NVC Tech Updates

Welcome to the Summer 2023 semester! Napa Valley College's IT department would like to remind you of the services and support we offer.

HARDWARE UPGRADES

• A part of accreditation includes showcasing all the computers at the College. IT has received some but not all computers that will be replacing the Windows 7 devices on campus.
• So far, the iMac’s, MacBook Pro’s and
  iPads have been received for specific areas. All these computers are leased as well.
  There is a class that will be teaching “digital drawing” and it will require a network
  upgrade of classroom 3950 as well as the need for iPad pens. These have been
  received.
• The next computers to be upgraded will be the computers that cannot update
  past a certain version on Windows 10. Hopefully, these computers will be on the next
  fiscal years’ lease plan and eventually, all computers will be on a lease plan.
  • There are a few scenarios with Windows 10. First, Microsoft stopped supporting that version of Windows 10, the version of Windows 10 can no longer accept security packages, others have Windows 10, but
    remain very slow. Daniel noted the security is the driving force behind the upgrades. At
    the same time of trying to time new leases we are also looking at what it would cost to
    continue leasing…
    • . “do they support us for warranty throughout the lease term?” Yes,
      the campus went with a 5-year warranty, with a 3-year lease.

IT PROCESSES

Processes for the District in IT – The Committee will begin reviewing existing IT
processes and policies

 

 

Daniel also noted that obtaining inventory of all that we have is a first step. He
suggested that be the session for the Committee this year. Brandon asked, “In terms of
software, how does it work? Who do I go to if it does not work?” For instance, Faculty
oversees grades. If it is in on the gradebook within Canvas, does it automatically go to
Self-Service. Committee members discussed creating a charge to show what works with
what and what talks to what. Claudette suggested adding a Flex Day workshop for
Spring of 2024. Denise agreed that this is all valuable training for Flex Day. Matching up
hardware and infrastructure for the migration to the cloud. Denise added that a workflow
chart would be a good start. What are all the main systems used on campus, add onto
that, how do we change it if we need to update it…How does the campus communicate
that need? Christy noted that other Committees do forums for their plans and that this
could be a good thing for the District Technology Committee moving forward. The
Committee discussed making a recommendation to IT so that the flowcharts can be
started. Emery could take the lead on how we obtain campus needs from the campus
community. Members also discussed requesting unit plans to see what technology is
being requested. Daniel noted that in the private sector, IT would report to the president
only, since we work in higher education, more conversations are needed. Denise offered
her help for making flowcharts, as did Brandon. Emery asked, “Who is doing work on
current inventory? Both Jim and Chris are working on this in IT and a draft may become
available at the next meeting. At the same time as creating this document, new
hardware is being deployed. We are also adding software that allows us to take
inventory. Updates will be controlled by IT as well. Matt asked if this was software that
the department already had. It was explained that some of this is in spreadsheets,
however, Track-IT can do inventory as well. Daniel added that any piece of software
touching the network should be on the list, no matter if it is paid for or not. It will be good
to take a deep dive into the software so we can determine what other features could be
used if we paid. In some cases, we have two different pieces of software that do the
same thing. For instance, Adobe: The College maintains the whole suite. San added that
when new software is implemented, we also need to remain mindful of accessibility
issues that can arise. DSPS has software that tracks the database online. Can this be
done in Colleague? What other software can we supplement to meet that need? Christy
remembered developing a forum for requests and looking at them in a systematic way.
Daniel asked if he had seen any examples out there and would look them up. Back
when Robert Butler was on campus, there was a form for new software requests.
Another example is that there are a lot of people with personal Canva accounts or using
the free version because we do not have an Enterprise Canva account. This is a waste
of money. Daniel added that if an application is listed in the MyApps page, it somehow
touches or uses SSO (Single-Sign-On) IT is in the test phase on some of the software,
so it is possible that if one is clicked, it does nothing.
We can write stuff on who’s in charge of what on the website. The governance –
according to the plan and deemed most secure. Denise added that it can be more
consolidated and talked about in the community. Claudette asked for a time check –
10:33am she must leave at 10:40am. She asked to formally establish workgroups.
Christy wants to wait and do it at the next meeting because of issues she discussed
earlier.
6.3 Institutional Technology Updates – Daniel will share any updates around technology with
the Committee and obtain feedback. Things included system replacements, Wi-Fi Project,
Multifactor Authentication and more.
Current Technology Spreadsheet (PDF Form)
Most Recent Tech Plan w/Updates from May of 2022
The Wi-Fi project got approved by the Associated Student Body. It is
about $460k and covers the whole campus, including the parking lots. This will
give us full Wi-Fi coverage and bring login Wi-Fi so we can access internal
resources like Self-Service. This may be a six-month project starting in the
summer months. There will also be a map created to show the range of Wi-Fi.
Live 25 interconnects with Colleague but would help us create an
interactive/digital map that will take people into the college. Live 25 is still in the
early discussion phase.
Denise shared that she learned ASNVC students are hoping to make the
various directory signs interactive, like a scrolling marque. This would be like the
airport. Conversations are starting around this need. Christy noted that she may
get a recommendation on the form from her Committee.
Building 2000 is getting remodeled. Daniel explained that they will have a
ceiling camera in the room to showcase dissections and more. Technology for
Biology should be done by this summer. Dr. More in Academic Affairs is helping
fund some of these things as well as bringing information back to Committees.
Members explained being in full support of more funding for classrooms but are
concerned that certain budgets are not talking to each other when they should.
Christy noted that she was not clear on all the budget stuff but assumes
resource allocation will be doing most of that work. Having side conversations
with Deans and Directors about what they should be talking about. This very
thing was brought up in Accreditation three times and why there are concerns.
Emery asked how the CCC Apply application launch went. There is an
issue with returning students where the Operator Equivalent is not being
imported correctly. This is due to returning students having their applications
manually input into the system to update their existing record. Independent
contractor Matt Cervantes and Jerry from IT are currently working on this. At the
same time, how students get their password has slightly changed. It used to be
the 6-digit birthdate and because of how easy that is to hack, it has been
changed to a randomized number. The programming for the initial email has also
been changed so the correct password is shown in the email that goes to a new
student’s personal email during the initial registration process. CCC Apply is now
working. Denise and Emery noted that this is a huge win for the College.
International students will be a big one once student housing is complete as well.
Denise asked what issue caused this to happen. This was due to the Cyberattack
in June of 2022. 1-3 colleges were not using Superglue, but now they are.
Matt asked about various linked forms at the end of the appendix for the District
Technology Plan. Some of these links were broken upon Eric Houck’s departure
from the campus. Sheree will look to see if these documents still exist
somewhere and share them as they are found.
6.4 SharePoint Online and New Website – Members discuss the transition to our new website
and provide feedback.
Denise updated the Committee regarding the Website. Training has been going
great and has been successful. We are getting to that advanced level now. Everything
seems stable. There is a current issue with broken links. Denise asked that everyone
use the Web Support Feedback link at the bottom of the page to include link information.
Denise also sat in on a meeting for the Student Success Standards to hear
feedback. She is working to meet faculty and staff needs, while being mindful of the
various infrastructure and security protocols that are in place. Things have been locked
down because of those protocols. Overall, the site is working though. MFA is still in the
implementation phase as well. Another important piece is making sure Faculty have
what they need before heading into finals. She asked that all feedback be shared with
her and thanked everyone for their hard work.
Christy talked to Christopher Howe and certain links still do not work because
conversion work is still being done. Users were asked to send an email to
websupport@napavalley.edu so it can generate a ticket that can be quickly worked on.
Christy also wants to look at the 2019 plan on Tuesday. This will inform the senate so it
can be added to the agenda for next month. Their next agenda is going out about a
month early. This way feedback can be obtained from everyone. Items brought back
from the DTC-ETC Committee are only examples of what is being recommended to the
Committee and/or IT.
Hopefully by the end of the summer, our new NVC Sharepoint will be available as well to
house internal documents.