Rice University logo
 
Top blue bar image OIT News
Office of Information Technology
 

Welcome New Faculty: Getting Connected to OIT

October 7th, 2019 by Hanna Gratch

This message was sent to new faculty on August 22, 2019.

 

Rice OIT logo

 

 

 

Getting Connected with OIT

Welcome to Rice University! The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is excited that you are joining the Rice community as a new faculty member. We are proud to serve Rice’s mission and goals related to research, teaching, learning, and scholarship as your technology partner.

photo of two people with computer

 

 

 

 

 

Instructor Resources
Canvas is Rice’s Learning Management System. Training is offered at the beginning of the semester.

Learning Spaces are equipped with multimedia and audio/visual equipment including 99 classrooms and 4 teaching labs. Introductory and advanced training is available upon request.

More: Teaching and Learning Tools

two people using computers

 

 

 

 

 

Account Management
MyNetID is the account management system and where you can reset your NetID password or set up an alias email address.

Duo is a two-factor authentication service for a growing number of campus systems.

VPN or virtual private network provides secure connection to the Rice campus network from off campus.

Esther is for all employees to select benefits, view pay stubs, set up direct deposit, etc. Login with employee ID and pin.

More: Administrative Applications

abstract image of DNA

 

 

 

 

 

Research Computing
The Center for Research Computing provides shared facilities and services for computing, visualization, data-storage, and networking to support the research mission of the university.

More: Tools and Resources

image about data safety

 

 

 

 

 

Technology Security
Everyone in the Rice community is responsible for protecting the electronic assets of the university. Information security awareness training is required of all faculty and staff. This training is delivered through video modules in Canvas and takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.

More: Information Security Office

photo of tech devices

Software
Certain software products are available for free or at a discounted rate to Rice employees. For instance, Office 365 can be used for free and CrashPlan (backup service for Mac/PC) requires a yearly $82 fee).

More: Software Available for Faculty and Staff

abstract image of computing in cloud

 

 

 

 

 

Campus Infrastructure

Networks: Faculty and staff office computers are connected to the wired network. The wireless network is available throughout campus: Rice Owls (secured -NetID and Password); Rice Visitor (public network for visitors and guests); and Eduroam (member of a collaborative world-wide access network).

Storage:  Data storage, file sharing and collaboration spaces include U:drive and Google Teams/Drive.

Voice and videoconferencing: Rice telephone system (Cisco VoIP services) and Zoom Videoconferencing.

Getting Help from OIT

OIT’s Help Desk is the central point of contract for computing help and support. Help Desk staff answer technical questions and route service requests to other OIT professionals. You can submit requests any time via the web site or email. You can also call or drop by during office hours.

As a new member of the Rice community, your OIT Divisional Representative can configure your Rice-owned computer or consult on a new computer purchase. They can also help set up your email, printing, mobile devices and provide information about technology resources.

photo of help button on keyboard

 

 

 

 

 

Rice OIT Help Desk 
713-348-4357 (HELP)
Mudd Lab, room 103
Monday – Friday:  8:00 a.m – 5:00 p.m.
(excluding holidays)

Request help electronically:
– complete online form
– email helpdesk@rice.edu

Online resources:
IT Status: Subscribe to email or text notifications about incidents or maintenance
Rice KnowledgeBase: Online how-to documentation and announcements

More: Help Desk Services

More information:  Getting Started with IT for Faculty

Posted in OIT Publication, Systems and Services, Teaching and Tech, Tech in Research | Comments Off on Welcome New Faculty: Getting Connected to OIT

NOTS Cluster Orientation Workshop – Oct. 10, 2019

October 1st, 2019 by OIT News

Are you interested in High Performance Computing resources at Rice?  Or a new student or postdoc who needs to use HPC resources for your research?  Maybe you already have a NOTS account, but want to learn more about how to make the most of the system?

The Center for Research Computing is holding a two hour workshop, “NOTS Cluster New User Orientation,” on Oct. 10, 2019 from 8:30 – 10:30 am in the Ken Kennedy Conference room, Duncan Hall 3076.

Topics covered will include:

How to get a NOTS account
Charges for using the system
Help & Documentation
Logging in for the first time
Data management on the cluster
Using software on the cluster
Using the SLURM resource manager to schedule jobs
MATLAB examples using the NOTS cluster for larger scale computational tasks

Please RSVP by email to heider@rice.edu if you plan to attend.

Posted in Systems and Services, Tech in Research | Comments Off on NOTS Cluster Orientation Workshop – Oct. 10, 2019

2018-2019 OIT Annual Report

September 19th, 2019 by Hanna Gratch

Owl Cover for Annual Report

Learn more about OIT’s projects and initiatives by reading this year’s OIT Annual Report.

Our goal is to provide the Rice University community with effective, innovative and client-focused technology solutions. We support research, academic and administrative systems, voice, network, computing infrastructure, identity and access management, security and other core systems. We strive to be an integral part of Rice committed to supporting the university mission through innovative uses of technology and service excellence.

Posted in OIT Publication | Comments Off on 2018-2019 OIT Annual Report

Ransomware Affecting Multiple Local Government Agencies in Texas

August 21st, 2019 by OIT News

This message was distributed to the Rice community on August 20, 2019.

Colleagues,

Recent news articles have reported a coordinated, crippling ransomware attack against over 20 Texas local government entities.  The goal of this attack is likely to hold information hostage and interrupt normal operations unless the attackers are paid.  While the sources of the attack and the methods used by the attacker are under investigation, these situations can often be traced back to someone responding to a malicious email.

While Rice has not been affected, this is a stark reminder of the importance of carefully evaluating emails, especially those that ask for private information, have unexpected attachments or provide links to unfamiliar places.  Here are some basic guidelines to follow:

  • Do not download or open unexpected email attachments.  Call the original sender of the email to ensure they actually sent it and ask what it should contain.  If you are unsure, contact the Office of Information Technology (OIT) Help Desk.
  • Do not click on links in unsolicited or unexpected emails.  If you are on a computer, you can use your mouse to hover over the link to see where it actually intends to send you.   If you are on a phone, long press (or hold) the link and the phone will show you the link before actually visiting the site.
  • Never provide private information, even about yourself or your password via email.  If you need to share private information as part of your role at Rice, only use Rice’s Box.com or our Google Drive.  The OIT Help Desk can help you with this.

If you open an attachment or visit a link from a suspicious email please contact the OIT Help Desk at 713-348-HELP or helpdesk@rice.edu immediately!

While our antispam Proofpoint system catches many of these email attacks, some may still make it through.  We need your continued help to catch these attacks.  If you receive an email that you have questions about, please ask the OIT Help Desk at 713-348-HELP or helpdesk@rice.edu.

Thank you for your continued vigilance in protecting yourself and the Rice community.

Marc Scarborough
Chief Information Security Officer

Posted in In the News, Security | Comments Off on Ransomware Affecting Multiple Local Government Agencies in Texas

Migration to Windows 10 Operating System

May 8th, 2019 by OIT News

This is a reposting of an email sent to Rice community on 5-6-19.

Dear Colleagues,

Just a reminder, Microsoft announced the end of support and security updates for computers running Windows 7 operating system after January 14, 2020.  This presents a potential burden of risk to Rice’s computing environment.

As a result, all Rice faculty or staff members with Rice-owned computer(s) running Windows 7 will need to be upgraded to Windows 10. We need your assistance to complete the upgrade of your system(s) to Windows 10 by December 2019.

The Office of Information Technology provides Rice University users the ability to upgrade their Rice-owned Windows 7 computer(s) to Windows 10.  In order to take advantage of this self-service upgrade:

  • Your computer must be a member of Rice’s Active Directory (ADRICE).
  • If your PC is not on ADRICE, OIT can schedule a time to facilitate this process and kick-start your Windows 10 upgrade.

For more on Windows 10 Migration, refer to the following Rice KB articles:

To ensure the security and integrity of computer systems running at Rice, any computing device running unsupported operating systems or configured in an insecure manner are subject to restrictions when connecting to the Rice network.

If you have plans to be away for an extended period of time this summer, consider upgrading your computer system to Windows 10 before your departure.

If you need assistance, please contact the Help Desk at 713-348-4357 or submit a request by emailing: helpdesk@rice.edu.

Regards,

Diane Yee
Assistant Director, IT Customer Service
Office of Information Technology
Rice University

Posted in In the News, Security, Systems and Services | Comments Off on Migration to Windows 10 Operating System

Rice News: Rice IT is beefing up online security

April 16th, 2019 by OIT News
This article is a reposting of a Rice News article.

by Matt Wilson, Rice News

April 15, 2019

New procedures are response to rise in attempts to steal university employees’ credentials

Rice University is enhancing online security by implementing changes to its My NetID portal.

The new procedures are a response to a rise in attempts to steal online usernames and passwords of employees at universities. In recent attacks at Oberlin College, Grinnell College and Hamilton College, attackers exploited flaws in the password-recovery process and downloaded private admissions data.

While Rice’s password-recovery process does not have the same flaws and is not susceptible to the same type of attack, the incidents illustrate that attackers are targeting online credentials and the tools that manage them at higher education institutions.

Read complete Rice News article.

Posted in Systems and Services | Comments Off on Rice News: Rice IT is beefing up online security

Self-Service Password Reset for Banner/Edgar Now Available

April 11th, 2019 by OIT News

This is a reposting of an email sent to Rice community on 4-5-19.

 

Greetings,

A new self-service password reset application is now available to all Banner/Edgar users. If you have a valid Rice NetID and have enrolled in Duo Security (Two-Factor Authentication), you will be able to use the new self-service application 24/7 to reset your Banner/Edgar password and unlock your Banner/Edgar account.

If you haven’t enrolled in Duo Security, please follow the Duo Enrollment Guide at https://kb.rice.edu/page.php?id=70779 to enroll in Duo at https://mynetid.rice.edu/ so that you can use it for two-factor authentication.

Please make sure you are on Rice campus network. If you are on Rice Visitor wireless or off campus, you will have to first log into Rice VPN (Virtual Private Network) in order to use the self-service password reset.

To access the self-service password reset application, please click the following link:

https://edgar.rice.edu/forgot.html

You will be prompted for login using your NetID and password. You will then be prompted with Duo Security. After you are authenticated, please follow the instructions on the screen to complete verification and password reset process.

If you experience any issues, please send an email to help@rice.edu or call 713-348-HELP(4357) for assistance.

Sincerely,

Administrative and Enterprise Systems and Services
Office of Information Technology
Rice University

 

Posted in In the News, Security, Systems and Services | Comments Off on Self-Service Password Reset for Banner/Edgar Now Available

Important Changes to the My NetID Portal

April 10th, 2019 by OIT News

This is a reposting of an email sent to Rice community on 4-10-19.

Dear colleagues,

As you may know, attackers were able to steal the usernames and passwords of employees with access to admissions portals at several higher education institutions.  The attackers took advantage of flaws in those institutions’ password recovery process.  Once they had access, the attackers were able to download private admissions data.

While our password recovery process does not have the same flaws and is not susceptible to the same type of attack, this incident illustrates that attackers are targeting our account passwords and the tools that manage them.

What we are doing to protect Rice

Two weeks ago, we enhanced our account portal, My NetID, to send email notifications when certain key changes are made.  This includes updates to your password, contact information, and email addresses.  The notifications will be sent to your Rice email address along with the external contact email address listed in the My NetID portal.  If you receive an email notification and you did not make any changes, you should contact the OIT Help Desk at 713-348-HELP or helpdesk@rice.edu.

Additionally, on April 22nd, we will begin requiring Duo, our multi-factor authentication (MFA) system, to access the My NetID portal.  Anyone that has not already set up Duo will be required to do so upon login to https://mynetid.rice.edu.  This change will make it more difficult for attackers to use stolen usernames and passwords to access the account portal and make changes to our accounts.

This enhanced protection will soon be available on other services on campus, starting with those that store or process sensitive, confidential, or other private information, including Slate, our admissions portal, and general access to employee payroll and direct deposit information.

More Information

If you would like to enable this protection now, simply log into https://mynetid.rice.edu and click on “Two-Factor Authentication” in the left hand menu and then click on “Enable Two-Factor Authentication” to start the Duo setup process.

You can also set up or change your external contact address, the one that will receive account change notifications, while logged into the portal.  You can do this by clicking on the menu option titled “Contact Information” in the left hand menu of the page.

A full walk through of this process can be found here:
https://kb.rice.edu/duoguide

For information about managing your Duo devices visit:
https://kb.rice.edu/manageduo

For information about traveling with Duo visit:
https://kb.rice.edu/duotravel

For information about Multi-Factor Authentication visit:
https://kb.rice.edu/whatismfa

Thank you for helping us protect our resources and the privacy of our data.  If you have any questions, please contact the OIT Help Desk at 713-348-HELP or helpdesk@rice.edu.

Thank you,

Marc Scarborough
Chief Information Security Officer

Posted in In the News, Security | Comments Off on Important Changes to the My NetID Portal

Migration to Windows 10

March 4th, 2019 by OIT News

This is a reposting of an email sent to Rice community on 3-1-19.

Dear colleagues,

Since December 2017, OIT has been deploying all new PC computers with the Windows 10 operating system. In August of 2018, OIT migrated all classroom and podium machines to Windows 10 and Office 2016 in order to ensure compatibility with new hardware and software, and take advantage of new features and security improvements.

As you may be aware, Microsoft announced it will no longer support or provide security updates to Windows 7 after January 14, 2020.  This presents a potential burden of risk to Rice’s computing environment.

As a result, any Rice faculty or staff members’ systems running Windows 7, will need to be upgraded to Windows 10.  We are asking for your assistance to complete an upgrade of your PC system(s) to Windows 10 by December 2019.

Rice OIT has prepared an automated way for you to upgrade your machine(s) to Windows 10 at your convenience.  In order to take advantage of the self-service upgrade, your machine must be a member of the Rice’s Active Directory (ADRICE).  If your PC is not on ADRICE or you are not sure, OIT can schedule a time with you to facilitate this process and help kick start your Windows 10 upgrade. Once you are running Windows 10, OIT will also have a self-service upgrade available for use of Office 2016.

OIT representatives will be following up and visiting each department over the next couple of months to ensure your migrations are going as smoothly as possible.

If you are ready to upgrade your machine to Windows 10, please contact the Help Desk at 713-348-4357 or submit a request by emailing helpdesk@rice.edu and we will get you started.   For more specifics on the migration process and its requirements as well as additional information on features of Windows 10, please refer to the following Rice KB articles.

In order to ensure the security and integrity of computer systems running at Rice, any computing device running unsupported operating systems or configured in an insecure manner are subject to restrictions when connecting to the Rice network.

Sincerely,

Mike

Mike Dewey
Director – Campus Services
Office of Information Technology

 

Posted in In the News, Security, Systems and Services | Comments Off on Migration to Windows 10

OIT Seeking Graduate Student Interns

February 4th, 2019 by OIT News

Photo of OIT's table at Internship Expo

 

 

 

OIT is hiring Rice graduate students for paid internships this summer. Rice staff members Chris Brown, John Mulligan, and Zheng Fan (left to right) explained the opportunities to students at the Rice Center for Career Development’s Spring Career Fair and Internship Expo on February 1. (Read more about the 2018 summer program.)

 

OIT’s Graduate Student Internship Program 2019

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is currently seeking Rice graduate students planning a career in the IT industry for summer 2019 internships.

The OIT’s Graduate Student Internship Program is a paid and intensive internship offering Rice graduate students an
opportunity to work closely with senior systems analysts, software engineers and systems directors at OIT, and receive an inside look at their potential career path and gain valuable hands-on experience as a professional in the IT field. The program is both professionally and academically beneficial.

Internship Goals

• Gain practical and professional experience in the IT field.

• Further develop data science skills and expertise.

• Gain knowledge of technology stacks behind successful web projects and how to choose a technology stack for web application development.

• Explore career opportunities – participants can gain insights into the daily operations inside OIT and hands-on
experience as a professional in the IT field.

• Find Mentors – senior systems analysts, software engineers and systems directors at OIT can help guide participants through the internship program and expose participants to opportunities to which they can aspire.

Eligibility Requirements

• Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Computer Science or related area of study.

• Must be enrolled in Rice University during time of internship.

• Completed at least one semester at the university to qualify for an internship.

• Able to commit 40 hours per week in the summer.

• Ethics, integrity, and sound professional judgment.

• Strong problem solving skills with the ability to analyze and interpret data.

• Excellent communication and organizational skills.

• Ability to learn new technical skills as needed.

• Other required skills per specific job description.

Online Application Process

Apply online through March 10 via the Rice Job Board:

http://jobs.financialaid.rice.edu

Additional Information

• Interns will participate in training during the first week of the internship. This training program will expose interns to our culture and provide a knowledgebase to draw upon throughout the remainder of the internship and beyond.

• Compensation – Interns receive a competitive salary based on skill level.

Summer 2018

40 hours per week

10 – 12 weeks

Schedule:  8 am – 5 pm

On campus: Cambridge Office Building or Ryon Lab

Internships

 

• Web Application Developer

• Salesforce CRM Developer

• Systems Support Analyst

• Data-Driven App Developer

•Research Computing Infrastructure Developer

Specific qualifications and more information on roles and responsibilities for each internship are online (http://jobs.financialaid.rice.edu).

OIT Table at Internship Expo

About OIT

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is the university’s central technology provider, supporting research, academic and administrative systems, other core applications and voice, network, and computing infrastructure for the Rice community. OIT is an integral part of Rice committed to supporting the university’s mission through innovative uses of technology and service excellence.

Posted in In the News, Students | Comments Off on OIT Seeking Graduate Student Interns

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »