Now in our fourth month since the kickoff of the phone replacement project, we wanted to provide the university community an update on the progress. The current phone system at both Dallas and Plano campus locations has been active since the early 90’s. The phone replacement project will deliver new network-based phones to all SMU faculty and staff while modernizing aging campus infrastructure in support of the new phones and calling features. Continue reading Behind the Scenes: An update on the Phone Replacement Project
Tag: phone
SMU Phone Replacement Project: Upgrading campus infrastructure and telephones
OIT has launched a project to replace the current campus telephone system in service for the last 25 years.
The current phone system has served the SMU Dallas and SMU Plano campus locations since the early 90’s, but it does not support SMU-in-Taos. Although the system is historically reliable and stable, it has become costly due to the steady rise in annual support and maintenance expenses. The need to lower overall operational costs is one of many factors driving system replacement. Continue reading SMU Phone Replacement Project: Upgrading campus infrastructure and telephones
You Can Still Use Your Phone to Check Voicemail
Although many SMU users appreciate the ability to receive missed call notifications and voice mail recordings and transcriptions via their email, several users have expressed a preference for checking voicemail “on the phone,” including those in public settings who enjoy the added security of listening to personal messages using a handset or mobile phone. Here is how to use both: Continue reading You Can Still Use Your Phone to Check Voicemail
Phone Scam: Hacking Over The Phone
Members of the SMU Community have reported a number of phone calls in the last several weeks attempting to gain access to your computer. Usually, these callers will indicate that they have “noticed” that your computer has been infected with malware and will helpfully offer to fix it for you while on the phone. The caller will direct you to a website and request that you download software to help fix your PC, but you will actually be downloading malware. This will usually lock your computer and the person will require you to pay hundreds of dollars to unlock it.
Don’t believe it when you get a phone call from somebody claiming your computer has been hacked.
Don’t believe it when the caller says he or she is from Microsoft or Dell, or from software security company McAfee or Norton, telling you they can remove the infection by remote control.
It’s a fraud, and if you do believe it, the scammers will take over your computer and blackmail you to pay a fee or have your hard drive deleted. And they are likely to infect your computer with real malware, opening you and the University to identity theft.
Usually, caller ID shows up as a “private caller,” but even when a callback number shows, it’s likely to lead to a non-working number, which is why the FTC has so much trouble shutting down these scammers. The below voice mail is an actual example of the voice mail that one such hacker left on an SMU Voicemail:
Transcript of audio:
Good morning my name is Jacob and I’m calling you from PC Solutions and this call is in regards to your computer.
The main reason behind this call is to make you aware about the online infections that have got inside your computer from the Internet recently. We have been receiving error notifications from the centralized server of Windows. That is the reason this awareness call has been initiated to you today. If you can be in front of your computer right now I can show you where the infections are hidden inside your system.
Is it possible for you to be in front of computer right now?
Please contact the IT Help Desk at 214-768-HELP with any questions concerning viruses, or malware, or call like the one described above.
How to remove voice mail transcriptions from Unified Messaging Voice Mail
The new campus voice mail service (Exchange Unified Messaging) has a feature which provides text transcriptions of voice mail messages to the Inbox by default. The accuracy of these text transcriptions may suffer for callers with accents, or poor quality calls (e..g, cell phone callers with bad reception).
We expect the accuracy of these transcriptions to improve when we upgrade the system within the coming months. However, some users may wish to opt out of text transcriptions and check their voice mail by either playing the audio attachment or by dialing into the system at extension 88673. Here is how to disable the transcription feature:
- Login to webmail.smu.edu. Click the gear icon, click Options, then click General, then click Voice Mail Preview.
-or-
Open Outlook, click File – Manage Voice Mail. - Under Voice Mail Preview, uncheck “Include preview text with voice messages I receive”.
- Click Save.
Updated 07/10/2017: Include updated instructions for the new system.
How to reset your PIN in the new voicemail system
When enabled for our new voicemail system (Microsoft Exchange Unified Messaging, or UM), you received a notification email with a temporary PIN. This PIN allows you to access to the voicemail system. If you are a new user, you will need to change it when you first log in to the system.
What happens if you lose your PIN, or misplace the notification email?
There are two options for PIN recovery.
Please note that the following options are not available for departmental accounts. Please contact the OIT Help Desk to reset a departmental account PIN.
In Microsoft Outlook:
Click File -> Manage Voice Mail and logon to the web interface.- Click Reset PIN -> “Reset My Voice Mail PIN”, then click “OK”
You will receive an email with a new temporary PIN.
In Webmail:
You can get to the same screen above by logging on to webmail.smu.edu/owa.
- Click the gear icon, then click Options.
- Click General, then click Reset PIN.
- Click “Reset My Voice Mail PIN”, then click “OK”
You will receive an email with a new temporary PIN.
When you receive your temporary 4-digit PIN, call 214-768-8673 and enter your 5-digit telephone extension. You will be prompted to create a new PIN.