DOIT Newsletter - Fall 2024
A Message from the Vice President & Chief Information Officer
This publication is designed to keep you informed about the technological advancements, initiatives, and resources that are shaping our university’s digital landscape. In this issue, we highlight several key projects that our IT team has been diligently working on to enhance our campus technology environment, including the rollout of our new Teams phone/voice mail, the implementation of Elbee Chatbot, the enhancement to our student virtual lab, and the upgraded high-performance computing services, just to name a few.
Our goal is to provide a secure and efficient digital environment for all members of the Beach family. To this end, we are also thrilled to introduce numerous Cybersecurity Awareness Month webinars and cybersecurity tips, along with a series of workshops and training sessions aimed at empowering you with the skills and knowledge to make the most of our IT services, such as an introduction to Microsoft Copilot AI tool and creating ADA/ATI compliant accessible documents. Whether you are a student, faculty member, or staff, there is something for everyone to learn and benefit from.
Your feedback is invaluable to us. We encourage you to email us your thoughts and suggestions, so that we can continue to improve and meet your needs for technology services. Together, we are creating a vibrant and connected university community.
Thank you for your continued support and engagement.
Go Beach!
Min Yao, Ph.D.
Vice President & CIO
SMART CAMPUS UPDATES
Telephone Service Migration to Microsoft Teams
In coordination with ASMs and key division and unit contacts, between December 2023 and September 2024, DoIT teams migrated over 3,500 phone services from our 40-year-old legacy phone system to Microsoft Teams Phone or were newly provisioned in the new system. This project, endorsed by the CSULB President and Executive team, marks a significant upgrade to our campus communication infrastructure, providing a modern, reliable, and feature-rich voice communication service. As an essential step toward aligning with the evolving landscape of communication and work, we will experience seamless voice communication integration with our daily tasks, no matter where we work and align with our campus’ long-term strategic plans while improving accessibility, security, and disaster recovery. Visit our Telephone Service page to learn more or request services.
Technology Help Desk Virtual Support Kiosk
The Technology Help Desk (THD) now offers a video call support in addition to in-person, telephone, email, and ticket options. You can access the video support on the THD webpage, whether you're calling from a computer or your mobile phone. Virtual Kiosks are also available on-campus offering video support at the touch of a button.
Parking and Transportation Services Transitions to Elbee Chatbot
Our campus’ Elbee chatbot is now assisting users visiting the Parking and Transportation Services website, bringing the count to nine campus service areas using the technology! Elbee continues to support students, prospective students, employees, and visitors by providing guidance and essential information to facilitate decision-making
Student Virtual Lab's 24/7 Access to 45 Campus Software Programs Enhances Access
Our Student Virtual Labs (SVL) now offers access to 45 campus-licensed software programs for students and faculty. With 24/7 remote access to diverse lab environments and applications, SVL ensures all students can meet course requirements and access essential resources from any location. Over the past three years, SVL is set to average over 10,000 unique user logins per year, highlighting its widespread use and importance. To access the CSULB Student Virtual Lab (SVL), visit Single Sign-On and select the SVL app.
Student Remote Labs: Continued Access and Usage
Our Student Remote Labs service continues to empower students with remote access to specialized software programs and applications from the Colleges of Business, The Arts, Liberal Arts, Education, and Engineering. This service eliminates the need for physical lab visits, providing flexibility and convenience. Over the past three years, we have averaged over 20,000 user logins annually, reflecting the continued reliance on this essential resource.
DocuSign eSignature Driving Efficiency and Sustainability
In our seventh year of utilizing DocuSign eSignature, we are pleased to report that this service continues to support efficiency and sustainability. The statistics for 2023 reveal the impressive impact of DocuSign usage on our environment: it was the equivalent of removing 19 cars from the road, sparing 194 loads of laundry, conserving 274 trees, and saving a staggering 845,203 pages of paper.
For 2024, DocuSign usage is set to surpass 2023's figures. These remarkable numbers reflect the efficiency of our campus operations and our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint. To learn more about maximizing the potential of DocuSign, explore the DocuSign Help resources.
HPC Continues to Expand and Support Academic Research
The campus High Performance Computing (HPC) environment continues to grow in computational power and usage as compared to Fall of 2023. This semester it features:
- 79 compute nodes (two more than last Fall)
- 2,936 computational cores (was 2,744; a 7% increase)
- 168,960 CUDA cores (previously 57,344; a 195% increase)
These resources offer high computational power and parallel processing, allowing more faculty and student researchers to run long-running computational jobs that may take days to weeks to complete. Such tasks would otherwise be much slower or potentially impractical on powerful desktop computers. Currently, there are 43 faculty and 117 student researchers that collectively process an average of 46,000 jobs a month.
AI Resources and Tools for Students, Staff, and Faculty
Led by the Provost, and the VP for Student Affairs, the AI Steering Committee have been working diligently on issues related to Artificial Intelligence (AI). Check out the AI Technology website, which serves as a central clearinghouse for AI resources developed and curated for CSULB, including general AI Guidelines, Students Guidelines on Generative AI, and a brand-new page on AI Resources for Staff.
Zoom has recently released an AI Companion which, when activated provides useful meeting management tools such as meeting summaries, highlights of key points, and a text transcript. Visit the CSULB Zoom support web page for details and instructions.
INFORMATION SECURITY
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month!
We’re excited to bring you a series of informative webinars and practical cybersecurity tips to help you stay safe online. Check out our Cybersecurity Awareness Month page for more details. Mark your calendars for a month full of learning and engagement! We’ll explore the latest in cybersecurity trends, best practices, and how to protect your personal and professional information.
Safe Data Practices with OneDrive
Sharing files on OneDrive is convenient, but choosing the right method is crucial for data protection. “Specific People” sharing is best for sensitive documents, requiring identity verification and preventing link forwarding. For internal documents, “People in Your Organization” is suitable, though links can be forwarded internally. Regularly review permissions and set expiration dates to enhance security.
NOTEWORTHY
Simplifying and Equalizing Textbook Access
The Day One Textbook Access program (D1TA) launched this fall, offering students digital access to all their course texts each semester for one flat rate. 61% of all students chose to participate in this voluntary program. A digital-first approach to improving one of college’s most cumbersome practices, D1TA is designed to make the textbook buying process more equitable, affordable, and convenient. The program aims to take the guesswork out of book sourcing and pricing, promising students from any major all their required course texts for a single set price, delivered to their Canvas portal by the first day of class. As current work norms trend more and more toward a digital landscape, the D1TA program is an opportunity to ready students for the future of work by expanding access to relevant and familiar technologies. Learn more about the Day 1 Textbook Access program.
Training Opportunities
Intro to Copilot
- New to Copilot at CSULB? View this 10-minute training and learn the basics of this new AI chat tool to help you create images, construct writing projects, get organized and more.
Document Accessibility
This self-guided Document Accessibility course is provided by the Chancellor’s Office and covers:
- Creating accessible content and structure in Word & PowerPoint
- Evaluating the accessibility of well-structured Word & PowerPoint documents
- Optimizing the accessibility of PDFs with Acrobat
- Creating accessible document content and structure in Excel
New cohorts start each month, and a certificate will be awarded after completion.
