½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

Update on unplanned outage affecting UA networks and web services

July 13, 2020

The Butrovich Computer Center Back-Up project (specifically, installation and testing of the back-up generator) encountered unexpected difficulties this morning, which left the Butrovich Computing Facility (BCF) without power and offline for much of the day. As of 5 p.m, July 13, 2020, activities to resolve problems with the backup generator installation have been suspended. Instead, the electrical work performed earlier in the day will be backed-out, and stable utility power is being restored.

Unplanned Outage affecting UA websites, systems, telephones

July 13, 2020

The UA Office of Information Technology is currently investigating an unplanned outage at the Data Center impacting UAonline, Banner, Blackboard, ELMO, alaska.edu websites, UAF phone and network services. The National Weather Service phones also are offline due to the power outage. The power is expected to come back online in about 10 minutes with computers restarting shortly thereafter.

REMINDER: No power or access to the Butrovich Building July 14 - July 17

July 10, 2020

The power in the Butrovich Building's first and second floors will be off Tuesday, July 14 through Friday, July 17 for the final installation of a new 800-kilowatt backup generator for the systemwide data center. Building access will be restricted during these dates, and only Data Center staff and contractors will be allowed on-site.

UA email forwarding policy change

July 06, 2020

The following policy change to the UA system Accounting and Administrative Manual (No.: 300: A-01) no longer allows for employees to forward their work email to a personal email:

New Google Drive feature -- shared drives

June 19, 2020

Recently the Google shared drive feature was enabled for all Google apps users at UA. Google shared drives let people collaborate on projects, store files with document version control, and access their files anywhere, from any device.

OIT changing antivirus solutions

June 05, 2020

In an effort to reduce costs while improving services, starting June 8th OIT will begin changing Antivirus solutions. After June 8th, Symantec Endpoint Protection will be uninstalled from university-owned computers.

Need to borrow computer equipment or accessories? You have options!

May 29, 2020

OIT announces the arrival of webcams and headsets for students, staff, and faculty who may be in need while working away from the office. Webcams are available for loan and will need to be returned when they are no longer needed. Headsets may be kept, free of charge, by the user.

MANDATORY: Upgrade to Zoom 5.0 by May 30th

May 15, 2020

Due to the sudden increase in Zoom demand spurred by COVID-19 pandemic, a 90-day security overhaul was announced by the company back in April. As a result, Zoom version 5.0 has recently been released. In order to avoid any disruptions in meeting accessibility, Zoom users are required to upgrade to this latest version by May 30th.

May tech tips

May 15, 2020

Phone calls and texts are as easy to spoof as email. If it sounds too good to be true, or if it's really scary, it's probably a scam.

FAQs about Zoom security concerns

May 01, 2020

Is Zoombombing something that could happen to me in a UA Zoom meeting? Zoombombing will not happen in a private and properly shared UA Zoom meeting. Interruptions can happen in a video meeting if the meeting link and information is published in a public forum such as Facebook or other media platforms. Posting a Zoom link publicly is analogous to putting a bowl of one's house keys in a public place, with directions to the house. The easiest method to avoid Zoombombing or having any outside person enter your meeting is to follow these simple security steps.