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MyResNet Network Maintenance Scheduled for Friday, Aug. 6

Wednesday, August 4, 2021 - 08:27

 

Pitt Information Technology continually works closely with our vendor partner, Apogee, to optimize MyResNet performance. As part of this process, Apogee has scheduled network maintenance on Friday, Aug. 6, that will affect MyResNet service.

MyResNet will be unavailable for up to 30 minutes from 4 to 6 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 6, while maintenance is underway. The network will be returned to service earlier if work is completed ahead of schedule.  

As a reminder, we encourage you to continue to report any Wi-Fi service interruptions or performance issues to the Technology Help Desk at 412-624-HELP (4357) so that they can take steps to resolve them.

Brief Titusville Campus Phone Service Interruption on Aug. 3

Monday, July 26, 2021 - 09:14

 

Incoming phone calls to University of Pittsburgh at Titusville telephones may be briefly interrupted beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 3, as campus telephones are transitioned to a new service provider. 
 
Incoming calls to Titusville campus phones may not connect if the call is placed while the phone number is being moved to the new service provider. Individual phone numbers may be unavailable for up to 15 minutes during the transition. Outgoing calls placed from Titusville campus phones will not be affected. 
 
Full phone service should resume by 11:30 a.m. If you experience issues receiving calls after that time, please report them to the Technology Help Desk and, when possible, include the phone number of the person who was trying to reach you and the time that they called.

 

New Grants Management Tools: Grants Forecasting and Fiscal Panther

Monday, August 2, 2021 - 13:35

 

Two new tools—Grants Forecasting (Planning & Budgeting Cloud Solution or Oracle PBCS) and Fiscal Panther (Tableau)—are available for grants administrators, financial approvers, department administrators, and responsibility center business managers.

Grants Forecasting gathers data from General Ledger, PittWorx, Purchasing, RPA, and SPAR/TEAM. The tool lets you see the potential impact of future grant expenses, including compensation and non-compensation costs. Fiscal Panther gathers data from Concur, PantherExpress, PERIS, Pitt Worx, and PRISM which includes General Ledger, Payables, PCard, Purchasing, RPA, and SPAR. Fiscal Panther provides a 360-degree view of financial data with a convenient dashboard that gathers detailed grant transactions, from multiple source systems in one platform. Development is underway to incorporate Grants Forecasting projections into Fiscal Panther in the coming months.

Key Benefits include:

  • Automated daily updates to data sources that collectively promote process efficiency and allow you to centrally manage both current grants-related data and projections without additional data entry
  • The convenience of a 360-degree view of financial data with a convenient dashboard that gathers transaction level details from multiple source systems in one platform
  • A set of complimentary tools to assist you in generating grant forecasts, analyzing grant trends, and compiling reports

The initiative represents a collaboration between the Budget and Financial Reporting Office and Pitt Information Technology and is based on department requests for centrally-supported grants management tools.

These tools are the first to be made available in a larger plan to develop forecasting applications and financial dashboard offerings. The next collaborative effort will focus on developing a forecasting module and dashboard for non-grant funds. New project planning for that next effort will begin soon and additional communications will be distributed to gather information, collect feedback, and engage with the user community.

We encourage you to start using these grants management tools today. Please visit Pitt IT’s Grants Forecasting and Fiscal Panther webpages for additional details. Information about requesting access and other resources is available on the Grants Forecasting SharePoint site. These tools provide you with an alternative to department purchased grants management software.

Please contact the Technology Help Desk at 412-624-HELP (4357) if you have any questions regarding this announcement.

Update: Additional Patches Available for Windows Print Spooler Vulnerability

Thursday, July 8, 2021 - 14:57

 

Microsoft released additional patches for Windows 10 version 1607, Server 2012 (non-R2), and Server 2016.  These patches will be applied to all Pitt IT owned and managed Development servers today (Thursday, July 8) between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. 

If there are no issues with Development servers, Production servers will be patched between 11 p.m. on Saturday, July 10, and 5 a.m. on Sunday, July 11. Pitt IT recommends that Departments apply these patches to the systems they manage as soon as possible.

Microsoft also released patches for unsupported operating systems including Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows 10.  However, these patches are only available for systems with a valid Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) or Extended Security Updates (ESU) license.

Please test print services after a patch is applied and contact the Technology Help Desk at 412-624-HELP (4357) with questions or to report any issues.

Ending Access to University Resources From Unsupported Operating Systems

Thursday, March 25, 2021 - 11:58

 

Effective Monday, July 19, devices running unsupported Windows and Macintosh operating systems will no longer be able to access University resources through PittNet VPN (Pulse Secure) or Global Protect VPN.

As you know, devices running unsupported operating systems cannot be patched with proper security updates and run the risk of being compromised, having sensitive data lost, or becoming an entry point to allow hackers to attack other computers and servers on PittNet. Pitt Information Technology previously took steps to remove unsupported Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 operating systems from the University’s network in April 2020.

To continue to safeguard devices, protect data, and ensure the security of the University's computing environment, Windows and Mac devices must be running a supported operating system listed below to access University resources after July 18.

Supported Desktop Operating Systems for Windows and Mac

  • Windows: Windows 10, Windows 8.1
  • Mac OS X: macOS 11 (Big Sur), macOS 10.15 (Catalina)

Individuals running an unsupported version of Windows can upgrade to Windows 10 Education for non-commercial use by following the steps below:

  1. Log in to software.pitt.edu and search for Azure Dev Tools.
  2. Click the Download button, then click the link under Installation Instructions and sign in with your Pitt credentials.
  3. Click Software on the left-hand menu, then click Windows 10 Education.
  4. Click Generate URL to generate a link to download Windows 10 Education.

Pitt IT is reaching out to individuals with unsupported operating systems who are connecting to University resources via VPN to make them aware of the change and assist them as needed with the transition.  

Please contact the Technology Help Desk at 412-624-HELP (4357) if you have any questions regarding this announcement.

Expanded Weekly Downtime Window Begins Friday, July 16

Tuesday, July 6, 2021 - 12:18

 

Effective Friday, July 16, an additional maintenance window for scheduling in-house maintenance and updates to University systems will occur each Friday from 11 p.m. through Saturday at 7 a.m. Pitt IT’s traditional weekly downtime period—from 11 p.m. each Saturday to 7 a.m. on Sunday—remains in place.

The expanded procedures provide more flexibility for implementing changes that may impact system availability during off-peak hours, while also streamlining and improving workflows.  

Please contact the Technology Help Desk at 412-624-HELP (4357) if you have any questions regarding this announcement.

Install Microsoft Security Updates to Fix Windows Print Spooler Vulnerability

Thursday, July 1, 2021 - 19:40

 

Microsoft recently released a patch for a critical vulnerability affecting the Print Spooler Service which is installed by default on all Windows PCs and Servers. That flaw has been reclassified because it allows for remote code execution and exploits have been released to take advantage of it.

Pitt Information Technology recommends that users immediately identify and install the security updates necessary to remediate these vulnerabilities by using Microsoft's Windows Update feature on their computers as soon as possible. Additional information about the updates is available on Microsoft’s Security TechCenter.

In addition, Pitt IT recommends that all students, faculty, and staff install Antivirus and Anti-Malware (Malwarebytes) Protection. Departments can submit a help request to obtain Malwarebytes for multiple machines.

Please contact the Technology Help Desk at 412-624-HELP (4357) if you have any questions regarding this announcement.

Brief Greensburg Campus Phone Service Interruption on July 7

Wednesday, June 30, 2021 - 13:59
 
Incoming phone calls to University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg telephones may be briefly interrupted beginning at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, July 7, as campus telephones are transitioned to a new service provider.
 
Incoming calls to Greensburg campus phones may not connect if the call is placed while the phone number is being moved to the new service provider. Individual phone numbers may be unavailable for up to 15 minutes during the transition. Outgoing calls placed from Greensburg campus phones will not be affected.
 
Full phone service should resume by 11:30 a.m. If you experience issues receiving calls after that time, please report them to the Technology Help Desk and, when possible, include the phone number of the person who was trying to reach you and the time that they called.

Issue Affecting Access to analytics.pitt.edu

Saturday, June 26, 2021 - 10:11

Pitt IT has resolved the issue that affected access to analytics.pitt.edu (Tableau) earlier today. Full service has been restored. We continue to closely monitor the service and will post any additional updates to status.pitt.edu as needed

Saturday, June 26, 2021 - 09:55

Pitt Information Technology is aware of an issue affecting access to analytics.pitt.edu (Tableau). We are working to resolve the issue and restore service as quickly as possible. Updates will be posted to status.pitt.edu as they become available. Please contact the Technology Help Desk at 412 624-HELP (4357) if you have any questions about this announcement.

Take Steps to Prevent Western Digital External Hard Drive Vulnerability

Friday, June 25, 2021 - 12:40

 

Western Digital has announced a security vulnerability affecting its WD My Book Live and WD My Book Live Duo external hard drives that could allow an attacker to remotely delete all data stored on the device. The Western Digital hard drives affected by this issue are older products that have not received a firmware update since 2015.

Western Digital advises anyone using these external hard drives to disconnect the devices from the Internet to protect their data.

Pitt Information Technology also recommends that owners of these drives periodically check Western Digital’s website for updates on this vulnerability and possible resolutions.

Please contact the Technology Help Desk at 412-624-HELP (4357) if you have any questions regarding this announcement.