Critical Java Vulnerability (Log4j)

In a computer program, a logging library's purpose is to record events to a file. These events could be a request for a web page, a user reports a crash, a sensor is reporting a harmful temperature, a chatbot question from a potential consumer, etc. There is a rule in secure programming to never trust user input because the input could be constructed to subvert the program. The idea that a logging library would parse log event data is incredibly stupid and the fact that it is the default behavior of Log4j 2 until the recent version 2.15 release is the basis of the current nightmare incident we are living through.

Technology vulnerabilities are reported using the CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) system that is maintained by The MITRE Corporation. So far, three CVEs exist due to the Log4j vulnerability and they are:

• CVE-2021-44228;
• CVE-2021-45046; 
• and, CVE-2021-45105. 

The first CVE, CVE-2021-44228, has earned a perfect ten from CVSS, which is a scoring system to measure the severity of a given vulnerability. Many security experts have jokingly wondered what a perfect ten would be given that other widely deployed software with critical vulnerabilities rarely earn a 9.8. This Log4j situation is no joke, though.

The Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has published guidance for the Log4j incident.

Additionally, CISA has established a community sourced GitHub repository.

The Apache Foundation maintains Log4j 2 and publishes the Log4j 2 Change Release History Log.

ITS is tracking the evolving nature of this situation so that our organization is not impacted. If you have any concerns about particular software, services, etc. that you use at the College please email its@manhattan.edu.

UPDATE - 15-December-2021 11:03 - 15 - December 2021 - There is an Issue with our authorization provider that is affecting some logins.

UPDATE - 15-December-2021 11:03

Services are returning to normal. We will continue to closely monitor the situation. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is an Issue with our authorization provider that is affecting some logins. 

We are working to resolve this issue as fast as possible. 

Next update before 11:00am 

DUO MFA Support Session Wednesday December 15th

ITS will be offering support sessions with members from the Technology Training team for those who will need to enable DUO Multi-Factor Authentication on their JasperNet accounts. Below please find more information about the drop-in training sessions. There is no signup required.

When:

• December: 15th (Wednesday) from 11:00am - 2:00pm
  
  
• January: 5th, 12th, and 19th (all Wednesday’s) from 11:00am-2:00pm

Where: MGL 305 (Computer Lab)

Please remember to bring your cell phone to complete the setup.

For more information on why this is needed please refer to this post.

If you are unable to attend or have any questions please contact its@mahattan.edu and someone from the Training Team will reach out to schedule a separate time and answer any questions you may have.

ITS CLIENT SERVICES - LIMITED SERVICE DURING FINALS WEEK

Wednesday, 12/15/21  Jasper and RLC Offices Closing at 4:00 pm.

Thursday, 12/16/21  RLC Office closing at 5:00 pm

Friday, 12/17/21  Due to low staffing, ITS Client Services will be closed; we will be handling emergency issues only.   

We apologize for the inconvenience.

As a reminder, tickets should be submitted to its@manhattan.edu.

Duo MFA Support Session Wednesday December 8th

DUO MFA Support Sessions

ITS will be offering support sessions with members from the Technology Training team for those who will need to enable DUO Multi-Factor Authentication on their JasperNet accounts. Below please find more information about the drop-in training sessions. There is no signup required.

When:

• December: 1st, 8th, and 15th (all Wednesday’s) from 11:00am - 2:00pm
  
  
• January: 5th, 12th, and 19th (all Wednesday’s) from 11:00am-2:00pm

Where: MGL 305 (Computer Lab)

Please remember to bring your cell phone to complete the setup.

For more information on why this is needed please refer to this post.

If you are unable to attend or have any questions please contact its@mahattan.edu and someone from the Training Team will reach out to schedule a separate time and answer any questions you may have.

UPDATE: RESOLVED- Wednesday 10 November 2021 - Power disruption Causing Network Outages.

A power disruption in DLS has caused some network disruptions throughout upper campus. 

Services are returning to normal and we are monitoring the situation closely. 

DUO MFA Support Sessions

ITS will be offering support sessions with members from the Technology Training team for those who will need to enable DUO Multi-Factor Authentication on their JasperNet accounts. Below please find more information about the drop-in training sessions. There is no signup required.

When:

• December: 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd (all Wednesday’s) from 11:00am - 2:00pm
  
  
• January: 5th, 12th, and 19th (all Wednesday’s) from 11:00am-2:00pm

Where: MGL 305 (Computer Lab)

Please remember to bring your cell phone to complete the setup.

For more information on why this is needed please refer to this post.

If you are unable to attend or have any questions please contact its@mahattan.edu and someone from the Training Team will reach out to schedule a separate time and answer any questions you may have.

New Cyber Security Requirements

As you surely have seen in the news or in your personal life recently, cyber attacks continue to develop and increase in frequency and complexity.  Many organizations - including major technology and social media companies - are taking additional steps to ensure that the accounts of their employees and customers remain well-protected.  Manhattan College has not been immune to these attacks and associated risks and we are now being required to implement stricter controls for our community members who access institutional data.  Given this new reality, two specific requirements that we must meet are as follows:

• All Employees must complete a yearly Cyber Security training program (More information will be coming about this shortly. This must be completed by January 21, 2022)

• All Employees must enroll their JasperNet account in Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA or 2SV) (Must be completed by January 18th, 2022 or you will be auto-enrolled)

Cyber Security Training

ITS is actively working with our insurance provider to develop a yearly Cyber Security training program that must be completed on a yearly basis starting in January 2022.  More information about the cyber security training program will be made available in the new year and must be completed by December 31st each year.  Content for the initial training program will be delivered by our insurance provider, however, we will assess the program throughout the year and provide the opportunity for campus experts to participate in determining and developing the curriculum for following years in alignment with the same requirements of the insurance provider.  ALL employees (including Faculty, Graduate Assistants, and Student Employees) will be required to complete this course yearly.

Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) - sometimes referred to as Two-Step Verification (2SV) - will be required for all employees going forward and must be implemented no later than January 2022.  While Manhattan College has previously taken a very targeted and calculated approach to require MFA based on a “risk score” (i.e. users that access Banner or other escalated access), we must now require MFA for ALL employees (including Faculty, Graduate Assistants, and Student Employees).  To date, over 670 community members have already enrolled in MFA.  ITS will be contacting community members that still need to enroll in MFA in the coming days to provide instructions and support for enabling MFA by 1/18/2022.

MFA Support Sessions

ITS will be offering support sessions with members from the Technology Training team for those who will need to enable DUO Multi-Factor Authentication on their JasperNet accounts. Below please find more information about the drop-in training sessions. There is no signup required.

When:

• January: 12th, 18th, and 19th (all Wednesday’s) from 11:00am-2:00pm

Where: MGL 305 (Computer Lab)

Please remember to bring your cell phone to complete the setup.

If you are unable to attend or have any questions please contact its@mahattan.edu and someone from the Training Team will reach out to schedule a separate time and answer any questions you may have.

Power Outage in Draddy and Lee

UPDATE: Power has been restored in Lee and Draddy and network connectivity has been restored.

Due to a power outage affecting Draddy Gym and Lee Hall, these buildings are experiencing network outages. Currently, these are the only two buildings that are affected. We will update this post as more information arises.

Network Outage

Update 10/26/21 8:42PM: The network outage is over.  The issue has been resolved.

Update 10/26/21 7:52PM: We are still working on the issue.  The outage is only affecting North campus.  There is an issue with the link between the two campuses.

 ITS is aware of a network outage affecting multiple buildings.  We are currently investigating and will provide an update when we have more information.

ITS Open House Reminders

As Open House is fast approaching, we would like to provide some reminders.  We have very limited resources.  If you are in need of equipment or setup assistance for Open House, we must receive your request by end of day:

 Thursday October 21st to its@manhattan.edu

Requests received after this date will likely not be able to be staffed/provided.

If you are able to, it would help if you could carry the equipment yourself and we can provide assistance setting up once delivered to Draddy.

If you need assistance, the day of the event, email its@manhattan.edu and we will do our best to assist you.  Note that we will not be able to provide loaner equipment or setups requested the day of.  Support will be limited to issues that arise.  We will not be manning phones the day of the event.

Please make sure to download any materials needed to your device prior to the event.  Note there is:

NO WiFi in Draddy

Remotely Outage

Update: As of approximately 10:00am the issue with SPSS on Remotely has been resolved. Remotely is up and running. Should you have any further issues, please contact ITS at its@manhattan.edu.

Update: As of 8:39PM the issues with Remotely login has been corrected.  The issue with SPSS loading remains.

We are aware of a Remotely outage that is currently ongoing.  We will be investigating this morning and providing an update when more information is available.

Horan and Lee Hall - Brief Network Outage - 10/20/2021

 Physical Plant will be conducting a generator test in Horan and Lee Hall on Wednesday, October 20, 2021. The generator test will commence in Horan Hall at 10:30am and Lee Hall at 11:00am.

There will be two brief outages, one while switching to generator power, the other while switching back to main power. Both wired and wireless will be affected during this generator test.

Only Horan and Lee Hall will be affected during this generator test. This will not affect the rest of campus.

If you have any questions, please contact ITS at its@manhattan.edu. We apologize for this inconvenience.

Update: Maintenance has been postponed from 10/13 to 10/20.

25Live Outage 10/8/21

UPDATE:  25Live is now up and running.

ITS would like to make you aware that 25Live is currently experiencing an outage.  The outage is from an outside source that 25Live uses and ITS is not able to resolve any 25Live issues until the outage is over.  We will make sure to update you as we receive information from 25Live.

Phishing Campaign -- $1,499 iCloud Orders

Today multiple gmail.com accounts sent emails to a fraction of our organization. The emails claim that the recipient would be charged $1,499 for their 12TB iCloud storage plan.

This is a good opportunity to announce that October is Cyber Security Awareness month. Best to keep in mind that any email may be a scam and we all are one degree away from criminals.

The most common IT crime still is Business Email Compromise (BEC) even though ransomware is increasing rapidly. It is best to be mindful of how to parse an email address and to do your best to understand who is emailing you.

Email addresses are formed by concatenating a username with the '@' sign and with a domain (e.g., bob@example.com). Sometimes people are confused by the common phishing addresses that use a domain inside the username (e.g., bob.manhattan.edu@example.com). Understand that such email addresses are available to anyone including to criminals.

If you receive a phishing email, you can report it to Gmail if you're using the web interface (not the Gmail mobile app, unfortunately). Google will alert ITS!

Gmail's 'Report phishing' feature is under a vertical ellipsis in the upper-right of an email.

You can also forward the email to its@manhattan.edu. If you are unsure if an email is a phishing email, please forward it to its@manhattan.edu. We can help to determine what is what and if necessary report the email as a phishing attempt to Google.

Computer Lab Software Request Deadline for Spring 2022 is December 18, 2021

 If you would like to request an upgrade of a software already installed in the computer labs or if you would like us to install a new software in the computer labs on campus, please fully read through the information on the link provided and fill out the Software Request form here. (click the big green box that says “Request Service”)

Note that software listed here is already scheduled to be installed, it is not necessary to submit requests for software, unless updating to a new version.

Please note that fully completed forms are required for any change to the labs, even for free software. All software installation media and licenses are also required by the due date.

Requests for the Spring 2022 semester should be submitted by December 18, 2021. Requests submitted after the deadline may not be installed in the labs for the Spring 2022 semester. This is because we need time to develop an installation procedure and test the software in the lab environment before deploying the software. We also require a number of weeks to deploy the lab images across campus, which means our solutions need to be complete and tested several weeks prior to classes beginning.

Service Outage Affecting Multiple Campus Systems

 ITS is aware of a service outage affecting multiple campus systems and is in the process of troubleshooting.  We'll provide an update once the extent of the outage is known.

Update 1 - 6:20PM:  ITS has identified the network outage and service availability has returned.

Campus Wide Wifi Upgrade - 10/02 - 6am - 9am

UPDATE: This maintenance has been completed as of 8:27 AM.

In order to maintain a safe, secure, and reliable wireless network, ITS will be upgrading core equipment of our wireless infrastructure. This will occur on October 2nd and is expected to last from 6am - 9am This maintenance will cause the wireless network to be down during the duration of the maintenance period and will affect devices that generally connect to the wireless network, including Kramer devices in classrooms. This maintenance will not affect the wired networks across campus.

We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact ITS by emailing its@manhattan.edu.

RESOLVED: Moodle - Assignment Grading Feature Issue

RESOLVED: As of 12:00PM 9/28/21, the Moodle Assignment Grading feature is functioning as expected.  If you are still experiencing issues, please submit a ticket to ITS.

ITS is currently investigating an issue regarding assignment grading in Moodle. 

We ask that users do not attempt the assignment grading feature in Moodle for the time being. We will update the community as more information becomes available.

Cancelled: Moodle EMERGENCY MAINTENANCE Monday 9/27/2021 7PM

The issue for this maintenance has been currently resolved. Further maintenance has been cancelled.

ITS will be conducting emergency maintenance of the Moodle at 7pm tonight Monday September 27 2021.

During this time, the Manhattan College Moodle system will be OFFLINE. We anticipate that the maintenance will be completed between 7PM - 8PM during which time the Moodle system may be UNAVAILABLE.

COMPLETE: Moodle Scheduled Maintenance on Friday 10/1/2021 8:00PM-10:00PM

UPDATE:  As of approximately 8:20PM Friday 10/1/2021, Moodle updates are complete and the system is functioning normally.

The Manhattan College Moodle system will be OFFLINE for system maintenance starting at 8:00PM on Friday 10/1/21 to implement important system updates. We anticipate that the maintenance will be completed between 8PM - 10PM during which time the Moodle system may be UNAVAILABLE.

New Student Employment Opportunities with ITS!

  ITS is hiring and looking to fill the following 2 student positions ASAP: 

• Client Services Technician The primary focus is to support the Manhattan College community's technology needs. The Client Services Technician (CST) performs daily operations of the Client Services office, including checking student email, checking ticketing, answering the phones, and greeting clients in the office. Other responsibilities include but are not limited to: consulting, training, supporting faculty and students; writing technology based documentation; self evaluation and assessment of client services skills and knowledge; assist colleagues; and troubleshooting. Additional responsibilities to be determined by Supervisors depending on the needs of the office. Training is provided. For a more detailed description please check the Student Employment website for this listing.
  


• Operations Representative The primary focus is to support the Manhattan College community's technology needs. The Operations Technician performs the daily tasks of the Operations office. We are an escalation team that works to maintain ITS owned equipment in all classrooms and computer labs throughout the entire campus. Main day to day tasks include: checking ticketing, room checks for all classrooms and computer labs, troubleshooting any issues that are escalated to the team, projector maintenance, replacing cabling in the ceiling/wall between projector and wall port, updating inventory for any new equipment, imaging, control unit maintenance (Pixie, Hall Research, Crestron). Other responsibilities include but are not limited to: research, training, writing/updating technology based documentation (Knowledge Base articles), self evaluation and assessment of operations skills and knowledge, and assist colleagues. Additional responsibilities to be determined by Supervisors depending on the needs of the office. Training is provided. For a more detailed description please check the Student Employment website for this listing.
  
  
   Please feel free to pass this on to anyone at Manhattan College who is eligible to apply or advertise. Thank you! 

Cyber Security: What is it?

As we make our way into the future, the world becoming more digital by the day, it is important we are all cyber aware and understand the meaning of cyber security. In an article written by Sharon Shea, cyber security is explained to be “the protection of internet-connected systems such as hardware, software and data from cyberthreats”. Cyber security is broken up into many sections including:

• Data security 

• Network security 

• Cloud security 

All sections are important to the success of a cyber security program.

Cyber security’s importance increases as the number of users, devices and programs continue to increase as well. This forces us to learn the threats that we are being exposed to everyday and how we can prevent them. Some threats include:

• Malware

• Social engineering

• Phishing 

By keeping up with the changing risks, we can make our own changes as simple as enabling a firewall or making complex and unique passwords for your different accounts. There are several tips you can follow including the ones in this blog post. 

With our growing cyber awareness, the need for professionals in the field also grows. Cyber security comes with multiple opportunities to start a career. Some security roles include:

• Security engineers

• Security Architects

• Security Analysts

Many other career paths are available within the field of cyber security and are in demand. The industry is in high demand for professionals who can fulfill such roles. 

The growth of cyber security comes with knowledge we should all be aware of, including the risks, preventative measures, and the job opportunities it opens. Cyber security is taking on the world at an increasing pace. 

Source: Shea, Sharon, et al. “What Is Cybersecurity? Everything You Need to Know.” SearchSecurity, TechTarget, 25 May 2021, searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/cybersecurity. 

Friendly Reminder: Back Up Your Data

With the convenience of the cloud and apps like Google Drive, it’s pretty easy to forget to back up your data. This is just a friendly reminder to do so!

Data on Google Drive:

Make sure that you have all of your data backed up either on your hard drive, a storage device, or a separate cloud storage service.

File Streaming:

If you are using Drive File Stream, it is very important that you are regularly checking drive.google.com to make sure that your data is syncing/saving properly. 

Once you’re logged into your google drive via web browser make sure that any files you worked on using drive file stream are present and up to date. You can access your drive via file stream or web browser on any device. 

Losing data can be incredibly stressful, but it is preventable! Here are some previously shared tips: 

• Your critical data should never reside in a single place.
• The ideal backup strategy will typically include both an online backup service (Google Drive) to ensure your data is secure no matter what happens to your mobile device or computer.
• Running consistent, automatic backups is a straightforward process that will take a little time to set up and will require even less to maintain.
• Backups can be configured to run in real time when files on your computer are changed.
• Routinely test your backup solution to ensure you can recover your data in the event that you do actually need to restore from a backup.

If you have any questions or concerns about this please reference our knowledge base articles or contact the ITS Help Desk for further assistance! 

Information partially taken from: https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2017/9/september-2018-do-you-have-a-personal-backup-plan

Tell ITS!

#TellITS - ITS needs your help identifying and reporting technology issues on campus.  ITS has been using the Tell ITS form as a way to alert us to technology issues so that we can help resolve them sooner. If you see an issue, loose cable, or something that just doesn't look right - we want to know about it!

Have you noticed the signage on campus “Tell ITS”? You should be seeing it on fliers, digital signage and on computers around campus.

You can use the Feedback option to let us know how you think we're doing.  

• Fun fact: A faculty member brought the "Grid View" extension to our attention and we were able to share that info more widespread! Your input and ideas are important to us and could be beneficial to all of Manhattan College! 
  
  
• Have a good experience? Let us know! 
  
  
• Have a bad experience?  Let us know what went wrong so we can correct it for the future.  
  
  
• Have an idea to improve tech at the college?  We want to know about it.  
  
  
• Make sure to give us your name so we can give you credit if the idea is implemented.
  
  

If you come across a technology issue on campus, please do not hesitate to report it to its@manhattan.edu or 718-862-7973 immediately.  For your convenience, you may also report issues or provide us with feedback by double clicking on the Tell ITS icon on the desktop of all public computers on campus or any ITS webpage.  You can also access this form via http://manhattan.edu/tellits. You will be directed to fill out a brief online form, just like the one linked above, detailing the nature of the issue and/or providing feedback.  The faster we know about an issue, the faster we can resolve it. We need your help to make sure that issues are resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Need ITS Assistance Quick? Use our Chatbot!

Last Spring, ITS at Manhattan College introduced a student developed Chatbot to assist the community with IT related issues. This Chatbot was entirely created by a former STAR, Alberto DeAngelis ‘20, and was designed to bring you quick resolutions with the information you need to resolve potential issues you might encounter!

We have taken the time to review the questions and issues that the chatbot has been receiving as well as the feedback we received, and have updated it to included more resolutions!

You can ask the Chatbot questions about an issue you are having and it will quickly try to help you come to the best resolution and send you information from our knowledge base.

The Chatbot is running through Google Chat and is easy to install. To install the Chatbot please follow these instructions.


ITS is very excited about the CS&O-ChatBot BETA and would like to encourage you to take advantage of it!  We will continue to actively monitor the issues and questions being sent and the feedback being submitted, and update the responses to ensure as many issues and questions as possible, can be resolved. 

Our goal is to make sure this tool is as useful and beneficial to the community as possible, and we would greatly appreciate any feedback you may have. Please fill out our CS&O Chatbot Survey and tell us what you think! 

COMPLETE - 18-September2021 - 8am-12pm Emergency Maintenance RLC Datacenter

ITS will be conducting emergency maintenance in the RLC datacenter tomorrow September 18 beginning at 8am. 

There will be sporadic outages of several services including:

Banner, Onecard, door access. 

Gmail and Google services will NOT be affected. 

AirPlay Kramer (AirPlay) VIA App Important Information

ITS is currently in the process of updating the Kramers across campus. These updates will take place over the next month and are expected to improve the service experience. 

To ensure a smooth experience with the app please make sure that you have the most current version of the app. This can be found by hitting the gear icon on the upper right hand corner of the app. It will be listed under “General” and will be right at the top. Below please find the current version number. 

Anyone that has not already downloaded the app or have downloaded it directly from the college kramer website, you will need to use the direct Windows download or the direct Mac download for the latest version.  

Additionally, ITS has created this article that contains the download links as well as the current version. We will be monitoring the updates monthly and updating the article so the current version is always displayed. We encourage you to reference this article if you are having trouble connecting as it might be that you are using an outdated version. 

Need ITS Assistance Quick? Use our Chatbot!

Last Spring, ITS at Manhattan College introduced a student developed Chatbot to assist the community with IT related issues. This Chatbot was entirely created by a former STAR, Alberto DeAngelis ‘20, and was designed to bring you quick resolutions with the information you need to resolve potential issues you might encounter!

We have taken the time to review the questions and issues that the chatbot has been receiving as well as the feedback we received, and have updated it to included more resolutions!

You can ask the Chatbot questions about an issue you are having and it will quickly try to help you come to the best resolution and send you information from our knowledge base.

The Chatbot is running through Google Chat and is easy to install. To install the Chatbot please follow these instructions.


ITS is very excited about the CS&O-ChatBot BETA and would like to encourage you to take advantage of it!  We will continue to actively monitor the issues and questions being sent and the feedback being submitted, and update the responses to ensure as many issues and questions as possible, can be resolved. 

Our goal is to make sure this tool is as useful and beneficial to the community as possible, and we would greatly appreciate any feedback you may have. Please fill out our CS&O Chatbot Survey and tell us what you think! 

New Campus Tech Alert! RLC 103 Chromboxes

 This summer, RLC 103 received some new tech and we want to invite you to come use it! 

RLC 103 is now equipped with 10 brand new chromboxes that you can use with improved ease. You may notice that the start screen looks a little different from other computer lab computers on campus but we have made this handy guide for navigating these fast new machines. 

ITS encourages you to come down to RLC 103 and check them out! The major benefits are: 

1. No longer require you to sign in! That's right, you heard correctly. You will only need to sign out of your session when you are done using the chromebox. This ensures a quick start to your session. You will still need to sign into your email, calendar, etc, but will not need to sign in to start your session.  Note: One sign in is often enough when staying in Manhattan College sites.
   
   

2. They can be used to access other computers on campus that contain important software. You can use Remotely to access other computers on campus that are equipped with necessary softwares such as AutoCad, SPSS, MATLAB, and others.

COMPLETE: MCS and ProDev Moodle Maintenance - Thursday 9/9/2021 7PM-12AM

UPDATE:  As of approximately 8PM Thursday 9/9/2021, MCS and ProDev updates are complete and the systems are back online. 

MCS and ProDev Moodle system maintenance has been scheduled for Thursday 9/9/2021 from 7PM-12AM and will be OFFLINE. The main Moodle system (lms.manhattan.edu) will not be affected.

Glance MC Daily Pass Error

 An error with the Glance MC Daily Pass may have shown incorrect COVID compliance data for some users.  

Some users who completed the Daily Symptom Tracker using the Glance MC app prior to 8AM today may have received an incorrect Grab N Go designation as Manhattan College adopts Key to NYC COVID compliance requirements.

Solution: Simply force-close and re-open the Glance MC App to display the correct pass information.

25Live Planned Maintenance Saturday September 11th 1PM - 5PM

  25Live will be unavailable during this maintenance window.

Native AirPlay Issue

ITS is aware that native AirPlay is not currently working.  This only affects those with Apple devices.  While we investigate the issue, please use the VIA app.  The VIA app is currently fully functional.  We will update the community once a resolution is found.

Tell ITS!

#TellITS - ITS needs your help identifying and reporting technology issues on campus.  ITS has been using the Tell ITS form as a way to alert us to technology issues so that we can help resolve them sooner. If you see an issue, loose cable, or something that just doesn't look right - we want to know about it!

Have you noticed the signage on campus “Tell ITS”? You should be seeing it on fliers, digital signage and on computers around campus.

You can use the Feedback option to let us know how you think we're doing.  

• Fun fact: A faculty member brought the "Grid View" extension to our attention and we were able to share that info more widespread! Your input and ideas are important to us and could be beneficial to all of Manhattan College! 
  
  
• Have a good experience? Let us know! 
  
  
• Have a bad experience?  Let us know what went wrong so we can correct it for the future.  
  
  
• Have an idea to improve tech at the college?  We want to know about it.  
  
  
• Make sure to give us your name so we can give you credit if the idea is implemented.
  
  

If you come across a technology issue on campus, please do not hesitate to report it to its@manhattan.edu or 718-862-7973 immediately.  For your convenience, you may also report issues or provide us with feedback by double clicking on the Tell ITS icon on the desktop of all public computers on campus or any ITS webpage.  You can also access this form via http://manhattan.edu/tellits. You will be directed to fill out a brief online form, just like the one linked above, detailing the nature of the issue and/or providing feedback.  The faster we know about an issue, the faster we can resolve it. We need your help to make sure that issues are resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Welcome Back! Fall 2021 IT Service Announcements

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:

Classroom Renovation of De La Salle 301 and 302 Update 

The purpose of this project is to update the technology and reconstruct DLS 301 and 302. We are super excited to have students and faculty using the new technology in this classroom! Over the summer construction began and each room has been outfitted with a brand new 75 inch TV as well as brand new collaborative works desks and chairs. Each room has the ability to connect using Airplay (Kramer VIAGo) or a hardwired connection with an HDMI cable. 

Be on the lookout for blog posts and announcements as the rooms will continue to receive tech upgrades. ITS will be sure to keep you updated on the technology upgrades as they occur. Additionally, if you are teaching in either room and would like a training session to review the technology please email its@mahattan.edu to set up a session. 

Computer Lab Upgrades: RLC 103 Chromebox Additions

Our goal with this initiative is to follow a four year refresh cycle to keep equipment current across campus.  ITS tracks inventory and upgrades labs based on computer warranty expiration date. Faculty and students will return to campus to find significant improvements in the following labs:

This summer ITS had added 10 brand new Chromboxes to the RLC 103 lab! ITS encourages you to come down to RLC 103 to check them out and let us know what you think. Some key benefits are no longer needing to sign into the computer to use it (email, calendar, drive, etc. signin still needed), and being able to access other computers with different software. 

Hybrid Classroom Technology Update

As we return this semester for in person learning, the Hybrid Learning technologies have been unplugged as we have defaulted back to the pre-COVID classroom set ups. The technology is still in the classrooms but it is not plugged in nor are you required to use it. If you would like to utilize the Hybrid technology, you are welcome to. 

Classroom Technology Training

ITS would like to encourage you to reach out for a training session with a member of the Technology Training team to review the technology in your classroom if you are not comfortable with it. Email its@manhattan.edu and let us know what room you like to receive the training in. 

Prioritized Support 

ITS Client Services will be providing priority support to classroom issues and network support requests from Monday, August 30 - Friday, September 10, 2021.  Response times for all other requests will be slower than normal.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

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.

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 continued goal of a 90% student run Client Services department in the upcoming Fall 2019 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:

How to Update Your Personal Email.

Remember that IT Services will never ask you for your password.

We encourage you all to please reset your computer password 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 we 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 2 convenient locations: Jasper Hall, Ground Floor, North Side & RLC 103C. 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, clients 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: Tell ITS

Don't forget to add us to your Google+ circles +ITS.  Follow us on Twitter @MC_ITS and Instagram mc_ITS.

Check out our Manhattan College ITS Blog.

Thanks and wishing everyone a productive semester on behalf of the ITS team!