by Ellen Puffe

The University of Minnesota's Office of Information Technology (OIT) welcomes returning students, faculty, and staff--and the incoming class of 2014!

OIT oversees information technology (IT) at the University by providing guidance to central and collegiate units and managing the system-wide IT enterprise. OIT manages the centrally provided computer, network, phone, and other information technology systems of the University of Minnesota, and also provides a comprehensive range of services to students, faculty, staff, and departments through our service units.

Throughout spring and summer, OIT staff has continued to add, enhance, update, and improve University technology tools. This insert will explain just a few of our services and help you get in step and connected with the technology available to you on the Twin Cities campus.

Why do you need all of this technology? Technology allows the University to do what it does in many ways. From making courses and class schedules available online; to facilitating departmental collaboration; to helping with computer hardware and software purchases; to managing records and providing online file storage; to staying connected via telephone; to providing wired and wireless networks--technology has become part of the University's landscape, and OIT is committed to bringing cutting-edge technology services to the campus community.

To help you get acquainted with how OIT services can help you, become familiar with the Getting Started Guide and learn about required campus technology resources such as Internet and email, as well as anti-virus software and safe computing practices.

Some of the many OIT features and services include:

• Email is the official means of communication at the University of Minnesota. Every student is provided with an email account. Sign in at http://mail.umn.edu. Activate your accounts, set account preferences, and set, change and reset your passwords at www.umn.edu/accounts.
• Technology help--your first point of contact for computer, Internet, and campus telephone support. Check here for help with email, passwords, hardware, software, ResNet, campus telephones, and web-based learning course site issues. Walk-in help is available at Tech Stop in 101 Coffman Union. Find out more at OIT's Technology Help website or visit Tech Stop. Contact technology help at (612) 301-4357 (1-HELP on campus).
• Google Apps for the University of Minnesota. Through a partnership with Google, University of Minnesota students, faculty, and staff can access a suite of Google-powered communication and collaboration tools designed to enhance our ability to work together. The suite includes email, calendar, document sharing, instant messaging, and website publishing tools. For more information on Google Apps for the University of Minnesota, visit the University's Google website.
• UMart, a University e-commerce site, offers new computers, accessories, cell phones and service, and high-speed Internet access at educational discounts to members of the University community. In addition, registered students are eligible to purchase network- and wireless-ready certified laptop computer bundles complete with the latest operating system, updates and patches, as well as pre-installed software, such as Microsoft Office. For more information, visit the UMart website.
• Carry-in computer consultation and support services, available through OIT's Computer Service and Repair, are designed to help you quickly diagnose and solve short-term computer service and repair issues.
• Online file storage is available through NetFiles, a secure online file storage application with collaboration and sharing features. NetFiles provides up to 5 gigabytes of storage space for each user. Visit the NetFiles website to learn more.
• Keep your computer safe and free of viruses, worms, and spyware. Antivirus software is required on all computers connected to the University network. One copy of Symantec AntiVirus is provided at no charge to University students, staff, and faculty. Get more information at the Safe Computing website.
• Members of the University community may purchase some software at a discounted price. Eligibility is based on University affiliation. Find out more at the UTools website.
• Computer labs for University students are conveniently located across the Twin Cities campus. Labs feature state of the art computer hardware and fast network connections. Scanning, printing, and other services are available. Find computer lab locations at www.oit.umn.edu/computer-labs.
• The ResNet website provides information regarding technology series in the residence halls including telephones, Internet, and cable. Find out more at www.resnet.umn.edu.
• Technology training in the form of free orientations, short courses, and online self-paced learning on various topics are available from the University Technology Training Center (UTTC). A complete list of available courses is available on the UTTC website.
• Virtual Private Network (VPN) lets you create secure connections from wireless and remote networks. You can install client versions of VPN software on your personal computer. See www.oit.umn.edu/vpn for all of the details.
• The University's wireless network provides campus affiliates and guests with wireless Internet access on the Twin Cities campus. There are more than 3,000 wireless access points on the system. Get started by visiting the U of M wireless website at www.oit.umn.edu/wireless.
• The Computer Accommodations Program (CAP) assists University students who have disabilities in accessing computers and information through the use of adaptive technology. Details are available at http://cap.umn.edu.
• UMChat is a University-wide instant messenger service. Use your Internet ID to log in and chat from the UMChat website.

Discover more technology services, including up-to-date information about all of the technology tools and resources available to you as a member of the University community, and available student technology resources on the OIT website. Also, join us on Facebook at "University of Minnesota Information Technology."

Posted 2:28 PM | Permalink

by Ellen Puffe

By now, many of you have experienced first-hand, or at least heard about the adoption of Google Apps for the University of Minnesota. Partnering with Google will give University students, faculty, and staff access to a suite of state-of-the art communication and collaboration tools that will enhance their ability to work together. In addition to increased productivity opportunities, Google Apps also will allow the University to save costs in the long run by reducing the need to buy and support software, hardware, and storage to maintain our own independent email service.

During the summer months, several colleges, and academic and administrative units successfully migrated to Google for their University email (Gmail) and calendar. As of Aug. 25, more than 20,000 students faculty and staff have transitioned to Google Apps.

Implementation for other units will continue in phases over the next several months, and it is anticipated that by spring 2011, email accounts for all new, incoming students automatically will be set up in Gmail.

So, why is the University "going Google?" The move to Google allows the University to:

• take advantage of increased productivity opportunities;
• use Google's application and data storage servers, a move that provides numerous benefits for the University and its users;
• dramatically increase service quality (in comparison to similar services managed by the University);
• enable us to simplify the support model for these core services;
• save equipment (application and data storage servers), license fees, annual software maintenance costs, and support costs, resulting in an annual saving of approximately $2-$3 million.

And that frees up time for IT staff to do more work that directly supports the academic and research mission of the University--a move that will open up room for innovation.

The bottom line--it's all about collaboration, partnership and innovation, and is directly in line with the Transforming the U strategic position process. Collaborative technologies are much more advanced than many of those in place today, and Google is on the leading edge of these technologies. The combination of Google's ever-innovative technologies, and the integration of other tools and technologies, expands and enhances all information technology services.

Until now, the University has been using a number of non-integrated tools that no longer meet our users' needs, and are at the point where they need to be replaced. OIT and other campus IT leaders recognized that many faculty and staff already were using personal Google Apps accounts for their work here at the University.

And we can see the impact of the increasing use of these apps in the future. The demand was out there, and the users led us here.

• Current and incoming students, as well as many faculty and staff, already use these tool for collaboration and instruction.
• More than 12 percent of the institution's students, and 18 percent of faculty and staff forward their email off campus, mostly to Google.
• More than 3,000 staff and faculty already were using an unmanaged version of U of M Google Apps.

More than just a few institutions of learning worldwide are choosing to "go Google." Universities, high schools, elementary schools everywhere are using Google Apps for Education. Some examples:

• Notre Dame University
• Northwestern University
• Arizona State University
• University of Southern California
• The University of Westminster in London
• New York City Intermediate School 339
• University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• Brown University
• Saline Area K-12 schools in Michigan
• Vanderbilt University
• Sweden's Linköping University

And the list goes on....schools across the United States, Europe, and places like Brazil, Malaysia, India. Read the case studies on all of these schools and many others.

But here's where the University of Minnesota stands out from the crowd....the University of Minnesota is the first Research 1 University to migrate to Google, and one of the first anywhere to offer the entire suite of apps to faculty and staff, as well as students. We are, at the request of and in collaboration with Google, in the process of creating our own case study--including a University-produced video--to share our story with the rest of the academic world. We are being looked upon as a leading-edge enterprise trendsetter, and many other universities are looking to us as an example and a success story.

And we've been in touch with our users for their feedback. We've conducted usability testing; held town hall meetings; surveyed a those who have opted in, including students, faculty and staff; had a web presence offering project implementation information and updates; and have responded to or otherwise taken action on the many emails and calls we receive from all five campuses. The buzz around the University with regard to Google Apps is very positive end exciting.

Cloud-based technology services such as Google Apps, once seen as personal tools, now are considered enterprise-class tools for large organizations, and provide an excellent service model to meet the growing electronic collaboration needs of the University community. The forecast is that many, if not most, institutions and corporations will be using these or equivalent managed cloud services in the next five years. The increased collaboration, communication, productivity and cost-savings we expect to see by using Google Apps for the University of Minnesota can provide unlimited benefits and possibilities for the entire University community.

For more information, visit the University's Google website.

Posted 2:23 PM | Permalink