Campus Irrigation System Doubles as Research Data Source

With special reporting from Brad Floyd and Tabitha Motley.

Example of the weather station

The Rainbird Irrigation System on campus – operated by longtime SMU employee and current Southern Botanical employee Brian Martin – has a weather station that provides weather data to control irrigation schedules across The Hilltop. The weather station was originally installed at Ford Stadium, but due to the construction of the new Weber End Zone, OIT Infrastructure Engineer Scott Rice had the station temporarily moved to an area just outside of the northwest corner of the Tennis Complex. Its final (and current) location is in an open area just to the South of the Fondren Science Building. This is where it caught the attention of Chris Hayward and Cathy Chickering from the SMU Earth Sciences Department. Continue reading Campus Irrigation System Doubles as Research Data Source

Scheduled Maintenance This Weekend Impacts Campus Internet

NetworkingStarting at 10 p.m. on Saturday, November 4, 2023, OIT will replace the campus Internet border firewalls with new hardware. In order to minimize the impact on campus, the work is scheduled during a low-usage period. Unfortunately, this upgrade is expected to result in the loss of internet access for the campus for up to 30 minutes while the upgrade is being performed. While the work is expected to be completed quickly, the entire maintenance window is reserved until 2 a.m. We apologize for any inconvenience. Continue reading Scheduled Maintenance This Weekend Impacts Campus Internet

Duo Verified Push Starts Today

Starting today, SMU requires a Verified Push from Duo Security when accessing the majority of SMU services protected with Duo multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Cisco Duo Logo (2 color)Malicious actors have taken advantage of push harassment and fatigue to exploit weaknesses in security features. To combat this nuisance, the new Verified Push requires you to enter a six-digit numeric code with any push notification. By using a verification code, we ensure only verified users can log in and reduce the chances of someone absent-mindedly accepting a push they did not request. The Verified Push will increase the protection of our MFA solution and help protect your accounts from unauthorized access. Continue reading Duo Verified Push Starts Today

Student Spotlight: Mastering Microsoft Certifications

Ryan ClintonRyan Clinton recently caught our eye as we noticed he completed three Microsoft Office Certifications, both as a class requirement and for professional development rather quickly. After seeing he had achieved two out of three exams with perfect scores, we reached out to him to learn more about his desire to get Microsoft Certified. Continue reading Student Spotlight: Mastering Microsoft Certifications

Make Me Admin Provides Additional Layer of Software Security

computer check iconAs long as the Internet has been around, there has always been the risk of either installing software that you probably shouldn’t or cybercriminals forcing software to be installed without your knowledge. The easiest way to prevent these types of installations is to restrict access to administrative privileges on the device. For the past couple of years, OIT has been testing the Make Me Admin application, which disables administrative access to your computer but also allows you to quickly and temporarily have admin access to download essential software or take other administrative actions as needed. After the success of our pilot, we will be deploying Make Me Admin to SMU-owned Windows PCs starting October 30. Continue reading Make Me Admin Provides Additional Layer of Software Security