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On July 29, the Iowa Board of Regents approved Kristen Constant’s appointment as vice president and chief information officer (CIO) following an official nomination for the position by President Wendy Wintersteen on July 23. Constant stepped into the role of interim vice president and CIO in December 2017 to help lead the university through a substantial period of change with the implementation of Workday.

The MyState app development team will be releasing the much-anticipated 4.7.0 update in the coming weeks to include dark mode, a library widget, capacity tracking optimization and more. The MyState app draws approximately 27,000 individual users every month, proving it to be a vital tool to students and staff in their adventure at Iowa State.

On Tuesday, September 8, Cisco Webex released their latest Webex Meetings update that included a number of user experience enhancements. Campus users should not need to reinstall the Webex Meetings application to see the changes, however, fully closing and reopening the Webex Meetings desktop application may be required.

The ISU Technology Standards committee, led by Darrin Fischer, Information Technology Services (ITS) endpoint technologies, released comprehensive hardware and software recommendations for devices owned and managed by the university. The committee convened in October 2019 to define and document inclusive technology standards that drive towards a consistent user experience for all Cyclone users.

As Iowa State University students geared up for an earlier-than-normal start to the semester, an extra to-do was added to their list: acquire a laptop. Beginning fall 2020, all students enrolled at Iowa State University are required to own or obtain a laptop computer or other device appropriate to their discipline.

November 25, 2020 Update 

After months of work by the Information Technology Services web development and strategic communications teams, a redesigned Information Technology Services website aiming to enhance users’ online experience with department services and products successfully launched Monday, April 20.

1.    Use "Shared Links"
Shared Links are hyperlinks which point to content stored in Box, ideal for sharing content externally, with short-term collaborators or with people who do not have Box accounts. You can protect the Shared Link with a password or set it to expire on a given date. 

Ideal for cross-campus or remote collaboration, Cisco Webex Meetings will serve as the preferred video conferencing solution for university users beginning spring 2020. All campus users have access to an enterprise-level Webex license via desktop download or web application in Okta, which offers enhanced conferencing features compared to other free or basic software. Users can also go to visit iastate.webex.com directly to access the software or even start meetings.

On November 6, Iowa State University celebrated the grand opening of the Digital Accessibility Lab in Durham Center 108 with a dedication ceremony and open house organized by Information Technology Services (ITS) Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Cyndi Wiley. With the lab, students, faculty and staff have access to a suite of hardware and software designed to offer an accessible learning environment.

Iowa State University Information Technology Services (ITS) will save nearly $700,000 in operational costs over the next five years by switching to a new licensing agreement with multinational technology company Cisco Systems. 

The Avian Archives of Iowa Online (avIAn), a web portal with more than 10,000 ornithological records, celebrated its launch this summer following the collaborative efforts of the Iowa State University Library and Information Technology Services (ITS). 

Cyclone fans can look forward to easier entry into Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum this fall through the joint efforts of Information Technology Services (ITS), Iowa State University Athletics, and Ticketmaster to upgrade the wireless access points used for event ticket scanning.

Iowa State University Information Technology Services (ITS) has entered the second phase of multifactor authentication (MFA) implementation and will begin enrolling students this fall, with a target of having all students registered by the end of spring semester 2020.

At the end of July, Iowa State University will migrate its existing online learning resources from Lynda.com to LinkedIn Learning, as part of a necessary transition due to the discontinuation of the former tool.   

LinkedIn acquired Lynda.com, an open online course website, in 2015, and will shut it down at the end of 2019. In preparation for the shutdown, LinkedIn is requiring all Lynda.com subscribers, including Iowa State, to move to the website’s replacement and LinkedIn subsidiary, LinkedIn Learning, this summer. 

Information Technology Services (ITS) has begun work to replace aging network switches in nearly 200 buildings across campus, which will bring faster Ethernet connections to users without increasing current costs of internet access.

Rich Tener, an Iowa State University alumnus and long-time IT security practitioner, has been named Information Technology Services’ (ITS) new Director of Information Security. 

In his new role, Tener will be responsible for the leadership and strategic direction of the information security arm of ITS, supporting university operations, identifying vulnerabilities, protecting against hacking and phishing attempts, and finding ways to keep the campus community’s information safe in the digital environment. 

When classes pick up again for the fall 2019 semester, Iowa State University faculty, staff, and students will have access to a new online meeting and video conferencing platform.

Iowa State University’s Computation Advisory Committee (CAC) recently approved a $24,264 funding request to create a physical space on campus where students with disabilities will have access to assistive technology resources.

The project proposal for an assistive technology lab — spearheaded by university Digital Accessibility Coordinator Cyndi Wiley — was outlined during a CAC meeting on March 28, and requested committee financial support to create a location dedicated to accessibility resources, peer mentoring, and community building for Iowa State students with disabilities.

Through a joint effort between the Iowa State University WorkCyte Program and Information Technology Services (ITS), two spaces on campus have been turned into dedicated Workday training rooms for faculty and staff in preparation for the project’s July 1 go-live date.