Wireless coverage expansion expedited to support Advancement Operations
Nearly two dozen wireless access points and associated network infrastructure were recently deployed to the third floor of 300 Mass Ave to support the Advancement Operations team as part of a temporary solution ahead of planned future full occupancy of the space. Originally expected on a six-month timeline, this request was expedited and delivered in a short two-and-half week timeframe. In addition to this targeted expansion at 300 Mass Ave, nearly 400 wireless access points and associated network infrastructure have been updated or replaced across multiple university buildings as part of the institution’s current multi-year network modernization program, with another approximately 1,000 planned through the next phase. The program provides students, faculty, and staff with significantly improved reliability and speed when accessing WiFi while enabling ITS to more quickly and effectively monitor and troubleshoot wireless and network services.
Integration between Slate and Banner replaces manual work and delivers greater productivity for departments directly supporting students
A new integration between Slate and Banner automates a process that adds and removes holds on an incoming student’s account, replacing a manual workflow that could be prone to human error and that impacts a student’s ability to enroll in classes. When a candidate is conditionally admitted and must submit required documentation, such as transcripts, admissions staff can set a flag in Slate and the corresponding hold will be placed on their record in Banner. Conversely, once the candidate submits the required documentation and the admissions staff has confirmed that the requirements are satisfied, they can reset the flag in Slate and the corresponding hold will be removed in Banner. This automated process, which was previously performed by passing around spreadsheets, is going to help improve the way that staff in admissions and the Registrar’s office serve and support students.
Partnership with Registrar launches ServiceNow Customer Service Management (CSM) aimed at streamlining student transactions and providing more proactive support for all students across the global campus system
The Registrar team partnered with ITS to launch phase 1 of ServiceNow Customer Service Management (CSM) initiative on Aug. 9, supporting a more seamless student experience in time for the new academic year. Phase 1 includes a new self-service portal with forms that streamline day-to-day transactions for students, 3CLogic integration to improve the customer call experience, and the case management foundation to better manage the thousands of calls and emails the Registrar receives. This work strategically leveraged best practices from other departments using ServiceNow—such as Student Financial Services, ITS, and the Office of Global Services—to enhance the overall Northeastern customer service experience through consistency.
New access management solution simplifies and automates the grouping of people, removing barriers to fluid collaboration across the Northeastern community
On Aug. 3, IT Services launched a solution powered by Grouper Access Management, a group management tool that integrates with existing services to help streamline user grouping. Through an integration with Canvas, Grouper now provides faculty and staff a simple and automated way to assign Canvas courses based on a person’s role, location, or other information. Grouper will also provide a unified way to gain access to key university services, applications, and information. Future integrations with services such as Northeastern’s enterprise identity management system, Saviynt, will make this possible.
London employees provided Northeastern accounts in a new automated way that reduces manual work, making enterprise-wide resources more readily available to global colleagues
A new account solution was released to London campus employees this week, designed to streamline access to some of the most frequently used Northeastern resources. About 70% of London-based faculty and staff previously had sponsored accounts, providing northeastern.edu accounts and access to resources not available with their nulondon.ac.uk accounts, such as Microsoft Teams, the M365 suite, and certain Northeastern-licensed academic software. These accounts required other Northeastern employees to sponsor them and regularly renew and manage the accounts to avoid service interruption. These accounts no longer expire until employment at Northeastern-London ends, at which point the account automatically closes. This solution also automatically creates new accounts for London employees when they are hired, using integration with London’s PeopleHR system to reduce the amount of administrative work required to request and approve accounts. This solution is an interim one for fully integrating London accounts into Northeastern, but is still expected to make it easier than ever for faculty and staff across the global university community to communicate and collaborate with one another, from anywhere, at any time.
Efforts are underway to create stable connectivity on the Oakland campus for the start of the school year and reduce disruptions to teaching, learning, and research activities
After the university’s primary internet service provider started experiencing issues causing network outages in Oakland, IT teams worked quickly alongside vendors to restore service and secure a backup internet connection from a second provider. The more permanent solution to switch to an alternative primary connection is scheduled to go in by the end of August and will bring a more stable, 10GB internet connection to the campus ahead of students arriving for the fall. Planned as part of the multi-year network modernization project, establishing high-speed connectivity into Internet2 (the research and education network) will provide additional capacity and ultimately connect our global campus locations, and other major R1 institutions, through 100G networks.
Newly configured Microsoft setting allows pronouns in profiles, creating a more inclusive learning and work environment
A new setting is now available to the Northeastern community that provides individuals the option to add pronouns to their profiles in Microsoft Teams and Outlook. This much anticipated Microsoft feature, which IT teams thoroughly tested before releasing to the university, makes one’s chosen pronouns visible to others across Northeastern if they choose to add them. This makes it easier for members of our community to refer to someone by their correct pronoun, which is a simple way to show respect for each other and build an inclusive environment, especially within a global, multicultural organization.
With ITS’s partnership, SSI launches new support technology to empower student global mobility and to scale customer support across Northeastern’s network
The Student Support Initiative has gone live with ServiceNow CSM and 3CLogic for Cloud Contact Center technology to bring a high level of support to pre-matriculation Pathways program students and parents this fall. This technology will also help the university provide excellent support for the nearly 3,000 students enrolled in Pathways programs this fall as they transition to a different Northeastern campus for the spring term. This launch brings another part of the student customer experience into a single platform, joining the main university contact center, Student Financial Services, Office of Global Services, University Registrar, and IT Services. Leveraging ServiceNow CSM and 3CLogic allows for customer service at scale to support Northeastern’s growth and provides the ability to track and measure performance related to customer service goals.
1Login on pace to transition to more streamlined and secure login experience for most university sites and services by the end of September
The project team behind 1Login has completed the transition of one of the most visible sets of applications, Microsoft 365 and related services, to the more modern Azure login experience following the migration of retirees and emeritus faculty on Aug. 24. Faculty, staff, students, and alumni were completed earlier this summer. Of the remaining authenticated services to migrate, 27% have been completed to date. The current pace and timeline show completion of all the required migrations by the September 30 deadline. The single, improved login experience is expected to launch Northeastern into a more modern, digital age for accounts and security that allows faculty, student, and staff to focus more on learning, teaching, innovation, and other high-value activities.