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| Quick Notes
Congratulations to John Bowden, IT Analyst, for his 20 years of service at Syracuse University.
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IT Professional Development
Staff on the cutting edge
Conferences & Forums
Larry Roux and Sam Scozzafava attended the DreamForce 2009 conference in San Francisco November 17 - 20, with the goal of learning more about the force.com platform . ITS is considering this platform as a possible rapid development tool to replace important department applications currently written in things like MS Access, to bring together critical data elements into one viable, accessible platform, and to reduce the occurrence of SU-specific customizations to base enterprise applications.
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IT Out and About
Connecting with the campus and beyond
Jon Wright and Rich Pitzeruse of the ITS Service Centers recently produced a video called "Got Backup?" which advises students to make a copy of their important data. Not only is the video getting rave reviews on campus (it can be seen on the big screens in the CST Service Center), but it caught the eye of the editors of Hardocp.com, (a leading computer hardware review sites) and made it to their front page on December 4 (scroll down). James Cameron, watch out!
On November 21, 2009, L.C. Smith College of Engineering & Computer Science (LCS), and the Syracuse Museum of Science and Technology (MoST) hosted the 10th annual Build 'Em and Bust 'Em Bridge Building Competition for CNY schools, grades 4-12. The annual  competition exposes students to valuable lessons in teamwork, engineering principles and building to specifications, while also providing stimulus to thoughts about careers in science and engineering. In addition to the great work done by LCS student volunteers and MoST staff to keep the event running smoothly, LCS staff members Jimmy Chen, "Calvin" Kai Cao, John Banas, Kevin Barnett, and Institutional Advancement's David Jasper, provided technical support and assembled the testing apparatus, including new digital USB load cell interfaces and measurement and graphing software. By popular demand, David Jasper once again took the stage as the celebrated MC for the 7th and 8th grade bridge testing category. This year's event registered and processed 226 teams (and 241 projects) representing 22 school districts and 37 individual schools, the most teams ever! Eric Pitzeruse from West Genesee high school, and nephew of Rich Pitzeruse of the ITS Service Center, was a third place winner in the High School division.
Linda Saul was a guest lecturer/presenter in Andy Clark's IST 673 course (Strategic Planning in an Information Based Organization) on Tuesday, November 3. The topic of the session was Project Management and Linda presented information and answered questions for a couple of hours. According to Andy, the class really enjoyed the presentation and learned a lot. |
Updates
Keeping current with software, systems, issues and devices
New Process for Obtaining Site Licensed Statistical Applications
ITS is changing how it provides site licensed statistical software licenses and applications to schools, colleges and departments. General information about software can be found at http://its.syr.edu/purchases/software/licensing.cfm. When a new version of a site licensed application becomes available, an email notification will be sent to Distributed Staff and the software will be made available in the AD environment (suapps.ad.syr.edu). This works for software for which we have a site license, but not for applications that require limited distribution or individual licenses (like SAS, for example).
If you have any ideas for improving the current DVD and sneaker-net method for distributing non-site-licensed applications, or for improving the process for providing, securely storing and easily managing access to software authorization codes and annual renewal codes, please contact David Hoalcraft at x1144 or dahoalcr@syr.edu.
PASW18 Now Available
ITS has received and tested the software upgrade for SPSS17, now called PASW18. IBM purchased SPSS and renamed it Predictive Analytics Software (PASW). We are licensed so that PASW18 can be provided to all faculty, staff and students at Syracuse University. NOTE: Each school, college and department must keep track of who they provide PASW18 to in order to ensure audit compliance.
The installers for PASW18 are available in the AD environment. An L1+ "a-" account or a "w-" account is needed to access the locations. The renewal dates for these codes is Aug 1, 2010. For the Windows and Mac installer AD paths, and the license codes, please email itsslm@syr.edu.
Name Connector Passes Tests
Name Connector, SU's new voice-activated telephone directory service for faculty and staff, is here to stay. This service allows you to dial "0" on any University phone, say the name of the faculty or staff person or the department you wish to call and get connected! You won't have to look up or even dial phone numbers, just say the name and get connected!
Many thanks to all of you who helped test NameConnector since early November. Your positive feedback helped us evaluate and tune the system, and drove our decision to keep it permanently.
A key feature of the permanent system is that cell phone users with a "calling circle" can set up their accounts to make free calls to SU. By including the University's main number (315-443-1870) in their calling circle (Verizon Friends and Family; AT&T's A-List and T-Mobile's myFaves are three examples), cell calls to campus use no minutes and are cost free.
For more information please visit Telecommunications website at http://its.syr.edu/telecom/service/nameconnector.cfm for hints and FAQs. You may also contact Telecommunications at 443-2330 or send an email to telecom@syr.edu.
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New Application Security Migration
System Implemented
Syracuse Application Migrations developed in-house
A new PeopleSoft bolt-on application was developed in-house to accommodate Application Security Migration requests. The system is called SAM (Syracuse Application Migrations). The security migration piece of the application went live in November and was well received by the Key Security Contacts in the functional areas across campus. Phase II of the project will incorporate project migrations and replace the current project migration SAM system written in Cold Fusion. By having the application programmed in peoplecode it will be more easily maintained by the development staff in Enterprise Application Systems (EAS).
PeopleSoft application security is made up of permission lists and roles that contain the permission lists. The roles are then assigned to users across campus to allow them access to MySlice and all its functionality. The EAS Central Security Team, along with Key Security Contacts from the functional areas, maintains these roles and permission lists. The SAM system is used to request migration of roles and permission lists from test systems after regression testing to production systems, and vice versa. The new SAM application has built-in audits to verify that the security being migrated into production systems is valid and will not breach security requirements. The system automatically notifies the Enterprise Technology Group (ETG) that migration requests are in the queue, and that action is required. It contains an audit trail and various forms of notification to requesters, along with various search options, so that everyone knows the status of a migration request at any given time. So far, its ease of use and audit trail are appreciated by the EAS Central Security Team and Key Security Contacts.
Project members include Peter Giovinazzo (Project Lead), Larry Roux (PeopleSoft Developer), Mimi Mark (Tester), Dan Edwards (Migration Developer), John Bowden (Migrations), Trudi Porter (Project Sponsor) and Eric Patten (DBA).
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ITidbits
Facts and figures about IT @ SU
 So far this semester, Technology Services at the Whitman School of Management has loaned out more than 3,000 laptops, and 330 Texas Instrument Calculators to faculty, staff and students. They've also produced more than 100 streaming videos (lectures, events, promotional) and 50 Echoes (streaming lecture captures).
SU's new Green Data Center (GDC) was constructed in compliance with LEED principles, so more than 99 percent of all construction waste generated has been recycled. That's about 60 truckloads (more than 1,200 tons) of waste kept out of standard landfills.
The GDC is the first project anywhere to integrate microturbine power generation with central battery UPS functionality. The battery banks weigh forty-four tons and provide at least 17 minutes of full data center power in the event that all 12 turbines and the utility electric grid are unavailable.
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Green Data Center Construction Complete
Grand Opening fanfare and national attention
Syracuse University, with partners IBM and New York State, celebrated the construction of its new Green Data Center (GDC) on December 2. The GDC is already a showcase of world-class innovations in advanced energy-efficient building systems and will soon demonstrate the same approach to energy-efficient information technology. Officials from SU, IBM and New York State were on hand to share comments, insights and best wishes.
SU's IT community had its own preview on December 1, the day before the official ribbon cutting. Chris Sedore hosted a celebration and building tour for technology staff, a showcase of the GDC's world-class innovations that rank it among the most energy-efficient in the world.
Both SU and IBM issued detailed media releases covering the event, garnering coverage nationwide, ranging from CNET News to Campus Technology to TreeHugger and InformationWeek, to name a few.
For more information on the GDC, including video and photos, visit http://syr.edu/greendatacenter/. For all the GDC photos, visit http://photo.syr.edu/Events/greendatacenter2009/index.htm.
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ITS and Holiday Sharing
at SU
Almost two decades of helping families in need
Started in 1991, the Holiday Sharing Program pairs SU schools, colleges, and departments with families in need. Families are identified by counselors at eight Syracuse city schools: Bellevue, Seymour, Solace, Dr. Weeks, Franklin, HW Smith, Delaware, and Percy Hughes; as well as community groups including the Vietnam Vet Center, Hopps Memorial Church, 1st English Lutheran Church, and Our Lady of Solace Church.
Holiday Sharing is organized by volunteers around campus and is not organized or funded by the university itself in any way. As in the past, this year a group of dedicated volunteers worked with their fellow employees to collect gifts for several families, as well as food items that will make up holiday meals and help stock the families' pantries.
Kara Patten again organized the effort for Academic Applications and Service Centers, Enterprise Process Support, and ITS administration in CST to help a 30-year old single mom with 5 kids (10, 8, 5, 4 and 2) from Franklin School.
At Skytop, Mylrae Campbell helped organize the collection for a Syracuse family consisting of a single mother with 5 children, ages 11 - 3 years old. The Office of Campus Planning, Design, and Construction at Skytop got in the game and pulled together the toy wish list. Enterprise Application Systems and Enterprise Technology Group provided the family with a holiday meal and The Budget & Planning department rounded out the family's wish list with other gifts.
Nicole Beck, Heather Ketcham and Julie Hughes worked with their colleagues in Machinery Hall for a family of five with a single mom, age 30, and four children, ages 4, 7 ,8, and 10.
Don Kilts organized over at Learning Environments and Media Production, working with Kathy Pollard of the Photo and Imaging Center, who coordinated the Golden Key National Honor Society again this year. This partnership helped a family of three --a woman, 52, another woman, 24, and her daughter, 5.
All this goodwill and holiday spirit does get noticed. As Debby Truex, the program coordinator from Franklin School put it in her enthusiastic thank you note:
"To all the SU Holiday Sharing Angels:
THANK YOU....THANK YOU....A THOUSAND TIMES, THANK YOU! As always, you outdid yourselves again. Just when I think I'm getting to be a bit jaded and dreading the holiday season, along come the Holiday Sharing Angels to boost my spirits and remind me what Christmas was all about (and you thought you were only doing this for the families!).
I came in this morning to a thank you note that was underneath my door. It was from Family # 27 and it read: "Thank you so much for your kindness to my children and family this year; and, for making my family's Christmas that much more meaningful."
So...."Yes Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus!"...is ringing true for me.
Thank you hardly seems to be enough for everything that you do for our families."
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IT Connections is published monthly by Information Technology and Services at Syracuse University. Please submit story ideas and news items to Chris Finkle. |
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