The weather has changed on our campuses and it is definitely chillier. We’ve got a few important updates about upcoming changes including Google storage quotas, battery safety, security, and awesome new features in Box. As I always say “Your UIS team is just a phone, email, or Zoom connection away!”
Warm Regards and go Boxers!
Brandon Gatke
CIO / CISO
Check Your Laptop For A Swollen Battery
Please check your laptop on a regular basis for signs of a swollen battery. If the bottom of the laptop is bulging or rounded, or if you notice the keyboard bulging or the touchpad being lifted up, you may have a swollen battery. If you think your battery may be swollen, please bring it in to a Helpdesk location as soon as possible. If you aren’t able to bring your laptop in right away, do not charge your battery. Run your battery down (by leaving it on but unplugged) and then store it in a plastic bag (such as a garbage bag), away from anything flammable, until you can bring it in.
Record and Manage Multiple Zoom Recording Files
Zoom gives you lots of control over how meetings are recorded. You can go into your Settings on the Zoom web interface, go to the “Recordings” tab, and under “Cloud recording” you will see multiple checkboxes for the types of video and audio files you can save. For instance “active speaker with shared screen” will record video from whoever is talking (along with anything being shared). “Gallery view with shared screen” does the same except saves a gallery of participants. We encourage you to record the files that are most useful for you, and to remove file types that you don’t need. Recording only the files you need will help preserve Pacific University’s limited cloud storage space.
Google Quotas Are Coming in 2023
Changes in Google’s pricing model mean that we can no longer offer unlimited file storage in Google Drive to employees, students and alumni. In 2023 we will begin implementing storage quotas. The vast majority of employees will not notice any difference, as their use of Google Drive is below the quota we plan to set. For the 3 percent of employees who are using more, we will reach out to them to set a relaxed timeline for getting under quota. Box is still a great place to store work-related files as it currently has no quotas. Look for more detailed information in the next tech newsletter.
Evaluate Box Folder Access When Employees Move
When employees move from one position to another, it can be good to check to see if they have access to Box folders that are no longer appropriate to their new position. To see what an employee owns and/or has access to in Box, request a “Box User Report” from the Box service catalog entry. Also, see our articles on employees leaving or changing departments and checking the ownership of Box content.
Protecting Against MFA Bombing
Higher education has seen an influx of a type of attack called “MFA Bombing,” where a bad actor will attempt to login to a user’s account and send multiple multi-factor authentication requests to their device. If you experience prompts from Duo that are not a result of your login attempts, contact the Helpdesk, because your password may be compromised, and please do not accept prompts that are not authentic.
New Box Features Are Coming
New features will be made available for Pacific Box users in the near future. These include Box Sign (a way to get signatures on files in Box), Box Relay (an automation/workflow system), and Box Shield (a security and compliance system). Look for more information and training sessions coming soon.