Stay connected with Microsoft Teams

by Anonymous in , , ,

Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) is a unified communication and collaboration platform that combines workplace chat, video meetings, file storage (including collaboration on files), and integration with Office 365 services.

MS Teams is a great tool for working remotely, and it's available to all CSUCI faculty and staff for free. 

Key features in Microsoft Teams:

  • Chat: the "Chat" section enables real-time chat/instant messaging with campus colleagues, both individually and in groups. Direct messages allow users to send private messages to a specific user rather than a group of people.
  • Teams: The "Teams" function allows communities, groups, or teams to join through a specific URL or invitation sent by a team administrator or owner. Users can create teams to facilitate collaboration.
  • Channels: Within a team, members can set up channels. Channels are topics of conversation that allow team members to communicate without the use of email or group SMS (texting). Users can reply to posts with text as well as images and GIFs.
  • Meetings: meetings in Teams can be scheduled or created ad-hoc and users visiting the channel will be able to see that a meeting is currently in progress. Teams also has a plugin for Microsoft Outlook to invite others into a Teams meeting
  • Video conferencing is built-in to the Teams platform



Keep Teaching, Learning and Working Remotely: http://go.csuci.edu/keepgoing


Faculty/Staff Laptop Checkout moving to appointment only starting today

by Anonymous in ,

Due to the Stay at Home Order, Information Technology Services (ITS) will not have staff on campus to distribute laptops to faculty and staff at Lindero Hall today.  ITS will resume distributing laptops using an appointment model next week from Monday, March 23 through Thursday, March 26. If you need a laptop for remote work please follow the process below to set up an appointment with an ITS staff member. 

Here is the computer pick-up process for faculty and staff:

  1. File a ticket in TeamDynamix or contact the Solution Center at 805-437-8552 to request a computer.  Make sure to include an email address and phone number where you can be reached.
  2. ITS will contact your Department or Division as needed to confirm priority.
  3. ITS will contact you with an appointment time and campus location to pick up and activate your machine.
Thank you for your ongoing patience and support. 

Connecting to Campus Remotely - VPN or VDI

by Anonymous in , , , ,

In an effort to be able to support our University’s remote work directive, Information Technology Services (ITS) has rolled out a new alternative solution to its VPN remote access service called Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). 


 VDI is a web-browser-based solution that allows access to network file-shares, such as the G:\ ,  S:\ or Z:\ drives, as well as to most applications and services used by faculty and staff. 

ITS is requesting that individuals who only require access to their network file-shares and Microsoft O365 Office products such as Office, Teams, OneNote etc., use the new VDI service instead of VPN.

Click here to start the new VDI web-based service and to get answers to questions you may have about VDI.

Please note that use of this VDI solution requires no action by ITS; VDI is an entirely self-service process that may be initiated by any faculty or staff member on their computer.

ITS continues to recommend that university work be conducted on university-owned and university-issued devices that were previously defined for remote work.

We encourage you to share this information with your co-workers, and we thank you for your support and patience during this unprecedented time of need. 

Video conference best practices

by Anonymous in , , , , , ,

Zoom is a useful and popular tool to support collaboration with colleagues working remotely.
With hundreds of hours of meetings already happening every month on Zoom at CSUCI, it's a great opportunity to ensure that you're make the most out of the experience.

Information Technology Services is pleased to re-share this short and wonderful video that the Teaching & Learning Innovations (T&LI) team at CSUCI published in spring 2019. The video highlights best practices for using Zoom to engage with your colleagues.

Most of the recommendations provided in the video also apply to video-based meetings using Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts or other platforms.



Watch Zoom Best Practices video on YouTube

Do you have other best practices for video conferences that you find important? We'd love to hear from you, share your thoughts here.

Want to get started using Zoom? Visit CSUCI's Zoom information page. You can also access Zoom directly from myCI.

Distribution of loaner computers to faculty and staff

by Anonymous in , , , ,

Information Technology Services (ITS) will be distributing laptops to faculty and staff who currently do not have a computer for remote work.

The current priority (where 1=highest priority) is:

  1. Faculty teaching a class or otherwise designated a priority by Academic Affairs
  2. Staff designated by their department
  3. Any staff or faculty working remotely
ITS can distribute 120 used Dell Ultrabook Laptops retired from a classroom this week. If the supply of these computers is depleted, ITS has other pools of computers that can be configured.  All loaner computers will have a camera, microphone, and are imaged for use by CSUCI employees. They are both Zoom, Canvas, Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Office ready as delivered. If employees need specialized software installed they can file a ticket for assistance or call the Solution Center at 805-437-8552. If possible, they will be directed to self-install software or will be instructed how to participate in a remote session with an ITS technician. In certain cases an appointment with an ITS technician on campus may be needed.

Here is the loaner computer pick-up process for University faculty and staff:
  1. First file a ticket in TeamDynamix or contact the Solution Center at 805-437-8552 to request a computer.
  2. ITS will contact your Department or Division as needed to confirm priority.
  3. Pickup location will be at the Lindero Hall courtyard, outside of the Human Resources entrance.
  4. Pickup hours are between 10AM – 2PM Wednesday through Friday (3/18-3/20) this week. Next week (3/23-3/27) will be by appointment only.
  5. Call the Solution Center number (805-437-8552) to arrange pickup. You will be asked to show University ID.
  6. Please log into the computer before leaving campus to activate your configuration. You will be able to connect to the University network in the Lindero Hall courtyard, outside of the Human Resources entrance.
Please contact the Solution Center at 805-437-8552 with any questions about this process, and visit http://go.csuci.edu/keepgoing for additional guidance on how to keep teaching, learning and working remotely. 

Keep Teaching, Learning and Working

by Anonymous in , , , ,

Information Technology Services is committed to helping our campus community to continue to communicate and collaborate during these challenging times.

Please visit the Keep Teaching, Learning and Working web site at http://go.csuci.edu/keepgoing for guidance on working remotely.

If you have a question, issue or problem related to using University technology systems, services or processes remotely, please visit the ITS COVID-19 Support web site to submit a support request. Alternately you can also call the Solution Center at 805-437-8552.

Campus updates on coronavirus (COVID-19) response can be found here.

Thank you for your continued cooperation, patience and support during these extraordinary times.

Beware of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Phishing Scams

by in , , , , , , , , , , ,

Most of us have seen and read in the news about the Coronavirus outbreak, currently known as SARS-CoV-2 or Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). We wanted to remind you that during media intense events like this, cyber attackers take advantage of this opportunity and attempt to scam you or launch phishing attacks that attempt to get you to click on malicious links or open infected email attachments. Here are some of the most common indicators that the phone call or email you received is most likely a scam or attack (additional information on identifying scam phone calls and emails may be found at the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information website).
  • Any messages that communicates a tremendous sense of urgency. The bad guys are trying to rush you into making a mistake.
  • Any message that pressures you into bypassing or ignoring our security policies and procedures.
  • Any message that promotes miracle cures, such as vaccines or medicine that will protect you. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
  • Be very suspicious of any phone call or message that pretends to be an official or government organization urging you to take immediate action. 

For the latest updates consider visiting the World Health Organization website on Health and Disease Control, the Center for Disease Control website, or our own CSUCI Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information website. Please keep in mind Coronavirus scams and attacks can happen at work or at home, via email, text messaging or even over the phone. Don’t fall victim to bad guys playing on your emotions. 

If you feel you have received a phishing attack at work, simply delete the message or if you have concerns report it to your information security team.

Information Resources: 

CSUCI Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information
California Department of Public Health
U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention
World Health Organization
CSU Chancellor’s Office
U.S. Department of State
Johns Hopkins Real Time Map
County of Ventura
VC Emergency
Ventura County Public Health
Santa Barbara County Public Health
Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information