This summer, the MultimediaDevices network was launched. The new network replaced the Gaming network in the residence halls and extended the service to all buildings on the Kent Campus. The change resulted from a need for instructors to use such devices as Apple TV or Roku in their classrooms. Devices on this network must be preregistered at multimediadevices.kent.edu. Laptops and smartphones should continue to use the university’s preferred wireless network, Kent State Wireless. ...
Information Services is in the process of upgrading Kent State’s Banner ERP system from version 8x to 9. Updates to the administrative pages of the system are currently underway with testing in the development environment occurring over the next few months. The new version includes an updated user interface, which eliminates the reliance on the Oracle Forms technology. Additionally, seamless navigation between Banner 9 administrative pages and other areas still on the previous version has been enabled using the Application Navigator tool. According to Ellucian, the company responsible fo...
On September 8, 2017, Information Services hosted its annual 5S Day, a day focused on the LEAN methodology of improving efficiency and effectiveness by organizing and maintaining a clean, high-performance office environment. The five S’s stand for Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. The day started with a short lesson on the 5S Methodology by the Process and Evaluation team with additional information on the retention of records presented by Chris Muller, Manager of Enterprise Application Support. The main focus of the presentation was around the continual practice of staying...
KSUMobile is Kent State’s app for accessing information about the university across all campuses. Available on both iOS and Android platforms, over 4,000 people have downloaded the app with an average of 70 new users each day. Since the initial release of the app, IS has delivered various updates to improve performance and add new features – the latest additions being live bus tracking and book-buying capabilities released last fall. IS is currently working on a new update that strives to make KSUMobile better than ever. Historically, any new changes, features, or functionalities would need t...
Information Services has initiated a project to install a new firewall that will better protect the Kent State community from Internet threats. Kent State users are sent a barrage of malware, phishing attempts, and active hacking attacks. While the current system blocks a great number of these threats, the new firewall will be capable of intelligently, automatically, and proactively identifying and stopping most known malicious software and attacks without any intervention from IS staff, drastically reducing the impacts of these threats and increasing the safety of our network users. In add...
Beginning in Fall 2017, a portion of the university community will begin piloting a security enhancement to FlashLine called Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). MFA provides additional security protections whereby accessing an account requires a username, password and an additional factor that is randomly generated at login time. This additional factor can be distributed to a personal email address, cell phone via call or text, desk phone or through the use of an app on a smartphone. Using this additional authentication factor will drastically reduce and prevent impacts from compromised account...
The Division of Information Services once again demonstrated its strong students-first philosophy to freshman and transfer students new to ºÚÁÏÍø. Incoming students eased their transition to the Kent Campus by seeking help at TechHelp tents and tables located throughout campus during Welcome Weekend and the first week of classes. On Thursday and Friday of Welcome Weekend, five TechHelp tents were located near the four main Residence Hall clusters (Eastway, Tri-Towers, Centennial Court, and the Quad) and near the Kent Student Center. Information Services and Federated Support st...
Information Services has launched DocuSign, an electronic signature capture platform that replaces printing, faxing, scanning, and mailing documents, potentially making every approval and decision digital. At present, 136 templates have been published, with many more to come. The initial focus was on streamlining the onboarding process for HR, Academic Personnel, Payroll, and Student Employment. The longer manual, paper process can now operate as fast as a few mouse-clicks. ...
Software.kent.edu is a new portal for Kent State students, faculty, and staff to download free software such as Microsoft Office. Software titles are displayed based on the user’s role, so only software that is available will be visible to download. The portal automated a process that previously could take up to 72 hours to fulfill, eliminating the wait time and making for a better user experience. ...
Every day it seems another cyber security breach has been discovered that may directly impact you. Were you one of the 40 million people who used a bank card at Target in December 2013 and had your information stolen? Or one of the estimated 143 million Americans whose personal data was stolen recently in the massive Equifax data breach? October was National Cyber Security Awareness month, and Information Services participated by hosting some fun and informative events across the university. At the Haunted Library event, students had the opportunity to answer email phishing trivia questions...