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FROM THE CIOMalcolm Rice
Upcoming Changes at UAH!
myUAH - Last year, Ellucian, our software vendor for all things Banner, announced they would be retiring Luminis, the underlying software powering myUAH. OIT staff has been diligently working on its replacement. The new software is named Experience and will offer a more modern look, improved features (called cards), a responsive design and will be mobile device friendly. Anticipated production rollout is October 1, 2023. Keep your eye out for your opportunity to preview this new product before its official launch.
Google Apps Quotas - Two years ago Google announced the end to their unlimited free storage (shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos) and has imposed quotas on all customers. From the beginning, OIT has been analyzing the usage to determine what is an appropriate storage limit. Beginning January 2024, employees will have a limit of 200GB and students will have a limit of 10GB. To remain within UAH’s allocated storage limit, OIT will continue to monitor usage and make adjustments to these quotas as necessary. Google Apps usage is intended for activities associated with your responsibilities at UAH. Please do not store any personal information within your UAH provided account.
Realizing that some individuals/areas may have additional storage requirements, we are working out the details of how additional storage can be purchased and will communicate this to the campus once finalized.
Cybersecurity Training - If you have not completed your required cybersecurity training, now is a perfect time to do so before the semester gets underway and before this year’s deadline of October 1, 2023. Check Canvas (https://uah.instructure.com/) for your enrollment.
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Please join us in welcoming the following people to the OIT Team:
Kayla Vickers - Desktop Technician
Sydney Avery - Student Specialist II
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Threads or ThreatsJeremy Shelley, CISO
Recently, Meta launched a text-based social networking app called Threads which functions almost identically to Twitter. With its growing popularity among users, Threads is becoming the perfect social engineering opportunity for cybercriminals.
Researchers at Veriti have seen a surge of suspicious domains related to the Threads app. Cybercriminals are using these look-alike domains to deceive and lure users into downloading fake versions of the Threads app and apps for other popular online services. Watch out for emails, websites, or ads that prompt you to download a new version of an app. You could end up installing malicious malware on your device that cyber criminals could use to steal your (and UAH’s) sensitive information and login credentials.
Follow the tips below to spot similar scams:
Only download apps from trusted publishers. Anyone can publish an app on official app stores or sites—including cybercriminals.
Before you click a link, always hover your mouse over it. Watch out for spelling mistakes or suspiciously long URLs that can hide a website's true domain.
Keep your devices up to date. Software updates often include security patches to protect you against known vulnerabilities.
Only with your help can we #StayVigilantStaySecure.
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Weather and Power Outages
Mike Turner, Director Network Infrastructure
This summer has been particularly challenging due to the significant increase in severe weather, which has impacted operations in nearly every building on campus. Unfortunately, not every building has extended emergency power support; however, the Infrastructure Team works diligently to restore service as soon as commercial power is restored. Additionally, the Infrastructure Team completes extensive maintenance on the Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) systems that provide protection against minor power disruptions (less than 30 minutes).
External Connectivity: UAH has been working with Alabama Super Computer to establish a mutually beneficial fiber interconnection. Through this interconnection, UAH can now reach both Simple Helix and Hudson Alpha in addition to strengthening our external network resilience.
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Due to low demand, we have decommissioned the google.uah.edu website. Please use mail.uah.edu, calendar.uah.edu or docs.uah.edu as shortcuts to access Google Workspace for UAH. You can also use the standard Gmail login page as long as you enter your full login of chargerid@uah.edu vs. only the Charger ID.
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MacOS Sonoma and Continued Support
The annual Apple Worldwide Developer Conference took place in June and with it came some announcements of new releases. One of importance is the upcoming MacOS major version update to Sonoma. While there is not a definitive release date yet provided, it’s expected that it will be available in October.
When any new software or operating system versions are released, it’s important to keep in mind that support for older software or devices may discontinue. Depending on the situation, this can lead to potential security risks or functionality issues. With the release of Sonoma, Apple will discontinue support for Monterey after November 30th, 2024. However, support for Ventura will continue.
It’s strongly advised that all areas with Mac devices check to ensure that they will be prepared for the changes in support with MacOS. Any devices that cannot support Ventura past the November 30th, 2024 date will need to be replaced. A list of devices that will support MacOS Ventura can be found on Apple’s site here:
If it has been some time since your area has replaced any Macs, Apple currently has a better range of devices for both regular and power users. The Apple Silicon M1/M2 processors offer excellent performance and energy balance for battery life. There still can be compatibility factors to consider, though. If you might be interested in a Mac purchase, then please reach out to the Help Desk. We would be happy to provide a consultation.
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Understanding Multi-Factor Authentication
Google 2-Step Verification is similar to but separate from Duo. Both utilize a second factor (commonly a mobile device) to add an extra layer of security to your UAH accounts.
For any SSO systems like Canvas and myUAH, Duo is required. For any Google Workspace products like Gmail and Drive, you will use Google 2-Step. See below for more examples.
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Google 2-Step Verification
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Client Portal - The OIT Client Portal is a treasure trove of helpful information, including Knowledge Base articles, our Service Catalog, support forms, options to create or manage your existing tickets, and more! Check it out (even bookmark it) at uah.edu/ithelp. An example of our general articles is this one that describes the various ways to contact OIT for help.
Live chat! - Chat with us 24/7/365 using ITChat (click the message bubble in the bottom right corner of the ITChat page).
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To Our Tech People
From Wendy Worlund:
OIT has employed several stellar student employees over the years. Van Hudson stands out as an extremely talented and capable IT professional. As their time as a student employee comes to an end, we wish to publicly offer our appreciation.
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Required OIT Risk Assessment of Software Used on UAH Networks
In accordance with UAH Policy 06.01.09, Cloud Services and Information Technology Procurement, and as a cyber insurance requirement, OIT is required to perform a risk assessment on software that will be used on the campus network (particularly any that will allow access to Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or will process the records of student, faculty, and staff). The OIT Resource Review Form is located on the OIT Project website. Another tool we use is the Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit (HECVAT), which is located at https://tinyurl.com/5n82tdf4. If you are anticipating the purchase or renewal of software, please have the vendor complete these forms as early as possible in order for OIT to review and provide feedback in a timely manner.
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Let us know if there is a topic you would like OIT to cover by sending an email to oit@uah.edu.
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