IT News for UTSA Faculty & Staff
Issue 3 Vol. 1 February 2008
myUTSAmail
Takes Over Student E-mail
It’s out with the old and in with the new!
As of January 23, 2008, over 20,000 registered students have switched their IDs and passwords to access their new myUTSAmail accounts.
The new student e-mail accounts are powered by Google.
What’s not to love? The new myUTSAmail account offers students 6GB of space – an increase of over 10 times more space than Lonestar. Plus, students have access to Google applications such as Chat, Calendar and Docs. That’s probably why over 3,000 students are accessing their myUTSAmail accounts every day.
Spread the word! If you know students who are still using the old e-mail system, encourage them to switch to myUTSAmail. It’s simple – all they have to do is log in to their ASAP account.
Once logged in, students will find step-by-step instructions on how to change their default password and how to use their new ID and password to access their myUTSAmail account. By February 11, 2008, myUTSAmail will be the university’s official means of communication to students.
More information on myUTSAmail can be found at: http://my.utsa.edu/
http://dlat.utsa.edu/Videos/myUTSAmail_wiVP6_1Mbps.swf
VPN: Connect to the UTSA Network Securely Using Your Home PC
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is often referred to as a “tunnel” through which you can securely connect your home PC to a computer network. UTSA offers VPN software that will allow you to connect to the university’s computer network using your home PC.
This will allow you to access your I: drive and to your Inbox. VPN software is available for Windows, Mac and Linux PCs. More information is available at https://www.utsa.edu/infotech/VPN/.
SafeBoot®
Protect
Sensitive Data on Laptops
According to UTS165, the UT System Information Resources Use and Security Policy, if you have a university-owned laptop that contains sensitive data, you are required to protect that data.
One way to be compliant is to purchase a copy of SafeBoot – a software application that will encrypt the data on your laptop. SafeBoot is a Windows-based product.
Mac users can employ the data encryption feature that is built in to the operating system.
More information is available at the OIT Safeboot website.
Need
Software?
UTSA is working on compiling a list of software packages that will be used by faculty and staff members in the Fall 2008 semester, but we need your help. Please send a list of software products that you will need, but do not currently have, to software@utsa.edu.
Office 2008 for Mac will be released in February 2008. The new software will be available for installation on UTSA-inventoried Macs through the OIT Help Desk. As soon as it becomes available, it will be advertised on the OIT Software Web site, http://www.utsa.edu/infotech/Software/.
Finally, a helpful hint for purchasing Adobe products: purchase Adobe products through SHI, our approved software vendor, and pay for the ‘Upgrade’ plan. This plan allows you to get future upgrades for free, which will save you money in the long run. Acrobat 9.0 will be released soon, so if you are purchasing version 8.0, choose the Upgrade plan so that you receive the upgrade for free!
Calling
all Voicemail Users!
On
Sunday, February 3, 2008, UTSA Telephone Services will be replacing
the current Avaya Audix System with the Cisco Unity Voicemail
System. Please retrieve your Audix voicemail messages by February
3, 2008. All existing Audix voicemail messages will be deleted
on February 10, 2008.
Broadcast messages have been sent to all Audix-enabled phones.
Even though your phone’s Message light may not be lit, be sure
to check your messages.
You should have received an Audix message on January 25, 2008
that contained your PIN. You will need this PIN to set up your
new Cisco Unity voicemail account.
For more information, please go to the
Telephone
Services Website.
At this site you will find instructions on how to set up your new Cisco voicemail account and downloadable copies of the Cisco Unity User Guide and the Alternate Keypad-mapping Guide.
OIT Offers RowdySpace Sessions
Demo - promo - training sessions are being offered by the Office of Information Technology in an effort to popularize the technology.
RowdySpace (Xythos™) is a web-based file sharing service. Through RowdySpace, you can access and share your files from virtually anywhere 24 hours per day, seven days a week.
Three available sessions are all scheduled at the UTSA 1604 Campus from 10:00 am until 11:30 am in HSS 2.02.02 on February 11th, 18th, and 25th, 2008.
Interested faculty & staff are encouraged to attend, RSVP is required. Please e-mail oit@utsa.edu with your name and office information before the scheduled session dates. Space is limited, and will be assigned on a "first come, first served" basis.
You do not need to attend a RowdySpace session to get a RowdySpace account. RowdySpace is available to all UTSA Faculty and Staff. Request an account with the OIT Help Desk, at 210.458.5538 or helpdesk@utsa.edu.
More information at RowdySpace online.
Lights, Camera, ACTION!
The video production group of Distance Learning and Academic Technology (DLAT) had a very successful fall semester producing, broadcasting, editing, filming and creating videos and TV spots all throughout the UTSA campus.
Some highlights include spots for:
- Theme Nights at the Roadrunner Café
- Cybersecurity Awareness Week
- UTSA Volley Ball
- UTSA Soccer
- UTSA Men’s and Women’s Basketball
- The arrival of myUTSAmail - myUTSAmail
DLAT clients range from professors to the President’s office including OIT and Athletics.
With a very productive fall semester behind us, the video production team is looking forward to an even more successful semester for Spring 2008! For more information on how you can use this form of media to spread your message, call DLAT at (210) 458-5855.
How’d They Do That?!
Ever wonder how some co-workers swiftly press a couple keys on their keyboard and voila! - they have created a screen shot of the image on their computer screen.
So you think to yourself, “How’d they do that?” Well, here are a few shortcuts and tricks-of-the-trade for you to use on your computer. Use them and impress your co-workers!
Copy:
Windows: <Ctrl> <C>
Mac: <Command> <C>
Cut:
Windows: <Ctrl> <X>
Mac: <Command> <X>
Paste:
Windows: <Ctrl> <V>
Mac: <Command> <V>
Select All:
Windows: <Ctrl> <A>
Mac: <Command> <A>
Undo:
Windows: <Ctrl> <Z>
Mac: <Command> <Z>
Print:
Windows: <Ctrl> <P>
Mac: <Command> <P>
Minimize All Windows to show desktop:
Windows: <Windows Logo> <M>
Mac: <F11>
Reverse Minimize:
Windows: <Windows Logo> <Shift> <M>
Mac: <F11>
Print Screen:
Windows: <ALT> <Print Screen>
Mac: <Command> <Shift> <3>
In both cases, the file should save onto your desktop
Updates
Phishing Alert!
The OIT Information Security Office has received information from UTSA e-mail users who have recently received phishing e-mail messages. Phishing is the act of sending e-mail messages that appear to come from legitimate companies or organizations in order to deceive the recipient by sending them to a fake Web page. The Web page will usually ask the user to enter their user ID, password and other identifying or financial (bank/credit card) information.
The UTSA Office of Information Technology (and all legitimate companies) will NEVER ask you to provide your user ID, password or financial information on any Web page or over the phone. If you receive an e-mail message that looks like it has phishing characteristics, do not reply to it. Simply delete it.
To contact the OIT Information Security Office, send an e-mail to security@utsa.edu.
myUTSAmail
20,000 students have logged in with their new myUTSA ID and password. 3000 students per day are using the new myUTSAmail system.
Something not covered in this e-newsletter?
Email us at oit@utsa.edu, we'll get it out there next issue.
Don't forget to visit our website for the latest in IT news & technology - www.utsa.edu/infotech
A computer
once beat me at
chess, but it was
no match for me
at kick boxing.
~Emo Philips