The new TeamDynamix ticket system rolled out last October and we are continually improving with feedback received from our campus community.
All posts by Lisa Terrier
ITS Helpdesk Winter Break Information
The Helpdesk will be closed for the winter break from December 23 – January 2.
Customer Purchases of Technology
Great news! College faculty and staff can purchase many computer peripherals directly through Oracle Finance purchasing system.
Purchasing with this new system gives you the ability to price,
budget, order, and directly receive items. In addition, you will be
able to track shipping and confirm charges are correct. We are here to
guide, and recommend items you might be looking for; feel free to give
us a call or email the ITS Helpdesk. The Middlebury College Bookstore also has many accessory items in stock and can direct you to what will work for your setup.
PURCHASE THROUGH ITS
Although you can purchase your own office peripherals, cables, and such, please remember you must work with ITS
on purchases of computers, tablets, specialty monitors, and printers,
as well as projectors, network switches, software, and TVs. This will
ensure you receive educational discounts, proper licensing, and
appropriate warranties on college-supported equipment.
College funded computer purchases must be coordinated with Information
Technology Services (ITS) prior to ordering, so ITS may review the
specifications to ensure the equipment is compatible with the Middlebury
College environment plus confirm in-house support is available. For
example, there are items ITS does not support, like departmentally purchased printers, or non-standard model computers.
PURCHASE ON YOUR OWN
We have put together a list of common accessories
our campus customers have requested and we have tested. Because items
come and go in availability, and pricing changes, this list may go out
of date. Like I said, feel free to check in with the Middlebury College Bookstore or with us at the ITS Helpdesk, we are here to help.
Welcome to “Self-Service” Software Installation
ITS has been working on options for our customers to install licensed software on their college-owned computers using convenient, “self-service” methods that provide control over when the installations take place. (We are not licensed to provide software on personally owned computers, only college owned.) To learn how this works on college Windows computers, please visit KACE Self-Service information. If you have a college Mac, visit Mac Self Service information for details.
Initially, we have made a few of our most commonly-requested Adobe products available through self-service for both Mac and Windows platforms, as well as the new Microsoft Office 2016. We will be working to add software titles in the next few months. Please note that not all software is purchased with licensing to be available for every computer on campus.
Self-service installations work best when you are here on campus using a wired (Ethernet) connection to our network. Use of VPN or wireless connections may work but they will be much slower and are more likely to experience issues.
We are excited to offer this new service and want to hear about how it worked for you. Feel free to share your feedback, questions, or concerns with our Technology Helpdesk.
Heartbleed and the changing of the passwords
As noted in messages from LIS, we are requiring all individuals to change their Middlebury password as a precaution in response to “heartbleed” security threat. If you have not yet changed your password since these email messages were sent, that is since Thursday, April 10th after 4 pm EDT, you were required to do so before this Thursday, April 24th at 4 pm EDT.
If you haven’t yet changed your password go to http://go.middlebury.edu/activate/ . (Please note that if you use a smart phone or tablet, you should turn off the device while you change your password.) If you need help changing your password, you can contact the Help Desk at 802 443 2200 or via the Help Desk ticketing system at http://go.middlebury.edu/whd.
Stay Safe.
Microsoft to end technical support for Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2003
Microsoft will end support for the Windows XP operating system and Microsoft Office 2003 software on April 8. Microsoft will no longer release security updates or provide technical support for either product after this date.
Both Windows XP and Office 2003 will continue to function, but computers running either product will become increasingly vulnerable to malware and other forms of cyber-attack.
Due to the risk these vulnerabilities create, the Information Security group considers it necessary that Middlebury College students, faculty and staff have an upgrade to better protect personal and College data.
If you are not sure whether you are using Windows XP, Microsoft has created an easy-to-use website you can use to help at http://amirunningxp.com.
If you have a College-owned device that is running Windows XP, please contact the helpdesk at helpdesk@middlebury.edu, or create a ticket at https://webhelpdesk.middlebury.edu/ to discuss the best course of action. The Technology Helpdesk has already begun the process of migrating all College-owned computers to Windows 7.
Students, faculty, and staff with personal computers running Windows XP will need to upgrade their computer operating system to be able to connect to the Middlebury network or VPN at some point in the future, so please take action as soon as possible.
For questions or assistance, contact the Helpdesk at X2200 or visit https://webhelpdesk.middlebury.edu/ to create an online ticket.