Wright State University University Technology Committee

UNIVERSITY TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

MEETING MINUTES

April 24, 2007

 

Attendees:

Paul Hernandez, Phil Neff, Dan DeStephen, Ron Dorsten, Verne Smith, Larry Fox, Brent Foy, Nathan Seim (for Barbara Denison), Greg Kojola, Marion Hogue, Ray Hill, Stephen Foster, and Carol Rader

 

Approval of Minutes

Minutes of the January meeting were approved.

 

CaTS Updates

McAfee Site Advisor - Larry Fox
McAfee SiteAdvisor™ (a plug-in for Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers) tests, analyzes and rates websites in detail for unsafe or annoying practices such as dangerous downloads, spamming, misuse of personal information and browser hijacking. This helps the user sidestep possible identity theft or fraud traps. When searching with Google, Yahoo! or MSN, SiteAdvisor's easy-to-understand safety ratings—red (danger), yellow (information) or green (safe)—appear next to the search results. 


Benefits:

  • McAfee SiteAdvisor™ is a security add-on for Internet Explorer browser that helps identify sites that are linked to spyware, adware, spam, viruses, browser-based attacks, phishing, or online fraud.
  • The McAfee SiteAdvisor service is based on a huge database with detailed test results for more than 100,000 pieces of software and covers more than 95% of the world's Web traffic.
  • The program integrates with search engine results from popular search engines and also adds an icon to the browser toolbar that indicates whether a site is safe to use, or should be used with caution.
  • If McAfee SiteAdvisor has negative information for a site, you can review a very detailed report that shows any spam received from that site, harmful downloads, and association with other sites.

CaTS will deploy this service over the next couple of months through an automatic update.  It will also be available for download on the CaTS website.

Microsoft Vista and Office 2007 Update - Verne Smith
CaTS has been discussing Office 2007 and Windows Vista transition plans since early 2006.  Stated goal was to begin transitions in late 2007 or early 2008.  CaTS continues to meet with college technology coordinators to keep them up to date and gain feedback.  The updated plan is as follows:

- Labs Pilot Fall 2007
 One or two CaTS open labs will be configured with Vista and Office 2007 to garner user feedback and test stability in high-use areas.

- Labs Full Conversion Winter 2007
All CaTS computer classrooms and labs will be converted to Vista and Office 2007 for Winter quarter, January 2008.

- Office 2007 Upgrade Option Fall 2007
Department faculty and staff offices will be offered the option of upgrading to Office 2007 starting in the fall.  

- New Systems with Vista and Office 2007 Winter 2008
New university-recommended computers will come standard with Windows Vista and Office 2007 starting in early 2008.

- No Plans for Vista Upgrades
There are no plans to revisit existing systems to upgrade them to Vista.  This would be a complex, time-consuming process that would likely lead to software compatibility issues and significant user disruption. 

CaTS is working closely with campus technology coordinators and planning training sessions starting this summer.  It has been more than 5 years since the university went through such a significant Windows platform change, and some disruptions can be expected. 

Critical University Resources - Phil Neff
Phil distributed a document explaining the next step in the process to identify critical University resources and improve security.

CTL Update

Dan DeStephen

Faculty have received notices from the Instructional Technology Committee of the Faculty Senate requesting completion of an instructional technology and classroom survey in order to indicate what types of hardware and software will be needed by faculty in the future.  Another survey will be distributed soon from the Building and Grounds Committee of the Faculty Senate, which will cover the faculty needs regarding the physical characteristics of classrooms, furniture, heating, lighting, etc.

The next scheduled UTC meeting is Thursday, September 27, 2007 from 3 – 4p.m. in 315 Library.

NOTE:  THE MAY MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELLED