November 11th, 2020 — Announcement, Maintenance Announcements
Beginning at 8:30 PM tomorrow evening (Thursday, 11/12/2020), the Banner Production environment will be unavailable until approximately 7:00 AM Friday morning while Oracle PSU Quarter 3 updates are deployed. During this time, ALL Banner PROD services will be unavailable, including Banner 9, Self-Service, Web-Services, and School Services, etc.
Also Thursday evening, beginning at 9:00 PM, Computing Services will be installing November 2020 Microsoft patches/updates to our test systems for deployment in the near future. We anticipate no impact for client-facing systems.
Computing Services thanks you for your patience and understanding as we perform these critical maintenance activities. As always, if you have any questions, please call the ASU Computing Services Helpdesk at (719) 587-7741 or contact us via email at computingservices@adams.edu.
Have a great day,
Computing Services
October 30th, 2020 — Security Tips
As we close out National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we hope that the information and resources we have shared has been useful. While we covered just a few topics to assist you in reducing cybersecurity risks, there are many others to consider.
From using social media safely, employing passphrases to secure your accounts, and enabling two-factor or multi-factor authentication when available, we are each responsible for educating ourselves in ways we can practice good digital hygiene. The National Cyber Security Alliance (https://staysafeonline.org/) is always a great resource; check out these videos and this tip sheet from their Stop.Think.Connect. initiative for additional ideas on how to keep yourself safe online.
While Cybersecurity Awareness Month may be observed every October, we remind you to Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart. all year long.
Computing Services is here to help you with cybersecurity and answer any questions you may have. Feel free to contact us at (719) 587-7741, computingservices@adams.edu, or stop by our Help Desk on the first floor of Nielsen Library.
Have a great day!
ASU Computing Services
October 28th, 2020 — Announcement, Maintenance Announcements
Computing Services will be performing the following activities the evening of Thursday, 10/29/20:
- Beginning at 9:00 PM, installing updates to the campus GitLab system.
- Beginning at 11:00 PM, installing Oracle Quarter 3 PSU patches to the Banner Quality Assurance (QA) environment.
We anticipate no impact to client-facing systems from either of these maintenance activities.
Computing Services thanks you for your patience and understanding as we perform these critical maintenance activities. As always, if you have any questions, please call the ASU Computing Services Helpdesk at (719) 587-7741 or contact us via email at computingservices@adams.edu.
Have a great day,
Computing Services
October 24th, 2020 — Announcement, Maintenance Announcements, System Status
Good afternoon, Adams State Banner Community.
The 2020 Banner 2nd/3rd Quarter & Regulatory Updates were deployed to the production environment today, October 24th 2020. The Banner Admin, Banner Self-Service, Degree Works, Application Xtender, Axiom applications are available at this time. Touchnet is unavailable at this time and will be available at 7:00 PM this evening.
The details on the Banner modules updated are outlined below and are in the Banner Google Calendar:
Adams State University – Banner Updates Calendar
2020 Banner 2nd/3rd Quarter Updates:
Banner Accounts Receivable 8.7,9.3.15.0.2,9.3.16.0.4
Banner Admin Common 9.3.22.0.5
Banner Application Navigator 3.3.1
Banner Document Management System 8.7.4.1
Banner Employee Self Service 8.18, 9.12
Banner Event Publisher 9.4
Banner Finance 9.3.16.0.4, 9.3.17.0.1
Banner Financial Aid 8.38.1.4, 8.38.1.5, 8.38.1.6, 8.39, 8.39.0.1, 8.39.0.2, 8.39.0.3, 9.3.22.0.5, 9.3.22.1.2
Banner General 8.12.2,9.3.17.1.1,9.3.18.0.4
Banner Position Control 8.18, 9.3.13.0.2
Banner HR and Payroll 8.18, 8.18.0.1, 8.18.1.1, 9.3.15.0.4, 9.3.16.0.1
Banner Student 8.19.1, 8.19.2, 8.19.3, 8.20, 9.3.19.0.4, 9.3.20.0.2Banner DB Upgrade 9.20, 9.21
Banner Communication Management 9.7, 9.7.1
Banner Extensibility 9.7
Banner Employee Self-Service 8.18, 9.12
Banner Finance Self-Service 8.7.0.4, 9.3, 9.4
Banner General Self-Service 9.4, 9.5, 9.6
Banner Faculty Self-Service 9.11, 9.12
Banner Student Self-Service 8.7.2.9
Banner Web General 8.8.0.1
Computing Services thanks you for your patience and understanding for the downtime to deploy the critical 2020 Banner Quarterly & Regulatory Updates to our production environment. As always, if you have any questions, please call the ASU Computing Services Helpdesk at 7741 or contact us via email at computin…@adams.edu
Have a great day! Computing Services
October 23rd, 2020 — Security Tips
Did you know that over 90% of all cyberattacks begin with a phishing email?
What is phishing?
Phishing is a cybercrime in which a target or targets are contacted by email, telephone or text message by someone posing as a legitimate institution to lure individuals into providing sensitive data such as personally identifiable information, banking and credit card details, and passwords. The information is then used to access important accounts and can result in identity theft and financial loss.
How do you prevent a phishing attack?
There are always signs that something’s not right, if you pay attention and educate yourself on what to look for. To help identify a possible phishing attempt, take a look at these Social Engineering Red Flags or check out this video for tips on how to avoid taking the bait.
If you’re unsure who an email is from, even if the details appear accurate, do not respond, and do not click on any links or attachments found in that email. Always avoid sending sensitive information via email.
The best piece of advice: When in doubt, throw it out.
Computing Services is here to help you with cybersecurity and answer any questions you may have. Feel free to contact us at (719) 587-7741, computingservices@adams.edu, or stop by our Help Desk on the first floor of Nielsen Library.
Have a great day!
ASU Computing Services
October 22nd, 2020 — Announcement, Maintenance Announcements
This week, Computing Services will be performing several critical maintenance tasks that are required for our various systems. See below for details.
***Computing Services Maintenance for Thursday, 10/22***
Computing Services will be performing the following activities beginning at 9:00 PM this evening, Thursday, 10/22:
–Installing Microsoft Windows patches to all Windows-based systems, including employee, lab and TEC Classroom computers, even ASU-owned computers being used by employees at home. These patches will force a reboot, so please log off and leave your computers on at the end of your work day today to assist with installation.
–Installing October Microsoft updates on all Windows production servers. Throughout this time, users will experience intermittent outages (5-10 minutes) and brief interruptions to network services as systems reboot.
***Banner PROD Downtime for Saturday, 10/24***
The Banner production environment will be unavailable Saturday morning, 10/24, from approximately 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, MST, while updates for 2020 Quarters 2 and 3 are deployed to the PROD environment. During this time, ALL Banner services will be unavailable, which includes Banner 9, Self-Service, Web-Services, School Services, and DegreeWorks, etc.
Computing Services thanks you for your patience and understanding as we perform these critical maintenance activities. As always, if you have any questions, please call the ASU Computing Services Helpdesk at 7741 or contact us via email at computingservices@adams.edu.
Have a great day,
Computing Services
October 21st, 2020 — Announcement, Maintenance Announcements
Beginning at 6:00 PM this evening, and lasting approximately 2 hours, we will be updating the System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), which pushes all Window updates, software updates, and new applications. During this time, we expect no impact to users.
Computing Services thanks you for your patience and understanding as we perform these critical maintenance activities. As always, if you have any questions, please call the ASU Computing Services Helpdesk at 7741 or contact us via email at computingservices@adams.edu.
Have a great day,
Computing Services
October 15th, 2020 — Security Tips
If you’ve been following recent election coverage, you may have heard about how Microsoft took action to disrupt a massive hacking operation that distributes ransomware, which the US government and independent experts have warned is one of the largest threats to the upcoming elections.
What is ransomware? According to the National Cybersecurity Alliance (https://staysafeonline.org/), ransomware is a type of malware that accesses a victim’s files, locks and encrypts them and then demands the victim to pay a ransom to get them back. It’s like the “digital kidnapping” of valuable data – from personal photos and memories to client information, financial records and intellectual property – and any individual or organization could be a potential target.
So, how do you avoid ransomware and prevent an attack? Suggestions include keeping a clean machine (mentioned in our last post), protecting yourself with security software, and backing up your data. For more tips, additional resources, and advice for what to do if you’re faced with a ransomware attack, check out this tip sheet: Ransomware 101.
Computing Services is here to help you with cybersecurity and answer any questions you may have. Feel free to contact us at (719) 587-7741, computingservices@adams.edu, or stop by our Help Desk on the first floor of Nielsen Library.
Have a great rest of the week!
ASU Computing Services
October 14th, 2020 — Announcement, Maintenance Announcements
Beginning at 9:00 PM tomorrow evening (Thursday, 10/15/2020), Computing Services will be installing October 2020 Microsoft patches/updates to our test systems, for deployment in the near future. We anticipate no impact for client-facing systems.
Computing Services thanks you for your patience and understanding as we perform these critical maintenance activities. As always, if you have any questions, please call the ASU Computing Services Helpdesk at 7741 or contact us via email at computingservices@adams.edu.
Have a great day,
Computing Services
October 7th, 2020 — Security Tips
We all make mistakes – and cybercriminals know this. One big one? Not keeping your software up-to-date.
Companies put out software patches for a lot of reasons, but a main one is to patch security holes. If you’re not updating, you’re not protected. So do a quick scan of all of your devices – computer, tablets, phones, routers, other connected devices – and make sure they’re running on the latest version of their software. Having the most up-to-date mobile security software, web browser, operating system and apps is the best defense against viruses, malware and other online threats.
Want to make your life easier? Turn on automatic updates so that you don’t have to think about it, and set your security software to run regular scans.
For more tips on how to keep a clean machine, check out this article from Stop.Think.Connect. (https://stopthinkconnect.org/), the global online safety awareness campaign: Keep a Clean Machine.
**Remember: If you connect it, protect it.**
Computing Services is here to help you with cybersecurity and answer any questions you may have. Feel free to contact us at (719) 587-7741, computingservices@adams.edu, or stop by our Help Desk on the first floor of Nielsen Library.
Have a great day!
ASU Computing Services
