Information Technology Information TechnologySince the last IT Update, significant enhancements to the IT infrastructure at Troy University have occurred. We hope you enjoy reading the IT Update.
The 2012 IT Summit approaches. This year, we look forward to offering a wide-variety of new training sessions, vendor exhibits and forums for collaborative discussion. In 2011, hundreds of Troy colleagues attended. Your feedback assisted with changes to this year’s event. As always, your discussions in the functional area forums provided invaluable assistance in our planning for 2012 we anticipate encouraging support this year as we develop our plans for the upcoming academic year.
The summer timeframe provides substantial opportunity to address large projects and bring closure to numerous efforts. Among the many efforts scheduled for completion are new reporting solutions, consolidation of web services, deployment of new web portals, enhancements to financial systems, upgraded network technologies and testing of virtual desktop solutions.
New technologies emerge constantly; contact IT if you need assistance in reviewing devices and/or software before purchasing.
IT has worked on new purchasing contracts and telecommunications solutions during the Summit, discussions are available with IT and Finance representatives.
Further development to the customer resource management solution has been exceptionally productive in the past few months. Review the update and contact IT if your support group has interest in participating in the solution. Also, this month, a redesign to the ITAPS (Information Technology Accountability and Planning System) will debut. IT launched the system in 1997 it has proven exceptionally effective for manager review of IT efforts and projects.
As always, continue to practice safe computing habits: do not share login credentials or personal data via email, do not leave applications running on an unattended PC.
Thanks.
W. Greg Price
This is the latest issue to a security publication, OUCH!, published by SANS. The Troy IT department is a participant in the project, Securing The Human, as the SANS institute; a benefit of our participation is free distribution of the OUCH! security newsletter. The current issue details best practices regarding email etiquette.
Click HERE to read the OUCH! Newsletter
eSystems ran monthly reports for the divisions that placed requests.
Technical Services and eSystems completed a 3rd round of helpdesk training for the Greenwood and Hall supervisors. eSystems created a new process which allows agents to route tickets for escalation without having to manually assign them. Guides for the new escalation process were created and distributed to the Greenwood and Hall supervisors.
eSystems edited custom Instructional Design reports. February's reports were sent for approval of the new look and design of the report. The report format was approved; a schedule has now been set for this report to run on the last day of every month.
eSystems created a custom report detailing all the tickets with the problem type, Trojan Web Express. This report details the following aspects of all Trojan Web Express tickets: date created, date closed, ticket number, full name of end user, region, home location, task, initial responding CSR, and response time.The data was also categorized by CSR. Reports were ran for the last six months of 2011 (July 2011-December 2011), January 2012, and February 2012.
eSystems has begun updating some of the custom IT reports within Parature. Once the reports are formatted properly and approved; a schedule will be set for this report to run on the last day of every month.
eSystems participated in the New Employee Orientation on February 29, 2012 and gave training to all new employees present on the proper usage of EchoSign.
eSystems conducted two training sessions during March on EchoSign. At the first session we had nine people attend the session and one attended online for a total attendance of ten. At the second session, we had seventeen people attend the session and six attended online for a total attendance of twenty-three. Total attendance for both sessions combined was thirty-three.
eSystems participated in a Webinar hosted by EchoSign detailing the new options in the March 2, 2012 update of EchoSign.
Technical Services and eSystems have started scheduling for upcoming IT training sessions to be held during March and April. The session will cover major University systems and software such as; Trojan Webmail, EchoSign eSignature, Office 2010, which includes Word, Excel and Power Point.
Also available is the Online Training portal located at it.troy.edu, which houses not only Office 2010, but several topics that can be beneficial to end-users. The sessions are mostly short informative sessions and can be done from anywhere, as long as you have access to the Internet.
Troy Technical Services has conducted training sessions on Office2010, which includes Word and PowerPoint. Other sessions have been conducted such as; EchoSign, and Trojan WebMail. Many additional training session have been scheduled throughout the Summer. Also available is the Online Training portal located at it.troy.edu, which houses not only Office 2010, but several topics that can be beneficial to end-users. The sessions are mostly short informative sessions and can be done from anywhere as long as you have Internet access.
Troy Technical Services hosted a hands-on, onsite Visix training March 14th and 15th, for the digital signage equipment on campus. The training will help each department utilize the Visix equipment and be able to upload different layouts, pictures, announcements and videos to the digital displays.
eSystems has worked to update several of the reports that can be generated through Parature. Five reports were updated and altered to reflect the correct information. These reports included: IT Division; IT, Static Date; ID, Static Date; ED Tech, Static Date; and Records and Advising, Static Date. Six reports were completely created from scratch. These reports included Financial Aid, Static Date; Admissions, Static Date; Trojan Web Express; Troy Technical Services/eSystems with chat, last 7 days; Marketing, Static Date; and Finance, Static Date. Of these eleven reports, 6 have been scheduled to run on either a monthly or weekly basis.
Troy Technical Services has worked with the Web team in an effort to update the training page to include upcoming IT training efforts.
Also available is the Online Training portal, which houses not only Office 2010, but several topics that can be beneficial to Troy's end-users community. The online sessions are informative sessions and can be completed from anywhere the end-user has network connectivity.
The online training portal also houses Human Resource's Harassment and Prevention training.
Technical Services hosted CRM training for Financial Services which covered the end-user and support portal, updating, creating, and editing helpdesk tickets.
During the Christmas break, I.T. upgraded the Email system. Several changes were made, including quota increases to 750 MB for faculty and staff, which is a 400% increase. Also, the student quota was increased by 1900% which brings them to 500 MB. Changes were also made to the web interface that makes it more user friendly. Additions include a "Troy Web Links" tab, which contains several useful links to websites at TROY, and a calendar feature for faculty and staff.
Troy eSystems discussed the Travel Request form with the Finance department and offered to meet with a representative from the division to discuss the forms and testing. The forms are complete and ready for the testing phase.
Dothan Campus IT department welcomed Tawanna Duncan as a new IT Application support Analyst. She comes to the department with over 10 years of experience working at the Southeast Alabama Medical Center.
Nanjing University Traditional Instruments Orchestra Troupe performed at the Dothan Campus Sony Hall with support from the Dothan IT department. Audio and Video support as well as lighting assistance allowed for a great performance.
February 2012 saw the upgrade of older monitors to new LCD monitors in Library technology Building Room 105 computer Lab. Dothan IT accomplished the upgrade in hours. This allowed the students to transition to the newer monitors without interrupting their studies.
Dothan Campus IT assisted with the University's 125th Birthday Celebration. The celebration was held in the Harrison Room of Malone Hall with an overflow into the two adjourning classrooms. Each room was configured to receive the audio and video from the Troy Campus.
Montgomery IT along with other local schools, universities and the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce held our first IT Academy camp for the Montgomery area 8th grade students. The workshop was called Camp IT and was attended by more than 215 students. Montgomery IT department conducted workshops on Gaming and designed a website that provided information and a place for workshop registration.
Montgomery IT will be closing IT operations at Maxwell AFB at the end of the Spring Semester.
There is currently no news to report for Phenix City.
Technical Services replaced and reconfigured computers in the Trojan Village 200 lab. The upgrade allows students to newer software with more proficient computers.
Technical Services reviewed several labs on campus in an effort to provide additional services to the university. Items reviewed consisted of PC specs, what software is being utilized, if the units are under warranty, if Deep Freeze was installed and to answer any questions the lab administrators had.
Technical Services has installed 10 new computers for class rooms in Hawkins Hall. These computers will allow the teachers and students superior equipment and access to educational software.
Technical Services is conducting a MS Office 2010 upgrade for Troy campus. Adams Administration, Wright Hall, Trojan Center and Hawkins Hall are 100 % complete. If a PC does not meet the minimum requirements for upgrading Technical Services will offer suggestions for that PC.
Training has been scheduled for Troy, AL on March 14th and 15th. The training session will cover all aspects of the Visix digital display content manager. eSystems will have a best practices guide to provide to all content managers upon completion of training.
Troy Technical Services completed the set up the 26 PC's for the Confucius Lab. Cubicles were installed and PC's were put in place, including cabling, installing Deep Freeze and training for Dr. Xu and CI lab administrator on how to use Deep Freeze software. Instructional training for Confucius Institute technology equipment was held this week for the lab equipment, small conference room 15 and the Exhibition Hall. A walk-through with Dr. Tatum, Dr. Whitlock, Dr. Xu, Dr. Ingram and visiting scholars attended the viewing and learned about the new products.
Troy Technical Services completed a setup of 10 new PC's for the Athletics lab. Deep Freeze was installed on the new PC's and also reconfigured Deep Freeze on all other Lab PC's in order for the lab administrator to manage from one console.
Troy Technical Services reconfigured Deep Freeze for the ESL Lab in Pace Hall. Once the new server setup was completed, the Deep Freeze console and admin portion was installed and reconstructed for the lab PC's to operate proficiently and be kept up to date.
Troy Technical Services participated in the Trojan Preview Day on March 31st. IT was represented during the browse session for prospective students and their parents. During this event, IT information cards were handed out containing what services IT offers for students.
Troy Technical Services setup a PC kiosk station for the Student Health Center for students to complete and submit insurance forms for their visits. This is in the testing phase of the website to correct any security issues that may arise.
Troy Technical Services upgraded Troy's standard desktop quote with an improved processor which will make the PC faster for applications and processes. The great news is the price will remain the same as the old PC. If you need a quote for a PC or laptop, please visit http://it.troy.edu/Staff/Quotes/quotesmain.htm, the quote links are available on this page for standard configuration of a desktop and laptop computers.
Troy Technical Services researched appropriate furniture and equipment to complete the Observation Room in the Counseling Lab. The room layout was configured and measured for specific equipment because of the room size. Quotes was established and presented to the department to order for one the last stages of the project.
Troy Technical and Network Services met with the architects and department leaders regarding network and instructional technology for Long Hall.
IT Network Division finished replacing EOL networking equipment across the Troy Campus. Buildings currently completed are as follows: Wright Hall, ELC Building, Softball Building, Tennis Complex, Mitchell Hall, Physical Plant, Bus Shop, Grounds Shop, Alumni House, Sartain Hall, Football Pressbox, Davis Field House, Baseball Pressbox, Baseball Office Building, Soccer Building, Natatorium, College View, Adams Center, MSCX Building, Alumni Hall, Trojan Village 100, 200, 300, and 400, Clements Hall, Honors Cottage, Shackleford Hall, Gardner Hall, Hamil Hall, Cowart Hall, Alpha Gamma Delta, Phi Mu, Alpha Delta Pi, Kappa Delta, Chi Omega, Hillcrest Hall, Paden Hall, Malone Hall, and Student Rec Gym, Adams Administration, Pace Hall, Wallace Hall, and McCartha Hall.
IT Network Division continues updates of the IPS/IDS with newer versions of filters. These filters assist in mitigating newer threats to all systems connected to the University's networks. These updates continue to adjust for trending models of threat mitigation.
IT Network Division has now added wireless networking to the soccer building which includes both office area and dressing room. Further enhancements and addition to the soccer area is presently being explored to provide wireless to the Pressbox at the soccer field.
IT Network Division has now installed and is utilizing a new firewall for the student network resulting in streamline communications, less devices to maintain, lower TCO and increased through-put. A new firewall implementation is being scheduled for the Administrative networks presently.
IT has assisted in the WebUI project by installing and configuring a "load-balancer" to assist in managing the number of connections to each server used for handling Datatel users.
Troy IT spent 2 days with vendor engineers tuning the wireless infrastructure better performance. Installed 2 temporary wireless controllers on the student network while vendor works to resolve an issue with original equipment.
Troy IT spent several days working with the Dept of Education in establishing a separate wireless network for Apple TV device and iPads to conduct educational teaching using an iPad to control the AppleTV device wirelessly.
Work was completed on a design and equipment list for the new arena. Equipment has been ordered.
The networking division assisted in implementation and operation of the new payment gateway system. Connectivity from the gateway to the payment service has now been established.
The network division has worked with the NAC vendor to update a device list to be more inclusive of new portable and mobile devices for better resolution and reporting.
IT has been utilizing the Parature Helpdesk for some time now. The network division has been working on some "Self Help" Q & A that has now been posted in the "Knowledgebase" section inside https://splash.troy.edu/go-to/helpdesk/index.html. Please make sure to visit and check this out and feel free to forward us what you think may need to be addressed as issues that would make self troubleshooting better for everyone.
Troy Technical Services completed two labs configurations consisting of 42 PC's for Human Services, Rehab and Social Work Department. The constructed labs used recycled PC's that was reconfigured with software and Deep Freeze, and will be used for students and testing.
Troy Technical Services has acquired 15 used computers from the College of Business lab and reconfigured them to be used in three different departments around campus.
The upgrade to Axis7.2 for the digital displays was conducted during Spring Break. Troy Technical Services and Systems divisions wanted to minimize the impact the upgrade had on getting announcements out to our University Community. The content manager was offline during this time, which only tool 3 hours.
Troy eSystems is created a Digital Display Best Practices guide for departments deploying digital displays. The guide provides was provided to staff that attended the Visix training and will be posted to the IT website for future use.
The Spectrum server houses the faculty and staff web pages. After a system crash, IT acquired the Spectrum web server from the Journalism department. A new server was obtained to replace the aging system and was installed in the Data Center where it can be monitored and maintained.
SER Region delivered two servers before the break. The servers were rack mounted and connected to the network. VPN and Raritan accounts were added for SER to access and administrate the servers.
Assisted in the deployment of the security updates to VPN client software.
New server to replace the system currently used to host TROY's current website. Operating System has been installed and configured.
New servers were installed and configured to host the new web user interface for Datatel.
Server OS has been installed and configured to host the online journal system.
Phoenix Disaster Recovery Software was installed.
Installation of the PCI compliance module.
Separate analog FAX lines where replaced with digital circuits at 5 locations. This results in thousands of dollars savings for the university each year.
The phone system at the Fort Walton Beach locations was upgraded to IP Telephony. This was done using existing equipment from the Troy Florida Distance learning Center which moved to Troy.
This will result in large saving on the phone bill and many more phone features for the users.
Student computer labs were upgraded at Albany, Atlanta, Augusta, Brunswick, Columbus, and Covington locations. These upgrades include the latest software for student testing and evaluation.
The servers at Atlanta and Covington locations have been replaced. These new servers will allow faster access to software and files for students, staff and faculty.
In February of this year the IT department launched a new landing page for the university, that can be viewed by visiting "troy.edu". The page offers visitors rapid navigation to a handful of Websites and resources that are most frequently visited, including Webmail and Trojan Web Express.
IT had previously identified a need for the landing page after careful review of Website feedback, trends revealed in Web site analytics and visitor search data. In addition, the timing of the launch was determined by the upcoming deployment of a new Website being developed by Seventh Point.
Response to the new landing page has been positive since its launch. The current landing page was designed and developed by the IT department. A new design will be provided by Seventh Point in the near future though its purpose will remain the same.
The Information Technology department and Seventh Point are each in the process of developing new Websites for the university. The Seventh Point developed Website will serve as a marketing/promotional product by providing a broad range of general information about TROY that is targeted toward prospective students.
The IT effort will consolidate the disparate Web presences currently available (www.troy.edu, intranet.troy.edu, and location-specific Websites), which contain detailed information relevant to all audiences. Current information will be combined, offering a more comprehensive source for college and departmental information.
Both Websites will provide streamlined navigation and new tools to more quickly route visitors to the content they are seeking.
The IT developed Website will be referred to as Trojan and will eventually be accessible at trojan.troy.edu. The Seventh Point Website will will become www.troy.edu. Content that currently exists under www.troy.edu will be moved to trojan.troy.edu.
IT and Seventh Point are meeting on a regular basis to discuss content management and to address technical issues prior to the launch of the sites. IT plans to make its project available for general review and feedback in the near future, prior to launch.
Working in partnership with Admissions, IT is developing a "Recruiters Portal", which will serve as a central repository for University recruiters by providing information for recruitment purposes in digital format for reference and educational purposes. The site will also include resources that recruiters may find useful while performing their duties such as guides on using Leadmaster as well as a form that recruiters can use to submit leads directly into Leadmaster. Additional features will be added to the system as development progresses.
IT is assisting Admissions staff with implementing enhancements to Leadmaster, the prospect management system. An initial form that recruiters can use to submit leads is already available and additional improvement to the form will be completed soon. A form that will be used only by the Greenwood & Hall call center has been developed and is in the testing phase. Changes to the lead assignment workflows in Leadmaster are planned and IT will also provide assistance with those activities.
Troy Technical Services has started the planning phase for the 2012 IT Summit.
Montgomery IT is in the process of upgrading all library student computers to Windows 7 and office 2010.
Phenix City IT continues to work with the ePo server to ensure all campus computers are receiving updates. There has been a challenge in one lab getting the Agent to install correctly. It continues to attempt to resolve this issue.
Troy Technical Services continues the Office 2010 upgrade project for Troy campus with 80% completed. If a PC is not capable of upgrading to Office 2010 because of insufficient memory or doesn't meet requirements, Troy Technical Services will offer other suggestions to the department.
Troy Technical Services is busy preparing of the upcoming IMPACT sessions. These sessions will be conducted for incoming freshman about the services Information Technology provides while they are students at Troy. Troy Technical Services has shared their IMPACT presentation with all other TROY locations in an effort to make the IT IMPACT sessions uniform.
eSystems and Telecom began the review process for phone etiquette training.
Troy Technical Services is conducting a check on MAC's on Troy campus that are using Bonjour with printers. If the printer is setup with Bonjour, it could be a network security issue and should be turned off. If you need Troy Technical Services to set up a network printer for your MAC, please submit a helpdesk ticket at https://splash.troy.edu/go-to/helpdesk/index.html.
Troy Technical Services re-configured 6 laptops that are being used as a trial testing period for the library. These laptops are checked-out by students to use while they are in the library and have all Microsoft applications installed.
Troy Technical Services and Systems administration started the review process for Athletics football video solution. Lenovo has the solution and hardware requirements and are reviewing in an effort to offer hardware recommendations.
| Time Period | Days |
|---|---|
| Since January 2012 | 9 |
| Server | Average Hits Per Day | Unique Visitors | Successful Page Hits | Total Visits for 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| www.troy.edu | 60,285 | 686,704 | 5,489,026 | 2,003,958 |
| it.troy.edu | 1,541 | 19,578 | 140,229 | 55,454 |
| library.troy.edu | 1,758 | 16,983 | 158,677 | 68,607 |
| trojanweb.troy.edu | 199,188 | 438,607 | 18,126,079 | 2,914,446 |
| wa3test.troy.edu | 189 | 17 | 15,648 | 58 |
| admissions.troy.edu | 3,977 | 51,728 | 361,884 | 91,714 |
| www.troy.edu/mobile | 2,903 | 52,879 | 264,151 | 135,789 |
| troy.edu Splash Page* | 5,944 | 44,452 | 225,874 | 166,396 |
* This site was launched Feb. 23, 2012.
| Description | Total for 2012 |
|---|---|
| E-mail Messages In/Out | 73,487,000 |
| E-mail Viruses Blocked | 580 |
| Spam Blocked Due to Content | 40,705,000 |
| Description | Total for 2012 |
|---|---|
| Server Vulnerablility Probes | 4,284,190 |
| Completed Security Investigations | 17 |
| Troy Electrical DR Tests | 5 |
| Description | Total for 2012 |
|---|---|
| FTP Attempts | 3,598 |
| FTP: Bad Login Attempts | 2,897 |
| Spyware Blocked | 2,910 |
| Backdoor Trojan Attempts | 81 |
| Phishing Attempts | 6 |
| FTP: Root/Administrator Attempts | 811 |
| SSH Login Attempts | 30,124 |
| Region | ***Total*** | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama Campus | 4,359 | |||
| Dothan | 518 | |||
| Montgomery | 496 | |||
| Phenix City | 240 | |||
| Troy | 3,105 | |||
| eTroy | 850 | 850 | ||
| Atlantic Region (Troy Assist) | 152 | 152 | ||
| Southeast/Western Region | 1,150 | 1,150 | ||
| Pacific Region | 21 | 21 | ||
| Blackboard | 1,670 | 1,670 | ||
| Remote Proctor | 234 | 234 | ||
| Instructional Design | 681 | 681 | ||
| Total | 9,117 | 9,117 | ||
| Category | Total for 2012 |
|---|---|
| System Notices | 9 |
| Safety Alerts | 4 |
| Category | Events Streamed | Hits/Play | Minutes Viewed | Bandwidth Usage (MB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commencement | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Convocation | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lecture | 2 | 117 | 2,637 | 8,371.56 |
| Other | 3 | 541 | 7,446 | 26,347.06 |
| Total | 5 | 658 | 10,083 | 34,718.62 |
