In order to prepare for the computer ordering deadline on April 30, you should begin to review your computer needs now.

Our vendors have a higher volume of orders in the summer, which often results in back orders and delays. Adhering to the April 30 deadline will ensure that products and invoices arrive prior to the end of the fiscal year.

The ITS purchasing team handles a large volume of year-end license renewals along with computers, classroom, and network hardware orders and needs extra time to process invoices during the last two months of the fiscal year.

• For computer lifecycle replacements using FY20 funds, submit orders between now and April 30.
• Budget managers can contact Greg Christie (ext. 3705) for a departmental computer asset list to confirm which computers have reached the maximum lifecycle.
• For any new hire computers using FY20 funds, submit orders between now and April 30.

We cannot guarantee that a computer ordered in May or June will be shipped in a timely manner. Orders can be submitted during these months, but the expense is not guaranteed to be posted in FY20.

Equipment received on campus in June will expense in FY20, anything received in July, will be expensed in FY21.

Exceptions:

• For Fall 2020 faculty new hire computers and faculty lifecycle replacement computers—ITS works closely with the Provost’s office and academic budget managers to coordinate a specific timeline for these orders.

For additional information on the computer purchasing process, please see the IT service portal knowledge base article, Computer Purchasing Guidelines and Standard Computer Models (FAQ).

—Alicia Mann, ITS

Over 100 individuals were recognized by colleagues for their spirit of “All In This Together” at the Provost’s Drake Social on Feb. 4. Prize winners were chosen at random and are:

• Mary Beth Olander, a gift card to St. Kilda
• Brady Randall, an apple pie baked by the Provost
• Yolanda Griffiths, office treats

Thanks to everyone who took the time to recognize a colleague for exemplifying this Drake core value. Those recognized embrace robust communication and transparency, and thrive through collaboration and teamwork.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

No one would walk into a crowded room and begin broadcasting to total strangers all the details of their personal life—from health issues to their friends’ and family’s names, ages, jobs, schools, etc. But too often, people don’t think twice about posting such private information on social media. The ramifications of oversharing have an impact on your personal and professional life, and those of your friends and family. 

Social media can be a great place to connect, share, and learn, but once information is posted online, you’ve lost control of it. Ensuring your privacy settings are strong isn’t enough to protect yourself, you also need to understand what data is being collected and how it’s being used. 

Privacy Settings: Regularly review the privacy settings on your social media accounts, especially when the site’s terms of service or privacy policy changes. Remember that these controls can prevent other site users from accessing your posts and information, but your information is still being collected, mined, stored, and sold by the social media platforms themselves. 

Privacy Tree: Privacy settings won’t prevent someone that you’re connected with from viewing and downloading your posts and/or sharing them with others. 

Artificial Intelligence: AI, social media, and marketing are a perfect combination. Marketers now use information gathered from your online habits to feed you ads focused on your last search or purchase and continue to learn even more about you. 

Digital Death: When a person dies, their online presence becomes even more vulnerable to abuse if their accounts aren’t actively maintained or deleted by their survivors. Most of the major platforms have established procedures to help decommission accounts of the deceased, but they aren’t always used. 

Unintentional Disclosure: The information you post about yourself has the potential to reveal much of your personal history, including the answers to your online secret security questions. 

The more information you share, and the more others share about you, the more information can be collected and used by corporations, governments, and others. One of the best ways to protect yourself online is to limit what you share and what you allow others to share about you. 

The information you share online is commonly used in highly targeted phishing attacks. ITS continues to simulate these attacks and will assign training to individuals who are routinely susceptible to these simulations. If you’re concerned that you’ve been the target of phishing, see Reporting a Phishing Message (How-to). 

—Peter Lundstedt, ITS