VPN has a new address

VPN Starting today, OIT will begin phasing out securenet.smu.edu for vpn.smu.edu. This change coincides with the move of the VPN services to new hardware. When you log in to the new VPN for the first time, you will be prompted to install the updated Cisco AnyConnect software.

If you have any bookmarks or links using the old URL, we recommend updating them to the new address of vpn.smu.edu.

About VPN

Virtual Private Networking (VPN) provides a secure connection to the SMU network through an established DSL or cable modem connection with an outside Internet Service Provider (ISP). The VPN connection provides access to secure SMU network resources such as departmental drives and applications hosted on the campus intranet.

Using VPN

There are two methods for establishing the VPN connection: browser-based and client based. Users can link to vpn.smu.edu through their web browser and log in with their SMU ID and password. Only the traffic within that browser window will be routed through the VPN connection.

Cisco AnyConnect To use the VPN client, download AnyConnect from vpn.smu.edu (log in with your SMU ID and password and click “AnyConnect” in the left navigation). Once a session is established, all traffic will be routed through the secure VPN connection.

Please contact the IT Help Desk at 214-768-HELP with any questions about using VPN.

OIT and A-LEC Help Students Excel with Excel.

Almost two dozen students attended last night’s Excel@Excel hands-on-workshop at SMU’s Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center. The OIT-lead workshop was part of the A-LEC’s practical learning strategy sessions offered throughout the term. A-LEC has partnered with OIT to facilitate four of the 25 sessions available to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Excel@Excel Training in the A-LEC Yesterday’s workshop covered the basics of Excel and an introduction to formulas. OIT will offer a second Excel workshop for students on February 25th that will explore more in-depth formulas and functions. While last night’s and the February 25th session are both a student-only training, IT Training regularly offers workshops for all members of the campus community. For more information about upcoming training opportunities, visit our IT Training workshop schedule.

“I’m excited that we have such great training opportunities for all of our campus,” stated Laurene Klassen, the Manager of IT Training, “but, let’s not forget the challenges that some people have to attend our workshops. I always try to encourage others to check out Lynda.com. So many people aren’t yet aware of the great online resources we have and I’m working hard to get the word out. Our Lynda.com license strengthens our training department by offering the courses we can’t regularly offer. Now, we have the tools to assist others to increase their learning by leaps and bounds.”

Photo Credit: Rebecca Umobong

A Tour of the Sitecores

Aren Cambre, director of the Web Application Services team, is collaborating with other universities to share knowledge on Sitecore and web content management.

The Higher Ed Sitecore users group, started in 2008, now includes over forty universities and nonprofit organizations. “This spring, we are taking this to the next level by creating the tongue in cheek-named Tour of the Sitecores.” Aren Cambre explained, “With this Tour, each month, a member institution will present its Sitecore solution to others using GoToMeeting. The goal is that we can share knowledge on how each of us set up and develop for our Sitecore environments.”

This collaboration will be especially useful to SMU in the near future. OIT is planning a major Sitecore upgrade this spring, where tapping in to those resources will be helpful. Also, as OE2C has centralized developer resources, OIT has been given an opportunity to make the Sitecore experience better for our users. Gaining insight from other universities will allow us to focus on what will deliver the best value.

UM Voice Mail: Where is my PIN notification?

Exchange Unified Messaging Tips & Tricks
As we continue the roll out of our voice mail replacement solution (Microsoft Exchange Unified Messaging, or UM for short) to faculty and staff, a few users have reported that they have not received the PIN notification once their mailbox is set up for UM voice mail.

If you encounter this issue, the first place you should check is your Junk Email folder or Deleted Items. If you still can’t find your message, a rule in your Inbox might be preventing these messages from getting through.

Go to webmail.smu.edu and log in to your email account.
In the upper-right corner, click the gear icon, then click Options.
On the left side, click Inbox and Sweep Rules to see your Inbox Rules.
If you see a rule named “Microsoft Outlook” and you don’t know what it’s for, either disable or delete the rule.
Next, select General – Voice Mail – Reset PIN, then click “Reset my voice mail PIN” in order to assign yourself a PIN. You can also contact the OIT Help Desk to have your PIN reset.

You should now receive your PIN notification message!

Updated 07/10/2017: Include updated instructions for the new system.

Box Departmental Storage Coming

Beginning February 15, we will be accepting requests for departmental storage using Box. With Box, departments will have unlimited storage on the cloud system to collaborate and share files. These departmental folders will show up in your Box space and will be designated by a blue folder icon.

Box.com Collaborated folder To request a departmental folder in Box, please contact the OIT Help Desk at help@smu.edu. We will need to know your department or school, the preferred name for your folder, and those individuals who will require access. It’s important to note that Box uses “waterfall” permissions; this means that users can be added to subfolders without impacting the top-level permissions, but permissions granted at the top level cannot be revoked from subfolders! Please keep this in mind when requesting a resource, and add only the minimum required users to your top-level folder. You can always add additional users to your subfolders later.

For additional information on managing folders in Box, please see Folder And Subfolder Permissions.

OIT will soon provide guidance on migration of data from Locker.SMU and BStore.SMU to Box. Stay tuned!