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Faculty and Staff Edition October
2007
IN THIS ISSUE:
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Walk-in IT Help Desk
Visit Austin 103,
a walk-in help facility for faculty and staff. The Walk-in
IT Help Desk staff provide OpScan test grading, one-on-one training and consulting
sessions on computing technologies, as well as access to
equipment and software tools that may not be available
within your departments.
About Tech Digest
ECU Technology
Digest is an electronic publication sent to all
university faculty and staff.
The Digest informs you of
new technologies implemented on campus, upcoming
training opportunities and provides a compilation of
important service announcements about scheduled e-mail,
network, academic and administrative computing
interruptions and downtime.
New topics of interest to
faculty and staff may be added to the Digest in future
issues.
Technology Digest Archives
Student Tech Digest
Check
out the Student
Tech Digest for announcements
that pertain to your
students.
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East Carolina University
209 Cotanche Street
Greenville, NC 27858
Phone: 252.328.9000
www.ecu.edu/itcs
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October is Security Awareness Month
Each one of us is responsible for taking appropriate actions in protecting our computer systems and data. Let's develop good security habits for home, work and play!
- Lock your computer when you are away from it even if it is for a few minutes.
- Shut down your computer when it is not in use.
- Secure your cell phone and PDA the same way you secure your computer.
- Install and routinely update your anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall software.
- Back up important files stored on your computer onto a removable disc and store them in a secure place in a different location than your computer.
- Clear your browser cache (temporary Internet files, cookies, history, saved passwords) on a routine basis and do not save passwords in your browser program.
- Use different passwords for different sites and routinely change your passwords. Never provide your password to anyone (relative, coworker, etc).
- Do not reveal personal or financial information in e-mail, and do not respond to e-mail solicitations for this information. This includes following links sent in e-mail. If you are unsure whether an e-mail request is legitimate, try to verify it by contacting the company directly.
- Limit the amount of personal information you post online and check the privacy policy of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook.
- Consider opening an additional e-mail account. If you frequently submit your e-mail address for online shopping or signing up for services, you may want to have a secondary e-mail account to protect your primary e-mail account from any spam that could be generated.
For additional security tips, check out the following sites:
Security Awareness Tips from SANS - www.sans.org
Cyber Security Tips by the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team - www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips
Cyber Security Practices at StaySafeOnline.org - www.staysafeonline.org/practices/index.html
For more information about security at ECU, visit www.ecu.edu/itsecurity.
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How Many Visitors Does Your Web Site Attract?
Are you wondering the number of users viewing your site? Well now you can find out! Google Analytics is a free Web statistics tool you can use to track your Web stats.
To find out more and to use Google Analytics for your site, go to the new Web stats page.
Also, check out our CommonSpot FAQ's and Tutorials to help you with many of your questions about CommonSpot. Please check these often as they are frequently updated. If you still need help, be sure to put in a support request at http://help.ecu.edu and provide your full URL. |
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Want to Join the Virtual Computing Initiative Pilot?
On-campus and distance education students can now access software they need for their courses without having to purchase it themselves or worry that a program won't run properly on their personal computer or even come on campus to use a computer lab. Students can log into the Virtual Computing Lab from home or their residence hall 24x7 and choose software from an image designed for their course(s) by their professor.
The Virtual Computing Initiative is currently in a testing phase. Interested faculty can contact David Hodge (hodged@ecu.edu) with software requests. If your software requires licenses, the number of licenses available will be the maximum number of student connections allowed at one time.
More information: http://vcl.ecu.edu |
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Help Us Keep Web Server Content Up-to-Date
ITCS performs routine maintenance on servers and systems to ensure that the campus community receives the highest quality of uninterrupted service. We are soliciting users' assistance in keeping the content housed on these servers and systems current.
As part of our maintenance, we ask that users of ECU Web resources adhere to the following guidelines and policies:
• Keep content up-to-date
• Remove content that is out-of-date
• Ensure that content is appropriate
• Do not place sensitive information on Web servers
• Require input validation on all forms
• Secure content via password protection and/or encryption as necessary
Consistent with the East Carolina University Web Page Policy, the authors of Official University Web Pages and Unofficial Pages represent to East Carolina University that all aspects of these pages comply with applicable state and federal law (including, but not limited to copyright, patent and trademark), ECU policy, and the policy of the University of North Carolina.
It is the responsibility of all parties storing materials on Web sites with an ECU domain address to ensure that such material is lawfully used and does not violate applicable ECU computer policies.
Guidelines and Policy Resources:
Web Policy: www.ecu.edu/itcs/policies/wwwpolicy.cfm
Sensitive Data: www.ecu.edu/itcs/itsecurity/sensitive-data.cfm
Web Publishing: www.ecu.edu/cs-itcs/internetweb.cfm |
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Quick Tips for Accessible Web Sites
When developing Web sites, be sure to keep in mind the quick tips below, review Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and follow ITCS Web Policies.
Images and animations: Use the alt attribute to describe the function of each visual.
Image maps: Use the client-side map and text for hotspots.
Multimedia: Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of video.
Hypertext links: Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid click here.
Page organization: Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. Use CSS for layout and style where possible.
Graphs and charts: Summarize or use the longdesc attribute.
Scripts, applets, and plug-ins: Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported.
Frames: Use the noframes element and meaningful titles.
Tables: Make line-by-line reading sensible. Summarize.
Check your work: Validate. Use tools, checklist, and guidelines at www.w3.org/TR/WCAG .
For additional information, please visit www.ecu.edu/itcs/webpublishing.cfm or www.w3.org/WAI .
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Microsoft Vista at ECU
Friendly reminder:
Currently, ITCS is NOT supporting Windows Vista or Internet Explorer 7 for faculty and staff computers due to compatibility issues with key ECU applications.
Faculty who would like to have Vista available in departmental computer labs should contact their respective computer lab administrators.
More information: www.ecu.edu/itcs/vista
NOTE: Faculty and staff who would like to upgrade their Microsoft Office suite to 2007 can submit a service request through the IT Help Desk at 328-9866 or http://help.ecu.edu. |
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