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Information Technology - New Employee Overview

As a new member of the Georgia Highlands College faculty/staff, you have been given access to an array of Information Technology services. Depending upon your individual job responsibility, access to different systems, rights, and privileges will vary. Everyone has access to certain systems such as: email & calendaring, Internet, the GHC Intranet, remote access, network resources, etc. All access levels are very important to GHC. Access to these resources is considered a privilege. Please assist us in safeguarding these resources and information as you utilize them. Please pay careful attention to our policies and make sure you have read through all of them. Important information is contained within and will assist you in making proper decisions when utilizing information technology resources.

The following information will hopefully point you in the right direction for a few critical areas of information technology. Please follow-up with some of the links as they will provide additional information and instruction. This list is an overview of some of the more important areas you will encounter. Please contact IT for additional information as the technology landscape can be overwhelming at first and rapidly changes. We want to make your transition into our technology a smooth one and provide you with the proper tools to assist you in your job while at Georgia Highlands College.

1. Policies

(Please click on the policy name to be directed to the complete version)

Access to Georgia Highlands College computing resources is a privilege granted by the college. All network and email accounts are the sole property of Georgia Highlands College.

Acceptable Use Policy

This policy serves as the guiding framework for information security and is the overriding policy of all other policies. Please refer to the other information policies, such as security, web, and email for appropriate use of all information and technology related issues. When activating an account, a user agrees to follow specific policies. Failure to do so may result in loss of computing privileges, expulsion, or criminal prosecution. In summary, the policies say that computer users should act responsibly while respecting the rights of others, as well as respect all licenses, copyrights, and contracts. They should use these accounts and other computing resources for appropriate college activities and acknowledge that system administrators have the authority to examine files, mail, and printer listings in order to diagnose and correct system problems.

Security Policies

Inappropriate use of computing resources exposes Georgia Highlands College to risks including virus attacks, compromise of network systems and services, and legal issues. There are many information security policies for dealing with specific technology usage. Passwords are one of the most important aspects of computer security. They are the front line of protection for user accounts. A poorly chosen password may result in the compromise of Georgia Highlands College's entire network. As such, all Georgia Highlands College employees are responsible for selecting and securing their passwords.

Web Policy

Because you are representing Georgia Highlands College when publishing information electronically, please take caution to assure it is both accurate and consistent. An official document is one that speaks for Georgia Highlands College and its official programs and departments. All such documents should have a uniform comment at the bottom, which includes the date modified and a contact email address. The Office of College Relations has the right to review and edit all such electronic publications. Departmental home pages should express the nature of each department while incorporating nine required elements. These required elements include at least one link back to the Georgia Highlands College home page, a description of the department, a contact email address and date modified stamp, and updated, grammatical, and accurate information. Also for uniformity reasons, top tier pages have certain formatting restrictions across the college. For example, third tier pages and above should have the same header and footer as the Georgia Highlands College home page.

Email Policy

Email services should be used for the sole purpose of furthering the academic distribution of information and service of Georgia Highlands College. Because Georgia is an open records state, certain actions may permit or require an inspection or monitoring of a user's email without his permission. Such conditions include when required by and consistent with the law, when there is reasonable assumption that a violation of law or College policy has occurred, or in the normal course of system administration by system administrators and postmasters. Messages sent to college-wide distribution lists should be used only for college pertinent information. With this in mind, please do not use these lists for selling anything or advertising non-business information. Email communications should follow the same standards expected in written business communications and public meetings.

2. Getting onto the Campus Network:

The FLOYD Domain


• What is a network domain?

  A domain is a group of networked computers that share a common communications address. In other words, it is what you log into in order to utilize the resources on the computer. There are two domains at Georgia Highlands College: the Floyd domain and the Academic domain.

• When do I use the FLOYD domain?
  

  Faculty and Staff use the FLOYD domain to check their email through Outlook, to save documents to their user directory, and to access common folders in which they have permissions. Faculty and staff can place shortcuts on their desktop that will remain static every time they log onto the FLOYD domain.

• When do I use the ACADEMIC domain?
  

  Students use the ACADEMIC domain. Every student who prints his Schedule/Charges gets an email account and a Windows network account. With this network account on the ACADEMIC domain, the student has access to his Z drive. Faculty and staff do not have (or generally need) user names/passwords for this domain.

  To log on, simply use the network user name and password that is assigned to you by the Information Technology Department (please see FAQs for details on acquiring this account). Make sure to specify the appropriate domain in the Log on to: textbox (If this field is not showing, click on Options).

3. Accessing Key Georgia Highlands College Information:

The Faculty/Staff Intranet - http://www.highlands.edu/intranet/


• What is the Intranet?

  The Intranet is a privately maintained computer network that can be accessed only by authorized persons, especially members or employees of the organization that owns it.

• When do I use the Intranet?

  Faculty and Staff can find many useful documents on the Intranet. Various How-To's are posted as a learning tool for all employees. Many other resources are also available, such as voicemail and telephone instructions, Business Office forms, timesheets, and Information Technology Service Requests.

  Because we don't want the Intranet to be accessed by just anyone (that would defeat the purpose), it has been password protected. Please contact your department secretary, supervisor, or any other faculty/staff and they will give you the user name and password.

4. Reading Your E-mail Off Campus:

Webmail - http://webmail.highlands.edu/
• What is Webmail?

  Webmail allows you to check your Georgia Highlands College email account when you are away from campus, all you need is an Internet connection. Since email is such a popular and prominent form of communication on this campus, Webmail is an especially important tool as it allows you to check your inbox when you're away from work.

• How do I access Webmail?

  To check your email account online, find a computer with Internet access (PC or Mac), open a web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer), and type webmail.highlands.edu in the address bar.

  To log on, simply type your username and password in the Prompt popup box. This is the same User Name and Password that you use to log onto the network.

5. Printing from Classrooms:

Pharos
• What is Pharos?

  The Pharos printing system allows you to print to any of the Georgia Highlands College classroom printers as well as other public printers that are located on each of the Georgia Highlands Campuses.

• How do I print a document?

  To print using the Pharos printing system you will need a staff ID card from the Charger Card office located in the Student Center in the Administration building (next to the Cafeteria and Bookstore).

  When you print from a computer in one of the Georgia Highlands classrooms, the Pharos system prompts you to put in a username, document name, and password. You can use anything you want for these items, as long as you will recognize and remember them later. You will then go to the printer you chose and swipe your charger card. Once you swipe the card, a list of print jobs will appear. Choose your document by the document name and username that you chose, and click on "Print". You will be prompted to enter the password. If you do not remember the password, you will not be able to print the document, and will have to resend it to the printer. If you enter your password correctly, your document will print and the charge for printing will be billed back to your department. The print jobs will stay available in the print queue for 24 hours. After this time they are cleared and will no longer be available. This allows you to send multiple items to a printer and retrieve them later.

6. Phone Support:

• How do I get a telephone/ voicemail box?

  Log onto the Intranet and go to the Request for Service - Information Technology link. Fill out your contact information, select Telephone as the Type of Problem/Request, and let us know that you are requesting a telephone and/or a voicemail box in the description field. We'll contact you when it's setup. Instructions on configuring your voicemail password and greeting can be found on the Intranet under the Telephone Information link.

• How do I learn about my telephones functions/features?

  Documentation for your phone can be found on the Intranet under the Telephone Information link. If that documentation doesn't answer your question, please click on the Request for Service - Information Technology link on the Intranet, fill out your contact information, select Telephone as the Type of Problem/Request, and let us know problem you're having in the description field.

• How do I call another campus? When do I have to dial a '9'?

  You can call Rome, Cartersville, and Heritage Hall campus numbers simply by dialing their extension (the last four digits of their phone number). For Acworth, Marietta, West Georgia, and all other off-campus numbers you must dial a '9' to get an outside line.

• I'm moving offices. What do I need to do about my telephone?

  As soon as you are aware of the pending move, please let IT know by filling out the Request for Service - Information Technology link on the Intranet. We will contact you and schedule a time to move your phone to your new office.

7. Accessing the Georgia Highlands Network from Off Campus:

RADIUS
• What is RADIUS?

  RADIUS stands for Remote Authentication Dial In User Service. RADIUS is a server for remote user authentication and accounting. It allows you to do more than just surf the web or check Webmail. When you use RADIUS, you are remotely connecting to the Georgia Highlands College network so you can utilize Score and Banner functionalities from the comfort of your home. You can also connect to your user directory, as well as make use of the full functionality of Outlook.

• Why wouldn't I use RADIUS?

  You wouldn't need to use it if you already have an Internet connection and just want to surf the web or check your email (Remember, you can always check your email through Webmail).

8. Gaining Further Access to the Network:

VPN
• What is a VPN?

  A Virtual Private Network is a private network that is configured within a public network in order to take advantage of the economies of scale and management facilities of large networks. VPNs are widely used by enterprises to create wide area networks (WANs) that span large geographic areas, to provide site-to-site connections to branch offices and to allow mobile users to dial up their company LANs.

• Why would I need a VPN?

  If you are connected to the network using an outside Internet Service Provider (AOL or EarthLink, for example), you will need to set up a VPN. The VPN Client gives you permission to pass through our firewall and gain access to the Georgia Highlands College network. The VPN Client connects and authenticates you to the Georgia Highlands College network and will give you the capability to access email using Outlook, your user directory, and Banner. You do not need it to access the Internet or check email using Outlook Web Access.

For complete instructions on establishing a remote access connection to the Georgia Highlands College network, please visit this link.




9. Managing Courses Online:

SCORE
• What is Score?

  Score stands for "Student Records, Class Records, Online Registration Made Easy".

  Score is a web-based course and grade management system. Among many other functions, it allows faculty to access class rolls, display student information, display class lists, enter final grades, and manage classes.

  The Faculty and Advisors menu allows you to view student records for present and past semesters, your current class schedule, your class listings for current and past semesters, student grades and additional student and personal information.
  
• How do I get to Score?

  Score can be accessed from the Georgia Highlands College home page (www.highlands.edu). On the right-hand side of the page under Student Interests, click on Online Registration or Grades.

• How do I log into Score?

  Once you, as a member of the faculty, have been assigned courses, a PIN will be created for you. At this time, your User ID will be your GHC ID, and your PIN will be your birth date (two digit month, two digit day and last two digits of year). If we do not have a birth date on file for you, your PIN# will consist of the last six digits of your GHCID. After logging on for the first time, you will be prompted to change your PIN#. This must be 6 digits that you can easily remember

  If you have problems with your Score pin #, please contact the Registrar’s office for resolution
  
  

10. Online Advising and More:

BANNER
• What is Banner?

  Banner is "Georgia Highlands College's Student Information System". It contains all academic information for our students from the point of recruitment to their graduation and beyond. Few members of faculty utilize this system, as they prefer to enter their own grades and view schedules through Georgia Highlands Score (or Banner Web)

  Banner functions can also be accessed through the Intranet. These functions include:

  Online Advising - Used to find information about students as well as available classes and sections. Once logged in, the main menu displays. There are 2 sections: Class/Course Information, which gives information about class sections, availability, etc. and Student Information, which gives information about the student's record.

  Banner Reports/ Georgia Highlands Reporting - Once logged in using your BANNER userid and BANNER password, a list of web reports that are commonly used by faculty will be displayed (e.g. Student Count by Campus and Term Report, Student List by Major, Students by GPA with Address Report, etc.) Reports are in the process of being converted to a new format for the upgrade. If you are not able to run a report, please contact eas@highlands.edu for assistance.

• Do I need a Banner GUI account?

  Banner GUI accounts are necessary for all faculty/staff that need to use Online Advising, Banner Reports, or enter data into Banner. Faculty can view their Class lists and Student Information, as well as enter grades through Georgia Highlands "The SCORE", which does not require a Banner GUI account, but does require a GHC ID and a pin.

• How do I log into Banner?

  Banner GUI accounts are given to new faculty/staff if requested from their department head. Any staff member that is responsible for entering data into Banner should request an account through their department head.

  You will receive a separate Banner user name and password. This will differ from all other accounts.

11. Getting Help:

The Information Technology Department services a complex technology infrastructure. In addition, we support a large user base of faculty, staff, and students. It is our goal to provide fast and efficient support for everyone, but we appreciate your patience and understanding from time to time as we undertake this challenging endeavor. Again, we will do our best to meet your requests. There are several methods for making a request. A few are outlined here:

Client Support Services:(CSS), is responsible for all aspects of end-user hardware and software configuration and support at Georgia Highlands College. This includes but is not limited to desktop and laptop computers.

Network Support Services:(NSS), serves as the primary support for all Network Infrastructure, Servers, Security, and Web Services for all campuses.

Enterprise Application Services:(EAS), serves as the primary support for all Enterprise based applications and interfaces; such as Banner, PeopleSoft, Alumni Systems, Bookstore Interface, & Data Card Services.

The IT Department services a large fleet of technology and many user requests. Your concerns are important to us, however, and we will make every attempt to solve your problem as fast and efficiently as possible. There are several methods for making a request. A few are outlined here:

Phone:
Rome - (706) 295-6775
Cartersville - (678) 872-8086

Email:
it@highlands.edu
css@highlands.edu
eas@highlands.edu
nss@highlands.edu


Online:
Information Technology - Service Request
http://www.highlands.edu/facultystaff/intranet/request.htm

In Person:
There is an Information Technology office located in both Rome (in the Walraven Building - Room W-100) and in Cartersville (near the bottom of the center staircase)

12. Technology Resources for Faculty

    On your first day of work (or before), contact your department head to make sure they have requested a network account for you. You may also contact the Information Technology Department, however, if the account has not been created, they will have to contact your department head to verify employment. If the department head has not yet requested an account, inform him/her to log onto the Intranet and go to Request a Network Account. The results of this form will be sent directly to the Information Technology Department informing them that a new account needs to be created. After this is done, you may contact the Information Technology Department the next business day to receive your username and password.

    This username and password combination will allow you access to the Georgia Highlands College network. It will also be what you use to access your email. Your email address will be your username@highlands.edu




13. Teaching in Computer Equipped Classrooms

    • All of our cluster/lab/computer enhanced classrooms are set up to reboot each night and return to their original configuration. This means anything installed, created or copied to the hard drive will be deleted each night (or on the next reboot). Each student has server space dedicated to only his/her user name. When students log on to any of the cluster/lab/computer enhanced classrooms, they should have a Z:\ drive mapped. They will find a short cut for it on the desktop as well as in "My Computer". This Z:\ drive is the server space dedicated to that student alone. By saving their data there, it will be at their disposal no matter which on-campus computer they use for the entire semester.
    • Special arrangements should be made with the Information Technology Department if additional software needs to be installed on computers prior to the start of the semester. Licenses of the software must be purchased in order for it to be legally installed.
    • The faculty workstations in classrooms work similarly. Files can be stored and accessed on your network user's space called the "H-Drive" or locally on the "T-Drive". The "H-Drive" can be accessed from any networked computer on campus. The "T-Drive" is specific to that particular classroom only.
    • Please contact Audio Visual for questions pertaining to DVD players, VCRs, projectors, or peripherals other than computers.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I get an email account?
   

   After you accept employment with Georgia Highlands College, your supervisor should log onto the Intranet and go to Request a Network Account. When the form is submitted it is sent directly to the Information Technology Department informing them that a new account needs to be created. When you arrive to work on your first day of work, please stop by the Information Technology Department (in the Walraven Building - Room W-100), or call (706)295-6775, and they will provide you with your user name and password.

   User accounts are created using the first letter of the employee's first name and the last name (up to seven characters). Passwords are obtained using a password generator.

2. The password I was given is so random, I will never remember it.
   

   ***THIS MUST BE DONE FROM A CAMPUS COMPUTER***
   Use the username/password combination you were given to log into the network the first time. Once you are logged in, press 'Ctrl + Alt + Delete' Click on Change Password. Type in your old password. Type in your new password twice. Click OK. It will tell you that your password has been changed. You will now use your new password to log onto the network, as well as for checking email on or off campus.

   Things to keep in mind when choosing a new password:
   
   Poor passwords have the following characteristics:
   
   
   • Less than eight characters
   • Proper names
   • Word or number patterns
   • A word found in the dictionary
   • Computer terms and names
   • Birthdays, phone numbers, addresses
   • Any of the previous, preceded by or followed by a digit, or spelled backwards
   
   
   
   Strong passwords have the following characteristics:
   
   
   • Contain both upper and lowercase words
   • Is not a word in any language, slant, dialect, or jargon
   • Are at least eight characters long
   • Contains a mixture of elements: digits, letters, and punctuation characters (0-9, a-z, A-Z, .,;'{}[]!@#$%^&*()_+-=)

3. Where can I save my files and documents?

   Every faculty/staff member has a user space in which they can save their files. It can be found by the following:

   Start > My Network Places > users on Warehouse > scroll down until you find the folder named your username

   Although your user directory can be used as a storage medium, please be sure to backup your files on a floppy disk or CD.
   Please save only essential documents on the network. This is particularly important for faculty members to keep in mind, as they can access their user directory in order to pull up documents in their classrooms for presentation purposes when providing in-class instruction. This storage is limited and does not need to be used for dumping entire hard drives into.

4. Can I check my Georgia Highlands College email account from home?

   Yes, as long as you have an Internet connection. Go to http://webmail.highlands.edu To log on, use the same username and password that you use to log onto the network.

5. What if I want to use Outlook, confirmation rolls, or access my user directory?

   You can establish a remote access connection to the Georgia Highlands College network. Full customized instructions can be found at http://www.highlands.edu/facultystaff/intranet/vpn/index.htm

6. Can I send personal email messages to colleagues, friends, or family members?

   Because email is such an essential form of communication these days, it is perfectly acceptable to send personal email messages as long as no laws or policies are violated. One should, however, use discretion just as one would with a telephone conversation.

7. Who do I contact with a problem/request with items such as my printer, email, or telephone?

   Employees in the Information Technology Department are here to help. You may submit a Service Request, which can be found on the Intranet and is entitled "Request for Service - Information Technology". Enter your contact information as well as a brief description of the request and/or problem. Once this form is submitted, Information Technology will receive the request via email. Also, feel free to email the Information Technology Department at it@highlands.edu, drop by the Information Technology Department in the Walraven Building, or call us at (706)295-6775.

8. Who do I contact with a question about creating a website?
   It depends on what type of information you are trying to learn. Please read the following two scenarios:
   
   
   • You know how to make a web page, you just need access to post your pages live:
     
     In this case, you may contact the Webmaster for an ftp account. The Webmaster can be contacted at webmaster@highlands.edu or via telephone at (706)295-6775.
   
   
   • You would like to learn how to create and post a page of your own:
     
     The Instructional Resource Technologist will assist all faculty/staff members in the use of tools and technologies. These include HTML, CSS, Microsoft FrontPage, Dreamweaver, and other HTML related tools as well as basic graphics training. Tutorials can also be found on the Instructional Resource Center website http://www.highlands.edu/facultystaff/irc/index.htm.
   
   You can always contact the Webmaster with any web-related questions.

9. Can you help me with my home computer? It has a virus? It has a lot of pop-ups? Can you tell me how to fix this?

We support only Georgia Highlands College computers.

10. What are the most important things to take from this document?

    Some of the most important guidelines to remember from the above policies are:

    Acceptable Use
    • Act responsibly to ensure the integrity and ethical use of computing and information resources.
    • Respect the right of others, and not threaten, harass, intimidate, or commit theft or fraud.
    • Respect all pertinent licenses, copyrights, contracts, and other restricted or proprietary information.
    • Use college computing resources and user accounts only for appropriate college activities.
    • Acknowledge that system administrators may examine files, mail, and printer listings for the purpose of diagnosing and correcting problems with the system.
    • Acknowledge the right of the College to restrict or rescind computing privileges for cause.

    Security
    • Keep passwords secure and do not share accounts. System and User level passwords should be changed quarterly.
    • All PCs, laptops and workstations should be secured with a password-protected screensaver with the automatic activation feature set at 10 minutes or less, or by logging-off when the host will be unattended.
    • Use extreme caution when opening e-mail attachments received from unknown senders, which may contain viruses, e-mail bombs, or Trojan horse code.
    • Back-up critical data and system configurations on a regular basis and store the data in a safe place, such as on a floppy disk or burned to a CD.

    Email
    • Ensure that messages are addressed to the appropriate recipient.
    • Do not subscribe to list servers and distribution lists that are not directly related to your job.
    • Do not compromise the privacy of your password by giving it to others. Also, change your password on a regular basis.
    • Keep messages only if necessary.
    • Construct messages professionally and efficiently.
    • Be careful when using distribution lists. Address messages to only those who need to know.
    • Please do not send messages selling or buying anything, advocating a personal interest, or expression of opinion.

    Other
    • Please do not use Internet Radio Stations. It is continually affecting network bandwidth and business related systems on our network.
    • Illegal mp3 files may not be downloaded on the state's computers.
    • Use of any peer-to-peer, file sharing software (such as but not limited to Kazaa, Freenet, Bearshare, Limewire, Morpheus) is forbidden.