There are several exciting new services that will be available to the SMU Community during this Academic Year. The following are a few projects that are underway to deliver new technology to the campus community. Each of these will be highlighted in various blog posts and newsletters over the next several months.
Box (File Storage replacement for Locker)
Locker.SMU and Bstore.SMU will be replaced by a popular file storage solution, Box. Box was selected for the replacement service as it will offer unlimited storage for all faculty, staff and students in addition to providing a robust and more user-friendly interface! Box is a cloud-based system that allows you to store documents online so you can access, manage and share them from anywhere (including your mobile devices). This project has just launched, so a timeline will be provided in a future update.
Canvas: New Learning Management Tool
As announced by the Provost, Blackboard will be replaced by Canvas for the next academic year. OIT is working closely with the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Office of Assessment and Accreditation to coordinate the transition to Canvas. Many faculty have begun using Canvas this semester as a pilot group. All faculty will have the option to transition to this new platform for the Spring semester. Blackboard will be decommissioned in June of 2016. Workshops, migration options and other resources will be made available throughout the semester to ensure a smooth transition to Canvas.
LyndaCampus: Online Training for the SMU Campus
Lynda.com offers over 2,000 self-paced training classes on a variety of applications. Click here for more details about this service.
Duo (Two Factor Authentication)
Duo provides two-factor authentication before accessing various applications or content. This requires both your SMU credentials and a quick verification process that can be completed with the click of a button on a mobile device. OIT is currently reviewing the list of applications to select the appropriate ones to integrate with this extra security component. Our intention is to protect the most sensitive information first, such as direct deposit information and other financial information.
Unified Messaging (New Voicemail for On Campus Phones)
We are currently in the pilot phase of the new voicemail replacement project. During the summer, we migrated approximately 75 accounts to the new system. We will begin the campus wide implementation during the month of October. This new service will deliver voicemail messages straight to your email mailbox. A speech-to-text transcription will be included in the email message along with the actual audio file. In addition, users can call into the voicemail system to retrieve messages as well as access email, calendar appointments and more. If an individual calls your number but does not leave a message, a missed call notification will be delivered to your email as well. All of these features (and more) can be controlled from the options menu within webmail.smu.edu.
Power BI (Business Intelligence Application)
The Power BI service was recently enabled via Office 365 for faculty,staff and students. This online service enables you to find and visualize data through dashboards, shared reports and more. To activate Power BI, you must login to office.smu.edu with your @smu.edu username and account password. Select the Power BI icon to begin the activation process.
We look forward to bringing these new solutions to the SMU Community during the upcoming academic year.
