Tag Archives: 2020

What Data Goes Where?

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Be mindful of the data that you collect and be careful where you save that sensitive information!  Simmons grades data on a 4-point scale based on it’s risk.

Restricted is our the MOST SENSITIVE type of data and consists of:

  • Name, Address, Telephone

AND

  • Social security number or taxpayer ID
  • Financial account, credit or debit card
  • Financial/salary data
  • Driver’s license number
  • Date of birth
  • Medical or health information (e.g. HIPAA)

Refer to the Simmons Data Classification Policy on the proper ways to store and transmit sensitive files.  Regularly review who has access to your data and clean-up your authorized apps list.   Avoid the temptation to download and work on sensitive documents on your personal devices.

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Social Engineering

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What is Social Engineering?
Social engineering is a type of cyberattack that uses psychological manipulation to convince victims into performing actions or disclosing information.

Beware of Imposters!
An attacker may pretend to be someone else, either by phone, in-person, or via email, in order to solicit financial or personal details, or to ask that you take some action, such as completing a financial transaction or providing remote access to a computer.

It is common for attackers to impersonate tech support, charitable organizations, government agencies, banks/financial institutions, even your friends/family/coworkers!

Remember, the “From:” in an email is just like a return address on a postcard and can be forged. Be wary of interactions from people you think you know asking for gift-cards, passwords, or other personal information.  Also, be wary of any free offers, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is!

Unprecedented times…
Fraudulent activity is up 600% since COVID-19!

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Who Can I Contact?

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To report a Cybersecurity Incident, please contact:

Simmons Technology ServiceDesk
[email protected]

For more information about Information Security at Simmons including consultation on alignment of business processes with our Information Security policies please contact:

Richard Phung
Information Security Analyst
[email protected]

References
https://www.cisa.gov/national-cyber-security-awareness-month
https://enterprise.verizon.com/resources/reports/dbir/
https://www.ibm.com/security/data-breach
https://www.varonis.com/2019-data-risk-report/

Technology Support Support Options for Fall

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As we all prepare for the Fall semester, Simmons Technology Services & Support is continuing to adapt our services to support you during these challenging times. We will continue our extended phone support hours through the Fall Semester and provide 1:1 in-person support by appointment. 

The Service Desk provides remote support via phone and email. Our extended phone support hours are:

  • Monday – Thursday: 7:30 AM – 9:00 PM
  • Friday: 7:30 AM – 7:30 PM
  • Saturday: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Support analysts can assist with a wide variety of tasks over the phone. Analysts can use a remote support tool, with your permission, to see your device remotely and troubleshoot problems that are hard to describe or resolve.

The Technology Support Center is available to assist you in person by appointment only. The appointments are scheduled in advance and intended to assist with issues such as a computer repair, replacement, or other problems that cannot be done remotely. Safety during these appointments are a top priority. We will be using PPE, maintaining safe distance, and keeping the appointment brief to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19. Appointments can be made by contacting the Service Desk.
As always, you can call us for support at 617-521-2222, email us at [email protected], or visit our website at https://servicedesk.simmons.edu for

Simmons is moving to Workday Student!

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This September, Simmons will reach the first major milestone in our Workday Student implementation.  The Workday Student project is deployed in four stages — Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum — and will roll out throughout the remainder of the academic year. Each stage delivers a new set of functionality that builds on prior work. These phases follow methodology recommended by Workday to maximize design and testing time and minimize the need for rework.  The Bronze go-live in September includes the foundational, non-transactional elements which serve as a framework for the new student information system. 

The Bronze implementation lays the foundation for the rest of the Workday Student project in production and has no immediate impact on the Simmons community’s day-to-day work.  No active transactions will be taking place and no student records will be in Workday.  This foundation allows for the Simmons community to prepare for testing of registration and other functions later this fall so that the Silver implementation in March goes smoothly. 

The Workday Student project implementation is a complex, multiyear collaboration between the Simmons Technology project team and more than 30 representatives from across the Simmons Community. Workgroups have been meeting regularly for the past 18 months to identify requirements, clean data, configure, and test the system to meet the needs of Simmons students, faculty, and staff.

Once complete, Workday Student will replace Colleague/AARC — which has been our student information system for over thirty years — with a platform that is current, flexible, highly integrated, and able to meet the Community’s changing needs.

For questions regarding the Workday Student Project, please contact Jane Ritt. 

Data Classification Policy Updates

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Data Classification Policy to permit the secure storage of some sensitive information on Google Shared Drives by enabling rules that prevent our important information from being shared. The new protocol allows Restricted and Private data to be stored in Technology-managed Google shared drives created for your Department. This initiative allows for more flexible remote access to files without sacrificing the security of the familiar Department O-Drive.

For more information about Google Shared drives and using Google File Stream, visit the ServiceDesk website for details, or contact [email protected] to get started.


For questions regarding Information Security, please contact Richard Phung.

Working Remotely: Resources for Staff

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Simmons Technology has pulled together a list of resources and tools that can help you work remotely efficiently and collaboratively:
https://servicedesk.simmons.edu/articles/?action=showEntry&data=6740

The resource page includes links to working with voicemail remotely, using twinning to forward your calls, Zoom tutorials, and other resources that we think will be useful to you. Whenever possible, we have included links to training and help materials.

The Service Desk is also making extended support hours available for phone support. You can find that and other useful information available on our website, https://servicedesk.simmons.edu.