News

Beginning on Monday, June 6, 2016, the ESO Network Operations team will be implementing a schedule change to our current computer patch management policy which utilizes the IS&T KACE patch management appliance. Patching of computers will now be scheduled to run weekly on Wednesdays at 2:00am. Please note that if your computer is turned off or not connected to the Internet it will be skipped until the next scheduled time our patch management service runs.

When new vulnerabilities are discovered, it is critical that we frequently install Microsoft updates including those from third-party applications to protect your computer from malicious attacks and maintain compliance with BU and industry security best practices. In addition to security and compliance, updates also add new features or enhanced functionality not previously available.

As part of this patch management process, computers will receive a KACE Desktop Alert pop up the day before to notify you of upcoming patch deployments. You may also see additional alerts indicating that an update needs to be made to your computer or that a reboot may be required. The alert will give you the choice to run, delay (for 1 hr.) or cancel this action.

If you have questions or concerns regarding change please contact us at ESO-NetHelp@bu.edu for assistance.

Thank you,

ESO Network Operations

As part of ESO’s ongoing technology refresh initiative, two conference rooms within Enrollment and Student Affairs (ENSA) at 881 Commonwealth Ave. have been recently upgraded with new hardware including the Crestron AirMedia wireless presentation system.

Crestron AirMedia allows you to wirelessly present content from your laptop or mobile device to the display screen.  You have the ability to use the single full-screen presentation mode (default) or up to four different presentations can be displayed in a 4x4 quad view.  In order to use AirMedia, devices will require a one-time download of the AirMedia app.  AirMedia clients are available for Windows and OS X computers along with mobile apps for iOS and Android devices.

Directions for using the AirMedia AV wireless system in each conference room are provided below including links to download the AirMedia client for Windows and Mac OS X.  To get the mobile app, please search the iTunes App Store or Google Play Store for "Crestron AirMedia".

* Macs - You will need to download the Soundflower driver in order to steam audio from your Mac to the AirMedia system.

If additional assistance is needed to use the new AV system, please contact our ESO Help Desk at ESO-NetHelp@bu.edu or call the NetHelp line at Ext. 3-7328.

Thank you,

Tony Toussaint
ESO Help Desk Support

• Starting December 1st, 2015 – the ESO OnBase support team will provide limited off-hours OnBase support to Admissions staff Monday – Thursday 5:00pm – 9:00pm, and Saturdays 9AM – 5PM.
• During this period Admissions staff should use the following guidelines to report OnBase issues to the ESO OnBase Support team:
  • Critical Issue: defined as a problem that a user cannot move past to continue working in OnBase or a problem which is impeding efficient reading. In such cases the user should contact either Lauren Vildostegui or Jon Korhonen to report the issue.  Lauren/Jon will then reach ESO staff, who will assess the situation and escalate the problem to IS&T as necessary.
  • Non-Critical Issue: non-critical issues such as a locked file or any issues for which we need a third party (including processing staff or IS&T), and which the user can move past and continue working in OnBase should continue be reported to eso-onbasesupport@bu.edu.  ESO OnBase support staff will not be actively monitoring incoming emails during off-hours support; the issue will be addressed the next business day.
• ESO will provide full support to Admissions on Saturdays when staff are scheduled to work in the office. Issues should be reported using the ServiceNow ticketing system for both OnBase & the Network.
• Admissions staff should avoid using OnBase during the following IS&T/OnBase maintenance windows: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 2:00 AM – 6:30 AM and Sunday 12:00 AM – 8:00 AM.

• Starting January 5th, 2015 – the ESO OnBase support team will provide off-hours support to Admissions staff from 5:00pm – 10:00pm, Monday – Friday, as well as the Saturdays listed below. The off hours OnBase support team consists of Cesar Spinola, Eileen Centofanti, Lisa Rhodes, and Tony Toussaint.
• During this period Admissions staff should use the following guidelines to report OnBase issues to the ESO OnBase Support staff on-call:

  Critical Issue: defined as a problem that a user cannot move past to continue working in OnBase or a problem which is impeding efficient reading. In such cases the user must call 617-999-6091 to report the issue directly to the staff member on-call.  Reaching us by phone will allow us to rapidly assess the situation and escalate the problem to IS&T as necessary.

  Non-Critical Issue: non-critical issues such as a locked file or any issues for which we need a third party (including processing staff or IS&T), and which the user can move past and continue working in OnBase should continue be reported to eso-onbasesupport@bu.edu.  ESO OnBase support staff will not be actively monitoring incoming emails during off-hours support; the issue will be addressed the next business day.

• Admissions staff should avoid using OnBase during the following IS&T/OnBase maintenance windows: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 2:00 AM – 6:00 AM and Sunday 12:00 AM – 6:00 AM.

Extended Week Day Coverage (ADM)

Intercession Coverage (ESO)

Saturday Coverage (ESO/ADM)

In the coming months, ESO will be working to transition and roll out Office 2010. The Office 2010 Professional suite includes Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Publisher. In addition, since many users already use Office 2010 at home, we will also be working with some “early adopters” from each department to aid with the transition process.

Here are a few resources which may be helpful to you:

IS&T Office 2010 Documentation
Microsoft - What's new in Office 2010?

In recent years, President Brown has challenged the University to increase its commitment to enhanced sustainability and “green” initiatives such as recycling, reduced energy consumption, and reduction in the use of paper in our offices.  In response to this commitment, I have asked Director of Finance and Human Resources Administration David Backus and Associate Director for Network Systems Tony Toussaint to lead a group of ENSA managers in determining ways our unit can reduce the use of paper. 

This committee includes:

• Samantha Arsenault , Financial Assistance
• Christina Coviello, Financial Assistance
• Elizabeth Frohlich, Admissions
• Debbie Macalintal, Office of the University Registrar
• Van Owens, Enrollment Services Operations
• Bethany Sheldon, Student Employment
• Margarida Silva, Office of the Vice President
• Shelley Tregor, University Service Center

The initial charge to this committee was to collect data and provide guidance regarding each department’s specific business needs, and to identify new office equipment that will encourage non-paper-based communication and recordkeeping.  We currently have 56 printers, 15 fax machines, and 6 photocopiers deployed within the 7 departments of Enrollment and Student Affairs, and consume over one million sheets of paper a year.  (This total does not include high volume communications, such as our recruitment mailings to prospective students, but rather just the paper we generate each day to communicate information among offices and to document essential business information.)  It is our goal over the next year or so to significantly reduce the total number of machines involved in printing, copying, faxing, and scanning in ENSA offices, as well as the volume of paper we use.

To this end, the paper reduction committee proposed the following initiatives:

• New high capacity, eco-friendly Ricoh Multifunction Printers (or “MFPs”) will be installed in each of the unit’s seven departments to provide immediate access to improved fax, printer, scanner, and photocopier functionality. These MFPs will replace the old Canon photocopiers.  These new machines will be installed in your department soon, or may have already arrived.
• The new MFPs will be installed gradually over the course of the next few weeks.  Those departments that currently have the most pressing and immediate business needs will be addressed as soon as possible. 
• An analysis will be conducted within each department to determine existing printing needs, as well as where printing can be consolidated and redirected to the new MFPs.  If necessary, we may run parallel processes using both old and new equipment until it is clearly demonstrated that the new equipment is preferable.  When the new MFP arrives in your department, all existing printers and faxes will remain in place until it is clearly established, in consultation with the department staff, that a piece of equipment can be removed without compromising or disrupting any of the office’s essential business operations.
• Training and instructional references will be made available to all employees on the scanning, printing, copying, and faxing functionality of the new MFPs.  In addition, we will also be exploring opportunities to provide instructions on ways to effectively replace paper-based recordkeeping and filing with electronic documents that will be more secure, easier to find, and easier to share with co-workers.

Here are some of the key features and advantages that will come with the new MFP devices:

• Secure Authentication – In order to access any of its features, users will need to first log into the MFP by either swiping their existing BU ID card or by entering their network username and password on the keypad. 
• Secure Printing – Print jobs sent to MFPs will be held in a secure print server queue and will not be released until users are physically at the printer, have authenticated by swiping their BU ID or entering their username and password, and have selected the jobs they want to print.  This not only reduces waste by eliminating unclaimed/unwanted printing, but also provides increased security, confidentiality and compliance.  Nothing will print until the employee who requested the work on their desktop PC arrives at the MFP and swipes their card or enters their password.  However, print jobs submitted using UIS mainframe functions and print queues will instead print directly to the MFP output tray.  This is the only exception.
• Users will be able to access and print their jobs from any of the seven new MFPs located throughout the ENSA unit at 881 Comm. Ave.  Consequently, if the MFP in your department is being used by others or is out of service, you will have at least six alternative options for printing your output.  You will only need to swipe your BU ID card or enter your network username and password to print whatever jobs you sent to your print queue from your desktop PC. 
• New black-and-white MFPs will replace the old photocopiers on floors 2, 5, and 6, and serve as the primary departmental printers for the Registrar, Financial Assistance, and Admissions.  Color copying in those three departments will be directed to existing stand-alone color printers.  New color-enabled MFPs will be installed in the other four ENSA departments:  Enrollment Services Operations, Student Employment, the University Service Center, and the Office of the Vice President.  All seven new MFPs are available for use by all ENSA employees.  They will be located as follows: Floor 6—ADM; Floor 5—OFA & OVP; Floor 2—ESO, OUR, & SEO; and Basement—USC.

• All MFPs will allow B&W and color scanning to PDF, TIFF, JPEG file formats; will allow scanning of documents to an e-mail account or network folder for archiving; can convert paper documents to popular formats, such as a searchable PDF, or to a Word or Excel document that can then be edited at your desktop; and will be able to convert incoming faxes to PDF/TIFF and route them to an Exchange mailbox.
• All MFPs will allow automatic duplex scanning and printing capability.

A similar analysis will be conducted regarding the use of fax machines.  Whenever possible, incoming faxes will be redirected to the new MFPs.  This will allow us to remove older fax machines that are no longer needed, are not energy efficient, or provide limited functionality; reduce toner and maintenance costs; and free up office space occupied by multiple machines (printers, faxes, copiers) whose operations will now be consolidated in the multi-function MFPs.

Over the course of the next year or so, we will be encouraging new paper usage practices with the aim of eventually reducing paper consumption by at least 40%.  This will be accomplished by:

• All employees making a conscious decision to print less paper whenever possible.  Employees will be asked to re-educate themselves to only print something when there is a specific business need that makes a paper copy preferable to an electronic document.
• Consolidating as much printing as possible to the new MFPs, rather than to older, less efficient printers.
• Printing duplex (double-sided) whenever there is not a specific need for a single-sided document.  (The new MFPs will be set to default to duplex and black and white printing, but can be changed at your desktop PC to allow single-sided or color printing when necessary.)
• Having incoming faxes routed to an Exchange mailbox as a PDF/TIFF attachment instead of printing them.
• Providing software and hardware that will enable employees to easily and quickly scan paper documents, converting them to electronic files for archiving, sharing in folders, or sending as an e-mail attachment.  This includes installing Acrobat X Professional on all computers to facilitate the conversion of information (including e-mails) to PDF format, the exporting of PDFs to Word or Excel documents, the creation of interactive PDF forms, and the enhancement or annotation of existing PDF files.
• Exploring opportunities to convert internal, paper-based business processes to electronic ones.  The Office of the Vice President is committed to examining all internal financial, human resource and payroll policies and procedures in conjunction with the ongoing implementation of the BUworks/SAP system, and will strive to replace ENSA paper-based approvals and processes with electronic alternatives whenever possible. 
• OVP will also research and disseminate the required record retention policies for various types of business documents, and encourage ENSA departments to digitize, purge or archive paper documents which do not need to be housed in the office in paper file cabinets.         

The success of our paper reduction efforts will depend on all Enrollment and Student Affairs employees learning and practicing new ways of handling their daily work.  Thank you in advance for your willingness and commitment to performing your work in ways that will help us conserve resources, eliminate waste, and improve the efficiency of our business communications and retention of essential records.

The iPad was marketed originally as a consumer product, but its viability in the business environment has increased with the release of new apps to address that need.  Much of the iPad’ s success lies, not just in its tablet format and multitouch interface, but in the sheer wealth and breadth of apps written for this device. Since many of these apps are now content producing, this provides a good opportunity to explore the potential of the iPad as a business tool.  Please Note: The iPad should not be considered as a replacement for your desktop computer.

iPad 2 Features

• Video mirroring to share exactly what’s displayed on the screen
• Cameras located in the front and back for taking pictures, recording videos, and FaceTime video chat
• Faster processor for enhanced overall performance
• 33% thinner and 15% lighter
• Improved video output resolution up to 1080p (High Definition) using Apple’s AV adapter

Current Supported Uses

• Business Travel – Access e-mail, browse websites, display videos, create/edit files
• Presentations – Display any content on the screen to a projector or monitor
• E-Mail
• Website Access (No integrated support for Flash or Java sites)
• Editor (Keynote, Numbers, Pages)
• Reader (iBook or PDF)
• Notes

Functions Not Currently Supported

• Printing, Remote Desktop

Models that ESO has purchased have the following hardware and software configuration:

Supported Hardware

• Apple iPad 2 with Wi-Fi, 16 GB
• iPad Smart Cover - Polyurethane - Gray
• Apple VGA & Digital AV Adapter

Supported Software

• Apple iWork Keynote (Presentation)
• Apple iWork Numbers (Spreadsheet)
• Apple iWork Pages (Word Processor)
• GoodReader for iPad (PDF Reader/Annotations)
• iBooks (Reader)
• Notes Plus/Penultimate (Notes, sketches

Security

All iPads will be registered and tagged with an aluminum plate by the Boston University Police Department. This security measure will deter theft while enabling the iPad’s safe return if lost, stolen, or misplaced.

Reservations

ESO currently has several iPad 2 devices available for reservation by ENSA staff. To reserve an iPad, please send your request to ESO-NetHelp@bu.edu.

Support

If you need assistance with the iPad, please contact our help desk via e-mail at ESO-NetHelp@bu.edu or call the NetHelp line at x3-7328.  The iPad has no serviceable parts.  As a result, if there is a system failure, ESO support staff will attempt a hard reboot or a complete restore of the Operating System (OS).  If either of these attempts does not work, the iPad will have to be serviced directly by Apple.  Personal iPads are not supported by ESO.

Thanks,

-Tony-

We have been notified by Facilities Managements that they will turn off the power to the 881 building beginning at 6:00am Saturday morning to 10:00pm Saturday night for necessary electrical work. In preparation, all ESO servers will be shut down on Friday night at 9:00pm and will be unavailable for the duration of the power outage. However, IS&T services (including e-mail, mainframe, OnBase, etc.) will continue to be available during this time. ESO network services will be restored once power has returned to the building.

Please shut-down your computers, fans, heaters, monitors, etc. before you leave the office on Friday.

Important: If you need to remotely connect to your computer from home Sunday please send an e-mail to eso-nethelp@bu.edu by 5:00pm Friday. A staff member from our department will be in the building Sunday morning to turn on computers that need to be accessed remotely over the weekend.

Please call 3-7328 if you have any questions.

Thank you!
ENSA Network Support

IS&T is in the process of migrating all users from Exchange 2007 to Exchange 2010. ENSA mailboxes are scheduled to be migrated in September. As part of this phased process, IS&T will be reconfiguring the existing Exchange 2007 server to connect with the new one in order to test the migration procedure. If you experience any difficulty accessing your mailbox using the web, Outlook, Entourage or smartphones (BlackBerry, iPhone, Droid), please contact our help desk via e-mail at ESO-NetHelp@bu.edu or call the NetHelp line at x3-7328 for assistance.

ESO Network Support

We have been notified by Facilities Managements that they will turn off the power to all of 881 beginning at 8:00PM Saturday for necessary electrical work. In preparation all services originating from both IS&T and Enrollment (including email, mainframe, OnBase, Remote Connection, SharePoint, Printing & File access) will be unavailable as of 6PM Saturday and will last the duration of the power outage. All services should available by 10AM Sunday morning.

Please shut-down your computers, fans, headers, monitors, etc. before you leave the office today.

Important:
1. If you are planning on working remotely from home during the day Saturday, you can leave your PC on. Please shut it down when you are done with your remote session before 6PM.

2. If you need to remotely connect to your computer from home Sunday or Monday, please send an email to eso-nethelp@bu.edu before 5PM today. A staff member from our department will be in the building Sunday morning to turn on computers that need to be accessed remotely over the weekend.

Please call 3-7328 if you have any questions.