Tag Archives: 201110

Welcome to TechNews

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Thank you for reading the inaugural issue of TechNews, the Simmons College Technology Department newsletter. Each month, TechNews will preview new technology and give the entire Simmons community insight into the projects we’re working on to provide you with the best possible service and support.

Both the newsletter and the TechNews website will grow and become more robust over time. As in all of our projects, we’re follow a set of guidelines described by the Japanese word Kaizen. This philosophy is focused on continuous improvement, constant review, and positive change. These ideas are at the core of technological improvement and advancement and, as a result, they are embedded into our processes. We believe technology to be central to the continued success of Simmons and we want to share our ideas and contributions with you.

If you have any questions about projects featured in the newsletter or need technology support of any kind, please contact the Service Desk.

Campus Print: A New Way to Print at Simmons

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A new multi-function device at Simmons CollegeSimmons Technology is constantly seeking feedback from students, faculty, and staff and using that feedback to make improvements to our services. Perhaps the biggest change to come from your input is the recent implementation of a new printing system.

We are proud to introduce Campus Print, a flexible and user-friendly way to print, copy, and scan your documents. It provides a user interface that allows you to upload your print job from anywhere and then print it at any available printer on campus. We want to put you in control of the queue so you can print your documents when and where you want.

While Campus Print represents a major upgrade, we’re also making additional changes to improve printing at Simmons. For example, the student print quota has been increased from 400 to 500 black and white pages. We’ve also replaced aging printers in common areas and departmental offices with new printer/scanner/copier devices that allow you to print and copy as well as scan to your Simmons email for free.

Simmons Technology also understands the importance of the environmental impact of our printing. Campus Print allows you to monitor the quantity and impact of your printing and all jobs default to double-sided printing in order to extend your quota and reduce the amount of paper used at Simmons. Since October 5th, more than 109,000 pages have been printed. Of these pages, 86% have been double-sided, saving more than 47,000 sheets of paper!

As with any new project, getting feedback from our customers is vital to improving and optimizing Campus Print. Your usage of the system will help us to make adjustments to its functionality, install new printers where you need them most, and address any problems as they arise. For example, we are currently addressing an issue with large, graphics-intensive print jobs which are slowing down the queue. We are working with our vendor to address this and we will potentially test and install new equipment in order to resolve this problem as soon as possible.

Already, though, we have received some great feedback from our community and we’re listening to what you have to say. “This single new ‘scan to email’ feature saved me 5 to 6 hours this week alone. NO JOKE – I had to scan 36 sets of lecture notes and also an entire ~500 page Tenure Dossier this week,” said Professor Richard Gurney, Chemistry Department Chair. Student Chelsey Blair shared her thoughts on Twitter, saying, “Whoa  @SimmonsCollege Campus Print is magical.”

To find out more about Campus Print and how it works, click here. To get started using Campus Print, visit campusprint.simmons.edu.

Simmons Technology’s Renewed Commitment to Support

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Though it is not always immediately apparent to the Simmons College community, Technology is constantly searching for new ways to improve our existing support structure and looking for new opportunities to expand the range of services we offer.

With this in mind, we would like to share some of our recent changes with you and let you know how they help make technology work better for you.

Service Desk
In order to improve access to support, we have completely redesigned the Simmons Technology website and created a new Service Desk website with you in mind.  The new Simmons Technology site serves as an introduction to Technology and provides an overview of our services. The Service Desk website is your one-stop location for support. From this site, you can get contact info for Technology, create a request for general support, media event support, and Datatel/Colleague support, access our FAQ knowledge base, and find links to other services.

TechKnow
When you access the FAQ on the Service Desk site, you are actually seeing the result of a powerful new knowledge base tool we call TechKnow. This system serves as a repository for both self-service information and Technology department knowledge that can easily be shared among our technicians when answering your questions. Collecting, organizing, and sharing knowledge about our services leads to better and faster support for you.

New Support Software
Before the start of the semester, Technology also updated the software we use to handle your requests. The new system allows us to share information internally so we can quickly route your request to the first available technician and it also allows us to communicate with you and keep you informed about its status. We don’t close your request until you have verified that we have given you the support you need. If your problem isn’t fixed, we’ll keep working on it until you let us know that it is. Our support software is already paying dividends. In September, we resolved 2,500 incidents, 41% of which were closed in less than one day.

Remote Support
In the past, if you needed a technician to look at your computer, you would have to set up an appointment and wait for them to come to you. Now, many requests can be handled via remote assistance using a tool called Bomgar. This utility allows a technician to temporarily connect to your computer so they can see exactly what you see and you can follow along as they work through a solution to your problem.

Best of all, Bomgar is secure, works on most platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, and more), and doesn’t require you to install any software. When speaking to a technician, they will direct you to a dedicated Simmons website where you can initiate a remote support session. Remote support allows us to help you from anywhere you can connect to the Internet and helps us to answer your questions more quickly and accurately.

In September alone, there were 270 remote assistance sessions. Of these sessions, more than 92% of customers have rated the service a 4 or 5 out of 5. Here are a few comments from customers we’ve assisted recently:

“Very helpful. We resolved my issue immediately.”

“Douglas was a great help and so PATIENT!”

“Jessica was very helpful multiple times today. Thank you!”

“Jared was very patient and easy to talk with.  Walked me through everything point by point.  I know a lot more than when we started. Thanks!”

These represent just a few of the changes taking place in Technology. We will continue to roll out new services that improve your access to technology and the ways we support you. For information on new initiatives, be sure to check servicedesk.simmons.edu and future issues of the Technology Newsletter.

Secure File Transfer Now Available

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On a day-to-day basis, many Simmons employees work with sensitive and confidential information and need to send files containing this information to their colleagues. The most commonly used method of transferring files is, of course, via email. Unfortunately, email does not encrypt the information sent in the body of the email nor in an attachment. In addition, the electronic transfer of this type of information is subject to not just the Simmons College Information Security Policy, but also Massachusetts General Laws.

In order to comply with these regulations and to provide a simple and secure way for faculty, staff, and students to transfer information, Simmons Technology has introduced a secure file transfer service powered by Accellion, an industry leading provider of file transfer tools.

The Simmons Secure File Transfer allows you to login to a secure website, upload a document, and then input the email address of the recipient. The recipient will receive an email with a link to the document. They will then login and be able to download the document securely. This process ensures that the information that you send is only transferred between your computer, the secure site, and the recipient’s computer.

You can get started using the service by visiting xfer.simmons.edu and using your Simmons login credentials. Any Simmons user can access the service immediately and, if needed, you can even invite external users to create an account so they too can send information securely to Simmons email accounts. Full instructions for using the Secure File Transfer service can be found here.