The Unified Desktop project is in the middle of Phase I, due for completion at the end of February or early March. The Directory Services integration component, which is the dependency for the remaining tasks in Phase I, is nearing completion for both the Windows and MacOS platforms. The subsequent tasks require the development of strategies for imaging, application distribution, user permissions, asset management and personal data storage. A contractual agreement with Apple for Mac OS licensing is also under negotiation.
New Processing Area for TDC
Total Desktop Care recently moved into a new area for processing new and surplus equipment in L1212 and L1213. New equipment deliveries will be made directly to L1212, which will simplify the current process. Additionally, the new space provides increased security for storing newly purchased equipment and provides more organized storage space for surplus equipment. As part of the move, Adam Hufnagel relocated his office to L1213.
Project Management With Quickbase
iCIT continues to improve its project management processes. Kent Steinike and Theresa Parker have been collaborating to implement Quickbase software for project requesting. Most of the AIS staff has been trained on Quickbase. The Administrative Systems Steering Committee has been granted access to several Quickbase report views and is developing a project prioritization method. These groups are developing the workflow for the project request and management process, and are working to create a single point of request for all projects. The Quickbase tools will be piloted this spring with a few campus departments before a wider rollout later this year.
New Generation of Microsoft Products.
In the coming year, the UWW campus will experience an influx of new software product offerings from Microsoft. These new products will provide a variety of enhancements to the software many of us use daily on our computers, as well as present significant changes in how these products look and how you use them. These new products include a new Microsoft operating system (Windows Vista), a new version of Microsoft Office (Office 2007) and a new version of Microsoft Exchange Mail/Calendar system.
iCIT is currently evaluating these products and learning about the environment they use. Vista and Office 2007 will be rolled out concurrently after completing analysis, planning and training campus users.
In the meantime, iCIT staff are working to identify old versions of operating systems and upgrading them to Windows XP in order to prepare for future upgrades.
Internet Explorer 7
In October, Microsoft released the next version of their web browser, Internet Explorer 7 (IE7). This new version includes major changes to the user interface and adds a number of popular features, such as improvements to printing, integrated search, new security features, RSS support, and tabbed browsing. On November 1st, Microsoft began releasing IE7 as an automatic update through Microsoft Updates. However, iCIT has not yet applied the update to campus workstations in order to address certain usability issues. When these compatibility issues for campus systems have been addressed and changes communicated with campus, the IE 7 browser will be distributed as an update.