What do you mean..."it is frustrating getting on the network?"

For years we have used a network security system that many have found cumbersome and frustrating. Our current Cisco system requires login and authentication each time we use it, it limits the number of devices that we can attach to the network at one time, and it has been "unfriendly" to visitors. That is a nice array of compliments, isn't it??

 

All of that is going to change!! In early January we will be implementing a new network authentication software called Bradford. GONE will be the days of multiple logins...Bradford will remember you! GONE will be the limitations on BYOD (Bring your own device) network attachments...we will be able to attach your personal devices...students and fac/staff. GONE will be the frustrations of visitor logins...Bradford will allow for self registration.

 

Sometimes the simplest changes help us the most...

 

 

Ray

ITAP Review of Two Projects...and more

Over the past two weeks, the ITAP Committee has completed the review of three of our top project initiatives in the college:

• Alumni Lifetime email (sponsored by Jackie Stern)
• On-Line Registration (sponsored by Cheryl Chase)
• eAdvising (sponsored by Cheryl Chase)

Upcoming presentations over our next two meetings (over the next month) will be :

• Student Retention Alert sytem (sponsored by Joyce Stern)
• Data Warehouse

ITAP is a committee composed of members of each functional department. As cited in an earlier post (the names of the ITAP Committee members are posted there, too), the purpose of ITAP is review and prioritize  project initiatives cross-organizationally. What we all desire is for the highest priority initiatives to be completed, cross organizationally. This team gives Senior Leadership that perspective.

Great, great presentations by the functional departments teamed with their ITS colleagues. Strong, perceptive, questions from the ITAP members. This Committee is working well!!! I am very grateful to them.

We will post the presentations on the ITS website.

Once we have the first five initiatives reviewed and scored, a summary will be presented to the Senior Leadership team (January). We will seek approval and funding at that time. Resource requirements will be loaded into the ITS resource plan, pre-allocating resources, and we will drive the approved projects to completion on the planned dates.

Progress!!

Meanwhile, given the modest scope of the Alumni Lifetime email project (20-40 hours), we are proceeding ahead with that initiative. Delivery date for this project is February 15, 2013. Student's grinnell.edu email's will be forwarded to an external email account (gMail, for example) upon graduation. Alums will be able to use a self service tool which we are creating to update their email forwarding addresses.

We also have acquired the hardware and are in the process of implementing the software to support caller id on campus. This is a facility that has been requested by several departments. This project is scheduled to go live over the next month. Rural Iowa will place some constraints on us, however. As our calls are routed through differnet local phone companies, caller id will be dropped off for about 40% of our calls due to the fact that local providers do not carry the necessary technology to pass caller id though. 

Cake and Coffee - Unveiling the Services Desk

Mark your calendar:  On Thursday, November 29, 3:30 - 5:30 PM we will be hosting a Services Desk Open House in the Forum South Lounge.

Stop by. Enjoy some cake and coffee in a casual and festive atmosphere. Visit with the Services Desk team in their new digs!! Visit our demonstration stations intended to communicate with you our new organization, how to ticket (Check on the status of your tickets!!!), and more. You may even bring your current technology topic to the open house!!...we will have all hands on deck and be able to answer your questions!

We are grateful to have the opportunity to consolidate our support staffs into one location. We have done a serious revamp of our service delivery process. All of this is intended to increase our support levels to you.

We are ready to roll!!!


Ray