CrashPlan Pro has been available for primary SMU-owned computers for faculty and staff since 2013. When hardware or software has failed, CrashPlan has saved many of our community members from losing their critical data. OIT is pleased to report that the new version of CrashPlan Pro will provide the same reliable backup service while simplifying the user interface to make file restoration and management even easier. Continue reading CrashPlan Pro: What to Expect in Version 5
Category: Software Updates
CylancePROTECT Protects SMU Campus
This service has ended, and CylancePROTECT is no longer available to the SMU community. Microsoft Defender is now the preferred anti-virus platform for SMU. More information is available at smu.edu/defender.
Continue reading CylancePROTECT Protects SMU Campus
Sitecore Upgrade on June 20
On June 20th, we will be upgrading the Sitecore server to version 8.1. Due to the update process, the Sitecore authoring environment, wcmstage.smu.edu/sitecore, will be unavailable for the entire day starting at 7 AM. The public-facing environment of www.smu.edu will continue to be available during the upgrade. If there is a need for emergency updates, changes can be accommodated through submitting a Help Desk support ticket. Continue reading Sitecore Upgrade on June 20
PaperCut Secure Print Launches February 29
![logo-papercut-ng[1]](https://blog.smu.edu/itconnect/files/2016/02/logo-papercut-ng1.png){kind=logo}
Campus printers will be upgraded to a secure print release environment beginning February 29th. During this process each area across campus will be contacted and notified of a “Go Live” date for this service to be activated.
Why PaperCut Secure Print?
In a standard printing environment, a user’s jobs are sent directly to the printer for immediate printing. This results in wasted paper and toner when printing is forgotten and not collected. It also presents a security risk if those forgotten jobs were sensitive or confidential. PaperCut print release provides a simple solution that places jobs in a holding state until the user swipes their SMU ID card to release the print job. Walk-up device features such as scanning and copying will also require card swipe access once this service has been activated.
Instructions on how to set up this device to release secure print jobs from your computer are available on the print services page. (See departmental printing.) Additional communications for this upgrade will be forthcoming.
Microsoft ending support for older browsers
Microsoft 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:
- 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. - 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. - 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
