Information Technology Services

Colleagues,

We're excited to see everyone back on campus with the start of the fall semester. The ITS team had a productive summer, with several updates worth reading below.

As always, if you have any questions, please let me know.

Justin

Less Frequent Password Changes

We're making managing your @cnu.edu account easier. You will now only be required to change your @cnu.edu password once a year (every 365 days) instead of every 90 days. With the security of our Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) platform, this new one-year policy reflects information security best practices.

A Simpler Way to Log In to Your Windows PC

Signing into your Christopher Newport Windows PC is now simpler. You can now use your familiar CNU email address to log in to Windows, instead of your CNU ID number. Making this switch will assist us in introducing new Microsoft resources in the near future.

Eduroam Certificate Upgrades

Over the summer, ITS completed an upgrade of the security certificates associated with our eduroam Wi-Fi service. For most personal (non-CNU) Android and Windows devices, this change occurred without incident.

For personal Apple devices, you may need to remove the previous certificate and install a new one. Please refer this knowledge base article for more information:

Removing Management Configuration Profiles From Personal Apple Devices

Faster Wi-Fi and Upgraded Academic Network

The ITS Infrastructure team just completed the network upgrades of McMurran, Forbes, Luter, Trible Library, and the academic areas of Ferguson with new network switches, cabling infrastructure, and Wi-Fi access points. We appreciate everyone's patience this summer as the upgrade required building network disruptions.

Please note that with our focus on Wi-Fi, not every Ethernet port is active by default. Everyone is encouraged to use our upgraded Wi-Fi network. However, if you need a network port activated, please contact the Help Desk.

Loaner Technology Available at the ITS Help Desk

The loaner laptop program is now managed by ITS and available at the Help Desk in the Trible Library 24/7 Room. If you need to briefly borrow (for up to a week) a Mac or Windows laptop, please submit a request to the Help Desk. I would like to thank Johnnie Gray, for his support in transitioning this program from the Library to ITS.

More information about the loaner process is available in the knowledge base.

Local / Personal Printers Removed from Procurement List

With the focus on campus sustainability, local / personal printers are no longer listed on the ITS Procurement List. We will continue to encourage the use of efficient shared networked print devices, which are plentiful across campus. If you need assistance connecting to a networked printer or have questions regarding local printers, please contact the Help Desk.

New Digital Signage Online

The ITS Audio-Visual team upgraded digital signage across the campus, with new screens and a new content management platform. The AV team will continue to manage and support the overall digital signage technology, our colleagues in OCPR will manage the content ensuring it reflects the university brand.

If you would like to explore the possibility of new digital signage in your location, please contact the Help Desk.

Instructional / Classroom AV Upgrades

The instructional audiovisual refresh this summer included the following rooms:

Ferguson A182, A183, A213, A210, A222, A223

Trible 170, 208, and 209

In addition, all classrooms are now equipped with new Epson Document camera technology that can also be used as a webcam. More information is available via the Document Camera Guide in the knowledge base.

Training Sessions on Scholar and DocuSign

ITS will be offering a number of training sessions on Scholar the weeks of August 11-15 and September 1-5. Whether you want a refresher on how things work in Ultra, or you want to take advantage of some of the advanced features, these online sessions will get you ready for the semester. We offer sessions on everything from assignments and tests, to the new AI and accessibility features.

Please visit the full calendar for details and don't forget to sign-up!

New Unified Data Policy

ITS is conducting a review of all information technology related policies and standards, to ensure alignment with industry and academic information security best practices. In July, a new Unified Data Policy 6015 went into effect.

Cable TV Service Change

This summer ITS retired our campus Apogee satellite Cable TV services, shifting the remaining services to Cox Communications. If you have questions or are interested in the new service, please submit a request.

Greetings,

I hope everyone is having a great summer. As part of our ITS (and Facilities) modernization work, please note the following announcements.

As always, please contact our Help Desk if you need any assistance.

Justin

Campus IT Shutdown Friday, July 18

Ratcliffe Hall will be undergoing electrical maintenance on Friday, July 18 requiring the shutdown of the building and the university's primary data center. Almost all university IT services will be offline this Friday, from 5:30 am to 3 pm EDT.

Wi-Fi Eduroam Certificate Changes

Due to a recent network Wi-Fi change, your personal (non-CNU) Apple device may experience difficulties connecting to the university's eduroam Wi-Fi network. We have new guidance for removing the previous configuration profile, and adding a new one back.

Academic Network Upgrade

All academic buildings will soon have state-of-the-art Wi-Fi access points, supported by new Ethernet edge switches. Existing devices using Ethernet will continue to have service, such as office phones and devices connected through the phones. However, we are encouraging the use of our new Wi-Fi infrastructure. If you have any questions about connectivity, please contact our Help Desk.

Good afternoon,

As commencement approaches, the ITS team is gearing up for a productive summer. Key projects include upgrading the network of the academic buildings, installing the network for the new Science and Engineering Research Center, and numerous behind-the-scenes improvements.

In the spirit of Earth Day, I'd like to highlight a simple way we can all contribute. While individual modern computers are quite power-efficient, the collective energy consumed by hundreds of devices left running overnight is significant.

ITS now requests that you power down your office computers completely at the end of each workday, when they are not needed for remote access. It's a small step that, when done collectively, makes a meaningful difference in reducing our energy consumption.

Thank you for helping us to conserve energy.

Justin

Cable TV Service Change / New Campus Digital Signage

This summer ITS will retire our on campus Apogee satellite Cable TV services, shifting the remaining Cable TV services to Cox Communications. We have already engaged campus stakeholders still using Cable TV, but if you are a user of Cable TV and have questions, please submit a ticket.

With this TV service change, we are taking this opportunity to install a new digital signage platform across campus. This will include new monitors and hardware, with more dynamic content.

Deletion of Inactive / Abandoned University Technology Accounts

As part of our efforts to increase security and improve efficiency, ITS will now routinely delete abandoned CNU.edu accounts that have not been in use for over 120 days. This new standard is consistent with our peers, in managing identity and access management. We will have further updates on new identity and access management standards soon.

Deletion of Fall 2021 and Older Scholar Courses

ITS will archive and delete Scholar courses older than Fall 2021 on Friday, May 9th. While ITS maintains an emergency backup archive, it is not searchable and is not guaranteed to be complete. If you have materials that you want to save please download them before May 9th, by following these instructions.

ITS Campus Survey

If you have a few minutes, we would appreciate a few minutes of your time in completing our ITS campus survey.