The Leading Edge

All articles from Technology

  1. Keeping Your Computer Secure

    HeartbleedAt Kansas State University, we are lucky to have a very talented staff protecting us from viruses and malicious software. We keep a close eye on our systems to protect our students near and far. You might remember CryptoLocker malware spreading around the world in fall 2013. (If not, check out our IT News article on the CryptoLocker.) Now we are hearing about the Heartbleed Vulnerability.

    We want you to know we are keeping up with the newest information on every security threat, and we have resources that can also help our students. (Users wanting to know if other sites are at risk for Heartbleed can check on CNET’s list of sites that have patched the Heartbleed bug.

    Information Technology Services is a great location for up-to-date information and resources. If you ever have an issue connecting to Webmail, K-State Online or other campus technologies, check out the information on the Status of ITS Resources page.  Our IT News is also a great resource for learning what hot topics are affecting our campus. The articles are written by experts, and they often link to resources for more information. We also recommend the Antivirus page. Did you know you can download Trend Micro for free?

    We invite you to learn more about security threats and stay up to date with IT news.

    Posted In: Technology

  2. New Distance Education Commercial

    A new television commercial for the Division of Continuing Education began airing on KSNT TV in Kansas on September 1. The commercial was shot and produced at K-State.

    Posted In: Technology

  3. Students to Transition to Office 365 August 22

    Kansas State University students will transition to a new email system on August 22. For the past several months, Information Technology Services (ITS) has been working diligently to prepare for the move from Zimbra to Office 365.

    ITS recently announced that on August 22, they will begin to transition active students who enrolled by August 7.

    On August 23, they will then move to students who:

    • enrolled after August 7
    • forward their email
    • are not enrolled
    • have left K-State within the last year

    Faculty, staff and everyone else will be moved to the new system later this fall.

    ITS recommends everyone clean out their mailboxes to reduce the number of emails as much as possible before August 22. ITS put together some helpful tips for cleaning out your mailbox.

    Any emails with attachments larger than 25MB cannot be moved, so make sure to save any important attachments to your desktop. To find emails larger than 25MB, type bigger:25mb into the search box at the top of Zimbra; click Search.

    Posted In: Technology

  4. University to Transition to New Email System in July

    Kansas State University will transition to a new email system, Microsoft 365, this July. Microsoft 365 is a full-featured email client and will include the following enhancements:

    • Improved reliability
    • Enhanced security and spam and phishing protection
    • More robust calendar features
    • Compliance with federal data locations and security

    Users who forward their email to open systems like Google, Yahoo and Hotmail will still be able to do so.

    A university email committee conducted a six-month examination of the current Zimbra email system due to support issues that led to lengthy outages. They consulted with students, faculty and staff on desired features and preferences for a new email system, including Google and Zimbra with a different service provider, before choosing Microsoft 365.

    The transition to a new email system can be a challenging process. Information Technology Services (ITS) will keep you informed of plans and progress in the coming months, including through announcements in K-State Today and a website now in development that will include information and frequently-asked questions about Microsoft 365.

    Please contact Ken Stafford, CIO and vice provost for ITS, at kens@k-state.edu with any questions or concerns.

    Posted In: Technology

  5. K-State Online Introduces Social Media Tool

    K-State Online has introduced a new blogging and wiki tool that can be used in courses at Kansas State University. This tool, powered by Campus Pack, allows users to do the following:

    • Course instructors can create as many blogs or wikis needed for a course.
    • Course instructors can choose to create a blog or wiki for the course, for each student, or for a group created using the K-State Online Student Groups function.
    • Students and faculty can receive email notifications for the blogs and wikis to which they subscribe.
    • Student participation in the course blog or wiki may be monitored by the instructor.
    • Blogs and wikis can be shared with the public, although the public cannot participate.

    Help documents and video tutorials are available in the K-State Online help, which can be accessed by clicking the help button in the top-right corner of any K-State Online page.

    The tool has been piloted in K-State courses, and was launched for all faculty and students in January.

    Posted In: Technology

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