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P E P P E R D I N E I N F O R M A T I O N T E C H N O L O G Y

M O N T H L Y R E P O R T

Table of Contents

Partnerships ..................2

Leadership &

Security Tip....................4

Faculty Spotlight..........5

Did You Know...?.........6

Upcoming Events &

Benchmarks &

Accountibility..............7

Information Technology

Pepperdine Help Desk

Available 24/7

(310) 506-HELP or

(866) 767-8623

IT Website

community.pepperdine.edu/it

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INSIGHT | JULY | 2012

J U L Y / 2 0 1 2

P A R T N E R S H I P S

Due to Cross Divisional Teamwork Major Milestone Achieved in PeopleSoft Upgrade Project

This past May 2012, the Human Resources and Student Administration areas within PeopleSoft

were upgraded to version 9.0. The latest version offers improved user experience, stability, and

reliability. Although the changes affected all members of the Pepperdine community who ac-

cess the PeopleSoft HR and Student Administration System, some of the most notable changes

were made to the Faculty Services area and Student Services areas in WaveNet.

Information Technology’s (IT) Enterprise Infor-

mation Systems worked in partnership with

Pepperdine’s Admissions, Financial Aid, Stu-

dent Accounts, and Student Records offices

at all five schools; the Registrar, Seaver Dean’s

Office, and International Programs Office; Hu-

man Resources, Student Employment, Payroll,

and Finance departments; and IT’s Systems

and Networking Database Administration group. Representatives from each of these depart-

ments were involved in multiple testing cycles and were key contributors to the success of this

project.

IT thanks the entire Pepperdine community for their continued support and understanding

through this summer’s PeopleSoft upgrades. As upgrades and maintenance are always a contin-

ued requirement for any technology, please stay up-to-date with IT’s future schedule of projects

by visiting IT’s Projects page at http://community.pepperdine.edu/it/about/news/itprojects.htm

P E P P E R D I N E I N F O R M A T I O N T E C H N O L O G Y

M O N T H L Y R E P O R T

Exceptional Teamwork was Exemplified by all Departments Involved - CIO

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INSIGHT | JULY | 2012

Systems and Networking Complete Telephone Migration to New Cisco Platform

By the end of July 2012, Systems and Networking will have successfully mi-

grated the entire University telephone system to the new Cisco platform.

This migration has been part of a multi-year project to upgrade the exist-

ing telephone system to allow the University to take advantage of future

technologies, which will enhance teaching and learning at Pepperdine.

The Network Engineering team, including Rita Schlepp, Vic Suphasiri, John Figueroa, Z Kasilag,

Tom Bashara, Sara Fernandez, and Luis Lara, worked with each Pepperdine department to mini-

mize the disturbance to their daily business routine.

“My team thanks our colleagues who worked with us on this Cisco

migration project,” said Kevin Phan, director of IT’s systems and net-

working division. “Without your assistance this project would not have

been a success.”

The system migration allowed departments to upgrade to new Cisco telephones. To learn more

about the Cisco telephones click on the following link:

http://community.pepperdine.edu/it/services/phone/cisco/

Information Technology’s Server Engineering staff worked closely with

Austin Oakes and Les Thomas of Planning Operations and Construction

to migrate the Intellikey application to Pepperdine’s data center.

Prior to the migration, Intellikey - the University’s electronic key system

– existed on physical hardware that was aging and difficult to monitor.

To bring better stability and reliability to the application, IT updated its

operating system, database version, and migrated the system into the

data center’s virtual environment.

This migration not only allows for increased performance but also will assist the Planning Op-

erations and Construction staff to better monitor the system. For assistance or questions about

your Intellikey contact the Planning Operations and Construction department at ext. 4581.

University’s Intellikey Application Migrated to Data Center

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INSIGHT | JULY | 2012

L E A D E R S H I PEIS Welcomes Rinn Dow, Senior Business Analyst

Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) is happy to announce that Rinn

Dow joined the IT team on July 9, 2012 as senior business analyst on

the PeopleSoft Student Administration system. Rinn, a Pepperdine

alumna, comes to IT from International Programs (IP) office where

she has held the position of manager of database and finances

since 2007. She led the implementation of the custom PeopleSoft

International Programs application for the IP office, along with a

multitude of other projects and duties. Rinn has participated in vari-

ous university activities, ministries, service, and mentorship programs,

and received multiple honors and awards during her time at Pep-

perdine. Please join IT in welcoming Rinn to the EIS team.

Device Management System Removes the Guesswork out of Security Updates for University-owned Computers

S E C U R I T Y T I P O F T H E M O N T H

Have you heard the drumbeat from the Information Security Office -

“Patch your browser plug-ins”?

Have you ever wondered why your computer became infected and was

taken away and re-installed?

Out-of-date versions of browser plug-ins like Flash, Java, and Acrobat are the #1 reasons why

computers get infected at Pepperdine! However, despite tools like browsercheck.pepperdine.

edu, people are often unsure of how, when, and what to update. This summer, IT will begin install-

ing a device management system on all University-owned computers to remove the guesswork

of security updates.

The device management system’s initial goals are:

- To remove ‘browser patching tech task” from our colleagues’ to-do lists

- To decrease downtime from malware infections and rebuilds

- To provide increased security for University information and colleague and student identi-

ties

With the device management system, IT staff can provide faster deployment of new and “trans-

ferred” system updates, keep better track of computer age and warranty status, plus keep de-

tailed hardware and software inventory data. Look for more information about device manage-

ment coming to your area soon.

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INSIGHT | JULY | 2012

Faculty Professional Development Program Features Learner-centricTechnologies

Eleven faculty members have signed up

for the Technology and Learning “Fac-

ulty Professional Development Program,”

which began on July 9, and is being held

at the Drescher graduate campus in

Malibu.

The two-week program focuses on

course design that integrates learner-

centric technology into the curriculum.

Pepperdine’s Dr. Stella Erbes and the

Technology and Learning team of Ge-

rard Flynn, Alan Regan, Hong Kha, and

Landon Phillips will lead these half-day

seminars modeling various teaching

tools and sharing best practices.

Stay tuned for reflections from the faculty

attendees next month.

The 2012 Sakai Conference was

a hit! IT sponsored four faculty

members to attend this year’s

conference: Dr. Stella Erbes,

Seaver College; Dr. Reyna Gar-

cia-Ramos, Graduate School of

Education and Psychology; Prof. Derek Muller, School of

Law; and Dr. Michael Shires, School of Public Policy. Four

members of IT’s Technology and Learning group also at-

tended.

Pepperdine Presentations:

•“Introduction to Sakai for Faculty” by Dr. Stella Erbes

and Hong Kha

•“Documentation: Past Lessons and Future Directions”

by Patrick Lynch (University of Hull), Alan Regan (Pep-

perdine University), and Elizabeth Venstra (Indiana Uni-

versity)

•“Launching Sakai Successfully with a Hosting Partner”

by Mark Giglione (Pepperdine University), Sam Otten-

hoff (The Longsight Group, LLC), Alan Regan (Pepper-

dine University), and Scott Siddall (The Longsight Group,

LLC)

•“Sakai Tools that Engage Students” by Hong Kha and

Landon Phillips

Alan Regan also served as chair for the conference pro-

gram committee. He worked closely with executive di-

rectors of the Jasig and Sakai organizations along with

several other members of academic and professional

institutions from around the globe.

“Pepperdine’s exemplary effort highlights the many

other contributions made by members of the Sakai and

Jasig communities. It should act as a beacon for

others,” said Ian Dolphin executive director of the Sakai

Foundation.

Faculty Join Technology and Learning atthe 2012 Sakai Conference

Group picture of faculty attendees with the Technology and Learning team

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INSIGHT | JULY | 2012

Check the Size of Your Personal File

Folders. Slowness in Outlook can be

caused by large personal folder files

(.pst files). Personal file folders (.pst files) larger

than 2 GBs or 1 million kilobits can cause prob-

lems with the application. Check to see if you

are nearing this limit, right click the name of

your folder (e.g. Archive), go to Properties,

and click Folder Size. If you are nearing or

above 2 GBs, create a new personal folder

file and drag some emails into the newly cre-

ated file.

Helpful Microsoft Office Outlook TipsD I D Y O U K N O W . . . ?

Don’t Store Emails in Your Deleted Items Folder.

Do not use your Deleted Items folder as a “tem-

porary holding place” for emails. Outlook treats

it as non-essential; if Outlook crashes, your De-

leted Items folder may be purged, and when you

choose to Archive your Inbox, your Deleted Items

folder will not be included by default. For this rea-

son, be cautious with how you use your Deleted

Items folder. If you need to save emails in a folder

other than your Inbox, simply create a new person-

al file folder!

Attachments Count Toward Your Inbox Limit.

Be diligent about cleaning attachments out

of your email. Download the attachments to

a folder on your computer and then delete the

email from your Inbox. If you are unsure of how

many attachments you have in your Inbox, here’s

an easy tip: Click on Arrange By: at the top of your

Inbox, and choose the option Size. By default, this

will sort by the largest files contained in your Inbox,

letting you clean them up as you see fit.

Remember these tips to keep your Outlook client running efficiently and to prevent problems.

For more Outlook tips or other tips on email at Pepperdine visit:http://community.pepper-dine.edu/it/tools/email/

For Help, call the Help Desk at ext. 4357

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INSIGHT | JULY | 2012

Saturday, July 14 at 12:01 a.m. until Sunday, July 15 at 11:59 p.m. the Human Resources and Stu-

dent Administration areas within WaveNet will be unavailable due to hardware upgrades. Learn

more at http://community.pepperdine.edu/it/about/news/2011/peoplesoftupgrade.htm

U P C O M I N G E V E N T SPeopleSoft HR and Student Administration Hardware Upgrades July 14 to15

B E N C H M A R K S & A C C O U N T A B I L I T Y

Help Desk. During June 2012, there were 1181 requests for support managed through the Help

Desk. Of these requests, 63 percent were resolved within two days and 99 percent were resolved

in fewer than five days. The average wait time for individuals calling the Help Desk was 65 sec-

onds. Eighty-three percent of requests were resolved by the Help Desk on the first call.

Online Requests. In June 2012, there were 165 additional requests for support managed through

online web request forms. The top two types of online requests were: network requests (56) and

departmental telephone service (37).

Help Desk User Survey. Through an automated feedback process, all Help Desk callers have the

opportunity to complete a web-based satisfaction survey. In June 2012, 131 (12 percent) of 1085

survey requests sent to customers were submitted. The four-question survey uses a “1 to 5” sliding

scale with “4.00-5.00” equal to Excellent.

S u b s c r i b e o r T e l l U s W h a t Y o u T h i n k

Do you know someone who would benefit from reading IT’s InsighT Report? Or do you have a

question or comment about the new report? Drop us a line at techcomm@pepperdine.edu.

PeopleSoft and Simpler training for the month of August are available. These classes are a great

opportunity for you to brush up on your skills and review important policies and procedures. To

register or view the class schedule, visit the IT Training Calendar.

Get Trained!