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:

Audio Visual Technology Enhancements have been made in the following classrooms.  Crestron Control Units, are the most up to date and easy to use podium set ups for classrooms, these have been installed in the following areas:

Crestron Control Unit

• Hayden Hall, Room 100  
• Research & Learning Center, Room 200  
• De La Salle Hall, Rooms 212 & 308, in addition, a computer and podium have been installed.  
• Leo Hall, Room102, in addition, an  Ergotron  Monitor Stand was installed
• Smith Auditorium  

In an effort to meet the demands of additional classroom space our offerings of extra space have expanded to include:

• O’Malley Library, Room 410 has been updated and is now both a computer lab and a classroom with the following updates:

• A new teacher presentation computer mounted on an Ergotron Arm
• A new Pixie Plus A/V Control Unit - no remote needed!
• O’Malley Library, Room 104 has an update in progress, we are continuing to work on improving this room's technical features.
• Miguel Hall Room 218 has an 84" SmartBoard, a full wall glass whiteboard and even more technical upgrades are scheduled.

Summer 2016 Computer Lab Upgrades

The following Computer Labs received new computers & monitors this summer:

• Research & Learning Center, Room 104
• Research & Learning Center, Room 107
• De La Salle Hall, Room 314

The Proactive Projector  Replacement initiative has made much progress through the summer and will continue throughout the upcoming year.  We have added new mounting brackets to this initiative.  These new mounts fit into the existing ceiling tile grid, making them much more seamless.  Also, they have a quick swap secure mount, making projector replacements quicker and offering a high level of security.

The following rooms have been renovated with new projectors this summer:

• Hayden Hall, Room 104
• Hayden Hall, Room 105
• Hayden Hall, Room 202
• Hayden Hall, Room 409
• Hayden Hall, Room 507
• Alumni Hall Room 202B, in addition, Airplay was added
• Hayden Hall Room 202B, the following improvements were also added to this room:
• A screen
• Airplay

Software Updates:

All the Computer labs on campus have been upgraded with MS Windows 10.

Upcoming Project: Infrared Repeaters

We want to provide an update about another project which will provide an improved user experience for faculty and staff in our classrooms and meeting spaces:  

Infrared Repeaters are being installed in every room with an Airplay device setup. This device will make it much easier to reset Airplay devices.  We will have quicker turn around time when troubleshooting Airplay issues.

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.

Reminders

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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.

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.

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.

Your feedback helps us improve our service and should be sent to https://docs.google.com/a/manhattan.edu/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeIph5pps5YgLJUC6NAN0PX7K3zCrPUh7cCcxYP1Q6cRm8xrA/viewform

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.

Classroom Technology Training Tuesday 1/26 & Wednesday 1/27

ITS will be providing classroom technology training Tuesday January 26th at 3:30PM and Wednesday January 27th at 12PM.  Both sessions will start in Miguel 201.

We will take faculty to classrooms around campus to show how the technology works in the different rooms. It is highly recommended that new faculty or faculty wishing to have a refresher attend.  Since we will be travelling to different rooms, it is important to be on time.

Please RSVP here.

ITS Working Hard Behind the Scenes

ITS is working hard all summer behind the scenes to make sure that our infrastructure keeps up with growing demand.  A lot of times, you may not even notice the difference in regard to some infrastructure projects.  Here are some of the projects being worked on now.

• Storage - We are upgrading the storage capacity on our servers to keep up with growing demand on our resources. 
• Projector Upgrades - Smith Auditorium is getting a brand new mounted projector and larger 16:9 screen on stage.  The Chancellor's Room recently received a brand new projector paired with the Pixie control system installed in the Spring.  Click here to read the blog post about the Pixie control system installation.
• WIFI - The final phase of our multi-year plan to overhaul WIFI coverage on campus is almost complete.  100% WIFI coverage is being extended to all of De La Salle, Memorial, and Miguel halls as shown on our campus WIFI coverage map.  As a result, all classrooms and Faculty offices will have access to high-speed 802.11n WIFI.
• Classroom Renovations - Six more classrooms were renovated this summer. We took this opportunity to upgrade the control units which includes a new user interface.  You will also have the benefit of an HDMI cable along with a VGA cable at the podium for your laptop.  Rooms that were renovated are: DLS 307 & 312, MGL 307 & 312, HAY 201 & 202
• 4 Computer Lab Upgrades - RLC 102 & 107, DLS 314 and MGL 110 are all being upgraded this summer.  In addition to the new desktops, we are also implementing a couple of software tools to help us better control printing and to monitor both printer and computer usage for more efficient future capacity planning.
• Banner Architecture Upgrade - Faster, more reliable, and more secure.  The culmination of 2+ years of planning and testing, the upgrade includes the migration to lower-cost/higher-performance hardware distributed between our campus datacenter and a secure remote location to ensure uninterrupted access to critical campus data 24/7.  Students and Faculty alike will notice faster performance when using self-service - especially during peak-load periods like online-registration and grading.  To read more about the Banner Architecture Upgrade, click here.
• Client Services Updates - Client Services North has consolidated into the Jasper office.  You can read more about the consolidation here.  As was done in the Spring we intend to offer extended hours during the Fall semester.  To view Hours of Operation, click here.  We are also working on implementing a new ticketing system.  This new system improves our ability to track support requests allowing us to better utilize our resources and communicate with you. 

Stay tuned, because as projects come to completion we will update you on what was upgraded and how it affects you.  

Chancellor's Room gets updated with Pixie Plus

Here is great news for anyone who uses the projector in the Chancellor's Room.  We have installed a Pixie Plus control panel at the speaker's podium.  No longer will you need to borrow the projector remote from Agnes Flynn in the VP's office; which doesn't mean you shouldn't stop by to say hi.  

If you didn't know, Chancellor's Room is where the Board of Trustees and many different committees meet; and it is the largest conference room on campus.

For this room, we programmed the following controls: Power, Source, and Volume.