On Wednesday 4^th May, Information Technology in conjunction with the Business Systems Teams in HR and Finance are launching a new service to provide remote access to services that are currently only available when connected to the University wired network. The new service allows us to do this more securely using a Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) system.

The new service is currently aimed at P2P approvers and some support staff within HR. A second phase in the later stages of development, will also give access to other services. The service has been extensively tested to ensure that it is easy to use.

The new system uses not just your username and password, but also a request sent to a previously configured smartphone or similar device. This system has been chosen because it is simple to use, but also ensures that we do not only rely on a username and password that can be at risk from email Phishing attacks.

P2P users will be contacted by email to let them know when the service is live and receive information about using it. Documentation and instructions can be found here, on the IT website.

If you have any questions about the service then please contact Anton Lawrence or Godswill Arum. For general support queries please call ext 6262 or use the Self-Service Portal.

IT

After the installation and go live of a new Identity and Access Management (IdAM) system, known as Sailpoint IIQ, we were made aware of a number of issues around Outlook. Calendars were not displaying and the main Global Address List (GAL) was not displaying information about most users. Outlook Web Access (OWA) was unaffected.

This has come about after a change to a particular field in the main University authentication system that was not highlighted during the extensive testing that was carried out. It has taken considerable effort and time, working with support from Microsoft, to identify the cause and this was compounded by the inconsistent nature of the problem. We have now identified a fix that will be implemented today, 21^st April 2016. Unfortunately this may take some time to flow through to Outlook due to the way that it stores and caches information.

We understand that this has been disruptive to many people and apologise for the problem and the length of time that it has taken to identify and implement a resolution. If you have any follow-up concerns or questions then please contact me by email. For general queries please contact the Service Desk on ext 6262 or via the Self-Service Portal

Anton Lawrence

Assistant Director, Applications Development & Support,

Information Technology, University of Reading

From 11 April, IT will implement a new system for the creation, management and control of staff user accounts.  The process will be significantly improved:

• Accounts will be created quicker than before (under one day).
• Accounts will be automatically created and any changes, such as Line Manager changes, will be applied automatically.
• Password resets (where passwords have been forgotten or locked out) can now be managed by the user.

The user accounts that will be included in this phase are:

• Network Access
• Email
• Blackboard
• TOPDesk
• Trent

IT have prepared an information hub for the project- please click here for further information, or contact Anton Lawrence.

IT

UPDATED:

Services are being brought back up. All services should be available shortly, however some may be operating at reduced efficiency.

There has been a further power interruption on campus affecting IT services. We have identified the problem and are restoring services.

The following services have been affected:

• Staff and Student email
• Campus Card Services
• Printing
• Research services hosted at Earley gate
• Sports Park systems
• Timetabling
• Finance System
• Library Systems

Check back here for further details.

IT

Due to the planned changes in User Account Management services from the 11^th April there will be a freeze on the creation of new Class Accounts and Group Accounts after Wednesday 6^th April until the following Tuesday the 12^th April.  Please forward any known requirements for either Class or Group Accounts to the IT Service Desk by mid-afternoon on Wednesday 6^th April.

Any requests submitted before 12:00 will be honoured and processed.

IT

We have received reports of a new spam email being delivered to staff and student University email accounts. This is not an official email and could damage your computer and put your files at risk.

It looks like this:

This is not sent from our Service Desk nor was it approved by them. Do not click the link in this email.

Always check your emails thoroughly before opening media or links contained within them;

• Do you recognise the sender?
• Are you expecting to receive this email?
• Does it look official?

If in doubt, do not open the email and consult the Service Desk on 0118 378 6262 or extension 6262 and they will be happy to advise you.

IT

There are currently major interruptions to all IT services due to power outages across campus – updates to follow.