IT Group News

From the IT Group:

aThe IT Group would like to welcome everyone back to a new academic year, provide you with new information that you missed while you were away, and offer some general information to keep in mind.

New information:

• The IT Group is pleased to announce that Elise Morrissette has accepted the responsibilities of the IT Group HelpDesk manager, filling the vacancy left by the resignation of Eoin Clarke in May. Elise brings years of experience to the position, and her primary focus has always been customer service, making the customer experience her top priority. Please join us in welcoming her.
• The Rhodes Hall Computer Lab has a new face this year: One-half of the lab continues to offer computers for basic student computing use; the other half will soon provide students with an open, collaborative working space that allows students to come together and work in groups comfortably and easily. New mobile tables and chairs allow students to form a “pod,” plug in their own laptop, and view their work on a monitor attached to the wall. It is still currently under construction, but look for its opening very soon!
• This summer the IT Group completed an upgrade to the KSC data center, which houses campus servers and networking equipment. This project upgraded the power and cooling system. The power can now be managed and tracked from a centralized system, and an emergency fire-suppression system was added so that equipment will not be damaged if the fire suppression system is activated. These upgrades delivered not only greater efficiency and reliability for campus, but environmental benefits to the campus as well.
• FY09 projects: The IT Group and our campus partners completed 15 projects during FY09. A complete list is available on the web: IT Technology Plan FY09 Projects & Initiatives.
• FY10 projects: Looking for what’s new for FY10 projects? Check out IT Technology Plan FY10 Projects & Initiatives.
• Network Upgrades: As part of our network-upgrade master plan, Carle Hall and sections of Elliot received network wiring and equipment upgrades. These upgrades help ensure a reliable, high-performance, and secure technology-rich environment that facilitates curricular needs and access to IT resources and information services for students, faculty, and staff.
• It was a busy summer. All discipline and public labs were re-imaged (refreshed) and cleaned. The library lab, library circulation laptops, Modern Languages lab, Rhodes public lab, and the Safety lab were all upgraded this summer. We delivered, installed, or upgraded 56 workstations for faculty, 69 for staff, 36 circulation laptops for the library, 130 lab computers, and nine SmartCarts over the summer. FY09 printer upgrades were also completed. Please visit Campus Workstation and Network Printer Upgrades for information on workstation and printer upgrade policies and procedures. In addition, a new network access-control product was purchased, tested, and implemented for fall ‘09 returning students.

Reminders:

• The new USNH System Access Policy took effect May 1. This policy increases protection for computers and data resources used in the transaction of USNH and Keene State College business. It is the responsibility of every KSC employee to comply and practice safe computing practices as outlined by USNH and KSC policies, standards, and procedures. Visit Changes Resulting from the System Access Control Policy for a comprehensive listing.
• Netbooks (lighter, smaller versions of laptop computers) are being purchased by departments across campus because of their compact size and inexpensive price tag. They are perfect for travel, if your needs are limited to reading email and surfing the web, if you don’t need large storage capacity or fast processing, and if you can live without high-resolution graphics and a large screen. While they fit the needs for basic computing, netbooks are not currently a technology the IT Group supports.
• The HelpDesk is dedicated to the distribution and support of standard technologies used by employees of Keene State College - including desktop computers, classroom technology, major applications, telecommunications equipment, and access to the campus network. The HelpDesk is open Monday - Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.