Spring 2022 update from Information Technology Services
We’ve all experienced significant technological change over the past few years. Much of this change was necessary to fulfil the mission of the College in a safe and effective manner. Some of the recent changes are driven by SUNY-wide initiatives for more consistency and cost reductions across the SUNY system.
Information Technology Services (ITS) is here to assist you with your technology needs and questions as we face a continued technological evolution. Please read on for some important news and updates about campus technology systems and how we are navigating this environment of frequent change.
It’s important to reboot your campus computer
We will be instituting mandatory reboots on computers that have not been rebooted within the past 30 days. The reboot check will be executed on weekends only. This is to ensure that system updates and patches are applied in a timely manner to improve our security posture.
You can avoid being impacted from this automated process by proactively rebooting your computer on a weekly basis. Also, please remember to save your work periodically to avoid potential data loss.
Blackboard and Collaborate Ultra transition to D2L
D2L’s Brightspace will replace Blackboard starting in fall 2022. The campus will begin with a summer pilot. Please stay tuned to your email for more information, or visit our new DLE web hub for recent updates and resources. For questions or concerns, use this form.
After summer 2022, Collaborate Ultra will also be discontinued. The replacement tools are D2L and WebEx. We encourage all to download any recordings in Collaborate Ultra for archiving now through the last day of class of summer 2022. If you need to re-share these recordings you can upload them to Panopto.
Questions about Organizations and Communities in Blackboard
Will Blackboard Communities continue in BrightSpace D2L?
No, Blackboard Communities will not continue, and they will not be migrated/converted into Brightspace D2L.
What should I do with my content in Blackboard Communities?
You should begin now to download any existing content before the last access date on Aug. 22, 2022. Please use this link for more info about that process. There will not be a migration or conversion for your content to a new system.
Talk with your community leaders and document your needs.
Community Leaders: Submit your needs to Information Technology so we can match you to the proper tools (More information is forthcoming from Information Technology).
Restricting Macros in MS Office
Macros continue to be used as a vehicle for spreading ransomware and have been noted in more and more security incidents, especially with Microsoft Office utilities. As a result, we will be restricting the use of macros across the campus network. If you use them in your day-to-day work, please put in a request for continued access using the spring 2022 ITS Update ticket.
Campus H: Drive to be Retired this Summer
We previously announced that the Campus Drive, also known as the H: Drive, will be retired. Due to staffing issues and other priorities, the retirement has been delayed until summer 2022. The time is coming soon and we encourage the campus to use other options (such as OneDrive, Teams and SharePoint) when sharing files with groups outside your department. More details will be forthcoming when timing is set.
If you currently use the H: Drive for inter-departmental work or communication, please let us know as soon as possible so we can help you create an alternative method to accomplish your goals. Start by filling out the spring 2022 ITS Update ticket.
Classroom Technology Reminder
Faculty: It’s always a good idea to check your classroom technology in advance of your first class. Classroom instructions can be found in our knowledgebase, and you can search by classroom location, too.
IT Policies – especially Acceptable Use and Mailing List Policies
Please take time to review our information technology policies including, but not limited to, our acceptable uses policy as well as our mailing lists policies. These policies are listed in full at newpaltz.edu/itpolicy.
Desktop Support is Hiring!
Desktop Support recently experienced two employee departures. If you know of any viable candidates, please direct them to the following link: Desktop Support Technician.
Please be mindful that Raymond’s team is short-handed and response times may be longer than usual. Please create a ticket here or call the IT Service Desk at ext. 4357.