Information Services has a number of important summer projects planned. Many of these changes will impact large portions of the OWU community. See below for more details.
- Online Directory: A new online directory will be available in early June. This solution makes finding contact information for students, faculty, staff, and offices easier than ever. The searchable site will provide a printable directory, and changes will be reflected more accurately across all systems.
- Peer to Peer: We will be blocking Peer to Peer traffic. Many of our peers have already made this change on their campuses. This will free up bandwidth for other services and reduce the number of copyright violations at our university.
- Firewall Modifications: Modifications to the OWU firewall will require users connect via VPN when using remote desktop to connect to their on campus computer. Additionally, Faculty and Staff with servers residing outside of the IS Data Centers will need to provide their hardware address and required open ports to the Help Desk. More information about this change, along with VPN instructions for Mac and Windows, will be provided once the transition date is set.
- Room Reservations (AdAstra): Our room reservation software will be upgraded in June. The new version has a more streamlined user interface that should make requesting rooms easier. Additionally, class room assignments will be integrated into the system, allowing for a more accurate view of what is available for reservation.
- Self Service and myOWU: PowerCampus will be upgraded from version 8.1 to either 8.3 or 8.4. This will require an update to SelfService and myOWU and is planned for July.
- Renovations: We will be assisting in various room renovations/improvements. We will consider "bring your own device" (BYOD) where possible to facilitate ease of use.
- Wireless Printing: Our new wireless printing service is now available at the following address: https://webprint.owu.edu. This service allow faculty, staff, and students to use their own device to print to campus printers. More printers will be added over the summer.
- Strategic Plan: The IS Strategic Plan has been approved by the Campus Technology Council and is available online. This plan will be used as a guide as new initiatives are considered.
- IP Expiration: Previously, faculty and staff were assigned an IP address indefinitely. This process reserves IP's even after someone leaves campus or as devices are taken out of service. We will be implementing a 1 year policy for unused IP addresses. If a device is not used in over 1 year, the IP will go back into the available pool. Re-registering devices that need to be used again after the expiration is a simple process involving a call to the Help Desk.
