Office of Technology Services: Information Technology – Client Services

1. Office of Technology Services: Information Technology – Client Services New Faculty Welcome and Orientation

2. Who We AreOTS - Information Technology – Client Services

3. Topics • General Services Provided • Faculty/Staff Help Center • Distributed Support and Services • Additional Technical Support • Mobile Devices and Home Networks • Getting Software and Hardware • Accessing the Campus Network • Smart Classroom Tips • Homework

4. General Services Provided • Serve faculty and staff through: • Telephone (preferred route) • Email • Remote Control Assistance • Walk-in • On-site support • Provide software and hardware service in offices, labs, and smart classrooms • Manage the Computer Trade-Up Program to refresh office-based computer systems on a three to four year cycle • In conjunction with other areas of OTS, test and deploy new or updated software products to campus computer systems

5. General Services Provided • Provide setup, integration, and general assistance with hardware: printers, scanners, laptop computers, tablets, smart phones, PDAs • In cooperation with departments and colleges, assist in the support of smart classrooms. • Provide design and planning services for classroom technology projects (new construction and renovations) • Coordinate, collaborate, cooperate, and communicate with technology providers across campus who do not report to OTS through the Campus Technology Coalition

6. Faculty/Staff Help Center • Primary point of entry for support requests is by telephone to the OTS Faculty/Staff Help Center: 410-704-5151 • Quick tip: for faculty or staff services, press 2+2+2 • Staffed Monday through Thursday 8am-7pm; Friday 8am-5pm during the fall and spring semesters; Monday through Friday 8 am-5pm at other times • 24/7 support for select services is available after hours; listen to the recorded message when calling • TechHelp, our self-service problem reporting system, is available to submit and track service requests, questions, and problems at http://techhelp.towson.edu

7. Faculty/Staff Help Center • Comprehensive support for campus PCs and Macs • For campus systems, we can often “remote into” PCs to help as long as the standard software configuration is maintained • When telephone or remote-control based support is not practical, on-site support to offices is provided by appointment • Quality matters: we send surveys by e-mail, and comments help a lot with staff development efforts • Always get your provider’s name

8. Distributed Support and Services • If a problem can’t be resolved at the Help Center level, we will send a technician to campus offices: • Defined triage guidelines are used as part of a formal central dispatch model • One business hour maximum time is allotted for triage, and during that time, we will assign a technician to the issue and notify the client by e-mail • The technician will contact the client to arrange for service within four business hours • We have 3 precinct offices on campus, so help is close by

10. Additional Technical Support • Virtual Mac Support Team offers additional help to Mac clientele • In addition to OTS, many departments and colleges have their own “local” IT service providers; check with your department chairperson • The Campus Technology Coalition (CTC) includes people throughout campus (lab managers and departmental IT providers)

11. Mobile Devices and Home Networks • We provide limited support for home or personally owned systems (general assistance using web-based services, standard TU applications, and verifying service availability) • If a person can’t connect to the Internet at home, at another workplace, in a hotel, at an airport, or in “hot spots” the Internet Service Provider (ISP) that offers the service is the best point of initial contact • Support for email-enabled phones and tablets is limited to providing configuration settings that you or your cellular provider can use in setting up your device. • Support should be obtained through your carrier's customer service telephone number, website, or through your device manual.

12. Mobile Devices and Home Networks • Primary reasons that support for home and personally owned devices is limited: • Home networks use many brands and models of hardware and services vary by provider (Comcast, Verizon, etc.) • Our staff are trained to support a limited set of standard enterprise-class devices • Internet service providers are more experienced with consumer hardware lines • Citizen taxpayers get concerned when they hear about state employees receiving services that they are not also entitled to (“the headline test”)

13. Getting Software • Maryland Educational Enterprise Consortium (MEEC) offers Microsoft Office 2013 as part of the work-at-home agreement • The University Store administers MEEC:http://store.towson.edu • OTS offers Microsoft Security Essentials Antivirus software and other downloads: http://www.towson.edu/ots • For students, Microsoft Office and other products are available at discounted prices through the University Store and other sources

14. Getting Hardware • Check with your department as well OTS before purchasing—some hardware devices may not be compatible, supportable, reliable, or securable • Special start-up funds are usually great opportunities, but there have been some surprises; see above—and check with OTS first to avoid disappointment • Hardware for research: same factors—work with your department and OTS in advance • Departmental and college technology providers are often a good pre-purchase information resource

15. Getting Hardware • Non-standard hardware: netbooks, smart phones other than university-owned, inkjet printers, and other devices may not supported or supported only to a limited extent; check with your department and OTS before purchasing • More hardware information, including discounted personal purchases programs: http://www.towson.edu/adminfinance/OTS/hardwaresoftware/facultystaff/index.asp

16. Accessing the Campus Network Overview • One of the best ways to protect sensitive data is to ensure files and data stay on the network • Whenever you copy files to a home computer, laptop, USB drive, or e-mail them “off network” you increase the chance of exposure of potentially confidential or sensitive information • Some faculty may have used a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection previously. This is not a preferred method at Towson University • Off campus, most people just need a “plain” Internet browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox) to get to core services

17. Accessing the Campus Network Virtual Workspace • The next “step up” for off-campus connectivity is our Virtual Workspace (Citrix) environment • With Virtual Workspace, you can do a few more things than you can with a “plain” Internet browser—but it requires a one-time installation of small piece of software (the Citrix client):http://virtualworkspace.towson.edu (vw.towson.edu for short)

18. Accessing the Campus Network Windows Remote Desktop • You can use the Remote Desktop Gateway from home or just about anywhere to connect to your office computer from another computer—a computer in a lab, classroom, or another office • http://remotedesktop.towson.edu for Windows Computers • http://vw.towson.edu for Mac Computers • You will need to log into the computer that you want to access remotely at least one time while connected to the Towson Network. • For more information and instructions see http://remotedesktop.towson.edu

19. Smart Classroom Tips • The university has over 400 technology-enabled classrooms and you can virtually visit yours in advance:http://www.towson.edu/classroomtechnology/virtualtour • Physical access (keys, swipe cards, etc.) and support procedures vary by department; check with your administrative assistant or chairperson • Technical support: • check the instructions at the podium for a telephone number to call for help – usually 410-704-8324 (4TECH) • if not otherwise instructed, call 410-704-5151, option 3 on the voice menu. Our staff will try to help or provide further information on who to go to.

20. Smart Classroom Tips • Make time to visit the classroom you will be teaching in prior to class in order to become familiar with the technology • Power up the system and logon to the computer as soon as you get to class to give things time to boot up • If you need special software installed on the computer (something besides Microsoft Office), check with your department well in advance so arrangements can be made • To display files, use mapped network drives (H: or O:), Virtual Workspace, or documents saved within Blackboard. USB drives are easily forgotten

21. Smart Classroom Tips • For student presentations, consider having students place files into Blackboard’s Assignments as opposed to having them logon or use USB drives. • If you have a campus office computer, you can use Remote Desktop Gateway to get to it for specialty software • If the computer is locked by another person when you arrive, you will need to force a shutdown by pressing and holding the power button; then, restart • When leaving, always logoff and make sure the projector is off • Have a “Plan B” in case the technology doesn’t cooperate

22. Homework • Visit the OTS Website and find the Faculty/Staff Help Center. • Locate the section “Information on Frequently Requested Topics” • Read “Technology Services and Support for New Faculty: What's the Same at TU? What's Different?” (this document was provided during the fulltime faculty orientation sessions)

23. Office of Technology Services Contributing to the success of Towson University through the development, maintenance, and support of technology