70 new services, and a knowledgebase with over 40 articles.

TrackIT will continue to serve as an ITS legacy ticketing system for the time being as ITS technicians update and close any open tickets created on or before today’s 5:00 PM launch time. 

Over the course of the summer and fall, we will work with the few campus organizations (including Institutional Research and Financial Services) to migrate their ticketing process to the IT Solution Center; in the meanwhile these organizations will temporarily continue using TrackIT to manage support and ticket requests.

Please call the Solution Center at 805-437-8552 with any questions or issues about the new support portal, and thanks in advance for your patience and cooperation as we work through any remaining go-live glitches.

New IT Solution Center self-service portal is coming on July 26

by Anonymous in , , , , ,

We're pleased to announce the forthcoming launch of a new self-service portal for IT support, powered by TeamDynamix, on Thursday, July 26, 2018. This service replaces our legacy TrackIT ticketing system and provides greater transparency and flexibility for our user community and IT support teams.

The new Solution Center portal enables students, faculty, staff to:

  • Find answers to common technology questions
  • Submit requests for IT support
  • Browse the list of available technology services
  • View and update your open IT service requests and help tickets
On July 26, a new link in myCI will be available in myCI to provide easy access to the portal. You can get a sneak peek to the IT Solution Center here.

Please contact Melissa Bergem, IT Project Coordinator, at melissa.bergem@csuci.edu with any questions you may have about the new portal. 


Monthly Bulletin - June 2018

by Anonymous in ,

Our monthly bulletin provides a summary of activities & accomplishments for the department of Information Technology Services.

User Services

  • Supported the June 16 T&I “Staff Appreciation Day” and facilitated the Tech-E Award process
  • Worked with cloud printing vendor WEPA who has agreed to provide us with a FREE demo unit for 3 months
  • Piloting a new, “small form factor” instructor PC in some classrooms which could make future upgrade and replacement less expensive 
  • Encouraged IT Staff to participate in the most recent Six Sigma “Green Belt” training.  To date, eight IT staff members have completed the training
  • Deployment of new computers as part of the Summer Refresh Effort is well underway
  • 25% of active PCs on campus are now running Windows 10
  • Closed Ticket Analysis for the Spring 2018 semester: 4676 TOTAL
    • Academic Technology Services: 126
    • ASG: 569
    • AV/Classrooms: 294
    • Desktop: 1429
    • Financial Services: 16
    • HelpDesk: 550
    • InfoSec: 220
    • Infrastructure: 857
    • Institutional Effectiveness: 31
    • Labs: 103
    • myCI: 140
    • Other: 8
    • Web: 333

Application Services

  • Application Services project team attended a pre-kickoff meeting for Grey Heller ERP Firewall implementation project (also part of Information Security)
  • Team met to review handling of Integration Broker recurring error cleanup
  • Team continues to address ongoing requests from Enrollment Management, Financial Aid, and IRPE.
  • Neal Fisch attended the CSU Technical User Group in-person meeting on 6/7
  • Shawn Bochat addressed an ongoing issue with Dolphin CareerLink
  • Shawn Bochat continued assisting with CI’s Smart Planner post implementation

Infrastructure

  • Assisting PD and Parking Services with re-wiring of Police Department EOC trailer
  • Specified and installed new UPS (battery backup) at Broome Chiller plant
  • Configured and provided network resources as well as provided oversight of access control projects at University Hall President’s suite, Yuba Hall and Bell Tower East CAPS suite
  • One of the uninterrupted power supplies (UPS2) for the Data Center suffered failure after planned power outage; working with contractor on repairs
  • Participated in Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics
  • Provided consultation services to Police Department for new body cameras in interview room camera systems 
  • Upgraded firmware on network core switches
  • Preparation work for pilot program of WEPA printing solution
  • Final preparation, test/evaluation and migration from Cisco Ironport to Microsoft Exchange Online Protection for campus email spam protection
  • Ongoing effort to upgrade campus servers to latest applicable operating system.
  • Fileshare migration preparation
  • Worked with vendor to upgrade Blackboard Transact (software database)
  • Enabled single sign-on for a variety of new services for campus
  • Ongoing testing of Duo Multifactor Authentication service on VPN and single sign-on

Information Security

  • Team continues to address security requests/incidents related to email phishing and other end user actions
  • Duo Multi-Factor Authentication project: added additional members from T&I and DBFA to DUO Multi-Factor Authentication Proof Of Concept pilot group; work continues on final DUO end-user documentation
  • Began proof of concept for Palo Alto Networks Aperture cloud access service broker tool to replace CI’s current service from Cloudlock
  • Assisted User Services with the following security related items:
    • WEPA printing station proof of concept
    • Security hard drive disposal solution – setup contract revision with current vendor Shred-It for drive shredding
  • Met with User Services to discuss Windows 10 standard configuration rollout
  • Met with User Services to discuss encryption of computers
  • Reviewed current status of CI’s use of WhiteHat Security services for scanning CI’s main websites with Web Services
  • Met with Financial Systems staff to re-start Blackboard eAccounts project and procurement
  • Met with Phil Hampton to discuss data security requirements/implications for CalPass Grant
  • Met with Araceli Espinoza-Wade from Project PROMESAS to review data security requirements to support their research grant
  • Attended the monthly CSU Information Security Advisory Committee (ISAC) Monthly call
  • Attended two CSU ISAC Policy and Standards review meetings this month
  • Continued project rollout planning for PhishMe phishing awareness service.
  • Began T&I Business Practice annual assessments
  • Addressed regular monthly audits

Project Management

  • TrackIT migration: team has been completing service catalog buildout and quality assurance testing in preparation for July 26-27 cutover of Help Desk ticketing from TrackIT to TeamDynamix, and launch of the updated TeamDynamix service catalog. Training for ITS staff is scheduled in the coming weeks, and further communication to the campus is forthcoming. 
  • In conjunction with User Services team, ID Card Printer Hardware and Software upgrade project (Multicard/Rockwest/Badgepass) was completed and is ready for closure. 2 new card printers were added, doubling the existing ID card printing capabilities.
  • In conjunction with the infrastructure team, deployed new Microsoft spam filtering. Most web applications have been updated to use the new Microsoft mail exchange (MX) records to ensure continuous mail delivery; existing Ironpoint MX records will continue to function until remaining applications are migrated.
  • In conjunction with Infrastructure team, Blackboard Transact upgrade was completed successfully on 6/1. This upgrade enables support for 2 campus card projects: Online ID Photo Submission & migration from JSA to Blackboard Accounts for Dolphin OneCard self-service.
  • In cooperation with the Division of Business & Financial Affairs, launched a new Card Services service management and incident reporting process in TeamDynamix on 6/4. See: https://ci.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/Requests/ServiceCatalog?CategoryID=8267
  • RSS Risk Safety Solutions: implementation is progressing. Single sign on has been enabled. 1st training scheduled for end of July with Peer Gerber’s team. Coordinating with Peer and Nancy Gill to develop a communication plan for faculty, lab technicians, and facilities personnel.
  • Working with Information Security on PhishMe communication and rollout plan.
  • CI Fileflow (Perceptive Content) implementation: Infrastructure & Web Services team members were able to configure single sign on using myCI; however, due to a bug in Perceptive web client, it cannot be enabled until the bug is repaired. Currently negotiating change requests with vendor and team related to color scanning; data encryption; and file format export process for Phase 2 (intelligent capture of transcripts). Two brief outages of the system happened over the last month; investigation so far has been inconclusive, and we are monitoring and researching the issue with our implementation partner Shamrock Solutions. Working with vendor to complete design document and finalize dates for Phase 2 (go-live still expected at end of September).
  • Med+Proctor PeopleSoft integration project has been put on hold, due to changes in Student Affairs Wellness program leadership.
  • Salesforce integration project was cancelled by Extended University.  
  • Fall 2018 major IT project review cycle (for projects set to start or continue between 1/1 and 6/1/2019) is now open for new submissions; more information is available here: https://www.csuci.edu/its/projects/2018fall.htm

Web Services

  • ​ myCI 3.1: go-live date has been scheduled for 8/3. Changes include new ability to pin favorite services; new search for services; and visual design changes (including retirement of the legacy “old layout”). Detailed release notes can be found at https://www.csuci.edu/its/myci/myci31-release-notes-2018.htm
  • Working with Infrastructure & Information Security to resolve security issues discovered by regular automated security scanning; many were resolved by the move to Microsoft Azure infrastructure.
  • Migration to new web site search engine Searchblox (replacing Google Search Appliance for web site search on www.csuci.edu and related sites) is underway. Migration deadline was extended from 7/1 to 7/25 by the Chancellor’s Office. Team has completed initial Searchblox training is working on configuring search widget.
  • Development of new Nursing Program check-in/check-out functionality to help ensure HIPAA compliance is 75% complete. 
  • Launched updated version of CI Social Stream, which fixed some functionality which was broken due to Facebook API changes.
  • Completed web site renaming from Division of Technology & Innovation to ITS

Administration (AVP’s office)

  • Announced new organizational structure for information technology, reporting to the Division of Business & Financial Affairs. The Division of Technology & Innovation has been renamed to Information Technology Services (ITS). Jill Leafstedt and the Teaching & Learning Innovations team will now report to Provost Geoff Chase but will remain co-located in Solano Hall and continue to closely collaborate with ITS. Peter Mosinskis has been appointed as the Interim Assistant Vice President for Information Technology Services (AVP for ITS). Herb Aquino is returning to his previous position as Director of Technology Infrastructure. Herb will continue to lead both the infrastructure team as well as the Solution Center. Tara Hughes and Anderson Hanchett will continue to report to Herb. Dawn Canfield will report to AVP for ITS and will continue to lead User Services team as the Manager of User Services.
  • Held open office hours for ITS staff on 6/29 to discuss transition and answer questions
  • Updated organization chart and published new reporting structure to ITS web site. 
  • Brendan Aldrich, Chief Data Officer for the California State University system, will be visiting CSUCI on 7/12 to meet with selected academic and administrative stakeholders to discuss data and the power of creating a “data democracy” for the CSU
  • Participated in the Council on Library & Information Resources (CLIR) Leading Change Institute from June 3-8 in Washington DC
  • Accepted to present at the 2018 Educause national conference on the topic of “Launching a Project Management Office: Lessons from the Front Lines”.
  • Scheduled to lead a breakout session in July at the 2018 CSU Technology Conference in Sacramento on Enterprise Service Management.  

Transition to Information Technology Services

by Anonymous in

Dear colleagues,


As you may have heard, the Division of Technology & Innovation has now joined the Division of Business & Financial Affairs (DBFA) as the department of Information Technology Services (ITS). 

I am deeply grateful to work with such a talented and dedicated group of technology professionals, and I'm honored to serve as the Interim Assistant Vice President for ITS during this transition period. 

There have been some questions about how our department's organizational structure is changing, so I'll take this opportunity to clarify. 

First, as Vice President Ysabel Trinidad mentioned in her email to ITS employees last week, Herb Aquino is returning to his previous position as Director of Technology Infrastructure. Herb will continue to lead both the infrastructure team as well as the Solution Center, and Tara Hughes and Anderson Hanchett will continue to report to Herb. Please join me in thanking Herb for his ongoing service and commitment to the success of IT and CSUCI.

In keeping with our structure prior to Herb's interim appointment, Dawn Canfield will report to me and will continue to lead User Services team as the Manager of User Services. I'm very pleased to welcome Dawn as a member of our department's leadership team, and am grateful to be able to share in her experience, wisdom and perspective. 

I'm grateful for the ongoing support, collaboration and collegiality of the Teaching & Learning Innovation (T&LI) team. While Executive Director of T&LI Jill Leafstedt and her team will now report to Provost Geoff Chase, the Faculty Innovations in Teaching (FIT) Studio, FIT Lounge and T&LI offices will remain co-located with ITS in Solano Hall. We remain committed to strengthening our partnership and communication to further the digital transformation of the University experience. 

The mission of ITS remains the same: to provide and support technology and innovative solutions that enhance the educational experience and University operations. We continue to work towards our vision of a technology environment that provides reliable, seamless and secure access to University services anytime and anywhere, while providing an exceptionally positive experience for every member of our community.

Right now the ITS team is focused on completing summer projects in preparation for the upcoming fall 2018 term and building partnerships with our new colleagues in DBFA. To facilitate communication about our work both within and outside of our department, we will be publishing a Monthly Bulletin here on the ITS News blog. The Monthly Bulletin will help share our accomplishments, and provide information about upcoming changes to our technology environment.

Please contact me if you have any questions about the transition or any of our active or planned projects. 

Welcome to Information Technology Services, and thank you for your continued support. 


Peter Mosinskis
Interim Assistant Vice President
Information Technology Services
peter.mosinskis@csuci.edu 

Desktop computers without DVD players are here

by Anonymous in ,

With the rise in popularity of smaller computing devices manufacturers are building computers that are lighter and less expensive.  One tradeoff with this trend is the elimination of CD/DVD drives.  If you use a computer that does not have a built-in DVD drive but you need one, please contact Dawn Canfield who can arrange a loaner DVD drive for you.


We are currently running a pilot of DVD-less computers in the Del Norte classrooms.  The new instructor machines in this building are small form factor computers mounted directly behind the monitors and they do not have DVD drives.   We’d very much like instructor feedback on these machines to help us plan for the future.  Please send your comments (and/or requests for external DVD players if necessary) to Dawn Canfield.

Monthly Bulletin May 2018

by Anonymous in ,

Our monthly bulletin provides a summary of the Division of Technology & Innovation's activities & accomplishments.

Teaching and Learning Innovations/Academic Technology

  • Media production services is very busy creating support resources with Learning Research Center, PEEPs, Public Safety and more. 
  • Launched ALLY in Canvas. ALLY is a tool to check with accessible materials. It also provides help in fixing inaccessible materials. See http://ally.ac/ to learn more.
  • Integrated Zoom with ShareStream. ShareStream is our internal media streaming service. 
  • 10 Faculty participating in Blended Learning Summer Institute
  • 25 Faculty starting Online Teaching Preparation Program
  • Received funding ($15,000) from Chancellor's Office to continue our work around Quality Assurance in Online/Blended Courses
  • Received funding ($9,000) from Chancellor's Office to support the Chief Innovation Office in developing a badging program.
  • Received funding from Chancellor's Office to continue openCI efforts ($15,000).

User Services

  • Solicited input on software required for teaching in classrooms and labs for Fall 2018.
  • Supported testing of the new document imaging system (FileFlow) and ID card system (Badge pass).
  • Supported commencement by configuring workstations in Aliso 150 and Trinity 1501 for live stream. Three user services staff members provided on-site, day-of support in the live stream rooms, at the EOC, and in the “Welcome” booths.
  • Began a demo period and feasibility study on the potential effect of providing a cloud-printing service as an alternative to Pharos printing.

Project Management

  • New electronic document management and workflow system "CI FileFlow" is live as of 5/29/2018. Go live date was pushed from last week due to some unexpected issues with data migration, which required re-import and re-indexing. Over 500,000 student enrollment-related documents have been migrated successfully from Hershey Singularly into CI FileFlow, powered by Perceptive Content from Hyland Software.  
  • Working with Infrastructure team to launch new Microsoft spam filtering service in replacement of Ironport. Expected go-live for replacement system is June 15. T&I team is piloting the new system with T&I staff and preparing communication to the campus about the forthcoming change. 
  • Working with Information Security team on rollout plan & communication for PhishMe spam training and user education program. PhishMe helps improve the digital citizenship of University employees by teaching them to identify and avoid phishing emails though simulated phishing attempts. Several divisions will participate in the program pilot, expected to commence in late June. 
  • New urgent project required by Chancellor's Office (CO's) for systemwide compliance with environmental health & safety and chemical inventory management is set to begin in June. T&I was only notified of this project by EH&S in May. Risk & Safety Solutions (https://riskandsafetysolutions.com/) will provide each campus with two applications designed to improve laboratory safety: a Laboratory Hazard Assessment Tool (LHAT) for enabling Principal Investigators (PIs) to conduct a hazard assessment relevant to their research environment to ensure that lab personnel are properly protected in their work environment; and Inspect, a customizable mobile inspection tool for safety inspections. T&I is gathering information about the CO's requirements and implementation timeline. 
  • Final draft of the spring 2018 major project review cycle (for projects set to start or continue between 6/1 and 12/31/2018) has been sent to the IT Policy & Planning Committee, and is available here for review. Next major project review cycle (fall 2018, for projects set to start or continue 1/1/2019 - 5/31/2019) is scheduled to open on 6/1/2018. 

Infrastructure

  • Assisted with Commencement
  • Mediated issues after uninterruped power supply (UPS) failure in Ojai Hall Data Center
  • Assisted with finalization of cutover from old ID Card program (ID Works) to new BadgePass system
  • Setup new SMTP server path for mail relaying; part of migrating from Ironport spam protection to Exchange Online, which is expected to go-live in June.
  • Working to bring groupshares to on-premise storage and off of cloud-based Storsimple

Web Services

  • ​Deployed new walking tour within CSUCI's interactive campus map
  • New urgent project required by the Chancellor's Office (CO) to replace the search engine for the CSUCI web site. The CSU has selected SearchBlox (https://www.searchblox.com/) as the replacement for Google Search Appliance (in use for over 10 years). The Google Search Appliance is scheduled to be decommissioned on July 1st. Web Services team members will be attending training on SearchBlox in mid-June.