Monday, August 28, 2017

Welcome Back!

We would like to welcome everyone back to campus and trust everyone had a relaxing and restorative summer break.
ITS Summer Updates
Client Services and Operations had a busy and very productive summer and would like to share some of our updates and accomplishments as we strive to be a strategic partner and provide  exceptional customer service  to the entire Manhattan College Community:

Upgraded PCs in:

De La Salle 210, RLC 103 and 105
Significant upgrades include
  • Small Form Factor PC with mount placing PC behind monitor (RLC 103 and 105 only)
  • Solid State Hard Drive for improved performance.
Classroom Renovations include the following joint efforts with Facilities Project Management team.
  • Started installing Laser Projectors in renovated classrooms  
  • Faculty and students will appreciate the instant on and off feature and the brighter light displayed from these update models.
Renovated Classrooms:
De La Salle 210
  • Expanded to 34 desktops,
  • New teacher's Ergotron station,
  • New Laser Projector
  • A new monitor added at front of room and 2 monitors in the back of the room
De La Salle 209, Advanced Learning Center
  • 6 TV presentation stations
  • New furniture designed to promote a collaborative learning environment.
Standard renovation including new laser projectors:
  • De La Salle 214 & 216
  • Alumni  200 & 201
Testing two rooms with limited  technology upgrades only:
  • Renovation adding podium, PC and control unit
  • De La Salle 314 and Leo Hall 324
Replaced aging Library Kiosk PCs and deployed new kiosk image.
Installed two Google Jamboards in library study rooms
  • O’Malley 401
  • O’Malley 314 (Jamboard will be moved to 314 within the first 2 weeks of school)
Support:
  • Camino program by preparing a Chromebook cart containing 20 Chromebooks.
  • Chemical Engineering Department by setting up a mini computer lab


Software Updates:

New computer lab image faster than ever before.
Replaced aging PCs in smart classrooms across campus and deployed new classroom PC image.


We have deployed software to track usage of software in our classrooms and computer labs.  We will use this data to optimize our licensing budget.  The next phase of this is to publish real time usage statistics of computer lab computers so that you can know where a free computer is at any given time.  The software we are using is called Labstats.


ITS Service Report link takes you to a series of links to reports generated by our ticketing and project management system. It includes data with regard to our service delivery statistics but also contains information with regard to rooms that are currently facing technology issues.


Not sure if a classroom issue has been resolved?  Click here for an up to date  Room Issues report: Complete with details on current status of each room that has an issue.

Banner (Forms) received a facelift this summer!  

  • Banner Forms no longer requires JAVA, which means that more browsers, such as Google Chrome are now supported!


  • ITS rolled out an Enterprise Reporting Environment called Argos. ITS has been actively working with the user community to empower them through the use of Argos for report development and thereby giving them the ability to get to their data more quickly.


Networking Updates

  • Installed wireless throughout Alumni Hall to include classrooms 200 and 201, Student Health Services, and offices located on the second floor.


  • Upgraded networking equipment in Draddy Gymnasium and Alumni Hall to increase the network speed between the two buildings.

Glance MC Updates

  • Student Developers working for Web and Collaboration via Summer Internships and Work-Study / Campus Employment continue to update Manhattan College's Glance MC mobile app with new features and to take advantage of continuously evolving technologies.
  • Students and employees are encouraged to download the native app - or updates when available - from either the iTunes App Store or on Google Play.  A key element of the app is the bundled Digital Jasper Card, an enhancement to one's plastic card and part of the college's Jasper Pay initiative. This convenient option is accepted at college dining venues and can also be used for access to certain locations on campus which currently use the plastic card. You'll find other features of each app useful on-the-go, as well.
  • The Glance MC app is available in the iTunes App Store and on Google Play - simply search for “Glance MC”. For more information on this student-developed app, see the ITS Glance MC Mobile App page.

ITS STARS Update:

A Student Technology And Resource Specialist (STARS) is a Manhattan College student who exemplifies Lasallian values by utilizing their unique skill set to assist members of the Manhattan College community.  A STAR has a combination of excellent interpersonal communication skills and technology knowledge.  STARS show compassion when working with members of the community who are having technical difficulties.  STARS will be going through ongoing training this Fall and  upgrading their technical skills in order to offer even stronger support to the Manhattan College community. Managers are organizing training and a student management hierarchy with the goal of a 90% student run Client Services department in the upcoming Fall 2017 semester.
Reminders
Have a question?  Check out our Knowledge Base first.
The best way to get in touch with a Client Services representative is an email to its@manhattan.edu or a phone call to x7973 (718-862-7973). Note that email and voicemail for this line go to our ticketing system so we encourage you to leave a message
Please follow these instructions to update your personal email address: https://manhattan.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/KB/ArticleDet?ID=2619.
Remember that we will never ask you for your password. We encourage you all to please reset your computer and provide the temporary password to ITS prior to dropping it off at Client Services. If you do not do this prior, please allocate an extra 5 minutes to work with a Client Services representative so that they can assist you in changing your password when working with us. Upon completion of work on your computer, please allocate another 5 minutes so that a Client Services representative can assist you in changing your password back to its original state. This is necessary in order to safeguard your password. Remember that you should never give your password out to anyone under any circumstances. Note that the same procedure holds true when you are requesting assistance with one of your Manhattan College accounts. For more details about best practices for keeping your information secure at Manhattan College click this Cyber Safety link found on the ITS website.
Client Services can NOT lend out equipment to students. If a student needs equipment for a project, they must have a Manhattan College employee sign out equipment on their behalf. Note that the Manhattan College employee is responsible for that equipment.
Client Services can provide short-term loaner equipment such as laptops and projectors by reservation. Note that if equipment is needed long term, it should be purchased via your department.
In lieu of loaning certain cables and remotes, Client Services has installed commonly used VGA and Audio cables as well as projector remotes in all yet-to-be-renovated classrooms. Network cables will be provided to faculty upon request. Faculty requiring other specialty cables or adapters (such as Apple VGA adapters) should contact Client Services for assistance purchasing this equipment as they are not stocked or provided by Client Services.
The Client Services office does not work on personal computers. We will train employees and students and instruct them on how to fix their computers, but personal computers cannot be dropped off for service. No personal items should ever be left in any of the Client Services offices.
Please remember to plan event setups in advance. We work with limited resources so we cannot always complete last minute requests.  
Client Services currently has 3 convenient locations: Jasper Basement, LIB 502/504, & RLC 103. Please stop by the location closest to you. We encourage you to call first to be sure that someone is available as we are constantly assisting the Manhattan College community.
Client Services Hours of Operations can be found here.
Computer Lab Hours can be found here.
Campus-owned computers are purchased with hardware support provided by the manufacturer. ITS will diagnose and determine whether manufacturer hardware support is needed. For the fastest service, users are also able to contact the manufacturer directly to access hardware support and replacement.
Don't forget to add us to your Google+ circles +ITS and follow us on Twitter @MC_ITS
Check out our Blog: http://itsblog.manhattan.edu/
Check out our known issues page: http://itsblog.manhattan.edu/p/known-issues.html
Thank you for your attention.