Category: Announcement

Microsoft ending support for older browsers

Microsoft EdgeMicrosoft will soon stop supporting older versions of Internet Explorer and will only continue to support Internet Explorer (IE) 11 and their new Edge web browser.

In fact, you may begin receiving prompts to upgrade your version of IE from Microsoft. This raises a common question regarding browser compatibility issues with the various applications and tools we use on a daily basis.

What browsers are available?

Microsoft Internet Explorer/Edge, Firefox and Chrome are the most popular browsers.  It is recommended that you have at least two if not all three of these browsers installed on your computer.

Should I upgrade my browser when prompted?

Yes!  The vendors provide upgrades to the browser software on a regular basis. Most of these upgrades include critical security patches to ensure the safety of your browsing sessions.  Failing to install the latest version makes your system vulnerable.

What do I do if my web applications aren’t working?

When vendors develop the upgrades, they are not able to test their upgrades with every application on the market.  Unfortunately, it is not unusual for a website or web application to “break” with a particular update.  Thus, it is beneficial to know a few troubleshooting steps when you encounter issues with an application:

  1. Clear the browser cache and relaunch the browser completely
    Sometimes, the temporary files behind the scenes cause issues.  Clearing the browser cache and restarting the browser completely often fixes application issues.
  2. Try a different browser
    If one browser isn’t working right with your application, try launching that application in a different browser.  Believe it or not, the applications may function a little differently in each browser.
  3. Use the browser compatibility option in Internet Explorer
    Because application developers are not always able to integrate new changes in the browser code quickly, browsers have several tools built in to fix compatibility issues.  It is often helpful to know how to activate these tools if you really want to continue using a specific browser.  For example– in Internet Explorer, click the gear icon and select Compatibility View Settings.

For additional troubleshooting tips for each browser, click on the appropriate links below

  1. Firefox: support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-and-diagnose-firefox-problems
  2. Chrome: support.google.com/chrome/troubleshooter/6273575?hl=en
  3. Internet Explorer: windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-explorer/internet-explorer-help

Where do I go for help?

Over the past 6 months, there have been a large number of changes as we transitioned to Shared Services. Although we are still modifying and improving processes, the main contact channels will remain intact.  This ensures you always know how to get help when you need it.

Classroom Emergency Support

  • Please dial 214-768-8888 to access the classroom support line.
  • Faculty in Cox can continue to use the help button on the podiums in the classrooms.

Classrooms in Lyle:

  • For Computer or Network issues in the classroom, contact 214-768-8888.
  • For assistance with AV and recording equipment, please contact the Lyle Distance Education Help Desk at 214-768-1260 or email dehelp@lyle.smu.edu.
    Lyle Help Desk Hours: Monday – Friday 8:30AM-5:00PM
    Control Rooms: Monday – Thursday 11:00AM-9:45PM and Saturday 8:00AM-12:30PM

Reporting issues or requests for assistance

The IT Help Desk is now fully staffed (see We are excited to announce the new Help Desk team!) and last month, we began offering full-time Help Desk support coverage 7 days a week. To ensure that all reported issues are being addressed quickly, support requests will be first handled/reviewed by the IT Help Desk rather than being distributed immediately to the local IT Resources.

All requests for assistance (outside of the classroom emergencies) should be made through one of our contact channels listed below.  The Help Desk will either respond to the issue directly or route the issue to the appropriate personnel for resolution.  Since many of the responsibilities of our IT personnel changed with the move to Shared Services, this process will ensure an efficient and timely response to your request by the appropriate personnel.

 Hours:

Monday through Friday: 8:00AM-8:00 PM
(classroom support line opens at 7:45am)
Saturday: 9:00AM-5:00PM
Sunday: 12:00pm-6:00pm

Contact Information

Email: help@smu.edu
Phone: 214-768-4357
Ticket System: help.smu.edu
In Person: Hughes Trigg Student Center

After hours emergency

Call the help desk number at 214-768-4357 and activate the emergency pager line.  This notifies the help desk consultant on call as well as the Director of Customer Service.

Additional Information

Printing issues/requests:  email imagenet@smu.edu

IT Purchases (Hardware and Software only): techsales@smu.edu

The Cox IT Desk: The Cox IT Desk will continue to serve the Cox community for checking out equipment and general assistance.  They are open Monday- Thursday from 7:30am- 9:30pm, Friday 7:30am-5:00pm, and Saturday from 7:30am-3:30pm.

As with any transition, some modifications may be needed.  We promise to address issues as quickly as possible.  Your feedback on requests for assistance is greatly appreciated can easily be done by replying to the ticket survey. You are also welcome to contact Help Desk Manger Lauren Nelson or the Director of Customer Service, Rachel Mulry, with any feedback.

Service Desk Quarterly Reports

Since a majority of the help requests are captured within our help desk ticketing system, we have access to a large amount of data regarding the types of issues or requests being made on a regular basis. Although the ticket metrics do not provide a comprehensive picture of the work being done by IT, it does provide some valuable information about trends, typical response times and areas for improvement.

A few weeks ago, a report was sent to each of the schools capturing some general information and metrics gleaned from the ticket system as well as key highlights from the shared services transition.  The metrics presented can serve simply as a baseline for understanding service levels.  After producing the initial report, we’ve identified several processes where we need to report in much more detail to capture the actual service level.  So adjustments are being made so the data will be more meaningful to the campus community.

For example, a single account request may involve up to 14 different sub-tickets before it is complete.  The response time in the reports capture the average time to resolve an account issue but does not take into account how many subtickets are involved!  So in future reports, I hope to illustrate how long it takes for each subgroup to process their portion or how long it takes for access to each system.

The first reports are now available for the SMU Community. It is our goal to share our progress as we implement and improve this shared services model.  This report will be published on a quarterly basis. To access the report, visit www.smu.edu/OIT/AboutUs/SharedServices.

Technology Fund Allocation and the Computer Refreshment Process

Over the past six weeks, the embedded desktop team has been working diligently to verify the computer inventory.  As we complete that verification process, reports will be generated for each school outlining the machines that are eligible for replacement under the University technology fund.  These will be provided to each school or department along with the revised plan for the upgrade schedule.

There are a few improvements we’d like to make with the installation process in order to complete these upgrades in a more efficient and effective manner.  For example, one of the biggest challenges is scheduling the upgrades of each system.  In many cases, the computer is prepped and ready for the installation but our technicians spend weeks trying to schedule the final deployment due to scheduling conflicts.  We will transition to a process where we specify the date and time for the installation.  If that date and time is not feasible, you can certainly let us know and we’ll reschedule. Hopefully, this will allow us to move more quickly through the batch of upgrades.  Another improvement we’d like to make is to schedule as many of the upgrades during the summer as possible. This will avoid the impact to faculty during the semester.

More details will be provided in addition to the eligibility reports later this month.

IT Connect is published by the Office of Information Technology at Southern Methodist University.


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