October 2017

Radford Home
DoIT Website
Technology Support
Policies and Standards
DoIT News Archives

Division of Information Technology
P.O. Box 6888
Radford, VA 24142
Phone: (540) 831-5173
Fax: (540) 831-6217
Email: cio@radford.edu

Division of Information Technology
Radford University

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month

Every October, we take a moment to focus on how we can secure ourselves from malicious actors. One way is to make yourself less of a target for identity theft.

The more information you publicly post, the easier it is to focus in on you and attempt to steal your identity. Be careful about posting your birthdate, anniversary, family member names and even pet names. Those are often the answers to security questions intended to provide an additional layer of verifying you are who you say you are.

What can I do to protect myself?
Limit what you share and whom you share it with online. Many banks and financial institutions will text you a secondary passcode to a registered phone when you login. Check with each online service you use to see if it is possible to enroll in two-factor authentication.

What about breached vendors outside of my control?
In the wake of the Equifax data breach, monitor your credit report. You can place a credit freeze so that it is considerably more difficult to open a new account in your name; this has the caveat that it will make it more difficult for you to open a new account as well until you remove the freeze. If you think your credit/debit card with a vendor was compromised, consider requesting your bank issue a new number. In addition, always monitor your bank and credit card statements, looking for odd charges.

RU Mobile has New Features

The RU Mobile app now has two of the most sought-after features to allow you to save time and be more productive while on the go.

Email (O365 Email) and Desire2Learn (D2L) links are now available to access your Radford University email and keep track of your D2L courses. Both features require authentication to keep your data safe and secure.

The app is free to download to your Android or iOS devices. If you have any problems downloading the app or accessing the new features, please contact the Technology Assistance Center at 540-831-7500 .

New resource for student job seekers: Handshake

Over the summer, the staff of the Center for Career and Talent Development launched an exciting new platform for students and alumni seeking jobs and internships.

The new system, Handshake, replaces Hire a Highlander and is used by more than 400 university career centers, including Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Princeton and the University of Virginia.

With a network of more than 200,000 unique employers from every industry and region, Handshake provides job seekers with access to opportunities across the country and across the globe.

Students can make appointments with career counselors, register for events such as career fairs and workshops and access employer information in Handshake 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Handshake's easy-to-use interface is highly personalized to each student. It creates a basic profile for students and intelligently recommends career events, resources and job opportunities.

Handshake also allows students to see when various employers are visiting campus. The intuitive interface makes it easy for the Center for Career and Talent Development staff to post read-on-demand articles and announcements relevant to today's students.

New options on MyRU

New options have been added to the MyRU portal main page to streamline navigation to important web locations. The OneDrive icon can be used to navigate to Office365 OneDrive space, which is a cloud storage option that is available to all students, faculty and staff. The IT OneStop icon will allow you to request support or look for answers to common problems.

If you have any questions, contact the Technology Assistance Center at 540-831-7500.

Project Management Best Practice: S.M.A.R.T Goals

Defining SMART goals during the project-planning phase is an effective way to start projects and achieve better outcomes.

Technology training

Academic Technologies offers a number of workshops each month for faculty and staff. If you need training that is not included on this list or would like to request a one-on-one, group or custom technology workshop, contact Academic Technologies at 540-831-7521 or acadcomp@radford.edu.

Session registration links can be found on ITOnestop. Search for the "Schedule of Technology Training Workshops" article.

The sessions act as an excellent introductory to a technology new to you or a way to dive further into something you would like to use more effectively.

ITOnestop also contains step-by-step instruction sheets for a variety of commonly asked questions. Use the ITOnestop link above and select the Solutions Library to search for quick answers to your specific technology questions.

Meet the DoIT Staff

Jay Kabath
Project Leader and Senior Analyst

How long have you been employed in the Division of Information Technology at Radford University? 3 years

Family: Married four years to Theresa, a Radford alumna. Together we have six kids, Daniel (at University of Tennessee), Rachel, Steven (at Old Dominion), Spencer (at University of Mary Washington), Elizabeth (high school senior) and Grace.

Hometown: Born in Daytona Beach, Florida. I went to high school and college in upstate New York. Virginia is a nice medium.

Education: B.S. in computer science from SUNY Oswego. Minors in mathematics and philosophy.

Interests/Hobbies: Keeping track of six kids. Science fiction.

Favorite vacation destination: Family visits from Ohio and New York to Florida.

Favorite part of your job: Working with all the other offices to make things work more efficiently, enabling students to have a smoother college experience.