March 2021
McMaster Connectivity Newsletter
For the IT community, by the IT community.
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Looking ahead for McMaster IT
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After a year of remote work, AVP & CTO Gayleen Gray contemplates McMaster IT and 'the return to campus'. Read the full post below.
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Student email migration to Microsoft 365 coming this summer
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After exams, McMaster students will begin migrating to a new email service, powered by Microsoft 365. This initiative follows the successful rollout of the staff and faculty email migration last year — part of our multi-year strategic program to improve email systems and IT security at McMaster.
Help spread the word! Students with questions about email migration can get lots of answers on the FAQ page. Get updates and tips on the Hub and check out the @McMasterMS365 Twitter and/or @McmasterMS365 Instagram account.
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Protect yourself online with multi-factor authentication
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McMaster University is offering a new service that will make it easier to protect your account.
Beginning March 31, multi-factor authentication will be available to all members of the McMaster community.
It’s an easy-to-use, free service that adds an extra layer of protection to your online experience - even if you lose your password.
To get started, click this link and complete the sign-up process using your MacID and password. This is an opt-in service that requires registration.
The recommended way to use multi-factor authentication is to set up the Microsoft Authenticator App on your smartphone, but there are other options to choose from.
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NEW! Microsoft teams features and updates
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See a demo above of the Office 365 Hub for the McMaster Community.
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MS Teams has new updates and info for the McMaster community!
As student email migration to Microsoft 365 unfolds in the late spring/early summer, training sessions for apps, such as Outlook, Teams and OneNote, will be available starting in May.
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Microsoft 365 email updates
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For those already in the Microsoft 365 email environment, enjoy these new upgrades:
- FindTime is a meeting scheduler to help organizers find a time that works for everyone, all right in the calendar.
- Email file size now has a capacity of 150MB.
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Celebrating McMaster Women in Tech and International Women’s Day
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Watch the McMaster Women in Tech panel discussion
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International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8th, is an important time to reflect and acknowledge the achievements made by women and the opportunities still ahead. McMaster IT is fortunate to have many women tech leaders choosing to leverage delightful technology to help, enable and enhance our campus.
During the recent all-virtual Connectivity 2021, McMaster’s IT Forum, AVP & CTO Gayleen Gray and Gartner’s Debra Christmas moderated a McMaster Women in Tech Panel, featuring past Changemakers: Nevine Chawra, Jodie Lobana and Hanna Haponenko. Check out the full panel discussion and learn about the future of the McMaster Women in Tech project.
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McMaster IT Student Advisory Committee (ITSAC) 2020/21 wraps up
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The Information Technology Student Advisory Committee (ITSAC) wrapped up its last meeting for the 2020/21 year. Since 2018, ITSAC student members have provided a critical voice from across campus for tech projects and advice on student needs. This year's ITSAC took place entirely through MS Teams and leveraged the latest features for collaboration. A big thank you to Christa Morrison from UTS and Elizabeth DiEmanuele from the Student Success Centre for co-chairing the committee, along with all the ITSAC student members.
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Listen in! Virtual hallway chat with Colin Czerneda and Gayleen Gray
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Listen to the latest Virtual Hallway Chat as Colin Czerneda from Humanities Media Computing and Gayleen discuss weather phenomena, running shoes and marathons.
If you're missing the delightful run-ins and impromptu conversations on campus and want to chat with Gayleen, please reach out to Tanya Reid at tanya.reid@mcmaster.ca to set up a Virtual Hallway Chat.
Catch up on previous chats here.
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Mosaic updates for March, 2021
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MOSAIC updates in case you didn't hear:
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Did you know about the Mac AI Society?
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The McMaster AI Society is a student club to promote the study and implementation of artificial intelligence at McMaster. Throughout the year, the AI Society hosts events and showcases to highlight AI projects from AI community.
If you would like to learn more about the Mac AI Society and its projects, please consider attending this week's virtual Mac AI Project Expo, hosted on the conference platform HopIn on April 1st 5:30-7:30PM.
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Reminder: Phishing attempts continue to target Higher Ed
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Reports of phishing are on the rise, with a recent example at Confederation College. Of note in this example, phishing scammers were targeting students undergoing email migration. Recent examples of phishing campaigns at other higher education organizations also include internship and university newsletter impersonations. Messages have also been addressed as “Dear Student” with mentions of coronavirus news and job opportunities or contain news of an Office 365 migration and ask for the user’s name and login credentials.
There are a number of McMaster IT Security resources available including:
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CANHEIT 2021 - Registration & Call for Submissions
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The annual CANHEIT will be hosted this year by our colleagues at Concordia University. Mark your calendars from May 31 to June 4 and register today to join Canadian higher education IT leaders from universities, colleges, technical institutes come together in this virtual event!
Have a program you want to submit? The call for proposals is now open, so send along your abstract for consideration!
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EDUCAUSE community group day
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Introducing EDUCAUSE community group day coming May 4. Mark your calendars for this exciting half day virtual event. Join IT colleagues from around the world to learn about a broad range of ITSM and IT/business topics. Take part in panel discussions, presentations, networking opportunities, “birds of a feather” discussions, and much more.
Save the date information:
What: EDUCAUSE community group day virtual event “May ITIL 4 be with you.”
When: May 4th, 2021
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. PDT / 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
This event is free and registration will be required.
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CUCCIO is updating their Fast 5 newsletter distribution and needs your consent, so be sure to sign up for the improved newsletter!
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Have a story you want to share with the IT Community? Email Peter McDonald at mcdonp1@mcmaster.ca to feature an article!
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