Tag Archives: 2025

Digital Security & Year‑End Housekeeping 

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As you head off for conferences, fieldwork, or a hard‑earned vacation, give your digital life the same care you give your luggage. The checklist below combines summer‑travel security tips with end‑of‑academic‑year tasks so you start July with peace of mind and a clean slate.

Patch & Protect Before You Go

  • Install every update. Run operating‑system and app updates on laptops, tablets, and phones before departure—unpatched devices are prime ransomware targets.  See Keeping Your Computer Up to Date.
  • Turn on two‑factor authentication (2FA). Two‑factor authentication is already active with Sharkpass on your Simmons login—switch it on for your personal email, Google Workspace, cloud storage, and every other service that offers it to block most account‑takeover attacks.
  • Encrypt your devices. On your personal devices, use BitLocker (Windows) or FileVault (macOS); iOS and Android encrypt by default when you set a passcode. If the device is lost, your data stays protected.  We’ve done this on your Simmons-issued computer for you.
  • Consider, set up, and test a VPN. Public Wi‑Fi is never private; a VPN encrypts your traffic end‑to‑end.

Smart Habits on the Road

  • Avoid public USB charging ports. Stick with your own charger, a wall outlet, or a battery pack to dodge “juice‑jacking” attacks.
  • Use a privacy screen and choose seats wisely. Keep prying eyes off sensitive information in airports and cafés.
  • Keep devices in sight. Never leave laptops or phones unattended; if you must leave a laptop in a hotel room, secure it with a cable lock.
  • Watch for travel‑themed phishing. Summer brings fake flight‑change notices and hotel invoices—hover, pause, and verify before clicking.

Leaving Campus Safely

  • Appropriately backup and encrypt research data—especially anything covered by FERPA, HIPAA, or grant agreements—before you travel.
  • Store files in Google Drive rather than on USB sticks that are easily lost.

Quick Departure Checklist

  • Updates installed and encryption enabled
  • 2FA active on key accounts
  • Consider using a VPN, test and ready
  • Privacy screen in your carry‑on
  • Data backed up and safely stored
  • Required software licensed past June 30
  • (Graduating?) Files exported and devices sanitized, see Departing? Export Your Data

Questions? Contact the Service Desk at [email protected] or 617‑521‑2222.

Safe travels—and see you (and your data) back on campus in the fall!

Keeping your computer up to date

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Software and operating system updates can sometimes be inconvenient, but they are absolutely essential for maintaining the security of your computer and the Simmons network. Simmons Technology manages updates on all Simmons computers. Typically, updates are pushed out during the third week of each month. While this process is mostly automated, we need your help to ensure that the updates complete.

Windows

When you see a Window prompting you to restart your computer, please do so as soon as possible. The updates will not be fully applied until your computer reboots.  For more information, see our Knowledge article Windows Software Updates. 

macOS

When an update is ready, you will see a Simmons branded “Upgrading macOS” window. Make sure to follow the prompts and enter your standard Simmons username and password when prompted. For more information, see our Knowledge article macOS Software Updates.

Personal ComputersOn your personal computer, follow the instructions included Keeping Your Operating System

Departing? Export Your Data

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Icon for Digital ContentsAmid completing finals, saying good-bye to friends, and preparing for what’s next, it is important for departing students to preserve their digital files that made-up their educational experiences. After leaving the University, Simmons accounts remain active for six months.  After that, stored data will be irrecoverable. We recommend making preparations to export and backup your data now while there’s still plenty of time.

Transferring or exporting data for later use may seem like a daunting and stressful task, however, special utilities make this important job much easier.  

Transfer your data.

If you have an existing personal Gmail account (or can make one) we recommend transferring the data from your Simmons account into that account. The process is straightforward and the instructions are simple to follow.

How does it work?

  • Log into Google through your Simmons login.
  • Visit the transfer data website: Copy Content from your School account to Another Account.
  • Emails, Google Drive documents that you own, and documents you own in My Drive will be transferred.
  • Follow the instructions to create a new personal Google account if necessary and to start the transfer.

The transfer can take anywhere from a few hours to a week. You will be notified via email when the process is complete. The original emails and files will remain in your Simmons account after the transfer.

Export your data

If you want a backup ZIP file or do not have a personal Gmail account, Google Takeout is a free, easy-to-use product that automates the download of user data across Google’s services making it ready to be uploaded to a new account or preserved as a back-up.

How does it work?

  • Log into Google through your Simmons login.
  • Visit the Takeout website:  https://takeout.google.com
  • Choose the products and services you wish to back-up. More data can be backed up using Takeout,  including but not limited to: Gmail, Google Apps, Google Calendar, Google Drive Files, Google Keep, and YouTube.
  • Follow the instructions to create an export.
    The files are collected into a ZIP and can be downloaded for safekeeping.

Some downloads may take a long time. Do not worry! Google will notify you via email after they finish packing things up and when downloads are available.  

Where can I learn more?

Google’s Account Help Pages describe the basic procedures:

The Simmons Technology Service Desk is available to help.