In fact, the reality is quite the opposite. Many employees, and more than a few managers, regard this essential business support service as “annoying,” “slow” and “only heard of when something is going wrong.”

This is not because of any personal issues that employees might have with the IT team — it is simply that they only interact with this part of the business when they are having a problem. Quite often frustration rises when things aren’t fixed instantly — when the simple reality of the situation means they can’t be.

Don’t hate the IT team, hate the substandard tech they have at their disposal

When it comes to business IT and desk-side support services many issues reappear time-and-again causing employees to get frustrated with their IT and/or the people responsible for maintaining it. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most hated aspects of IT and desk-side support in the modern office environment.

#1 The Deskside Support is Helpless

You might be the king of your day-to-day job, but nothing makes you turn into a pauper quicker than when your IT system crashes or your device stops working (which always happens at the worst time!).

When this happens, you look to the IT desk-side support team as your knights in shining armor riding in to save the day. Yet when they arrive, you discover that they will have to take over your device and “have a play around” to figure out the problem.

This can take a long time, and time is a precious commodity. Sitting around watching IT support perform tests on your device frustrates workers and gives the impression that the IT team doesn’t know what they’re doing. The reality is many of these problems require these “exploratory” tests to be carried out to identify the problem before it can be fixed.

You wouldn’t be frustrated with a Doctor performing tests to identify why you’re feeling under the weather.

#2 IT Projects Never Seem to End

IT infrastructure is under constant monitoring, revision and improvement. Patches and updates are necessary in order to keep the business secure.

Add to this the unplanned IT issues — failure, lost, damaged items — and you should begin to understand why IT desk-side support can sometimes take time to resolve. Even worse is what most of us have experienced at some point — twiddling our thumbs and watching our device under the control of the remote IT support team when you need to be working on that report, proposal or other important document/ project. This wasted time leads to lost productivity in the workplace and reduced employee morale.

#3 Employee On-Boarding with No IT equipment on Day One

Anyone who has gone to work in an office as a new starter in the last decade will understand the frustration of the “new employee IT onboarding process.”

Even though you’ve had months of interviews and your agreed start date is not a mystery or unexpected, imagine the frustration when you walk through the door for your first day feeling confident, but nervous and your computer is not fully set up for use.

Instead, you end up sitting around watching your new colleagues get stuck into the work they want to be doing, while you’re waiting for your computer to be fully configured. Praise Be for that “team lunch” will help break up the monotony of the first day.

The configuration of IT assets should be completed before the first day. It should be waiting for them from day one.

#4 Hardware Refresh Cycles

Getting a new, improved, more up-to-date device should be a day of joy for workers as you say goodbye to your slow, unreliable equipment that looks like it has just arrived from the late noughties.

One client I worked for actually embraced the embarrassment of how old its IT equipment was by naming its most ancient range of hand-me-down laptops as “Heritage Laptops.” I did think that what would come next would be a UNESCO “World Heritage” badge stating the equipment was now considered “IT equipment of significant historic value.”

This process of switching from an old to a more modern device is not just simply handing over a laptop for a new one. The new device still has to be configured and cloned to your settings and then tested to make sure everything is running smoothly — which can lead to new problems.

For the business, these processes are a short-term pain for the long-term gain. However, for employees, it can be seen as a dull, unnecessary experience that some will actively avoid, preferring to stay on older, slower, less secure devices.

A new, user-friendly system is needed to make this process smoother and simpler for employees to be a part of, and it needs to be much more convenient than it currently is.

#5 Where is my order?

It used to be that work IT and desk-side support was far better than what we had at home. Some of us might even be old enough to remember a relative or parent proudly coming home with a wonder of technology which they had “borrowed from work.” Much to the amazement of the family.

Nowadays this has completely changed. Each of us carries a super-computer in our pocket and uses seamless “omnichannel” services provided by retailers. Whether this is from tech giants like Amazon or Apple to luxury brands like Burberry or even high street names like Argos. With each of them, whenever you place an order you are presented with a wealth of information about where your item can be collected, when it will arrive, and whether you want to delay arrival — right down to the name of your delivery driver.

Take this experience back to the workplace and you are met with the “black hole of IT.” Every time you order IT equipment it disappears into the ether. You might get a confirmation notice, but how often do you receive an update on how the order is progressing, or how you will eventually collect your item? Do you know the name of the person in your IT support team working on this order?

The answer to all these problems = Automation

One thing each of the above issues has in common is that at some point they rely on a human touchpoint in the process to get anything done.

Whether this is calling a member of the IT support desk, waiting for IT support to make an office visit, or waiting for engineers to finish configuring your machine before you get it back, much of the problem-solving within business IT is done in front of the employees.

This no longer needs to be the case! Automation paired with the use of consumer systems like Smart Lockers, can remove many of the pain points within IT projects. The impact is quickly realised as the IT team has time back to get on with important business-changing projects and employees have the ability to self-serve/ self-solve their own IT issues.

Hassle-Free, Headache-Free IT Support

IT infrastructure will always be a key component of any modern office or business environment, which inevitably means that IT support will always remain a part of employees’ lives.

Much has been made about AI and automation removing the need for human interaction within the workplace, but rather than replacing IT support staff outright, automation using Smart Lockers removes the mundane, time-consuming and repetitive tasks.

The wider workforce now benefits because their IT problems get fixed much quicker, in fact, research has shown that Smart Locker requests are up to 95% faster than traditional deskside support teams; the three-day average wait time is now down to mere minutes.

Moreover, it also removes the headaches of sitting around for hours at a time while an issue is resolved. It also plays heavily into the reputation of employers if they can automate a lot of repetitive processes, presenting a business in which ongoing, recurring IT issues are a thing of the past.

Glen McCarty serves as the Consulting Director at Velocity Smart Consulting, bringing to the table a career spanning two decades as a seasoned IT transformation specialist.

The post Five Common IT Issues Everyone Hates at Work appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Located in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province in  China, DKU is an educational and research university situated on a 1,200-acre campus. The university offers a range of  academic programs and a diverse, inclusive culture to students from around the globe.

The large-scale audio video project is part of the university’s second phase, covering 22 buildings on campus, including 29 classrooms, 20 conference rooms, and a visitor center. DKU set its sights on a number of top global brands. In the end, the Sennheiser TCC 2 ceiling array microphone stood out due to its superior audio technology, open technology path and rich success experience. DKU chose to install a total of 116 TCC 2s so that every space can enjoy the trusted Sennheiser audio quality.

The Sennheiser TCC 2 Solution

DKU offers courses taught by faculty from Duke University in the U.S. as well as other locations around the world. As a result, the university requires each classroom to provide an online learning experience as if it were face-to-face. Audio equipment, in particular, not only needs to be clear in sound quality, stable in transmission, and easy to operate, but it also needs to fit seamlessly into different room types and teaching scenarios.

The TCC 2 utilizes patented Dynamic Beamforming technology, which automatically tracks the position of speakers and switches between speakers in real time, ensuring that their voices are clearly captured. Teachers are able to move around and communicate freely with students while teaching, and the layout of desks and chairs in the classroom can be flexibly adjusted to enhance the classroom experience. According to Sennheiser, the microphone’s built-in 28 broadcast-quality microphone heads make the sound clear and natural, and remote teachers and students can also listen to the speakers clearly as if they were in the room/

In addition to classrooms, schools also place a high value on the design of audio systems in conference rooms. In teleconferencing, the seamless integration of audio and video is very important. In this project, TCC 2 integrates Biamp DSP and Sony PTZ camera tracking to synchronize the monitored speaker’s position to the camera, thus realizing real-time switching of the speaker’s footage, which makes the meeting more realistic, efficient and immersive.

Visitor Center Acoustics

The Visitor Center is another highlight of this project. In order to provide excellent conditions for teachers and students to communicate, display and hold activities and exhibitions, the Visitor Center built by the school has a flexible layout and a bright and spacious space, with an area of 400 square meters and a height of 4.8 meters, in addition to the need for high-quality sound pickup, the site of the local sound reinforcement is also a very high demand. Three TCC 2s were installed in the Visitor Center, whose TruVoicelift acoustic enhancement feature delivers everyone’s speeches clearly to every corner, with natural, full sound quality and no distortion or delay, making for a truly immersive audio experience.

AV-over-IP Integration 

The DKU Phase II project, which took three years to design and deploy and complete, was not only large in scale but complex. The project’s audiovisual system included many types of products including Biamp DSP, Bose loudspeakers and Crestron control systems. Therefore, for the success of the whole project, easy operation process and seamless integration of products of each link are crucial, which is also the main challenge of the project manager.

Wan Li is the chief engineer at DKU and the university’s technical lead for the audio system design. His team adopted an all-digital and fully distributed AV-over-IP architecture for the University. The TCC 2 can be seamlessly integrated into the campus network with all brands of audio equipment via Dante, allowing IT managers to monitor and control the communication, interaction and control of various devices on campus in real time via cell phones, tablets or computers, greatly simplifying workflows.

Sennheiser’s business communication solutions have an open audio/video ecosystem with strong compatibility and can be integrated with different brands of devices and platforms. TCC 2 has been certified by Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Tencent Conference and Nail Conference to meet the preferences and needs of all types of users.

Praise for Sennheiser’s TCC 2

During the implementation of the project, Sennheiser’s technical engineers went to the university several times to carry out on-site investigation and debugging work room-by-room to ensure that the installation position and angle of each TCC 2 could achieve the optimal effect and realize the best voice clarity. This was highly recognized by DKU staff.

“The exceptional quality of the TCC 2 is unquestionable, and the Sennheiser team has been instrumental in the smooth implementation of the project. They provided full technical and training support and helped us make great progress in commissioning and optimizing the system.” Li praised, “In the school’s future development plan, we look forward to continuing to work with Sennheiser to further optimize the performance of the audio/video facilities and continue to enhance the immersive learning and collaborative experience for teachers and students.”

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on April 26, 2024. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post Duke Kunshan University Selects Sennheiser for Audio Upgrade appeared first on My TechDecisions.

UNC’s digital signage system was outdated and difficult to use. Some tasks required up to 24 steps to complete, discouraging users from creating even the simplest messages. What’s more, the system often required USB drives to load content onto signs. The College of Business was the primary user of this legacy system since the complexity deterred other colleges from adopting digital signage. These roadblocks caused two major issues:

• Screens frequently displayed outdated information
• Students faced communication gaps while navigating campus

UNC placed a high priority on improving student communications and engagement. It also sought to strengthen connections with residents and improve their communication technology. The university needed a user-friendly digital signage solution that could easily integrate with its other systems and scale as they grew.

The Appspace Digital Signage Solution

After an extensive search for a new digital signage provider with a scalable platform, UNC chose Appspace. The platform offered UNC flexible centralized management and control of posted content. It also provided a user-friendly interface, customizable templates and integration with other systems. UNC also needed Appspace to integrate with its class scheduling software, 25Live. The Appspace team used 25Live’s Publisher feature to feed the data into Webview Cards, resulting in a near-real-time integration that showcases class schedules and event information on digital signage across the university.

“We’ve been impressed by Appspace’s user-friendly platform and excellent support. Our adoption rate among students, faculty and staff has soared. University-wide visibility has improved significantly, thanks to dynamic content displays. Overall, it has been a fantastic experience with a strong growth trajectory,” says Joshua Purdy, senior desktop engineer, University of Northern Colorado.

Success of Appspace at UNC

UNC’s team was impressed with the overall implementation and the Appspace team’s knowledge and responsiveness. A seamless 25Live integration meant up-to-date class schedules and other information are displayed throughout the campus.

Overall, the university has saved resources due to the integration with other systems and the availability of APIs for further customization.

The highly visible success of the Appspace digital signage implementation has helped UNC overcome skepticism in other departments, resulting in 72 digital signs across campus and growing. With their digital signage flawlessly displaying class schedules, campus events, athletics information, and performing arts updates across campus, UNC is now evaluating how Appspace Wayfinding can further enhance the campus experience for all.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on February 16, 2024. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post Appspace Enhances Campus Engagement at University of Northern Colorado (UNC) appeared first on My TechDecisions.

“There are many parts and pieces to deploying a videowall system for a project of this scale and complexity,” says Hans-Joachim Spies, founder and managing director at Mevis.tv. “As an integrator, it’s paramount that everything works together seamlessly. VuWall’s ecosystem exceeded our high standards not only for performance, but also for scalability, flexibility and interoperability. It dramatically reduced our integration time and eliminated any concern about compatibility between the various products within the AV and IP infrastructure. It’s an exceptional system for an exceptional project.”

The Installation

SIMOS houses two independent control centers. This consists of the integrated control center (ILS) and the integrated traffic control center (IVLZ). The ILS provides around-the-clock operation and support for incoming emergency calls for the fire brigade and German Red Cross. Meanwhile, IVLZ is responsible for monitoring all of the city’s traffic and tunnel surveillance cameras. It also monitors electronic traffic display systems on the main roads, which are overseen by four dispatchers from the office for public order, civil engineering office, the Stuttgart tram and the police.

For this project, Mevis.tv installed two videowalls for each of the control centers. The ILS features a videowall comprised of 48 Barco UniSee 55-inch LCD displays. On the other hand, the IVLZ control room videowall features 14 Barco UniSee 55-inch displays. In addition, there are eight displays installed across two crisis meeting rooms that need access to the same sources. Although all these rooms are distinct, the VuWall system provided the organizations with a single, IP-based videowall processing and management system that connects them with a virtual infrastructure.

Ensuring High-Quality Performance

VuWall’s  videowall processor and VuStream encoders ensure high-quality video stream distribution across the network with low latency. It also ensures high performance for up to 4:4:4 of 4K video streams. The Application Server also provides quick access to websites, dashboards and applications from a single, centralized source. It achieves this with the necessary security and without overburdening the network. All these appliances are managed by the TRx centralized videowall management platform. As a result, it enables SIMOS operators to easily control and distribute visual information and data to any display or videowall on the network, says VuWall.

According to VuWall, the TRx is unique in combining AV-over-IP distribution and advanced multi-video wall and KVM management. Its engineering also allows it to be robust enough for multi-room distribution projects such as SIMOS.

The centralized platform ensures intuitive configuration, management and distribution of virtually any source type to any display without any programming. Its simple drag-and-drop capability also saves time for integrators and operators alike. Mevis.tv also benefitted from TRx’s API, which integrates with the organization’s Crestron building control system.

“We are so proud to see that SIMOS is leveraging the modularity, ease of use and reliability we’ve built into our ecosystem, fulfilling their objectives with this incredible project,” says Eric Hénique, EVP of international sales at VuWall. “Operators can see exactly what they need when they need it on the display of their choosing while providing the redundancy and low latency that control rooms demand. Plus, it all works seamlessly within their existing workflow for the most effective distribution of visual information.”

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on December 6, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post VuWall Enhances Operational Efficiency for SIMOS Control Center appeared first on My TechDecisions.

As part of the process, district administrators and staff reevaluated all infrastructure elements and their approach to campus safety, selecting AtlasIED IPX technology to modernize their intercom, audio announcements, and emergency communications systems.

The district began renovating in phases, prioritizing schools based on the state of the school buildings and the level of urgency of repairs. Before renovations, the schools in the district used similar audio communications technologies that had been in use for 10-20 years, including the public address (PA) system, clocks and blue light systems for emergencies.

However, the systems were siloed and did not integrate. During routine use, such as all-school announcements at the beginning of school days, the system functioned as needed, but during drills, the number of systems in operation caused the schools challenges.

“With the old system, when we conducted a lockdown drill, school staff needed to activate the different systems manually, which created steps and more possibilities for human error,” says Matt Erwin, director of facilities for North Syracuse Central Schools. Erwin manages maintenance and operations, plus security, health and safety, and the capital work for the district.

AtlasIED IPX Series for Campus Audio & Communication System

The district had two primary goals when upgrading the campus audio and communications systems: to improve the audio quality and find a plan to increase the speed at which a school could react and contact first responders during an emergency. They wanted to achieve these goals without having to install a system that was too complicated for staff and personnel.

Because the district used a Cisco phone system, Erwin and his team wanted a platform that integrated with these devices. As they researched and discussed options, their partners at Day Automation, a building automation and security solution provider, introduced them to AtlasIED, which they eventually chose as their long-term audio and communications solution. The AtlasIED IPX Series met all of the criteria for the district.

AtlasIED’s IPX Series features a range of communication endpoints that interconnect. The IPX endpoints integrate multiple functions into single products, including loudspeakers, two-way microphones, flashers, and an LED display for a clock, date, or other text-based messages that can be updated in real-time during an emergency.

Installing IPX Endpoints at Bear Road and Smith Road Elementary School 

Karl W. Saile Bear Road Elementary, known simply as Bear Road Elementary, became the district’s first school to install a new audio and communications system. Originally built in 1958, Bear Road Elementary was one of the district’s oldest buildings. During the Bear Road project, the school renovated half the building at a time to avoid a full closure and completely modernized the interior and infrastructure to accommodate staff and student needs.

The team at Day Automation identified locations for IPX endpoints throughout the school and ran Ethernet cable to each site in preparation to connect the endpoints. The IPX endpoints are Power over Ethernet (PoE+)-enabled, receiving power and network signals through the same IT network the school uses to deliver Internet access. The IPX platform helped simplify the installation process for integrators by reducing the number of cable types needed.

Another NSCSD school, Smith Road Elementary, began its retrofit project in 2022 to update various technologies, including its audio and communications technology systems, and upgrade building infrastructure. Working around class schedules to avoid disrupting students, the school expanded and updated its campus IT network and created plans to locate IPX endpoints.

Once the construction teams pulled Ethernet cabling to predetermined locations in both schools, the contractor teams began installing IPX endpoints, including the dual-sided IP-DDS endpoint mounted from side walls and hung over high-traffic areas like hallways.

They also added IP-SDMF indoor wall-mount endpoints in classrooms, the main office, the cafeterias, the gymnasiums, nurses office, and all rooms to ensure comprehensive building coverage. On the ceilings, the district installed the IP-8SM in multiple locations, which offer a loudspeaker and an omnidirectional microphone to allow two-way communication and monitoring from the speaker location to any PC or phone handset.

Related: How Mass Notification is Evolving to Manage Emergencies

Mass Communications through Singlewire and IPX Devices  

The IPX Series also helped NSCSD incorporate campus safety capabilities with the help of InformaCast Mass Notification Software from Singlewire. Using InformaCast, during an emergency, designated school personnel can initiate the software from a mobile device wherever they are on or off campus. The software then instantaneously sends text messages to faculty, students, parents’ mobile devices, alerts law enforcement, and activates attention-grabbing audio communication, flashing visual alerts and LED text messages on the installed IPX devices throughout campus.

Also, using InformaCast, the IP-8SM ceiling speakers can be configured to allow first responders to communicate with people near the loudspeaker or listen in to that area. The speakers can be critically important when personnel, students, or perpetrators barricade themselves in classrooms or other rooms.

When connected to InformaCast, the loudspeakers become a critical two-way hands-free communications tool for law enforcement or school personnel to deliver directions, provide or receive real-time updates near the speak location, or listen to activities within a space.  The loudspeakers are especially important when staff, students, or perpetrators barricade themselves in classrooms or other rooms.

The district has implemented new routine and emergency safety procedures in the schools with InformaCast and IPX due to the upgraded capabilities offered by the technology. It has begun to train staff regularly to help them become more familiar with operating the equipment. Training staff for both routine operation and operating the system during an emergency when people are under much more stress has the potential to lead to human error. This is why automating the system using pre-recorded messages offered via InformCast can help reduce the chance of human error during a real incident.

While the expectation is that much of the system’s use will be for routine daily announcements, InformaCast software helps automate many of the formerly manual steps in the older system’s procedures.

“Gone are the days when we had to find a panic button or go to a specific location to access the PA system,” says Erwin. “The new AtlasIED systems give us much more functionality at every point within the building. Based on the successful installation at Bear Road and Smith Road, we now look at mass notification across the entire district differently.”

A Better, Safer Experience 

From the district’s experience at Bear Road Elementary and Smith Road Elementary, it plans to install IPX and InformaCast throughout the rest of the district school buildings. As plans develop and ongoing training continues at the schools currently outfitted with IPX and InformaCast, Erwin and his team are eager for additional school buildings to use the new technology and create a better and safer experience district-wide for the students and staff moving forward.

Click ‘View Slideshow’ to see additional photos of the district’s IPX technology upgrade at Bear Road Elementary and Smith Road Elementary schools.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on November 6, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post North Syracuse Central School District Streamlines Communications with AtlasIED IPX Technology appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The company notes a strong demand for hot desking as more organizations are calling employees back to the physical building. Crestron Desk Scheduling offers employees and visitors the freedom to reserve and use a desk at any time throughout the day. Scheduling meeting rooms has been a part of the corporate world for years, but the emergence of spaces like phone booths, digital hives, jump seats, meeting pods and unassigned desks has driven the need for reserving and managing short-term and on-demand spaces.

Need for Desk Booking

Craig Durr, senior analyst at the Futurum Group says, “The concept of hot desking now encompasses not only the physical office and meeting spaces but also the enabling of technology and devices, making scheduling a comprehensive category in itself. Crestron has been leading meeting space scheduling for years; it is a natural progression to bring that same functionality to spaces where individual employees are working.”

Crestron Desk Scheduling solutions provide a transition to floating hot desk areas and offices by enabling remote workers to schedule a location for their time on-site before leaving home directly from the booking software on their laptop. For in-office employees, highly visible LED status indicators display which desks are available, enabling them to reserve a space on the compact touchscreen or through a QR code scan.

The desk booking experience facilitates higher adoption and utilization for both regularly scheduled hybrid employees and visiting remote workers alike, says Crestron.

“Scheduling is a part of our daily lives. As organizations look to create a better hybrid work environment for their employees and an improved understanding of how and where people are working in the office, we must look outside just the meeting space,” explains Brad Hintze, EVP of global marketing, Crestron.

He adds, “Hot desking has quickly become the crucial technology in workplace design. Businesses are prioritizing their space management strategies to create a welcoming and productive office environment that maximizes office real estate investment.”

Crestron Desk Scheduling Applications and Availability

Two form factors and multiple mounting options make it simple to deploy Crestron Desk Scheduling products across any space and purposefully integrate them into the natural flow and aesthetic of the office, whether on a tabletop, wall mount or desk edge, says the company. The compact form factor of the Desk Q with QR-code-based reservations is ideal for community workstations, hot desks, and hoteling, while the touch interface of the Desk Touch is ideal for semi-private offices, cubicles and even stand-ups.

As with existing Crestron scheduling solutions, the Crestron Desk Touch and Desk Q will be able to be managed and deployed through the Crestron XiO Cloud Management Platform, which can also deploy updates as Crestron continues to innovate and improve.

At launch, Crestron Desk Scheduling solutions will natively support Appspace, Calven, and Tango software, with new partners added over time and at request.

Per a statement, the Desk Touch is now shipping, and the Desk Q will ship in Q1 2024.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on September 20, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience

The post Crestron Introduces Desk Q and Desk Touch Scheduling Devices appeared first on My TechDecisions.

As expected from authorities anticipating an increase in threats to the education sector, cyberattacks are continuing to wreak havoc on colleges and universities across the United States. As of the beginning of May, there had already been 27 confirmed ransomware attacks against U.S. institutions. These ransomware numbers only tell part of the story as data breaches, malware attacks, and more account for an even greater number of threats, not all of which are reported to the public as they occur.

The second quarter of 2023 has seen a flurry of cyberattacks strike higher education institutions, including West Virginia’s Bluefield University, Tennessee’s Chattanooga State Community College, and Georgia’s Mercer University, among others. Beyond the obvious consequences of ransom payments and leaked personal data, some of the most severe attacks in recent memory have culminated in the delay and cancelation of classes, as well as the closure of one college in Illinois entirely.

With attacks against higher education on the rise year-over-year, campuses have become one of the top targets for attempted data breaches, ransomware attacks, malware, and more. Feeling the effects of various financial and/or technological hurdles, most schools are not currently equipped with the security controls to adequately defend themselves from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats that continue to hamper the community.

This increase in cyberactivity should serve as a wake-up call for higher education institutions to reevaluate and enhance their cybersecurity postures. Here are some of the top considerations for higher education leaders seeking to plug the gaps in their cybersecurity strategy.

Securing Data

One of the recurring themes in attacks against higher education is the vulnerability of sensitive data. From student, staff, and faculty information to sensitive school records, there are countless data assets that, if breached, can be weaponized against institutions.

Data exfiltration, or unauthorized data transfer, is a leading threat to data security in higher education. To help prevent data loss, colleges and universities need to be able to monitor user and entity behavioral analytics (UEBA) and they need to be able to watch their network using a network detection and response (NDR) tool. This allows schools to detect, qualify, and remediate any anomalous activity at the individual level, as well as malicious or unauthorized attempts at exfiltration.

Managing Access

For colleges and universities, student information, research data, and assessment criteria are all critical to daily operations. However, it can be common for institutions to encounter unauthorized access to these types of crucial information due to a lack of IT resources and necessary safeguards. This can result in the loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of technological assets, among other things.

To better facilitate and manage user access to sensitive data, schools should implement an effective IT security strategy intentionally designed to protect critical assets. This strategy should include the compartmentalization of data and provide a least privileged approach to accessing that data. Utilizing a least privileged approach, users are only granted access to the data required for their specific roles. This helps to prioritize the protection of intellectual property that is so valuable to higher education institutions. In doing so, schools can better protect the privacy of their students and employees and their reputations.

Detecting Threats

Even with cybersecurity mechanisms in place, no security threat can be resolved if it falls undetected. Colleges and universities must be able to detect, alert and automate security response capabilities when threats arise. Institutions should consider adopting security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) tools to help standardize and scale their incident response.

By relying on SOAR, schools can automate workflows to accelerate various stages of the threat investigation and response processes. Given the severity of a particular threat, it can be escalated to key decision-makers for a manual response or remediated automatically (or semi-automatically) from a playbook of preselected actions. Ultimately, SOAR is intended to help security teams cut through the noise and allow them to prioritize and direct their attention toward the most pressing threats.

Protecting and Prospering

Given the attack patterns of the last two years, cyberattacks in higher education are not going away overnight. Colleges and universities continue to be targeted by malicious actors for a reason. As long as institutions remain underequipped to monitor and respond to cybersecurity threats, they will find themselves with a target on their back.

Regardless of an institution’s budgetary constraints, there are tried and true precautions that can be taken to better protect their campus. Implementing threat detection, stricter access controls, and stronger data security measures are all foundational components of an effective cybersecurity strategy. By solidifying that foundation, colleges and universities can do their part to avoid being next in the line of higher education victims.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Campus Safety on August 14, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

Kevin Kirkwood is Deputy CISO for LogRhythm.

The post Spike in Cyberattacks Exposes Vulnerabilities in University Security Measures appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Levesque first experienced Sony’s products in 2018 when one of the company’s sales reps visited the URI campus. Impressed with the products, the university started slowly updating its projectors to Sony’s as part of their new classroom revision cycle. URI now has close to 120 of Sony’s laser projectors in nearly every classroom. The university started off with the VPL-PHZ10 and VPL-PHZ12 installation projector models. Now they’ve expanded its use to include the ultra-compact VPL-PHZ60 and VPL-PHZ61’s as their main models, which offer 6,500 center lumens and 7,000 center lumens of brightness, respectively.  These laser models also feature a fast start up and shutdown for saving time and energy.

“We tend to just put the VPL-PHZ61 in now because the brightness is great,” says Levesque. “If it’s too bright, I can decrease the brightness and make the projector last longer. I also like the size because they’re light for when I have to install them. It’s really easy to go up and put them in. It takes me no time to put one of these up compared to other projectors I’ve worked with, and I don’t need assistance because I can basically install them myself.”

Bravia Installation

In addition to projectors, URI has also installed Sony’s Pro BRAVIA displays across their campus. Prior to the pro BRAVIA installation, there hadn’t been a standard for displays on campus. Due to there being a variety of displays in different locations, it was difficult to keep track of which ones were being serviced, if they had the right equipment to be maintained, and how they operated.

“We’re a small department that kind of does everything on campus at this point, and we couldn’t keep it up anymore,” explains Levesque. “When we saw the displays, we were blown away by the image quality that we were getting compared to what had been installed.”

URI now has more than three dozen Pro BRAVIA displays between the sizes of 65 to 85 inches. The university’s displays are primarily utilized for reinforcement in their classrooms. Certain classrooms have a secondary display in the back of the room, and extended displays in the front of the room. A lot of Pro BRAVIA displays are also being installed for digital signage across campus to provide information to students and the public. Levesque is advocating for them to be installed on campus for other uses such as the school’s Memorial Union which is also in the process of swapping their displays over to pro BRAVIA’s for digital signage needs. URI is also currently utilizing Pro BRAVIA displays and audio reinforcements to make their conference rooms more modern, especially when it comes to hybrid meetings.

Clearer, Brighter Projectors & Displays

Since updating its equipment, Levesque and others have noticed positive results such as saving time and money on repairs.

“One thing we’ve noticed is when we put the Sony ecosystem on campus, it just works,” says Levesque. “We get them in, we put them up, and we really don’t have to think about them. I don’t have to visit the displays or projectors all the time and change their lamps or filters – they just work. We set the displays on an internal schedule to power them on and off for us utilizing the Pro Mode (BRAVIA pre-loaded functionality) and they work great. I don’t get calls like I used to anymore.”

URI’s students and staff have also noticed some changes. Faculty members have continuously told Levesque and the rest of the AV team how great the projectors’ image-quality is, and how its reality creation feature is helpful when presenting lessons because everything looks clearer and brighter.

“We have amazing service and reps with Sony,” Levesque says. “Sony has been great when it comes to any issues that I have or even doing future design work. We are incredibly happy here.”

Click on ‘View Slideshow’ to view more photos of the Sony projectors and displays used in URI’s classrooms and meeting rooms.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on July 27, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post URI Selects Sony Projectors & Displays For Classrooms and Conference Rooms appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The updated product boasts a brand-new interface that makes managing, monitoring and optimizing meetings easier and better. Thus, it transforms the platform from a tool to a strategic asset for IT departments. The platform also maximizes the ClickShare fleet by enabling complete device control, proactive intervention and maximum function time. With this, it ensures that workers can seamlessly and easily engage in more meaningful interactions.

Enhanced User Experience

The one-stop-shop management platform is simpler and easier to use than ever before, says Barco. It offers administrators a complete overview of how the ClickShare install base functions at any moment. This includes the status of system health, firmware distribution, overview of connected client buttons or apps, overdue actions, location usage and much more. Moreover, IT administrators can easily find the information and data they need, thanks to the bright and easily accessible visuals.

Automatic Notifications for Prompt Intervention

With automatic notifications shared via email, IT professionals will now receive notice of any tech issues or overdue actions so they can intervene immediately. This will allow them to shift from reactive management to proactive monitoring. Furthermore, it ensures that meeting rooms are always ready to use and run at their best capacity.

Improving Meeting Experiences

The updated XMS Cloud platform provides data that allows IT professionals to better understand employee meeting behavior, optimizing workspaces and meeting experiences to increase device ROI. From insights on if, when and how workers are embracing meeting technology, to insights on hybrid meeting and face-to-face meeting preferences; IT administrators have a better idea on how to act as a strategic partner to the business by optimizing tech efficiency and employee satisfaction.

Future-Proof Platform

The new XMS Cloud is a completely future-proofed system thanks to the embedded marketplace where IT professionals can find helpful tools, integrations and plug-ins. These can be tailored to needs and preferences and managed from a central location.

“IT departments have become key players in taking business-critical decisions on tools and applications for their workspaces and the upgraded XMS Cloud system helps make this a seamless process,” says Lars Duziak, product manager, XMS Cloud Platform, Barco.

Duziak continues, “Not only does it allow users to simplify daily tasks and be more efficient with their time; but it also empowers them to become a strategic partner to their businesses with meaningful data and insights. It’s the best way to harness the power of the ClickShare fleet and encourage your workforce to love meeting again.”

Barco presented live demos of the enhanced XMS Cloud platform at booth #2529 at during InfoComm 2023. It also demonstrated other products from Barco’s portfolio. This included the ClickShare Conference CX-50 2nd generation, the agnostic meeting room solution for high-impact meeting rooms. Per the company, it recently became one of the first carbon-neutral products in the video-conferencing industry.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on June 28, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post Barco Updates XMS Cloud Platform appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The Tech Challenge

When COVID threw a wrench into in-person classes, we quickly recognized the need to develop hybrid learning environments that support the ongoing success of our staff and students,” said Director of User Support Services Jon Bannan. “The most critical need we identified was that any solution must be dead simple to operate, or otherwise risk introducing interruptions and frustration into educators’ daily schedules. The ClearOne COLLABORATE Versa Lite CT system stood out as a high-performing solution that’s compatible with virtually any computer, mobile device or collaboration platform, making it easy to deploy in multi-use spaces that host different educators throughout the day.”

ClearOne Solutions

Featuring the ClearOne BMA CT, a beamforming microphone solution that blends in with drop ceilings, the COLLABORATE Versa Lite CT system provides clear audio pickup and while simplifying connection of AV peripherals and computers through the ClearOne Versa USB Hub. It offers powerful features including acoustic echo cancellation and adaptive steering, which intelligently switches between the unit’s multiple directional microphones to optimize pickup based on the current location of speaker or meeting host.

To date, MTSS has installed 53 Versa Lite CT systems in small- and medium-sized classrooms in conjunction with a variety of camera solutions that offer automatic tracking to keep the presenter in frame as they move around the room. Combined with the adaptive steering capability of the BMA CT, these systems provide educators ultimate flexibility and allow them to step away from the front of the room white maintaining consistently excellent audio and video quality for remote learners. Most rooms also include a projection system, while some feature a digital display.

“Three years after we began this project, we would be hard pressed to find a student, parent or educator who expects anything less – it’s essentially a requirement now,” Bannan explained. “In the competitive college landscape, staying ahead of technology trends is vital to achieve enrollment goals and provide all students equitable access regardless of individual situations or external disruptions. Additionally, using the same solutions across campus has raised the tech confidence of staff and offers a simple, intuitive setup that even guest speakers or event hosts can operate with ease.”

After witnessing the widespread success of the Versa Lite CT solutions, MTSS turned its focus to the college’s lecture halls. In order to deliver the same simplicity and quality for its larger classes, the tech team developed a solution that combines multiple powerful BMA 360 ceiling microphones with a Converge Pro 2 DSP mixer, again in conjunction with a variety of tracking cameras.

The solution ensured the complete coverage for the larger rooms while enabling connection of up to 12 additional lavalier, lapel or other types of microphones commonly used for panel discussions and multi-speaker scenarios. The BMA 360 makes system design even easier by allowing up to three distant units to be daisy chained together using P-Link, requiring only a single home run cable to the DSP.

“As we began deploying the new audio capture solutions, we worked closely with ClearOne’s knowledgeable reps to ensure each space operates smoothly and delivers a consistent experience for staff and students,” Bannan added. “The high level of support we received from the very beginning was a determining factor in our product selection, and has provided us with assurance that any issues we encounter with installations or operations can be quickly remedied.”

Ongoing Sound Reinforcements

The deployment is ongoing, with each year’s budget providing additional funds to integrate more classrooms and spaces, including conference rooms. The first to be upgraded was the President’s conference room, which houses BMA 360 and BMA CT systems that effectively solve for the room’s challenging acoustic environment that includes many hard surfaces. This specific room also utilizes the BMA 360 Voice Lift technology that delivers equalized sound reinforcement to all areas of the room, so no attendee is left straining to hear the speaker.

“The College of New Jersey moved deftly to provide all stakeholders with the latest innovative solutions for remote learning and hybrid classrooms, and their efforts to standardize the campus’ technology are already paying dividends for staff and guests,” said ClearOne Regional Sales Director Jason DiCampello, who worked directly with Bannan. “The need for reliable, high-quality audio and video solutions in education is only going to grow, and we look forward to continuing to work with TCNJ to provide long-lasting solutions that support staff and help the college meet its goals.”

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