Part of the reason for that success is a small team in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) that is encouraged to respond to changing demands.

“We’re paying attention to the emerging needs of students,” said Todd Trann, manager of ICT web applications and leader of the team behind the university’s improved mobile accessibility. The team monitors usage carefully and actively solicits feedback through such features as a prominent and easy to use feedback tool in the iUsask smartphone application.

As of April, the main U of S homepage at www.usask.ca, as well as most of the first level pages accessible from there, are now fully functional on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. More U of S sites will soon follow; a new mobile website template that ICT makes available free to any U of S department makes the transition much easier. The PAWS portal will also be much more mobile friendly by July, with all channel content expected to be mobile accessible by 2014.

But mobile websites are not the only way to go mobile. Smartphone applications or “apps” are another option but one that involves a lot less “pinch and zoom, pinch and zoom” when it comes to finding content online.

Use of the iUsask smartphone app, which was the first of its kind at a Canadian university, has exploded; at the start of the term in January 2013, the iUsask app was being opened some 14,500 times a day, almost double September’s usage. Trann expects that upward trend to continue.

So, should the university focus its mobile efforts on websites or apps? Trann said that is not his team’s call to make but he wants to see better choices for users. “Right now, we’re trying to offer people the best possible experience through both mobile-accessible pages and apps,” Trann said, adding that the group now needs to analyze where people go online.

It all comes down to asking, “how do people want to interact with the university?” But the answer to that question can change quickly, especially since the field of mobile technology is still so new.

“Mobile is like the web was ten years ago,” said Kyla Hoffman, who leads the work on the university’s Web Content Management System. “It’s the wild west.”

Originally posted in On Campus News on April 26, 2013.
On Campus News - April 26, 2013 PDF

The newly launched unit comprises experienced ICT staff already well known to many researchers: Jason Hlady; Ian MacPhedran; team leader Keith Jeffrey; and Brian Reilkoff.

The Research Computing team will assess the ICT needs of researchers, assist them in using existing services, explore new tools that may be of help to them, and inform researchers of service enhancements. The team will draw on the staff and services of the entire ICT portfolio in its mission to support research success.

ICT already provides many services important to researchers including access to high speed research networks, email, online survey tools, videoconferencing, etc., as well as virtual computer servers, high performance computing facilities, computer system administration services, assistance with grant applications, and more.

In the months ahead, watch for:

• new high performance computing capacity available to researchers

• savings in time and grant money through use of virtual servers

• services to help plan and manage research data — to keep it safe and secure while conducting research, as well as archived and findable after the research is done.

The launch of Research Computing bolsters the university’s position as a member of the U15, the country’s 15 leading research-intensive universities. Strengthening the university’s overall research culture through this initiative also supports the university’s priorities as stated in the Third Integrated Plan, particularly that of fostering knowledge creation.

Be sure to follow the ICT Research Computing blog where the team will continue to share news about everything they’re doing and planning to do to better support U of S researchers and strengthen their success.

Contact the ICT Research Computing team at research_computing@usask.ca

Originally posted in the ICT Research Computing blog on April 11, 2013.

This means PAWS, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard) and many other ICT services will continue to run as usual throughout this month's scheduled maintenance.

We do, however, still need to go ahead with regular maintenance on a number of services which run on Microsoft Windows since they require essential patches and updates that cannot wait for a later date.

This reduced maintenance work will be performed during the evening of Wednesday, April 10th, from 10:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. the next morning.

During that time, the following services will be unavailable:

• Email
• File services (Cabinet, Jade, Bermuda, TangoWeb (SSAM/gsis), WinWeb (FMD), Datashare)
• Print services (Green, CPAS)
• Database hosting (SQLserver only)

PAWS, Sirius, Unifi, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard), etc. will remain uninterrupted during this maintenance.

Please note: The Windows servers associated with email, file storage (Cabinet) and printing (CPAS) will be patched after 11:00 pm -- after the Murray Library has closed for the evening -- in order to accommodate students who may be studying there.

For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk 966-4817, help.desk@usask.ca

Written primarily by Research Computing support staff (including Jason Hlady, pictured above) in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), the new ICT Research Computing blog will keep up a steady stream of helpful information about new and evolving computing resources.

For example, the inaugural post announces ICT’s new computing cluster for research and instruction. It explains how the new cluster -- called Zeno -- uses graphics processors (GPUs) to accelerate computing and why that makes it such a powerful new research tool.

Other articles will discuss software that could open up research and scholarly work in exciting ways – such as using programs like MATLAB and Mathematica to analyze images or to plot unusual math functions.

The blog will also present helpful methodologies (such as for the optimum use of a geographic information system (GIS)), tips on visualization techniques, and more.

Written for a diverse audience, this blog aims to deliver valuable information for all those engaged in research, scholarly and artistic work at the U of S.

Bookmark ICT’s new Research Computing blog today: http://words.usask.ca/researchcomputing/

The Admin Services tab is now dedicated to content relating to your work, and includes two new channels for employees who use UniFi, called UniFi Self-Service and UniFi Plus. If you need access to the Academic Admin Services channel, Financial Services, Wireless Guest Access, Workflow Worklist or other job-related resources and systems, the Admin Services tab is still where to go.

As always, you can get help with anything PAWS related by contacting the ICT Help Desk. We welcome your feedback, so please send us your comments or suggestions.

Originally posted in What's New in PAWS on March 11, 2013.

A list of other ICT-provided services which will also be unavailable during our regular monthly maintenance can be viewed on our Scheduled Monthly Downtimes page.

To help ensure you always have access to the services you need when you need them the most, we do our best to schedule this essential maintenance work for off-peak hours, usually on the second or third Wednesday of the month.

Please remember you can check scheduled maintenance dates and times on our Information and Communications Technology (ICT) website. Just look for the "Scheduled Maintenance" heading in the left hand column.

We also post notices about upcoming maintenaince on the login pages for PAWS and U of S Course Tools.

For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk 966-4817, help.desk@usask.ca

If a line is forwarded to an external number without using the full 10 digits, callers will hear a SaskTel recording telling them the area code must be used. This recording has led to some confusion, particularly when a caller on a university line receives such a recording after dialing a 4-digit internal phone number, unaware that it has been forwarded to an external line.

Stored speed dials on desk phones and cell phones, as well as programmed numbers in fax machines, should also be updated as soon as possible to ensure they include all 10 digits.

From now until May 11, calls made using 7-digit dialing will still be connected following the SaskTel reminder recording. As of May 11, however, 7-digit dialing will cease to work altogether.

For further information about 10-digit dialing in Saskatchewan, please visit: http://www.sasktel.com/dial10

For more information, please contact:
ICT Help Desk: (306) 966-4817 or help.desk@usask.ca

Since all ICT services rely on the network, they will not be accessible for this two-hour period. Affected services will therefore include the usask network, telephones, internet including wireless connections, email, PAWS, SiRIUS, UniFi, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard), and all other institutional and college-based IT services.

We recommend that any persons who are required to work during this time should ensure they have access to a cell phone in the event of an emergency.

The Campus Safety line at 966-5555 will be unaffected and remain operational throughout this time.

We would appreciate your patience during this outage. Please know we scheduled this work for the early morning hours to minimize disruption to the university community. The outage is required to complete the last phase of the network upgrade begun last December.

We expect all ICT services to be operating normally after 2:00 a.m. on Monday, February 18th.

For more information, please contact:
ICT Help Desk: 966-4817 or help.desk@usask.ca

To help ensure you always have access to the services you need when you need them the most, we do our best to schedule this essential maintenance work for off-peak hours, usually on the second or third Wednesday of the month.

Please remember you can also look for scheduled maintenance dates and times on our Information and Communications Technology (ICT) website. Just look for the "Scheduled Maintenance" heading in the left hand column.

We also post notices about upcoming maintenaince on the login pages for PAWS and U of S Course Tools.

A list of other ICT-provided services which will also be unavailable during regular monthly maintenance can be viewed on our Scheduled Monthly Downtimes page.

For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk 966-4817, help.desk@usask.ca

The TechQual+ survey is used to measure your satisfaction with U of S IT services and to help guide the development of service improvement initiatives. Quality is assessed by measuring your satisfaction with network connectivity and access, technology and collaboration services, support and training, and the extent to which our services meet your needs.

If you received an invitation, providing your feedback and input by completing the web-based survey will help improve ICT services at the U of S.

Learn more about the U of S TechQual+ Assessment, including the 2011 TechQual+ report.

For one thing, it can show you how far you’ve come. And, in 2012, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) at the University of Saskatchewan went a long, long way toward meeting important institutional goals and supporting the university community at every turn with new and evolving technologies and an increasingly robust and reliable digital infrastructure.

Here now is a look back at some highlights of a remarkably busy and productive 12 months.

A new organizational structure…

First of all, last year saw the elimination of the previous Information Technology Services (ITS) division and the launch of an all new Information and Communications Technology (ICT) organizational structure. The newly reorganized ICT portfolio positions us better than ever to improve ICT services overall and to streamline the delivery of those services to all members of the university community.

With so much to be proud of…

Ahead of schedule and under budget. When it comes to project delivery, it just doesn’t get better than that -- especially when the project delivered is crucial for the university’s ability to remain competitive. That’s the story of the Campus Wireless project. In early 2012, the project came in not only under budget, but five full months ahead of schedule. ICT installed approximately 1,000 new wireless access points in some 60 different buildings, bringing the university to a total of nearly 2,000 wireless access points overall. That means ubiquitous wireless coverage is now available in classrooms and libraries, student study spaces and meeting rooms, offices areas, research labs and public areas in more than 40 major campus buildings, with partial wireless coverage available in more than 20 other buildings, including several off-campus locations (such as the Station 20 West Community Centre).

Replacing the university’s telephone system was another of ICT’s major projects in 2012 and it continued on schedule and on budget. This multi-year endeavour is replacing the soon-to-be-obsolete analog telephone system with the new “voice over internet protocol” or VoIP standard. Going VoIP not only means cost-savings for the university but provides much improved services such as the ability to receive voicemail via email. Even better, to avoid the need for new-one time funding when the old technology is obsolete once and for all, this project is being entirely funded by the savings from moving to VoIP technology itself, along with the regular telephone operating budget over a six year period. The telephone system replacement project is expected to be complete in 2015.

Ongoing service improvements: business better than usual…

Upgrading to the Exchange email system in 2012 allowed for calendars to be consolidated across the university within the email program. 2012 also saw ICT make substantial improvements to our teaching and learning services. Our learning management system, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard), was upgraded to provide a simplified tools menu, the ability to view courses by term, easier course-to-course navigation, and new grading and grade history features. We also added management tools for our Lecture Capture system (which uses Matterhorn, an open-source technology developed jointly by a handful of top universities including the U of S) and Rich Media streaming right inside the U of S Course Tools menu, making it easier than ever to add lectures, video and audio material (podcasts) to course content. In addition, we enhanced our videoconferencing services which are now used to reach sites in such locations as Île-à-la-Crosse, La Ronge, Prince Albert and Regina -- an important part of our support for the university’s push for distributed learning.

The high quality of our ICT services -- and our ongoing improvements to them -- are also a big reason the U of S recently earned an ‘A’ for IT on the Globe and Mail’s report card!

Greater support for research…

In 2012, ICT also introduced a major addition to High Performance Computing in the form of a new supercomputer. Called Zeno, the high performance computer cluster offers approximately 100 computing cores so its power is considerable and a major new resource for university researchers.

The WestGrid inter-provincial consortium, part of Compute Canada's national program, is another major area of activity for ICT. As of last April, more than 40 WestGrid/Compute Canada research projects were in operation at the University of Saskatchewan, with approximately 110 researchers, including graduate students, research associates and postdoctoral fellows, participating.

ICT’s continued support of research activity in 2012 also included the systematic gathering of requirements for UnivRS, the forthcoming new research administration system. The new system will provide improved reporting on research activity, support regulatory requirements for ethics and clinical trials, and automate formerly paper-based processes.

Better institutional information…

We also went a long way last year toward improving our university’s overall strategy for gathering and disseminating institutional information. The launch of the University Data Warehouse (UDW) allows for the consolidation and integration of institutional data while the new uView tool allows for self-service access to meaningful information through the UDW. By providing better information about the university’s achievement record, enrolment, student analytics, research metrics and more, these initiatives will enable better decision making and planning for the future.

Improved security and planning for the future…

Last year’s launch of the all new ICT Security unit, headed by director Lawrence Dobranski, was a major new step toward protecting our data, our systems and our university community from those who might wish to do them harm. The new unit is already improving our overall security practices and putting more rigour into our processes for security incident responses. Its further mandates include developing new security policies for the university and educating the university community about individual responsibilities when it comes to security (See: “University community has role in IT security”)

In addition, we formed a new ICT Planning and Priorities Committee to bring together ICT decision makers from throughout the university. The new committee provides advice on ICT priorities to the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and to the Provost’s Committee on Integrated Planning (PCIP), looks for possible gaps in ICT services and will be an ongoing source of ideas for future improvements.

Building the Digital University…

In 2012, ICT also hosted two major national gatherings. The first was CANHEIT, Canada’s premier conference for IT professionals working in higher education. Run by a veritable army of local volunteers, the highly successful four-day event drew some 360 participants from across the country and featured an enormous array of informative and entertaining presentations as well as keynote addresses by renowned guest speakers George Siemens and Lev Gonick. The theme of CANHEIT 2012 was “Building the Digital University,” inviting participants to explore global trends in higher education and to examine how advances in information and communications technologies are contributing to the reorganization of education and the transformation of the university itself.

While promoting a national vision…

ICT also played host to a pivotal meeting of 75 key stakeholders from industry, government and educational institutions from across the country. Their mission? To devise a comprehensive strategy for achieving a Canada-wide digital infrastructure for research.

What came out of that first national summit was agreement about the need for a truly national vision and a coordinated approach -- and that is now the focus of the ongoing work of the all new Leadership Council for DI Implementation. The U of S is proud to be a key player in these discussions and looks forward to achieving a national vision for a strong and sustainable digital infrastructure which could greatly support the university’s own strategic objectives throughout the coming years.

Bright light on the horizon…

These and ICT’s many other achievements in 2012 made for an outstanding year -- and those accomplishments will serve us well as we move forward into the year ahead.

There is no question that, given the university’s current financial situation, there will be change on the horizon -- but that horizon holds bright prospects for ICT given the many essential services and resources we offer the university and our proven ability to deliver these cleverly, efficiently and cost-effectively.

ICT is well positioned to ensure the university’s continued success as a proud member of the U15, Canada’s top 15 research universities, and we will continue to work to support its larger goal of becoming one of the most distinguished universities in Canada and the world.

A virus known as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) virus can lock your computer and demand payment. Please be sure not to fall prey to this scam.

Infected computers show a pop-up warning message (see image at bottom) that may claim to come from the RCMP, CSIS, or other government agencies and that may also display logos and other graphics that are authentic in appearance. In some cases, the computer’s webcam may be activated.

The pop-up message warns that the computer has been associated with child pornography, illegal music downloading, or other illegal activity and states that the user must pay a fine via Ukash (a payment service provider) so their computer can be “unlocked.”

These messages are scams and evidence that your computer has been compromised by malicious software known as “ransomware” or “scareware.”

Ransomware restricts access to a computer system that it has infected and demands a ransom be paid, claiming that will remove the restriction.

If you receive one of these messages, please do NOT send money. Instead, you will need to remove the virus.

If you need assistance, please contact the ICT Help Desk. If appropriate, the Help Desk may refer you to the ICT Laptop Clinic which provides a variety of services from tune-ups to malware removal and from upgrades to full system rebuilds.

To guard against this virus and all forms of malicious software (malware), please ensure your anti-virus software is up to date and apply security updates and patches regularly. Please visit ICT Security for further information on keeping your computer safe.

Additional information on ransomware can be found on the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website and on the RCMP website.
You may also wish to review the RCMP’s “Top 10 Cyber Crime Prevention Tips”

ICT always encourages users to report problems and seek support from the ICT Help Desk: 966-4817, help.desk@usask.ca

Sample of possible CSIS Ransomware virus warning message:

To help ensure you always have access to the services you need when you need them the most, we do our best to schedule this essential maintenance work for off-peak hours, usually on the second or third Wednesday of the month.

And, so you know in advance when service interruptions will occur, we post all upcoming scheduled maintenance on our Information and Communications Technology (ICT) website. Just look for the "Scheduled Maintenance" heading in the left hand column.

We also post notices about upcoming maintenaince on the login pages for PAWS and U of S Course Tools.

A list of other ICT-provided services which will also be unavailable during regular monthly maintenance can be viewed on our Scheduled Monthly Downtimes page.

For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk 966-4817, help.desk@usask.ca

The ICT Help Desk will be closed from 5:00 p.m. December 24, 2012 until 8:00 a.m. January 2, 2013; during this time the Help Desk email and voice mail will be monitored for urgent issues with wide impact only. For general information and self-help support over the holidays, please visit ict.usask.ca; the Guides and Resources drop-down menu offers a wide variety of computing guides and instructions.

The ICT general office will be closed from 3:00 p.m. December 24, 2012 until 8:00 a.m. January 2, 2013.

For more information, contact:
ICT Help Desk: 966-4817 or help.desk@usask.ca

These services include the usask network, wired and wireless Internet connections, email, telephones, PAWS, SiRIUS, UniFi, U of S Course Tools (Blackboard), and all other institutional and college-based IT services.

The Campus Safety line at 966-5555 will be unaffected and remain operational throughout this time.

Please know we scheduled this work for a day when the university is officially closed to minimize disruption to the university community.

We expect all ICT services to be operating normally after 8:00 a.m., December 27th.

Please also note: the ICT Help Desk will be closed from 5:00 p.m. December 24, 2012 until 8:00 a.m. January 2, 2013; during this time the Help Desk email and voice mail will be monitored for urgent issues with wide impact only.

For general information and self-help support over the holidays, please visit our website at ict.usask.ca; the Guides & Resources drop-down menu offers a wide variety of computing guides, instructions and support.

For more information, please contact:
ICT Help Desk: 966-4817 or help.desk@usask.ca

Happy Holidays from ICT!