Monthly Bulletin - December 2018

by Anonymous in ,

I'm pleased to share our monthly bulletin, which provides a summary of activities & accomplishments for the department of Information Technology Services.

User Services

  • Coordinated the TechE award nomination process and learn at lunch event
  • User Services staff members now use the DUO 2F security app for increased security.
  • Proposed technical support plan for the first EU winter session, which included extra support for faculty instructors.  We provided special help in preparing course websites in advance of the start of the term and monitored site development to meet deadlines. 
  • Completed fall pilot of Wepa self-service printing kiosk in Broome Library; began evaluation of results & feedback

Application Services

  • Planning for migration of the Grey Heller ERP Firewall project has started with migration targeted for late January.  This project overlaps with Information Security.
  • PeopleTools Upgrade to 8.56 process has begun with our non-production instance taken on 12/18 and due to be returned on 1/7 for testing and retrofitting as needed.  Production upgrade is scheduled for April.
  • Work Order Analysis for Application Services 
    • Completed the following number of work orders:
      • 19 for Academic Affairs 
      • 24 for Business and Financial Affairs
    • New work orders opened this period:
      • 15 for Academic Affairs
      • 15 for Business and Financial Services
      • 01 for Student Affairs
  • Angela Stockmon completed 7 sets of database clones to support Application Services ongoing projects and operations.
  • Lacey Lovey continued support efforts for the following:
    • Winter Session configuration and setup for Student Financials
    • 1098-T processing
  • Maintenance packs MP 5.03, 6.00 have been scheduled for migration to our production CI Records and CI Personnel instances on January 7.
  • Application Services resolved 43 work order in October (as of this update).

Infrastructure

  • Enabled SSO for Watermark project
  • Finalized eAccount Integration with Blackboard Transact for ITS Infrastructure section. Still need configuration with Accounting.
  • Started work on BbConnect (CI Alert) that will add a second SMS field to allow for mobile texts to a 2nd device. Will complete next month.
  • Migrated Communication & Marketing groupshare to Dropbox
  • Migrated ITS infrastructure groupshare to Dropbox
  • Started working on creating a high availability environment for our CI Apps (Campus Directory, Schedule of classes)
  • Decommissioned 10 physical servers in the Data Center cleaning up some server racks in the process
  • Deployed vRealize Operations Manager for our VMWare environment

Information Security

  • Information Security addressed three significant security incidents requiring SIRF reports.
  • Carlos Miranda continues to address campus reported phishing email attempts
  • Neal Fisch completed the following regular audits:
    • Monthly - Segregation of Duties in PeopleSoft
    • Monthly - System Access vs. Terminated EE’s
    • Quarterly Data Center and Oracle Account Audit
  • The ITS User Services technicians have been added to the DUO group for DUO 2-Step (multi-factor) authentication.  Planning for rollout to staff employees is currently under way with rollout expected to begin sometime in January.
  • CI’s annual Security and Data Risk Assessment (confidential data) was completed and turned in to the CO on 11/30.
  • Information Security resolved 81 work order in December (as of this update).
  • Completed 4 Information Security Vendor Risk Assessments tied to IT Procurements.

Project Management

  • The spring 2019 major project submission process is now open.  Learn more about the project review process.
  • Completed Hyland demonstration for Human Resources
  • Completed and closed RSS Hazard Assessment & Inspect Application implementation for Environmental Health & Safety.
  • Closed Campus Logic – Financial Aid project (cancelled)
  • CI Fileflow development of XML-to-EDI interface continues by Web Services staff. Site visit and training by vendor scheduled for mid-January.  Completed development of Retention Policy Manager custom scripting.
  • Watermark VIA assessment system implementation continues for School of Education; on track to begin testing in March.

Web Services

  • Completed 49 support tickets (48 opened this month)​
  • Completed accessibility evaluation of Online Orientation web site
  • Planning and requirements development with Student Affairs for a basic needs application; testing of push notification functionality in goCI mobile app
  • Work on web updates for VPBDA, School of Business, Health Sciences, Multicultural Dream Center, and Solution Center are in progress.
  • Development of myCI v3.2 features continues
  • Added autocomplete functionality to CSUCI web search (powered by Google search)  
  • Evaluating requirements for Housing & Residential Education upgrade of StarRez housing platform to new Portal X version 
  • Launched upgrades to the Nursing applicant management system
  • Began upgrade of Student Support Services management system

Administration (AVP’s office)

  • Announced Tech-E Award winners for Excellence in Profession (Pedro Rivas) and Excellence in Service (Anderson Hanchett)
  • Congratulations to Asha Ramachandra for completing her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training.
  • Developed draft of cost allocation model for auxiliary services
  • Developed draft of memorandum of understanding between ITS and Teaching & Learning Innovations

What is EkhoTech?

by Anonymous in , , ,

EkhoTech is a term we use that refers to a person, group, event, or communication that promotes the innovative use of technology.  We want to make sure that the campus knows about the rich set of technology tools available for use, and for users to give us insight into the kinds of improvements and enhancements that would make them even better.  EkhoTech efforts strive to connect people and technology in the best possible ways.

Our next EkhoTech event called Tech Talks, also known as "speed dating for technology," will be held soon.  This promises to be a fun, open hour featuring some of the most popular technologies used at CI.  Get power user tips from other technology enthusiasts, and give IT staff your feedback on the tools that are demoed.  Please join us!

ITS Department Tech-E Trophies Awarded

by Mike Long @ ITS in , , , , , , , , , ,


ITS Department Tech-E Trophies Awarded

Recognizing Excellence in Service and Profession since 2011

In 2011 the ITS department sought a means to recognize and celebrate the people who keep all the technological plates spinning at CI.  The men and women of ITS work hard on many fronts, making sure that all the programs, applications, devices and connections that the campus depends on to meet our common mission are working at all times.  The ITS Tech-E award (a take on a common term for tech people--“techie” and the E for excellence)  was born out of this desire to recognize their hard work.  A committee of ITS peers was selected who worked together to identify and describe the traits that mark an EXCELLENT worker and these traits are included on the semi-annual nomination forms to help people identify those ITS personnel who best exemplify those traits.  In recognition of the fact that many ITS personnel do not get much face time outside of the department, eventually two separate but similar awards were created.  The Tech-E for Excellence in Profession is voted on by the ITS group only and is presented to that person who voters felt most exemplifies the traits of a positive attitude, dependability, approach-ability, innovation, and unselfishness.  The Tech-E for Excellence in Service recognizes those same traits but is voted on by the entire campus community of Faculty and Staff.  

(Side note:  Nominations will be sought again in the middle of the Spring Semester; keep an eye out for that email and nominate the ITS individual who represents excellence in Service to you!)

At a departmental Lunch and Learn the week of December 10th, two new winners were identified and were recognized for their contributions.  This semester the ITS Tech-E award for Excellence in Profession was awarded to Pedro Rivas.  Pedro is a member of the ITS Infrastructure Group who is a System Admin and focuses largely on ID Management work and is an innovator in many other areas.  Pedro has the distinction of having worked at CI as a student assistant for the Infrastructure group and eventually graduated not only with a degree in Computer Science but also a full-time job with ITS!  The Tech-E award for Excellence in Service was presented to Anderson Hanchett.  Anderson has been working (and excelling!) as an Information Technology Consultant for the Solution Center for nearly 18 months.  In this role, he handles many issues for users with desktop computers, laptops, wireless, and printing issues and has clearly stood out as a great example of ITS Excellence.  The entire ITS department congratulates these two fantastic hard-working colleagues!


Pedro Rivas receiving the Fall 2018 Tech-E for Excellence in Profession from Interim AVP Peter Mosinskis   ---->






Anderson Hanchett being congratulated by Interim AVP Peter Mosinskis for winning this semester’s Tech-E for Excellence in Service

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Network and myCI outage resolved

by Anonymous in , ,

The network outage experienced by the campus this morning has been resolved as of 10:00 a.m., and access to myCI and email from the campus network has been restored. CENIC and Microsoft continue to investigate the root cause of the outage.

Thank you for your patience while this issue was resolved. If you experience any remaining issues accessing myCI or email, please restart your computer and try accessing these services again.

Please report any remaining issues to the IT Solution Center at (805) 437-8552 or by email at solutioncenter@csuci.edu



Microsoft Azure and Office 365 Outage - myCI and email affected

by Anonymous in , , , ,

Dear campus community:

The campus is experiencing a network outage on Microsoft Office 365 and Azure cloud services, which is affecting our campus' ability to login to myCI and send and receive email messages on campus. The problem was identified at approximately 8AM morning and has been reported to our internet service provider CENIC and to Microsoft, who have been continually working to diagnose and resolve the problem. The problem is statewide and is affecting multiple CSU campuses.

During the outage, you may not be able to login to myCI and access services available through myCI (including CI Learn, email and other myCI services) from the CI network. However, you may be successful in logging into myCI and sending and received email via cellular networks (AT&T, Verizon, etc.)

This outage is NOT affecting our ability to call phones off-campus; make 911 calls; make calls from cell phones; or make calls between on-campus extensions. 


Further updates on the status of this outage will be provided in 2 hours, or as they become available.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience until this issue is resolved. If you have any concerns please contact the IT Solution Center at (805) 437-8552.

Peter Mosinskis
Interim Assistant Vice President
Information Technology Services
CSU Channel Islands

CSUCI Deploys MATLAB and Simulink Anywhere Access for Students, Educators, and Researchers

by Anonymous in , , ,

New Total Academic Headcount (TAH) license underscores university’s commitment to bettering its learning environment 

California State University Channel Islands signed an agreement with MathWorks that provides all of our students, educators, and researchers campus-wide access to MATLAB, Simulink, and additional products. California State University Channel Islands joins more than 800 schools worldwide already using the MathWorks TAH campus-wide license.

CSUCI’s adoption of MATLAB and Simulink for technical computing and Model-Based Design further demonstrates the school’s commitment to continuously enhancing the learning environment for its students, educators, and researchers by providing anywhere access to cohesive industry-standard tools.

Our MATLAB and Simulink campus-wide TAH license includes analysis, design, modeling, simulation, code generation, and testing products for the engineering and science schools, plus computational finance for the business and economic schools. We are deploying these tools to students, educators, and researchers via a centralized license that increases the administrative efficiency of software management and distribution, and ensures that a common set of tools is readily available for all users.

Through the agreement between CSUCI and MathWorks, users will have access to software and associated documentation as well as immediate access to new releases. The TAH license permits the installation of MATLAB and Simulink on campus-managed and user-owned computers.

For instructions on downloading the software go to the California State University Channel Islands’s MATLAB Portal. Use your Dolphin User Name and Password to login and download the software.  You'll link your Dolphin User Name to your existing Mathworks account or if you don't already have one, you can create an account as part of the download process.

Access free, self-paced training to get started in less than 2 hours:  MATLAB Onramp.  You may also contact the IT Solution Center if you require further assistance with installation of MATLAB.

Monthly Bulletin - October 2018

by in ,

I'm pleased to share our monthly bulletin, which provides a summary of activities & accomplishments for the department of Information Technology Services.

User Services

  • Expanding Digital Signage installation to include some areas for Student Affairs.  Procurement and installation workflows are being developed and will be tested by this group with the intent to provide a workable “opt-in” model for the rest of the campus.
  • Reviewing Dropbox training and support practices and materials for improvement.  As use of this campus resource grows, additional in-person and on-line resources will be developed.
  • Considering possible support needs for Extended University winter intersession and preparing mitigation strategies.

Application Services

  • Testing continues for the Grey Heller ERP Firewall project.  This project overlaps with Information Security.
  • Work Order Analysis for Application Services 
    • Completed the following number of work orders:
      • 49 for Academic Affairs 
      • 44 for Business and Financial Affairs
      • 01 for Information Technology Services
      • 01 for Student Affairs
    • New work orders opened this period:
      • 41 for Academic Affairs
      • 33 for Business and Financial Services
      • 01 for Student Affairs
      • 01 by a student
  • Angela Stockmon completed 10 sets of database clones to support Application Services ongoing projects and operations.
  • Maintenance packs MP 4.06, 5.00, 5.01 and 5.02 were migrated to our production CI Records and CI Personnel instances this month.
  • Application Services resolved 97 work order in October (as of this update).

Infrastructure

  • Increased Active Directory security with software fixes
  • Dropbox Teams pilot project began to rollout to targeted users/groups
  • Completed migration of SQL server databases from older Berm/Dune servers
  • 4 Infrastructure team members attended 3 days of NTA/CAST (system wide network and systems alliance) meetings in San Diego
  • 2 Infrastructure team members (system admins) completed a week of VMWare 6.7 training
  • 1 Infrastructure team member attended a week of SQL Server training
  • Oversaw semi-annual Data Center UPS maintenance by vendor
  • Developed scope and requested quotes for camera additions for Auxiliary Services cash counting operations
  • Forward progress of data cabling installations for 23 Student Housing additions
  • Assisted with interviews for new student workers for Solution Center
  • Met with consultants assessing ITS needs toward CIO search
  • 2 team members attended 1 hour Fall Protection/Arial Work Platforms training

Information Security    

  • Information Security addressed three significant security incidents requiring SIRF reports.
  • Information Security submitted four news articles to the CI News Center for National Cyber-security Awareness Month.
  • Information Security conducted six Business Email Compromise awareness training sessions to the following groups this month: Human Resources, Office of the President, CI Police Department and the Project PROMESAS staff.
  • Carlos Miranda continues to address campus reported phishing email attempts.
  • Continued configuration and testing of Spirion, which will be replacing our current Identity Finder product.
  • Neal Fisch completed the following regular audits:
    • Monthly - Segregation of Duties in PeopleSoft
    • Monthly - System Access vs. Terminated EE’s
    • Quarterly Data Center and Oracle Account Audit
  • The second pilot group for DUO 2-Step (multi-factor) authentication has performed well with no reported issues or questions from the pilot group.
  • Work continued on CI’s annual Security and Data Risk Assessment (confidential data) to be turned in to the CO in December.  Surveys were sent to designated CI administrators to complete before 11/29/2018.
  • Information Security resolved 124 work order in October (as of this update).
  • Completed 3 Information Security Vendor Risk Assessments tied to IT Procurements.
  • Carlos Miranda was asked to present at the 2018 Submerge User Conference and Phishing Defense Summit.
  • Carlos Miranda completed a CISSP course offered by UCSD
  • Carlos Miranda attended a Cloud Security Summit hosted by Palo Alto Networks in Irvine.

Project Management

  • CI Fileflow document management: XML to TS130 process development in support of intelligent capture of transcripts continues. 
  • Scheduling IRPE migration from TrackIT to TeamDynamix
  • Completed first draft of major IT project review, for presentation to IT Policy & Planning Committee
  • Leading additional training sessions to support TeamDynamix administrator development
  • Kicking off procurement of Via Watermark assessment system for School of Education

Web Services

  • CI Fileflow document management: XML to TS130 process development in support of intelligent capture of transcripts continues. 
  • ​Delivered updates to GPA calculator administrative console for Academic Advising
  • Delivered GRE test sessions registration system for Extended University
  • Developing campus calendar demonstration for Enrollment Management to migrate the campus calendar to more flexible Trumba campus calendar format
  • Working on updates for New Student Orientation web site, VPBFA web site, Extended University and School of Business
  • Working on myCI 3.2 updates to develop new minimal and compressed views of user interface

Administration (AVP’s office)

  • Congratulations to Tara Hughes on her transition to Human Resources as Interim Manager of Administrative Services. Tara Hughes serves as the Interim Manager for an expanded Solution Center. In her new role, Tara will lead a team in building and managing the expansion of the Solution Center to include Human Resources’ first point of contact.
  • Congratulations and farewell to Nasser Mansour, Enterprise Services Engineer, who accepted a new position outside of CSUCI.    
  • Led October IT Policy & Planning Committee to review draft list of major IT projects
  • In partnership with Teaching & Learning Innovations, procured Badgr Pro software to facilitate expansion of digital badging and microcredentialing programs
  • Evaluating customer relationship management (CRM) system needs of Extended University and Enrollment Management
  • Peter attended Ventura County Regional Broadband Summit in Camarillo
  • Peter attended the Educause National Conference in Denver, CO