Fall 2018 - UNIT Progress Report

Dear Villanova Community;

Welcome to the Fall 2018 issue of UNIT's Progress Report. This newsletter is meant to inform you about UNIT Projects, Support and Service Offerings to the University. Please let us know if you have any comments or ideas for future issues by contacting: support@villanova.edu.

IT Security: National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2018 Champion

Villanova has once again become a Champion of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) 2018. It will be joining a growing global effort among businesses, government agencies, colleges and universities, associations, nonprofit organizations and individuals to promote online safety awareness.

As part of Villanova's NCSAM efforts and as an official champion, Villanova recognizes its commitment to cybersecurity, online safety and privacy.  UNIT has made available a variety of cyber security safety resources during the month of October 2018! So stay tuned as always to the UNIT's social media channels, including our Tech Zone's Facebook and Twitter feed, as well as campus-wide digital signage.  For more information about NCSAM and the Villanova's participation in the Cyber Security Awareness Champion program, visit staysafeonline.org/ncsam.

UNIT Services and Collaborations

Workday Launch

Villanova University has selected Workday to replace the Finance, HR, and Payroll modules in Banner as Villanova's next generation ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solution. Workday is a cloud based software application suite that specializes in human capital management and financial management and includes significant end-user improvements, faster approvals, an easy-to-use interface, and improved reporting.  A Workday Project Website will be up soon to be the key source of project information for the campus.   The site launch will coincide with a major push in the awareness campaign by the Change Management Team.

The project officially kicked off in September and will involve 50+ Human Resources, Financial Affairs, Provost Office and UNIT resources over the next 10+ months.

UNIT Technology Support of the Finneran PAVILION project

In collaboration and support of Villanova Athletics' Finneran Pavilion Project, UNIT divisions have been involved in the following work towards the renovation and reopening of the Finneran Pavilion.

WILDCARD/Campus Card Services

Installation and setup of biometric Wildcard readers and standard Wildcard readers for the Women's and Men'sbasketball programs to access locker room and other facilities. Additionally, Wildcard systems were integrated into the Point of Sale system allowing Villanova faculty, staff, and students to use their Wildcard for purchases.

Networking, Cable and Audio Video Consulting

• Campus Services network connected to allow for secure ticket, retail and concession sales at 55 point of sale locations.

• Network infrastructure design, fiber connections and network wiring, supporting 6500 simultaneous wireless data connections throughout the Finneran Pavilion and the outside walkway to the pavilion, on 105 wireless access points.

• Acted in a consulting capacity on the Audio-Visual planning and assisted with Comcast Cable connections to the facility.

• UNIT's Security Team worked on network access, security review of applications, and setup of network firewalls.

Legends Display

UNIT's Athletics Project Manager acted in a consulting capacity assisting in the network configurations of 7 Legends displays located throughout the Finneran Pavilion to highlight past athletes in the Villanova basketball program. 

UNIT Support Solutions

Mediasite Upgrade

The University's academic enterprise video solution, Mediasite, has been upgraded to version 7.2. This upgrade provides a more robust Mediasite experience, including faster My Mediasite processing times and a new look to the My Mediasite interface.

Summer Classroom Upgrades and Renovations

UNIT's Classroom Technologies Team worked collaboratively with FMO in the design, renovation, and installation of numerous areas across Campus that include 4 new Classrooms, 10 Registrar Classrooms, 1 Lecture Hall, a new Behavioral Lab, Bartley Hall Dean's Suite, Admissions areas, and Athletics areas.

Highlighting the renovations are seven Classrooms on the second floor of Tolentine Hall; developed from Faculty, Staff and Guests feedback during a "room mock up" exercise in 2017. Each Classroom has been equipped with new infrastructure, AV Vlan (Audio Video Virtual Local Area Network), Podiums, 90" High Definition displays, High Definition cameras, upgraded microphones, Wireless Audio/Video, switchers and MediaSite recording capabilities. The Classrooms also received extensive renovations including improved acoustical wall and floor coverings to enhance the quality of recorded classes.

Additionally, UNIT's Classroom Technologies Team worked to renovate office space previously occupied by Human Resources in St. Mary's Hall into 3 new Classrooms open for academic use starting this semester. These new Classrooms now include new Podiums, HD Projectors, Wireless AV, and switchers to provide Faculty, Staff, Students and Guests a variety of wired connection to the projection systems.

V-Laundry Program

UNIT's Wildcard team worked collaboratively with Residence Life and Procurement to award a new multi-year laundry contract to Calico.  36 laundry locations around campus were upgraded to CBORD's new Value Plus readers, replacing the aging and problematic LR3000 readers. The Value Plus readers support 430 new washers and dryers and will allow students the convenience of paying and starting their laundry with their smart phones using CBORD's Mobile ID app.

UNIT's TechZone@Falvey Opens

UNIT's TechZone now in Falvey Library - On Thursday June 14th, UNIT's TechZone located in Vasey Hall closed permanently and moved to a new location on the first floor of the Falvey Library. UNIT's TechZone@Falvey will continue to support the technology needs of our community including the following services: WIFI Connectivity (Mobile, Laptop, Tablet...); IT-Related Support (myNova, O365, Email, Blackboard...) Software Support/Hardware recommendations; Virus and Malware remediation; VPrint and Mobile Printing; Lab Support and Charging Technology; Residential Networking Support; and Password Assistance. Please visit the Techzone@Falvey with any questions or IT Support needs.

UNIT's Upgraded Self Service HelpDesk

New and Improved IT Self Service! UNIT is happy to announce that an upgraded Self Service HelpDesk (SSHD) is now available for the Villanova Community.  The upgrade features an improved interface to request assistance, access to UNIT's Service Catalog, UNIT Webforms, a "Known Issues" feed and more. To use the Self Service HelpDesk right away, please go to support.villanova.edu and log in.