New Single Sign on and Multifactor Authentication is Coming - Set up your password reset!

Dear Malone Students, Faculty, and Staff:

The Information Technologies office has been working on moving all of our servers and systems over to a new Active Directory service and SingleSignOn [SSO], i.e., one password, many systems. This service will pave the way for secure, safe, and reliable access to Malone systems for the next twenty plus years. Our old directory, malone.int, has lasted about 25 years!

If you are downloading Microsoft Office for your personal computers or using Office 365's cloud applications, you are already using the new SSO system. This is based on Microsoft's AzureAD technology. Starting sometime in December all University systems which use SSO (and even a few new ones) will begin to use the new SSO.

Current (Old) SSO page

New SSO Page

The new SSO page is available at: https://login.microsoftonline.com/ . As of this writing it looks something like these:

 or

once you type in your malone email address, the page will change to this:

So what? Do I need to do anything?

We are so glad you asked. Yes. Please sign into https://login.microsoftonline.com/ with your malone.edu email address and password. You will be asked to set up your password reset mechanisms. The new service offers several different methods of password reset:

1. question and answer pairs
2. text message to a registered cell phone
3. authenticator app
4. rescue email

Set this up now so you aren't forced to when it is inconveniant and you need to access some service in December or January.

Multi-Factor Authentication [MFA]

We will be requiring multi-factor authentication [MFA] for all active students, faculty, and staff. MFA is an important security enhancement. It helps ensure that your Malone data and personal information stored in Malone's systems stays secure from would-be attackers.

The most common form of MFA is a sms/text verification. When required, the system will send you a text message with a code in it. This is a mechanism that many of you are already familiar with if you do online banking or another secured service. This will not be an every-time-you sign-in thing, but will be required when connecting to Malone services from a new machine or if you are connecting from a new physical location.

An alternative, optional, and slightly more secure form of MFA authenticaion is to use an authenticator app like Google Authenticator (iOS and Android) which will generate a rotating code that - when you are asked/prompted for it - you will type in when signing into a Malone service. You will need to do this when you sign into a Malone service using a new web browser or device or perhaps when your location or network has changed significantly. 

Timeline for the Change

The Information Technologies department will begin transitioning some minor services in the next couple weeks (Mid November start). It is very likely that the next time you sign into the IT Help Desk system, you will need to sign in through the new SSO service. All SSO-able [sic] online services will be switched by the end of January 2023.

Welcome Back Students! Fall 2022 Edition

Good morning from the Information Technologies Office. Welcome back! Here are some tech items that may be of interest to you. In this edition:

• Changes to Xpress (student edition)
• Themes in Gmail
• Connecting to Wifi
• Microsoft Office is free
• Update your Q&A pairs
• How to get help

Changes to Xpress

Xpress is the place you go when you don't know where to find stuff. It is the launchpad from which students, faculty, and staff can get to all-things-Malone which are online. Mid-July saw a major revamp of the way that Xpress is structured. Here is a summary of those changes. 

Quicklinks and Launchpad

• Note the Quick Links portlet (box #1) located on the left navigation bar (this is hidden by the arrow when viewing on a mobile device). Links in this section show the same for ALL Xpress users including the public who have not signed into Xpress.

• The Launchpad portlet (box #2) has been revised to better describe what you are clicking. The icons and links in this section change depending on what roles you are assigned on campus. The view for faculty is different than the view for staff is different than the view for students. Be sure to explore the different features in launchpad including the computer lab availability maps and the "Phiz" (campus people directory)

• Search (arrow #3). Users may now click the Magnifying Glass icon at the top-right corner of the screen to conduct a site-wide search for a specific phrase.

• Announcements (arrow #4) can be scheduled to show up and expire and can also be targeted at specific groups on campus. Announcements show up based on a person's role/group and will show up for them on any tabs where there is an announcement portlet.

For Students

• Students may now view their course schedule, ePioneer account information, and advisor information from the homepage of the Student tab.
• All handouts intended for students have been moved to the Student Resources page found in the Student tab.
• The former Student Accounts and Financial Aid pages have been combined into a single page called Student Accounts and Billing found in the Student tab.

Tab owners

Do you see a discrepency on a tab or page or want to add something or make changes? Each tab has an "owner" which is designated on the bottom right column of each tab. The tab owner is empowered to make changes to the tab and any pages found on the tab. 

Gmail Themes enabled

Not a huge deal, but you can now pick a theme in your gmail interface. 1) Click the Settings "Gear" icon and 2) choose from a variety of themes for your gmail screen.

Connecting to Wifi

Your fastest and most reliable connection on campus is through the EDUROAM network. The EDUROAM network is available at other Universities, airports, and even some businesses all over the world and you, Malone student/faculty/staff member, will be able to connect to those WIFI locations automatically. 

Sign into EDUROAM with your full email address and Malone password. For more detailed instructions, click through to FAQ188

Microsoft Office is free

As long as you are actively enrolled in classes in a current or future term, you will have access to Office365 for free. Instructions for accessing and downloading your copy of office are in FAQ313 for windows and FAQ314 for Mac.

Update your Q&A pairs and SSO changes

A new year and a new semester, it might be wise to doublecheck and update your Q&A pairs in the password self-service portal. Click on the Gear icon in the Launchpad on XPress:

and then select the "I want to view or change my security questions" option. 

Changes to Single Sign On. We do want to let you know that sometime in the next few months we will be switching our single sign on platform to Microsoft Azure AD. Several things will happen when this is completed.

• You will need to set up your self-service question and answer pairs again
• Multifactor authentication will be turned on making your accounts and information more secure.
• The web page for single sign on will look and operate differently than the current white page with Malone logo.

How to get help

You can sign into the IT Help Desk system from the Launchpad:

Once you are logged in, you can search our FAQs [Frequently Asked Questions], view any open or historical requests you have made, or ask us for help with a new question/issue. Remember that we cannot fix a problem if we do not know about it! You can also email us at helpdesk@malone.edu or call us at 330.471.8428.

Blessings on the new semester!

Welcome Back Faculty and Staff! Fall 2022 Edition

Good morning from the Information Technologies Office. This post is targeted towards faculty and staff, though students might glean some good information too! In a week or so, there will be a student version titled [rather uncreatively I might add] "Welcome back students!" 

In this edition:

• Changes to Xpress (staff and faculty edition)
• Tips for Moodle Use
• Tools for Teaching and Your First Day of Class

Changes to Xpress

Xpress is the place you go when you don't know where to find stuff. It is the launchpad from which students, faculty, and staff can get to all-things-Malone which are online. Mid-July saw a major revamp of the way that Xpress is structured. Here is a summary of those changes. 

Quicklinks and Launchpad

• Note the Quick Links portlet (box #1) located on the left navigation bar (this is hidden by the arrow when viewing on a mobile device). Links in this section show the same for ALL Xpress users including the public who have not signed into Xpress.

• The Launchpad portlet (box #2) has been revised to better describe what you are clicking. The icons and links in this section change depending on what roles you are assigned on campus. The view for faculty is different than the view for staff is different than the view for students.

• Search (arrow #3). Users may now click the Magnifying Glass icon at the top-right corner of the screen to conduct a site-wide search for a specific phrase.

• Announcements (arrow #4) can be scheduled to show up and expire and can also be targeted at specific groups on campus. Announcements show up based on a person's role/group and will show up for them on any tabs where there is an announcement portlet.

Changes to tabs

• The "Faculty" tab has been renamed to Teaching. The Teaching tab has had everything not relevant to working with the courses you are teaching and your advisees removed.

• The Employee tab was previously called "Staff." All information pertaining to employment for faculty and staff, such as the Human Resources page, can now be found under the Employee tab.

Tab owners

Do you see a discrepency on a tab or page or want to add something or make changes? Each tab has an "owner" which is designated on the bottom right column of each tab. The tab owner is empowered to make changes to the tab and any pages found on the tab. 

Tips for Moodle Use

Faculty and instructors are reminded that each class you teach - whether online, ground, or hybrid - should have a course shell where you have at least the following elements included:

• Course syllabus
• A News Forum (a regularly updated, one-stop shop for general announcements to the class)
• Student Question Forum (a threaded discussion where students can ask questions of the instructor and of each other)
• Course Calendar (listing all assignment and evaluation due dates) which works in conjunction with...
• the Moodle Gradebook (grades entered and updated regularly so that students can track their course progress in real time)

Using Moodle creates a consistent user experience for our students. Request that your course shell be activated through the Distance Learning Office's Lexie Filla. The link to request a course shell is here.

Tools for Teaching and Your First Day of Class

The Chronicle email in my inbox this am links to an article titled, "How to Teach a Good First Day of Class: Advice Guide" by James M. Lang. It frames several ideas about the first day of class with the following four principles:

• Curiosity
• Community
• Learning
• Expectations

We thought it might be useful to give you links on how to use some of the tools at Malone to do some of the things that Dr. Lang refers to:

• Picture Directories of the students enrolled in your courses are automatically generated for you for all current and future courses which you are the primary instructor. These are accessible using our campus directory which is called "The Phiz". Instructions on creating custom groups can be found in FAQ241 in our Help Desk system.
  
  I know more than one of you download these and pray for your students by name ahead of the start of class. It also affords you the opportunity to be able to greet your students by name when they walk into the learning space.
  
  
• The learning space and tech. We try to maintain a standard compliment of technology in each classroom, but there are some variations in each room. You can view standard configurations in Help Desk FAQ362. We recommend that you visit each of your classrooms ahead of time, sign into the computer in the room, and try out the equipment. The Information Technologies staff is available to meet with you to go over the tech in the classrooms if you choose. Finally, remember that there is the "Help" button on the classroom control panel. This pages IT staff and we will show up in the classroom to help you with any problems you might be encountering either in class or even when you are visiting the classroom ahead of time.
  
  
  Synchronous online meetings are still available in both Google Meet as well as Zoom. Take a look at the Moodle guidelines in the previous section to create a consistent user experience for your students in the Learning Management System or take some time to complete the orientation course for faculty in Moodle.

Other teaching technology tools available on campus (a non-exhaustive list)

1. The Virtual Reality Lab in the Library.
2. Equipment checkout is available from the IT Help Desk in Haviland Hall for students, faculty, and staff. The list of available equipment is in FAQ77.
3. Computer labs are available throughout campus. If you are on campus, you can view a map of all computer lab spaces:
   
   
   

   or read through FAQ169. Labs are reserveable like classrooms through the Office of the Registrar.
4. Other services that the IT Help Desk provides.

Blessings on the new semester!

Summer IT projects and news

Hello Malone Students, Faculty, Staff, and Alumni:

The updates in this early summer edition. 

• New Unified Voicemail to Email
• New ID cards for employees and students 
• Changes to How You Log into our Systems - single sign on
• Multi-Factor Authentication - what is it?
• WWF getting new wired and wireless equipment
• Malone Xpress refresh

New Unified Voicemail to Email

On 31 May, we transitioned all of our unified messaging over to a new product called Googify. Unified messaging is what allows faculty and staff to receive any voicemails that are left for them in their email box instead of having to check a separate voicemail account. 

Why did we transition? Avaya Communications ended the life of their Esna software product. This is what we were using. Googify is a rewrite of the Esna software. The lead developer of Esna left Avaya and started his own company.  

How does this impact you? You might see some of your unread voicemail messages duplicated in your email inbox. Stay tuned for more features and abilities in this area, but in the meantime, we are business as usual!

New ID cards for employees and students 

Our ID card vendors are finally getting the new printers and the media to print our new cards to us We have been waiting for over a year! We expect the printers to show up in mid-June. 

The new cards will have the RFID chips used for door access and copier logins integral to the card instead of an external sticker. Employees should consider getting their pictures retaken to account for changes in hair style and levels of distinguish-ness [sic]. Look for opportunities from Student Development (students) and Human resources (faculty and staff).

Changes to How You Log into our Systems - single sign on

The IT department is in the middle of a huge transition from our existing Active Directory domain of 'malone.int' to 'ads.malone.edu'. If everyhing goes to plan, you - our customers - will notice very little change to how you operate. Faculty and staff with Malone-owned computers will have some changes made to them. We will be in touch directly with anyone whose machine needs special attention. Laptops which spend a lot of time off campus will need to be brought back home to have them transitioned to the new set up.

What EVERYONE will notice is that we will start using Microsoft's systems for our single sign in. The familiar https://userid.malone.edu:

will start to look a little more Microsoft-ish:

with this transition, we will be implementing multi-factor-authentication. Keep reading to find out more about MFA....

Multi-Factor Authentication [MFA]- what is it?

Multi-Factor Authentication or MFA is a pretty straight forward concept once you break it down. Think, "Something I know" (such as a password) and "Something I have" (like a phone or key or code sent to you). Using MFA means that you need to provide at least two ways of proving you are who you say [assert] you are.

Many of you are already using MFA sometime also known as TwoFactor authentication when you sign into your bank or access your retirement portfolios online. 

Why are we doing this? Using MFA to get into Malone systems will greatly improve the information security of our organization. It does not mean that you will have to get a text message or type in a code every time you log in. You will need to get and type in the MFA code at least once the first time you use a particular device or particular web browser. 

It will keep random attackers who figure out your password from logging in from Oklahoma city when you are still in Ohio (this actually happened). 

How can you prepare? If you are already using an app that generates single use MFA codes - apps such at Google's Authenticator (IOS or Android) or Microsoft Authenticator (IOS or Android) - then you will just need to add your malone.edu email address to those apps. You can also opt to get text messages to confirm your identity. Once your account is moved to the new system, there will be instructions to set it up.

When is this happening? We are actively working on this project. There are a tremendous number of steps we are taking in the background to make this smooth for you. Look for another post here or individual messages in your inboxes when you need to pay attention. It is happening between now and the beginning of August 2022. 

WWF getting new wired and wireless equipment

The IT department has hit summer in full stride just like Physical Plant. As I type, the roofers are on top of Woolman, contractors are core drilling and painting and carpeting in Haviland (I hear the drills pounding directly above my office!), and IT and our contractors are installing brand new WIFI and wired switching equipment in the Woolman Whittier Fox [WWF] residence hall cluster. 

You should expect an excellent wireless connection experience if you are hanging around the WWF buildings when students return this fall. The project is roughly 60% complete with new WIFI access points hung and operational in Fox and Whittier. We are still waiting for the switches (wired) equipment to ship from our suppliers.

Your best wireless experience will be when you are connecting to the EDUROAM network on campus. If you have any questions or any trouble connecting to WIFI, please let the IT Help Desk know. We can be reached via email at helpdesk@malone.edu , via the web at http://www.malone.edu/helpdesk or by phone at 330.471.8428.

Malone Xpress refresh

We are still finalizing the transition date with our vendor, but in sometime in June we will be updating the look, feel, and content of Malone Xpress. 

What to expect:

• less clicks to get to what you need. The new Launchpad replaces the quicklinks portlet so you can get immediately to the parts of Xpress that you use the most
• a more user-centric design. Tabs are relabeled, "Students", "New Students", "Employees", and "Teaching" and the content in those tabs will be re-sorted
• announcements. The announcements portlet will allow us to send targeted messages to just the right groups of students, faculty, and staff. We hope this will allow a reduction in the amount of email that is sent to campus. Folks that want to get these messages as a "push" can sign up to get notifications while those who are comfortable with a "pull" style of access, i.e., I will go and check if there is a message, can sign into xpress and read their messages
• you will know who to ask if you get stuck. Each page will show who is in charge of it.

 

Tech updates for January 2022

Hello Students, Faculty, and Staff:

Long time no post! Post long this time... no? 

Here is what we are covering in this update:

• Uptick in phishing via email and texting - how to protect your personal and work accounts
• Classroom tech for remote learning
• Special software loads for coursework
• Copiers and Printers on campus
• Chip cards

Uptick in phishing email and texting

There has been a tremendous uptick in phishing schemes. They are becoming more and more clever, but remember the rule that if it sounds too good to be true, it [probably] is! 

Many of you got the following email this week:

Company’s Name:

Havas Group

Company’s Description:

We create thoughtful, insight-led strategies that fuel authentic partnerships, amplified by imaginative experiences and engaging content.

Job Title :

Advertise while driving.

Job Description:

We seek interested candidates to go about their normal routine with the advert of “ #TogetherAtHome, #SafeHands And #SocialDistancing ” on their car/ truck/ bikes.

Qualifications:

Must have a Car, Truck, Van, or Motorcycle.

Salary:

$300 weekly.

In the above case, one of our student accounts was hijacked (taken over) by a spammer. The account was used to send out hundreds of messages to our students, faculty, and staff. The lesson here is to be suspicious of a message even if it comes from a source you know.

Phishing and Spam via text message - sometimes called SMISHING

Or you find yourself getting a text supposedly from Verizon or AT&T wanting to give you a free gift just for paying your bill on time last month. 

DON'T BELIEVE IT! 

How to protect yourself

1. Ignore, delete, block, and/or report phishing attempts as spam.
2. If you are unsure, talk to someone you trust to provide technical guidance.
3. DON'T CLICK THE LINK! These are often set up special for each message they send. If you click the link, they will know it was your number/email or YOU that clicked the link. 
4. Enable two factor authentication on all your accounts whenever possible.
5. Perform a security check up every once and a while on your email and social media accounts. You can perform a security check on your google accounts using this link:
   https://myaccount.google.com/security

Classroom tech for remote learning

As Omicron burns its way through the US population, many of you have found yourself in the classroom where part of the class is remote and others are in person. Be sure to let the IT Help Desk know if you encounter any issues in the classroom or with the remote classroom tech, Google Meet or Zoom. 

Please contact the IT Help Desk if you have any questions or issues. We can be reached via email at helpdesk@malone.edu , via the web at http://www.malone.edu/helpdesk or by phone at 330.471.8428.

Special software loads for coursework

We have gotten several requests for special software to be loaded for course work this Spring. Please remember to give us as much notice as possible when you plan to use proprietary software for your course(s).  We have remote lab facilities which we can make available to remote students too.

To check computer lab availability, you can sign into Malone Xpress and click the "Computer Lab Availability" quick link. It looks like this:

this link is available from on campus.

This will show you open workstations in each computer lab. You can select a computer in a lab and it will tell you what software is loaded on it.

Copiers and Printers on campus

Adoption of the new Toshiba copiers has gone very well from our perspective in the Information Technologies office. We have seen an organic shift of imaging from the more expensive printers on campus to the less expansive and more feature-rich copiers. 

Detailed billing and usage information is available to departments upon request. All users can sign into the papercut interface to view their own usage using the Papecut icon in the Quicklinks on Malone Xpress. The icon looks like this:

The papercut info page is also only available from on campus.

In papercut, it will tell you how many light bulbs you've burned, carbon dioxide you've created, and trees that you have killed. It also give you other interesting statistics about your printing and imaging. Here are my stats since April of 2009:

Printer Fleet reduction

We will be working with departments on campus to reduce the number of printers on campus. This will have significant positive impacts to our power utilization and maintenance costs. It will also free up some space in offices where there used to be multiple devices for printing and imaging. 

Copier Training

If you have questions about your new copier and its operation, please call the Toshiba contact number located on the front of the unit or visit their web site and make a request. They will ask for the contract number also located on the front of the unit. Training can be done over the phone, via a remote session, or up to and including in person training from a certified Toshiba trainer.

Chip cards

Students

If your card or sticker chip wears out, please work with Pattie and the team in Student Development to get a replacement. 

Faculty and Staff

Your administrative contact in your office should have stickers available to you. You can contact HR to get your card reprinted or to update your ID card photo

All

We have new ID card printers on order. The new cards will have the chip integrated into the body of the card. The printers were ordered in the fall and now we are waiting for them to be built and shipped to us. The delivery of these devices is beholden to the same shipping and manufacturing delays that are affecting so many industries. 

Faculty: Beginning of Semester Tech Checks

Good morning Faculty:

This edition is targeted at our Faculty and adjuncts who will be leading and stewarding courses this fall. Contents include ways to be ready to enter the classroom this fall!

• How to create a picture directory of students in your classroom
• Classroom tech checks and how to get help
• Using the early alert system
• Using Moodle to facilitate classroom communication
• Zoom and Google Meet access
• Calendaring, appointment slots, and Office hours in your Malone calendar

How to create a picture directory of students in your classroom

It is already done! All you need to do is open and print/save them from the Phiz. The Phiz is Malone University's picture and contact directory. It can be found in Malone Xpress using this icon:

In the Quicklinks portals. Once the Phiz is open, click the "My Groups" link in the top righthand corner. For more details instructions on how to use the Phiz and how to use the Phiz to get your automatically generated classroom picture rosters, click through to FAQ241.

Classroom tech checks and how to get help

Prior to the first day of class, we recommend that you check out your classroom and review the technical capabilities of your room. Nobody wants to be surprised in front of their class on the first day.

Whenever you encounter issues in the classroom there are a few ways to get the help you need. The preferred method during office hours (Fall Semester 2021 we are staffed Monday through Thursday 8am-7pm and Friday 8am-5pm) would be to press the button labeled "Help" on your classroom controller.

 

Pressing the Help button will text Malone's Information Technologies personnel that help is needed in your classroom. The panel will blink to indicate that a tech is on their way. Pressing the button again will send a second text to the group to notify them that the help request has been cancelled.

A secondary method of obtaining help for your class would be to call the helpdesk at 330.471.8428 and talk to one of our IT techs who will either solve your problem or be sure to get help sent your way.

 

The IT helpdesk is open from 8am - 5pm, Monday through Friday, This year the helpdesk phone support hours will be extended 5pm - 7pm on Monday through Thursday to better support evening classes.

 

If you require help outside of the normal 8am - 7pm hours, please call the helpdesk 330.471.8428 and select the option for emergency technological help to be connected to our on-call support staff.

Using the early alert system

We want ALL of our students to be successful. The early alert system allows us to intercede with a student before they get too far behind to catch up. Submitting an Early Alert allows the CSS and others who have a connection with a student to reach out to him or her and offer assistance and resources so that they can be successful!

When to submit student Early Alerts

• Have unexplained/excessive absences
• Multiple missed assignments
• Failure of test or quiz
• They share any hardships with you (i.e. financial, personal, health, spiritual, academic, etc)
• Plans to transfer
• Seems disengaged in the classroom
• Other concerns

How to submit an Early Alert

1. Open Malone Xpress and log into it
2. Click on Early Alert Messages on the left hand side of the page
3. Click on Add Student (this will open a pop up box) you can choose from all students or select the specific class the student is in.
4. Once you find the student’s name, click on it ( you can add multiple students if you would like) and when done Click add 1(or more) selected student(s) at bottom of box
5. Select your connection to the student
6. Select the type of concern you have
7. Select the Severity of the issue
8. Please share any details regarding the alert in the text box listed Details about this concern.
9. Select where you have interacted with the student regarding the alert. Yes or No
10. If yes is select you will then be asked add an intervention to the early alert
11. First choose what sort of interaction you attempted and then share any details that maybe related to the interaction
12. Finally when all is filled out click Submit Early Alert

Jenzabar has published a short video walking you through the process 

Using Moodle to facilitate classroom communication

Take the training in the Moodle Basics Course which all instructors at Malone have been enrolled. Per the Provost's communication you should - at minimum - use your Moodle course shell for:

• Posting and sharing of your syllabus
• A News Forum (a regularly updated, one-stop shop for general announcements to the class)
• Student Question Forum (a threaded discussion where students can ask questions of the instructor and of each other)
• Course Calendar (listing all assignment and evaluation due dates)
• Moodle Gradebook (grades entered and updated regularly so that students can track their course progress in real time)

If we are required to pivot to all-remote instruction at any point, having these elements in place will ease the transition for as long as it should last..

Zoom or Google Meet

Remember that you have access to full-featured (recording, quizes, Q&A, etc.) licensed accounts in both Google Meet and Zoom. 

Calendaring, appointment slots, and Office hours in your Malone calendar

Your personal University calendar is a powerful tool for collaboration. We recommend that you at minimum:

• Set your office hours
• Load your course schedule

This will allow others to see when you might be available. It will allow admissions to schedule prospective student visits, and will help your peers find open times to meet with you.

But you can do much more than that with your calendar. You can also:

• View the free/busy information for your peers to facilitate scheduling of meetings
• Create appointment slots and send that appointment slot calendar to your students so they can sign up for time with you.
• Schedule shared resources such as meeting rooms RH305, MH201, CC110, or FH39 for use.
• Schedule Google Meet meetings 

Here are a few guidelines to help you take full advantage of the features in calendaring...

Altering free/busy settings and scheduling availability to others without unnecessary details:

• A detailed guide can be found here, in FAQ 349.

Viewing your Malone calendar can be extremely helpful and convenient. A step-by-step process can be found in the links below:

• For Android phone users: FAQ 179
• For Apple phone users: FAQ 305

Virtual Reality Education:

• The Virtual Reality (VR) Lab is readily available to be scheduled for classes that offer an immersive, hands-on experience with virtual technology for students. An IT technician will be present at the reserved time to facilitate the entire VR appointment. For reservations or more information, please email Jacob Garwood (jgarwood@malone.edu) with your class name, the program you are interested in, date, and time.

Copiers and Chip cards and Faxing, Oh My!

Hello Malone Students, Faculty, and Staff:

In this edition:

• New Copiers are coming to campus. 
• New ID Cards with RFID chips. Changes to how we print, copy, and scan
• Touchless entry for WWF residence halls
• Faxing to the cloud

Some of you may have read my post back in May about upcoming changes to printing and copying on campus. The following info builds on that and covers the next couple weeks of changes.

 

Copier changeouts are imminent

Please note that we are in the last couple days of negotiations with our new copier vendor, Toshiba. I just left a meeting where one of their reps joked about having the truck circling campus while we finish the negotiations. He is not that far from reality with that joke. Toshiba has all of our new copiers staged in a nearby warehouse. We will begin swapping units as soon as the agreement is signed by both Malone and Toshiba and we have all of the software in place to support the hardware.

Part of the copier deployment will also bring some modifications to printers in and around campus. Some things to remember with these upgrades:

• ALL copiers will be color capable for printing, scanning, and copying; but will print black and white by default. Change your output to color in the print settings or at the copier when making copies.
• Students will now be able to make copies at any copier using their chip cards and charge those copies to their papercut balance. Previously students would have to scan a document to email and then print the document.
• You will now be able to print a document to a special "find me printing" print queue. Once the job /document is sent, you can walk up to any copier and print your document. Example: You can submit a document for printing from off campus, drive onto campus, find the closest copier, sign into the copier with your ID card, and release your print job/document. More information on how to use this will be sent out either in this blog or in the form of FAQs from the IT Help Desk

We expect all new copiers to be in place prior to the beginning of classes. 

No more copier codes - Using chipped Malone IDs with the Copiers

To use a copier to copy or to scan-to-email, you will need to have either an old ID card with an RFID sticker attached to the back (which we will provide) OR a new ID card with the RFID tag embedded in it. 

Departments: When we deploy your copier, we will work with the administrative contact and/or department chair/manager to get you set up. This will be a big change for the campus. 

Information Technology is working with both HR and Student Development on a strategy for getting new cards deployed to all students, faculty, and staff.

Touchless entry for Woolman, Whittier, and Fox [WWF] Halls

The WWF residence hall cluster has been upgraded to touch-free keyless entry. The same chip that allows a student or employee to use a copier on campus will also allow you to enter the WWF building (if you are permitted in the building, of course!). This is part of a longterm upgrade plan to take all keyless entry systems to more modern technology. 

Faxing gets cloudy

We don't do a lot of faxing on campus, but when we do, it will now be in the cloud. We are massively converting all campus faxing over to a cloud-based solution with XMedius. We will work with individual departments to train them on how to use the new system. Faxing costs will be charged and decremented from personal and departmental Papercut printing accounts automatically.