We are officially past the 1-year mark of distanced learning and remote work. Thank you to all SPU faculty and staff for your hard work that has allowed our community to find many successes in the past year. CIS continues to offer support both for the unique time we're in and the inevitable technology needs that come with the start of a new quarter. Below are topics you will find helpful to know about as we close out the 2020-21 academic year.

What's New on Campus

WiFi in Tiffany Loop

Just in time for spring quarter sunshine: WiFi is now installed at the center of Tiffany Loop, for those who wish to take their meetings or their studies outdoors. Enjoy!

Next up: WiFi in Martin Square is soon to be available as well.

Microsoft Teams Calling

Congratulations to everyone on navigating the migration to Teams Calling! 

As you settle in to using Teams for campus calls, remember that CIS is available to assist you with updating or revisiting any of your calling configurations. Create a ticket here to get started. Additionally, i f you missed a Teams Calling Orientation, or would like a refresher on the training basics, please see our recorded orientation video. Remember that you must be logged in to Teams on your work computer or another device in order to receive calls to your SPU phone number, so be sure to log in to Teams every day.

Lastly, we’d love to hear your feedback about how Teams Calling is working for you: if you’ve run into any problems, create a ticket with the HelpDesk so we can follow up. Or, if you’ve found a way that Teams Calling is particularly helpful, let us know that too (maybe it will help others)!

Adobe Sign

SPU is now licensed to use Adobe Sign for collecting authorizations and signatures. We have trainings this week that you can attend to learn more about this tool and how to use it. Click here to RSVP.

Don't be surprised if you start to see requests from other offices for authorizations via Adobe Sign coming to you in the near future!

CIS Training Program

On several occasions per quarter, CIS will offer 30 to 45-minute training sessions on various technology-related topics. Recent training sessions have included:

• Teams Calling Orientations
• Wiki 101 & Wiki 201
• Electronic Forms at SPU

Upcoming training sessions on March 24th and 25th will focus on Adobe Sign (eSignatures) and how this tool can be used at SPU. RSVP here to join us!

Visit CIS Training Offerings to stay up-to-date on future training sessions, see all past trainings offered, and make a recommendation for a future training topic.

Microsoft Licensing Changes

Microsoft has continued to evolve how they license their services to education customers. Our most recent license agreement with Microsoft, as of July 1st, 2020, has changed how we allocate licenses and services, in some cases providing new features but reducing our level of service in other areas. For more information on how this may impact you, see here: Microsoft Campus License Agreement .

Here are some of the notable changes:

• There are newly available services, such as Microsoft Bookings and Minecraft for Education
• New security features improve SPU's ability to detect and block unauthorized account access or other risky and malicious activity
• There has been a shift from an overall campus license to individual, named user licenses
  • As a result of this shift, CIS has been forced to track individual licensees more closely, increasing confusion and complexity for staff using shared devices
• There has been a reduction in service to alumni, who are no longer eligible for OneDrive or Office applications

If you have any questions related to these changes, please contact the CIS HelpDesk .

Protect Your Information

Take a look at our October Cybersecurity Awareness month blog post in case you missed it. Also be aware of the following common cybersecurity issues.

Safely Transmit Personal Information

A reminder that your email is not a secure place to transmit sensitive information, such as tax-related documents and other items that may contain any PII (Personally Identifiable Information). If you have questions about the best way to transmit a certain document or piece of information, contact the CIS HelpDesk.

Your Privacy Settings

With the transition to Teams Calling, certain contact information has become more visible within the SPU community, specifically your mobile phone number. While campus contact information is generally required to be shared, other personal information is optional. Please review your privacy settings in Banner to ensure you are maintaining your desired level of visibility. See here for information on how to manage this: Personal Privacy Settings.

Email Scams

An interview with CIS was recently featured in The Falcon regarding the inordinate number of scam and phishing emails being sent to SPU email addresses this past year. While many illegitimate messages are filtered out of your inbox you may notice that some still get through. It is important to keep an eye out for these types of fraudulent messages, and also be aware of how these messages can impact our students.

Job Scams

Occasionally you (and students) may receive an email scam offering an employment opportunity from someone who appears to be associated with SPU. Please delete these messages and do not respond. Students should check out SPU's Handshake platform to safely search for a job. All employers on Handshake are vetted to guarantee their trustworthiness.

Here is a blog post with more information to help you identify and avoid employment scammers. If you have any questions about the legitimacy of an email message please forward it to help@spu.edu.

Phishing

Phishing scams often come in the form of email messages attempting to steal your username and password. PLEASE DO NOT reply to these messages or follow web links where you must confirm or enter your username and password.  

Anyone with questions about the legitimacy of a message should forward it to help@spu.edu and we can assist. See 2019's Cybersecurity Awareness Month blog post about phishing for additional information.

Support

Phone and email support are available during our normal business hours. In-person support is available by appointment only. Please submit a ticket to request an appointment.