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IT Update: December 2020

December brings the end of the fall semester, but doesn’t stop IT! Staff are busy with maintaining services and planning for the new year.

ImageNow was successfully upgraded Dec. 4-7 to Perceptive Content Foundation version EP2. ImageNow users now have access to an upgraded desktop client and a new web client.

The Financial Information System (FIS) will be unavailable from 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, through 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20. Once the monthly maintenance is complete, FIS will available for your use.

HRIS, KSIS, and DARS will be unavailable from midnight – 4 a.m. Jan. 10Maintenance will be performed on the Oracle PeopleSoft systems.

A change freeze on servers and services went into effect Nov.30 at 12:01 a.m. and lasts through Dec. 15 at 11:59 p.m.

FIS is undergoing a major application upgrade, with rollout slated for December 2021. Concurrently, we are upgrading the FIS Database to 19c with a go-live date slated for Feb. 12-14, 2021.

KSIS and HRIS are undergoing a PeopleTools and Database upgrade, with the upgrade expected between Feb. 26-28, 2021. More information will be posted on our blog site.

In the coming weeks, K-State will be distributing 800 laptops to support faculty and staff who are in most need of updated equipment resulting from our remote work environment. We will also distribute 191 meeting Owl Pros, a portable 360 camera/speaker/microphone system that can be used in various room settings for web conferencing. Funds for the equipment are part of the SPARK (Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas) monies.

Each Dean, VP, and the President’s Office is completing a spreadsheet. If employees (staff, faculty, GRA/GTAs/GAs) need a laptop (use of a personal machine, a laptop is four years or older, or the device doesn’t have a microphone or webcam), contact your department head who will work with the Dean/VP and get your request on the spreadsheet. The goal will be to distribute these devices as broadly and equitably as possible.

The K-State web pages will be migrating to the cloud after the new year. This major project is part of our ongoing efforts to modernize the infrastructure and part of the IT Strategic Plan.

Over 6,800 K-State employees have completed the Cybersecurity Awareness Training. If you have not completed the training, visit the Canvas course to complete it.

Microsoft Teams Essentials Training is scheduled for Dec. 14 from 2-3:30 p.m. See the Microsoft Teams Essentials training blog article for more information. Visit the IT Training website for additional technical training opportunities.

Comparison of Phishing Scams and Compromised eIDs Jan. 1 – Dec. 1

YTD 2020 YTD 2019 YTD 2018
Compromised eIDs 420 528 505
Phishing scams 1122 1253 502
Phishing scam tickets processed 3254 3128 2065

 

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