Tonight the GlobalProtect VPN will be upgraded to the latest version. Users will not experience a disruption in service but may receive a prompt to upgrade to the new version the next time they log in. 

Performing regular software updates on the VPN is an important step for keeping up to date with security fixes, bug repairs and compatibility with the newest operating systems. During the update, users will not experience a loss in service and will continue to work uninterrupted. However, users will receive a message that a newer version of the VPN software is available on their next login. This message is expected and we ask that you follow the prompts to download and install the new version of VPN software. 

If you experience any challenges installing the new software, please contact the Technology Support Center. 

Ray Soellner

Assoc. Director - DoIT

rays1@umbc.edu

Phone system prioritization and timelines

As UMBC continues remote and hybrid work for the Summer and Fall, we wanted to provide an update about the status and priorities of the campus phone system replacement project. Our legacy phone system is over 30 years old, and cannot be maintained going forward. To date we have moved over 900 users to the new system to help ensure that there is no disruption to communications as we approach the fall semester. 

During the summer, DoIT will be prioritizing the transition of department numbers over to the new phone system. We would like to work closely with all departments, including those who have already transitioned, to make sure they are prepared for the return to campus. To help avoid confusion, we are proactively removing the old desk phones once people have transitioned to the new system since those older physical phones are not compatible with the new system. If people need wired or wireless headsets, a physical office phone, or have any outstanding questions around the phone system or Webex software please let us know.

As the Fall semester progresses we will shift our focus primarily to remaining individual staff numbers that have not already been migrated. 

New phone system overview

Transitioning to the new phone system offers many new features and advantages besides increased reliability. A key feature during this time of remote work and telework is the ability for your computer at home or office to make and receive calls using your campus extension. This “softphone” is enabled by using the Webex app, formerly Webex Teams, which can be installed on any computer or mobile device. UMBC has adopted this softphone approach as the recommended configuration and will be providing wired and wireless headsets to the community at no departmental cost. Headsets can be picked up at Engineering 020. Please see the links below for more information on these units. 

• Logitech H390

• Logitech H600

If there are locations or users that would benefit from a physical desk phone instead of this model, we can work with your department to help evaluate your needs and make sure we are installing the right kind of devices to best support you. 

We appreciate your support in helping us complete this very important project. 

Ray Soellner

Associate Director - DoIT

UMBC

rays1@umbc.edu

The DoIT Technology Support Center is looking to hire additional consultants to work during the summer semester and beyond. Please see our job description below and visit our job posting on UMBCWorks to apply. (Search for TSC Student Consultant.) The application will be open until June 17th.

We're specifically looking for students available to work during the following hours:

• Monday 1pm-5pm
• Wednesday 1pm-5pm
• Friday 2pm-4pm

TSC Student Consultant Job Description

Technology Support Center (TSC) student consultants are the first points of technical contact for the UMBC community and those who do well often go on to work in other areas of the Division of Information Technology (DoIT). Minimally, consultants are expected to provide initial triage and support for a wide range of information technologies including accounts, hardware, instructional technologies, networking, software, telecommunications, and basic web development.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Provide technical assistance to users by phone, online and in person;
• Answer TSC phones in a professional and courteous manner;
• Create, update and resolve tickets in the Request Tracker (RT) ticketing system;
• Create, update, suggest and recommend relevant FAQ articles to users (www.umbc.edu/faq);
• Provide direct assistance to users on technical issues they cannot easily resolve on their own;
• Respond to all work-related communications in a timely manner;
• Escalate urgent problems to the Full-Time staff, as appropriate.

Required Skills and Experience

• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate by phone or in person.
• Demonstrated writing ability.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve successful outcomes in handling difficult situations and customers.
• Demonstrated analytical and troubleshooting skills.
• Ability & willingness to learn coupled with a clear understanding of one’s technical abilities, so as to triage and escalate an issue that leads to an effective solution for the user.

HelioCampus is a data analytics platform that provides UMBC with the next-generation decision support services.  Helio integrates our enterprise data warehouse with advanced reporting and visualization tools.  

With Helio, we can use information from our systems to answer key questions through analytics, data storytelling, and data science and do it easier and faster.  Helio is a key component of an integrated infrastructure for academic planning, assessment, and analytics.  

We’re delighted to tell you that the project and platform are starting to roll out to the campus. 

We have deployed the platform and provided initial training to a first wave of approximately two dozen people who are active users of our existing data warehouse.  This initial training focused on four key sets of dashboards:  Admissions, Enrollment, Student Retention, and Graduation.  

We will continue to conduct training sessions to additional waves of the community and provide resources for self-guided training in the use of Helio and Tableau, the platform’s visualization tool.  Tableau is easy to use, and you can learn the basics in as little as 45 minutes using our curated self-training curriculum.  

Access to the Helio platform can be found at analytics.umbc.edu.  Request access to the platform or a Tableau license at https://analytics.umbc.edu/support/request/.  Please note that there is a role-based approval process similar to that granting access to REX.

We’re grateful to our campus partners who participated in the validation and “soft launch” phase of the project.