On Sunday, November 22, the WVU eCampus maintenance period (normally from 8:00 a.m. until noon) will be extended until 2:30 p.m. for necessary upgrades and patches to the system.

In addition, the OIT Systems Group will upgrade a server on November 22. During the server move, the following services will not be available from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

WVU On-line Directory Lookup (directory.wvu.edu)

• WVUID (wvuid.wvu.edu)
• The ability to release quarantined email from the spam filters in GroupWise (email will still flow)

For more information, contact the WVU OIT Help Desk at oithelp@mail.wvu.edu or call 304-293-4444.

In an effort to further consolidate services under WVU MasterID accounts, OIT has created a new secure outgoing mail server for use by third-party email clients. The old server, exsmtp.systems.wvu.edu, which used CentralID accounts, will be taken out of service on December 30, 2009.

Users of the old server should update their configurations as soon as possible. Information on the new server, exsmtp.wvu.edu, can be found at: http://oit.wvu.edu/groupwise/smtp

Users of installed Novell GroupWise clients, WebAccess, the MIX web portal, and the on-campus server smtp.wvu.edu will not be affected by this change.

For more information, contact the WVU OIT Help Desk at oithelp@mail.wvu.edu or call 302-293-4444.

October was Cyber Security Awareness Month, a nationwide effort to increase awareness and prevention of online security issues. The WVU Office of Information Security “Information Security is Everybody’s Business” series of blog posts is still available on the Office of Information Technology website http://infosecurity.wvu.edu. In addition, information security posters are available, free of charge to campus addresses. For a free poster, go to http://oit.wvu.edu/infosecurity/csam-poster-request/

Information Security is YOUR Responsibility!

WVU’s information is only as secure as the students and employees. Each of us is responsible for keeping our information and the information of employees and students safe. Go to WVU’s Office of Information Security web site (http://infosecurity.wvu.edu) to learn what to do if you have an information security question and how you can get a free poster about information security.

Is Your Future Safe? The theme for the third week in October is “Keeping Your Future Safe.” Go to WVU’s Office of Information Security web site (http://infosecurity.wvu.edu) to learn what happened to people who shared information about their employer as well as personal information on the Internet. Learn tips for safe social networking and how to avoid compromising your future.

National Cyber Security Awareness Month is an annual effort to increase awareness and prevention of online security issues and events, spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance. The WVU Office of Information Security is participating in the campaign with an “Information Security is Everybody’s Business” series of blog posts on the Office of Information Technology website http://oit.wvu.edu.

Each Monday in October, a new blog entry will be posted, covering such themes as “Keep Your Computer Safe,” “Keep Your Identity Safe,” “Keep Your Future Safe,” and “Information Security is Your Responsibility”. The series of posts are designed to raise information security awareness for all members of the WVU community-students, faculty, and staff.

Other Cyber Security Awareness Activities in October include targeted announcements in  E-NEWS, MIX and articles in the Daily Athenaeum.

The West Virginia Higher Education Technology Conference starts on Monday, September 28 through Tuesday, September 29 at the Lakeview Resort & Spa, Morgantown, WV. This year’s theme is weLearn. Technology facilitates learning in higher education every day – every minute. Students, faculty, staff-we are all linked through information technology. Through technology weLearn!

Jim Groom, instructional technology specialist and adjunct professor at the University of Mary Washington, is the opening keynote speaker. He has been working for over a decade in education with a consistent focus on the development of teaching and learning in higher education. Groom is the author of the concept of “Edupunk,” an approach to teaching and learning practices that result from a do it yourself attitude.

A full schedule of technical presentations, covering a variety of topics, is now available online at: http://www.wvnet.edu/wvconference/sessions/

Registration is still available–students can attend the two day event for as little as $30. Full registration includes admission to all presentations, refreshments, an opening keynote luncheon, and Tuesday luncheon/vendor reception. To register, visit https://www.wvnet.edu/wvconference/attendee-registration/

The Office of Information Technology will upgrade the server-side of the GroupWise email system during an extended regular Wednesday maintenance window from 7 p.m. on September 16 until 2 a.m. on September 17.

Once maintenance is completed, the servers will be running GroupWise 8 and Web Access will be the new version. The GroupWise client software on your computer will not change and will continue to work normally.

OIT anticipates making GroupWise 8 clients available for download a few weeks after the server upgrade to allow updates to documentation. For more information about the new version of GroupWise, visit this URL: http://oit.wvu.edu/groupwise

For more information, contact the WVU OIT Help Desk at oithelp@mail.wvu.edu or call 304-293-4444.

An early morning switch failure at One Waterfront Place caused intermittent problems with people trying to contact the OIT Helpdesk. The problem has been corrected and all services are now available from the Helpdesk.

A number of people with MIX email accounts have received a fake email, appearing to originate from “PNC Bank.” The email is not from PNC but mirrors a legitimate PNC account and attempts to gather your personal information. Please delete any message identical or similar to the one that appears below. If you have already clicked on the link in this phishing scheme, you should immediately change your online password and contact PNC directly at 888-PNC-BANK (888-762-2265).