ITS Newsletter

Welcome to the ITS Newsletter, a quarterly communication to Bethel computing community.

In this issue you'll find:

• Banner News:  An update on the Banner migration.
  
• Employee Article: Did you know about these online resources?
  
• Faculty Consultant Article: New Faculty Consultant, anti-plagerism tool, and classroom response software
  
• News from the V.P. Bill Doyle: Bethel web portal
  
• Questions to the Help Desk:  I think I need a new computer. How can I request one?
• Server/Network News: HIPAA's change effects upon file server and web services
• Security Article: Open Sesame: creating strong passwords
  
• Student News: Free virus scan software  available
  

May 2006 Update:

Final preparations are underway for the Banner Finance module to go live on June 1.  After that date Bethel general ledger accounts and accounts payable checks will be processed in Banner.  Progress continues on the Student Admissions, Student Registrar, Human Resources, and Financial Aid modules.  Technical training is almost complete. The technical team members are converting data necessary for the Finance module and have begun providing output from IntelliCheck, FormFusion, and the Argos reporting tool. During the week of April 24, SunGard consultants presented kick-off material for Bethel’s Luminis portal project. University Admissions offices will begin using Banner this September to admit new students for the 07-08 school year.

Did you know that Bethel has a number of online resources to serve you?

My Account Page
A one-stop web page for creating and maintaining Bethel University computer accounts. This is where to go for password resets, email forwarding, and other account related issues.
https://directory.bethel.edu/account/

Bethelnet
Bethelnet is an internal network that can only be viewed by BU community members. You can think of it as a gateway to all of Bethel’s resources.
http://bethelnet.bethel.edu 

Employee Self-Service Page
This web page allows employees to review their payroll and benefit records.
https://genesis.admin.bethel.edu/cgi-bin/payroll/EmployeeBenefit.cgi

Fileserver
A fileserver is a place where computer files can be safely stored. Employee should store all work related computer files on his/her designated fileserver area. Information about accessing your particular storage area is available at:
http://fileindex.its.bethel.edu/ 

IncidentBase
The Incidentbase is used to track employees computer issues that are not resolved immediately. Faculty and staff can view their incident, add comments to it, as well as create an incident.
https://incidentbase.its.bethel.edu/useraccess/

KnowledgeBase
The Knowledgebase is a searchable database containing articles about many technology related issues.
http://knowledgebase.its.bethel.edu/ 

Online Directory
A quick way to locate contact information for faculty, staff, and students.
https://directory.bethel.edu/

Webmail
Webmail is where you can get your Bethel’s email from anywhere the Internet is accessible.
http://webmail.bethel.edu 

News from the Faculty Consultants

Summer is coming.....and so is Susie Starting June 1, Susie Brooks will be part of the faculty consulting team under ITS, serving mostly CAPS-GS.  She has been providing IT support for CAPS/GS employees and students for the past couple years as CAPS/GS staff member. Welcome Susie! We are hard at work designing a series of workshops and mini workshops for the summer. Watch for further announcements on this at http://library.bethel.edu/class/workshop

Susie Brooks

• But before summer comes…

  There are papers, exams and such. A reminder that we are subscribed to turnitin.com which can spot plagiarism from online sources. If you want to get started on turnitin contact Lucie Johnson at johluc@bethel.edu
  

• Thinking about the next term?

  There is a growing faculty interest in response systems through which students can respond with a clicker during a classroom presentation that uses powerpoint. You can poll students that way, or even give in-class quizzes. The product is Turning Point, we have a campus license for it. To check out a system to try talk to Bob Kistler at kisrob@bethel.edu . Carol Cragg (reference librarian ) has quite a bit of experience using this.

Dr. William Doyle
Vice President of Information Technology Services

Bethel Web Portal

Bethel will begin implementing portal technology this summer, with the goal of introducing this powerful tool to the community next winter. We are all aware of the positive transformations web technology has provided us, both professionally and personally. I believe that portal technology has the potential to be the next great transforming influence on how we work. It is time to begin thinking about how we might use this tool to better accomplish our mission at Bethel.

Here is a definition. A portal is a software infrastructure that will enable, from one place with a single login, secure electronic access by constituent status to the information, people, and processes that we require to fulfill our responsibilities at Bethel. This environment will enable both mandatory and elective targeted communication based upon role. It will also provide access to group calendars and discussions, online chat, advising and registration, self-service processes such as making payments on one’s Bethel account, and personal calendars with automatic populating of information from Banner including Blackboard course schedules.

A committee composed of administrators, faculty, staff, and students met throughout the 2000-2001 academic year to investigate a very new technology known as portals. It drafted a vision, a set of goals, and a set of requirements for a Bethel implementation. Unfortunately, in the following years we were unable to secure funding to implement the vision. But our fortunes have changed.  Using the leverage of our collaborative purchase of Banner, we have bought a highly regarded portal system at a favorable price. We will begin implementing that system over the next several months.

There are many ways an institution can design the look and feel of a portal just as there are many ways institutions design their web sites. For those interested in seeing examples of portals, I provide two links below. These links offer only a glimpse of the full potential of a portal since many of the resources generally available are confidential and cannot be shown to visitors. However, it is my hope that these views will give birth to ideas and questions.

http://myxu.xu.edu/cp/home/loginf  This link provides access to a portal demo at Xavier University. At the bottom of the page that opens, look for and click on the link Tour MyXU.

http://rampoint.colostate.edu/cp/home/loginf  This link offers a good view of the content and layout chosen at Colorado State University for two constituent groups: current students and faculty/staff. Look for and select the links View Student Demo and View Faculty/Staff Demo under the Login button in the frame at the top left of the page.

An implementation team representing administration, faculty, staff and students is being assembled to begin work. We will do our best to go live early in 2007. Please contact Mary Holmes (X6273) or me (X6306) if you have ideas for or questions about the portal.

ITS used to replace computers every four years, but now they don't . How do I get a new computer when mine needs to be replaced?

Because the computing power of computers over the past five years has surpassed the needs of the average Bethel employee, ITS moved away from a four year upgrade cycle two years ago and moved to an "as-needed" method.  This method infuses new computers when either a computer crashed and couldn't be easily and cheaply repaired or when an employee justifiably requested a replacement.  ITS created the “Employee Computer Request Form” for employees to be able to make a request for a new computer. The form is available online at

http://knowledgebase.its.bethel.edu/articles/218/

Upon receiving a request, ITS reviews the request to make sure the needs of the position justify the request as well as investigate whether or not other solutions are available.  ITS might discover that a request for a new computer because the current one is too slow may be resolved by removing spyware or adding additional memory.

Do you have a "How do I....?" ITS question that you think the rest of Bethel would benefit from having answered here in the ITS Newsletter?  If so, email your suggestion to the helpdesk with the subject "Newsletter Question" or click here helpdesk@bethel.edu

Good Password Practices

Maintaining the security of Bethel's computing environment is like the proverb "A chain is only as strong as its weekest link."  Passwords are an important link in the security chain that each person has a responsibility to protect.   Below are some password tips for being a "strong link."

• Currently passwords are case sensitive and must be six to eight characters in length with at least one number.  Integrate numbers and upper and lower case letters into your password to create a strong password. Substitute a number for a letter such as:

  • edison = eD1son  or  edi50N
    
  • Exodus = eX0du5  or 3xoDus
    
    
• Passwords shouldn't be easily guessed, like "jesus7" or "royals6" or "lovegod" or anything that involves "football". It's okay to love Jesus and football, just not in your password.
  
  
• Don't create a password by just substituting a foreign word
  
  
• In passwords, do not use personally identifiable information such as birthdays; anniversaries; and names of a family members, friends, or pets.
  
  

• Make a complex password by using the first letter or two of a phrase such as:

  • For God so loved the world = 4GsLtw
  • What is my password =wh1smypa
  • Bethel is great = beiSgr8
    
    

• Make a complex password by jumbling a word, but not simply reversing it.
  

  • Bethel = hbleeT2
  • Jesus = sjsUe5
    
    

• If you must write your passwords down, store them in a secure, locked location, not as a post-it on your computer.  If you store them in your PDA, make sure they are password protected and encrypted.
  
  
• Do not use work passwords for personal sites; i.e. do not use your CARS password for your on-line bank account access.
  
  
• Your username and password are for your exclusive use. Do not share them with your co-worker, friend, spouse, or assistant even when you are out sick or on vacation. If they need access to a resource that you can access under your login, have them contact ITS.
  

Effects of HIPAA Upon File Server and Web Services

In the past, the supported method for accessing the file servers from off campus was FTP. ITS started supporting a newer method called DAV a few years back to solve some problems with FTP. On April 21, 2006, FTP and non-SSL DAV were disabled due to HIPAA regulations, and secure DAV become the supported method.

HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and it impacts ITS through its requirements for protecting ePHI data (electronic protected health information). HIPPAA compliance caused ITS to change many things to require encrypted connections and prevent non-encrypted connections from off-campus. For most web resources this was transparent as attempts to access the old version (http) results in a redirect to the secure version (https) (you can see this on the Open webmail or directory servers), and most people didn't even notice it happened. With things such as the fileservers and IMAP to the Exchange mail system ITS had to decide on a feasible way to provide secure access. As ITS was already trying to move to DAV because of the problems with FTP, and DAV is easily upgradable to an encrypted connection, it became the new connection standard for remote fileserver access. To help ease the transition, documentation was updated and linked from the fileindex (http://fileindex.its.bethel.edu/).

DAV was designed as a replacement to FTP to get around several issues, the problems it has with firewalls being one. It uses the same HTTP protocol that is used for the web, but with some additions to allow uploading files, getting properties on files, and file locking (flagging it as in use). In fact, unless the server is intentionally trying to prevent it, you can open any DAV resource in your web browser for read-only access. Because it is compliant with the HTTP specifications, it can easily use the existing HTTPS encryption used for secure web sites as well. Unfortunately most current DAV clients have major flaws which prevent using DAV transparently like any other disk as it was designed to enable. However, most are at the point where it can be used in the same way as FTP where files are downloaded for use and then uploaded again afterwards.

Antivirus Software Available to the Bethel Community

If you need antivirus software for your personal computer, Bethel can provide you with a legal copy of McAfee’s Viruscan or Virex software. Our license extends to all staff, faculty and currently enrolled students. We have software for both Windows and Macintosh computers.

If you choose to use this software, keep in mind you must first remove any other antivirus software from your computer first and Bethel’s software is not officially supported through ITS. We do provide installation instructions, but otherwise you are on your own.

If you would like to use this software go to:

http://www.bethel.edu/its/students/antivirus-software