Welcome to this edition of Inside ITS! Inside ITS keeps users informed about technology services available at Weill Cornell.
In this issue:
- We're migrating to the cloud!
- InfoEd selected as college's new research administrative system
- Eyeing a new phone? See our changes in mobile device support
- Roam if you want to: Introducing eduroam
- Library hosts art show featuring artists from WCMC, NYP, and more
We’re migrating to the cloud!
Starting in November, ITS will begin migrating WCMC email accounts to Office 365. Office 365 is Microsoft’s new cloud-based office application service, and is the system currently used on the Ithaca campus. It combines the functions of Outlook, Word, Excel, and other MS Office products into a web-based, cross-platform system – with a huge mailbox! Each user gets a 50GB active mailbox and as much archive as you need. This enhanced email system is modern and fast, and offers multi-site disaster resiliency.
The migration will be done department-by-department starting in November and finishing in January. More information on the differences between the systems will be sent prior to the migration, but here are some things you should know now:
- ITS will perform most migrations remotely during off-peak hours to limit disruptions
- You will be able to use your email throughout the migration. While you may experience a brief outage, your email will return within minutes.
- If you currently get WCMC mail on your phone, you will receive the upgrade on your phone, unless it is a BlackBerry. For more information on what to do if you use a BlackBerry, contact the Service Desk.
- If you use Outlook 2007 or earlier for Windows, or Outlook 2008 or earlier for Mac, you need to upgrade prior to the migration. Find out more here.
- NYP users will not be migrating to the new system at this time, but they may in the future. We are working to minimize the effects of this change, but there will be some new limitations on sharing across the institutions. More details to come.
ITS will provide ample support ahead of the migration to help make it a smooth transition. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming emails and learning materials to ensure that you are ready for the move! Interested in learning more about the benefits of Office 365? Check out Microsoft’s overview here.
InfoEd selected as college’s new research administrative system
After extensive research by ITS, faculty, and staff, Weill Cornell has selected InfoEd as its new research administrative system. The selection came after almost a year of careful analysis by a steering committee led by Dr. Katherine Hajjar.
InfoEd is the market leader in research administration, and is used by many of WCMC’s sister institutions, including Columbia, Yale, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. InfoEd will replace the research administrative systems currently used at the college:
- Electronic Routing Form (ERF) for grants and contracts routing & approvals;
- Grant proposal, award, & contract negotiation tracking currently in Coeus & OCTATrax, respectively;
- Conflicts of Interest, currently in Huron’s COI product;
- Human subjects protocol application and review in eIRB;
- Clinical Study Evaluation Committee application and review currently using REDCap;
The new system will address several challenges users have faced with our current systems.We have planned critical integration with SAP, Clinical Research Enrollment and Study Tracking (CREST), and the animal research management system (EnCCoMPass). InfoEd also creates the opportunity for new electronic processes for the Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB), the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) and the Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight (ESCRO) committee.
Selecting InfoEd was a rigorous process that involved a large number of WCMC faculty and staff. In May, ITS' Research Administrative Computing (RAC) group hosted four vendors and one university consortium to demonstrate their software.
Approximately 100 participants from the research community attended demonstrations, with more watching video recordings of sessions to get a firsthand look at the technology being presented.
A project schedule has not yet been determined, but the steering committee has begun contract negotiations with InfoEd. More information on this implementation will be released as plans become more concrete.
Eyeing a new phone? See our changes in mobile device support
It seems a new mobile device is introduced every day, but which ones will work best at WCMC if you need it for institutional use? ITS recently updated its mobile device support, which can be your guide in finding the right device for you. Here are the latest changes:
iPhone 6 and iOS 8
Many WCMC users have begun purchasing Apple’s latest iPhone and downloading iOS 8. iOS devices are the preferred mobile device of the college, and the SMARTDesk will tag any iPhone 6 or 6 Plus to ensure it can access institutional resources. However, as mentioned in previous announcements, some users may still experience some issues with iOS 8. At this time, Citrix-based applications and iTunes U are the two main sources of headaches for many users with accessibility and connectivity issues. Rest assured, ITS has been in constant communication with our vendors to address these problems quickly.
As for the Apple Watch coming out early next year? We’ll definitely be testing its functionality once it’s released to see how it performs with WCMC resources.
Android devices
It’s official: ITS now supports an array of Android devices! This includes several models of Samsung, HTC, and Motorola mobile devices. Unfortunately, due to the subtle differences between models we cannot support every possible variation. Therefore, other Android models, like LG, Nexus, Sony, and Kyocera, are considered non-standard devices. For a full list of standard devices we support, visit our Mobile Devices page on the ITS website.
As with any device connected to institutional resources, you will need to tag and encrypt your Android device. To connect your Android device, you can either visit the SMARTDesk if you already have the device, or purchase one with help from our Computer Sales Group at csg@med.cornell.edu.
As always, you can check the ITS website for the latest information on standard devices at the college and how to get service.
Roam if you want to
Do you travel frequently to other college campuses for business or research? Now you can access wireless Internet with ease using your own WCMC credentials thanks to eduroam. When visiting a participating institution, all you have to do is:
- open your laptop or turn on your phone
- connect to wireless network “eduroam”
- enter your WCMC email as your username and input your usual WCMC password
That’s it. Quick, easy, and free at any participating institution.
Short for educational roaming, eduroam is a wireless access service used by thousands of educational institutions in the U.S. and worldwide. This authenticated network was developed for the international research and education community. It allows students, researchers, and staff from Weill Cornell to hop online while visiting other participating institutions using their own WCMC email and password, in the US or overseas.
Likewise, if you are hosting visitors at WCMC who come from an eduroam-participating institution, your guests will enjoy easy access to our wireless network on campus. No complicated setups, and no need to memorize yet another user name or password.
We are planning more features for eduroam on campus so soon it will become the default WiFi network on campus. But that will take several months. While ITS is working on consolidating wireless networks, please keep in mind that at this time if you are on the WCMC campus, you will still log on to the Internet using WMC Secure or WCMC SSIDs. When you go to an eduroam institution, log in with your WCMC email and password.
Take a look at the extensive list of participating institutions on the eduroam website. Morning classes at Weill Cornell, evening lecture at Columbia, weekend symposium at Cornell University in Ithaca? Access the Internet anywhere you roam with eduroam.
Library hosts art show featuring artists from WCMC, NYP, and more
In need of some inspiration? The Samuel J. Wood Library is hosting the 24th Medical Complex Art Show and 9th Virtual Medical Complex Art Show starting Monday, October 27. Faculty, staff, students, and alumni were invited to submit up to three works of original art in any medium, including paintings, photographs, sculptures, ceramics, handicrafts, and more. Submissions from WCMC-Qatar, NewYork-Presbyterian, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Rockefeller University, and Hospital for Special Surgery were also encouraged.
Overall, over 135 artworks were submitted, with physical pieces being displayed in the Library Commons until Saturday, January 31, 2015.
If you’re on campus and in the mood for a little artistic creativity, stop by the library or visit the virtual gallery! All employees and students of the hospital and college are invited to attend a reception in the Library Commons with Dean Glimcher as she announces the winners of the art show on Tuesday, November 4 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
For more information, visit library.med.cornell.edu/art.
Man and Sea, by Lyubov L. Tmanova, winner of the 2013 virtual show