INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES informationiterations technology services • University of missoUri – st. loUis SPRING • 2009 Welcome to our first electronic issue of Iterations. Based on the need Computer Security and the Remediation Project to reduce our budget, suggestions from the UMSL Suggestion Box Security plays an increasingly important role in the computing world and in order to be more environmental friendly, all future issues will (see phishing article in this issue) and in the announcement of a also be sent electronically. Also, see the article in this issue regarding new UM system initiative. As part of the University of Missouri’s turning off computers and printers at night and on weekends. commitment to keep faculty, staff and student personal data safe and secure, we are embarking on the Social Security Number Technology Innovation Grant Winners Remediation Project. Details of the project can be found at: https:// Congratulations to the winners of the Innovation Grants for the use doit.sharepoint.missouri.edu/sysops/public/ssnproject. To view this of technology in teaching and learning. Here are the winners: sharepoint site, please use either your sso [email protected] and sso • Rebecca Rogers of Teaching and Learning password or your umsl-users\sso id and sso password. I will soon • Kimberly Allen and Douglas Hughey of Nursing begin a formal process to work with UMSL unit managers to identify • Angela Coker of Counseling and Family Therapy uses of Social Security Numbers (SSNs) in their units. Our campus • Stephanie Merritt of Psychology Information Security Officer (ISO), Mark Monroe, will then work with • Michael Porterfield of Teaching and Learning unit managers and the UM System IT project team to begin the reme- • Carl Bassi of Optometry diation process as appropriate. • Kirsten Horn of Foreign Languages and Literature • Don Gayou of Mathematics and Computer Science New location for South Campus Online Testing Center (OTC) Instructional Computing is pleased to announce that the South Thank you to everyone who submitted proposals; the selection com- Campus Online Testing Center opened in its new location on Monday mittee had a very difficult task of selecting the projects due to the February 16, 2009. The new location is in South Campus Computer quality and depth of the project pool. Details of the winning propos- Building Room 107. This location has 14 online testing student stations. als can be found at: www.umsl.edu/technology/innovation_grant/ 2008_winners.html. Please watch for the announcement calling for James M. Krueger proposals for the next round of Innovation Grants. Vice Chancellor of Managerial and Technological Services Is this Email Real or a Phish? Even if you do not know what I mean by a from a real person’s official UMSL email Another way we can help protect from Phish, you have seen them. Phishing emails address. This allows the user to contact phishing emails is to not trust the links in look like real emails, but they are not. They the person to verify the email and it adds the email. Phishers put links in emails that pretend to be from your bank, credit card a more personal contact. ITS sends out make you think that you are being sent to company, PayPal or even UMSL. How can automated password reset emails, but your bank or UMSL’s webpage. Really it is we protect ourselves and others from they actually come from a real person’s sending you to a malicious site. Do not use these scams? mailbox that can be verified and the these links. Open a browser on your own person can be contacted. and type in the address as usual. If you One thing that you can do is not add to suspect that it is fraudulent, feel free to the confusion. Phishers use common “ge- Some groups do not like to do this because call the institution to verify. Please report neric” mailboxes to try and trick people. they do not want the replies to go to a spe- any phishing emails you receive to abuse@ They make their emails appear to come cific person. This is easily solved. When an umsl.edu . from [email protected] or webmail@umsl. email is created there is an option to spec- edu or [email protected]. They just ify a “Reply to” address. You could put your And always remember that we will never guess at what might be there and “spoof” group or departmental email address in ever ask you to email us your username or the address. Phishers can put whatever this “Reply to” field and all replies will then password, so never do it. they want in the “From” line of the email; be sent there. In doing this, we get the you have probably even received these verification and personalization of a real Mark Monroe emails from your own address. What we user with the convenience of the emails Information Security Officer recommend is that you never send Univer- coming back to a shared mailbox. To learn [email protected] sity emails out from a “generic” account how to use “Reply to”, please visit my web- or mailbox. Always send the emails out site: www.umsl.edu/technology/security. “Arte SINE MENTE Adhibentes” Reducing Costs through Power Management Over the years, computer manufacturers disrupting the availability of systems. One There was a man who was walking along have made great strides in lowering the such strategy -- already in effect -- is the use a sandy beach where thousands of star power consumption of PC’s and monitors. of power-saving settings on DSP computers. fish had been washed up on the shore. As technology progresses, many of those Ultimately, we hope to better utilize hiber- He noticed a boy picking the starfish one savings are undermined due to our increased nation, once we are able to do so without by one and throwing them back into the dependence on and volume of those devices. affecting the stability or responsiveness of a ocean. The man observed the boy for a When idle, each computer consumes system. Although the Instructional Computing few minutes and then asked what he was approximately 50 watts, each monitor 30 (IC) Labs and Classrooms are powered down doing. The boy replied that he was watts. Faculty and staff desktop PC’s and during off hours, we are designing and testing returning the starfish to the sea, monitors account for approximately 2000 an even more aggressive technique where otherwise they would die. The man workstations. Combined, these systems machines will automatically power on/off asked how saving a few, when so many consume 2.67 kilowatt-hours (kWh) every based on the schedule of the room where the were doomed, would make any minute, or 160 kWh for each hour those sys- system is located. difference whatsoever? The boy picked tems remain powered on. St. Louis power up a starfish and threw it back into the ITS encourages faculty and staff to take energy- customers have the fortunate advantage of ocean and said “Made a difference to saving measures with the PCs in their offices. being charged a rate well below the national that one...” In order to contribute to our effort, ITS recom- average. Assuming a nickel per kWh, it costs mends powering down workstations during If the motivation does not come from the the university a total of $8 an hour, to power the evenings, weekends, and holidays. There money saved, then it should come from one all 2000 computers. Though shockingly small are some instances where this is impractical, simple truth: It is the right thing to do. Simply and trivial at first glance, keep in mind, a year particularly for users who access their desk- by taking the actions we can, we walk across has a lot of hours. If left on for 24 hours, the top remotely. campus, see the students, and think, “Made electricity costs the University $192 a day-- a difference to that one...” “Made a differ- $70,080 a year. By simply powering off these Make no mistake. While saving money, these ence to that one...” “Made a difference to devices for 12 hours a day as well as over the efforts will not make a huge impact on UMSL’s that one...” weekend, those costs would decrease to budget. However, with everyone’s involve- $25,028—a savings of $45,052 annually! ment, UMSL will take sensible action to do our Jonathan Lilienkamp part. The following excerpt from Loren Eiseley’s ITS is actively investigating new ways of System Administrator The Star Thrower offers an apt analogy: reducing our power consumption without [email protected] Instructional Computing News Instructional Computing completed a few upgrades over the Win- Video Conferencing is another way to help save time and money. ter break. Three new Windows XP “stick rooms” were built in Clark Have you ever thought of holding that meeting, interview or hav- Hall (100, 312, and 313). Student computer stations were also ing that special guest speaker for your class via videoconference? upgraded in CCB 003, CCB 005 and SCC 103. A new home for Instructional Computing’s ITV rooms can hold as many as 30 or the South Campus Online Testing Center was opened on February as little as one, to get your business done, without the cost and 16th. It is now located in South Campus Computer Building 107. hassle of traveling. More information is available on this service at: This location will have 14 computers for online testing in MyGate- www.umsl.edu/technology/instructionalcomputing. way. The North Campus location is still available in JC Penny 75.