News Archives

Get Your MS Teams News on the Get Started Portal

June 11, 2021

Submitted by wwan on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 13:28

Starting today, Microsoft (MS) Teams end users will see a “News” section on their Get Started Portal. This new feature will keep you updated on the latest MS Teams information from Microsoft, as well as from UBC. 

The introduction of the News section is part of a multi-phase approach to redesign the Get Started portal, making it more user-friendly and informative while supporting end users’ day-to-day use of the collaboration tool. 

Click on the Get Started Portal on your Microsoft Teams dashboard to learn more.

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Delays for IT Equipment Purchasing

June 1, 2021

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Lunch & Learn: Using MS Teams @ UBC

May 14, 2021

UBC IT is decommissioning Skype for Business (UBC Collaboration Suite) on May 31, 2021. All remaining accounts will be automatically switched to Microsoft (MS) Teams to continue supporting your collaboration needs. MS Teams enables chat, video conferencing, and collaborating in real-time on documents.

MS Teams Training for UBCO Staff & Faculty

If you’d like to learn how to use MS Teams (and OneDrive) with your department, faculty, class or project, join our Lunch & Learn sessions hosted by UBCO IT: (click a session below for more details and to register)

  • Tuesday May 25 – Getting Started I: Creating Teams, Channel & Files
  • Thursday May 27 – Getting Started II: Using Chat & Hosting Meetings
  • Wednesday June 2 – Advanced: Teams & OneDrive
  • Friday June 4 – Teams & OneDrive: Review & Open Q&A

To learn more about MS Teams, please check out the following resources:

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May 2021 IT Update: IT Equipment and New Hires – Early Resumption Planning Tips

May 11, 2021

While the university is currently determining the approach and guidelines for the resumption of onsite teaching and learning, we wanted to highlight a few things to help you better prepare for any IT equipment purchases or new hires you may need for fall. We will provide additional information and resources to support your resumption planning when further details are confirmed. 

IT Accounts & Access for New Staff/Faculty & Student Hires

There are some known limitations with the hiring and IT account creation processes within Workday. This includes not being able to easily provide access to UBC accounts earlier than 2 pay periods before the new hire start date and if the employee has an existing CWL account prior to being onboarded in Workday.

These limitations are known and are actively being worked on, however in the meantime PLEASE follow these instructions or reach out to myself or the IT Helpdesk (UBC Self-Service Portal) BEFORE trying to provision email or other IT account access prior to Workday onboarding.

UBCO IT Onboarding

Also, please note, that there are specific accounts and services required for employees working in the Okanagan that will not be activated until the Okanagan - Employee IT Onboarding (CWL login required) form in the UBC Self-Service Portal has been submitted. This includes Novell account creation, printing access, phones, computer equipment and Zoom accounts.

More details on how to complete this form and the accounts & services it will enable can be found HERE. (Note: This form cannot be completed until after the employee has been issued a CWL within the Workday onboarding process).

IT Equipment Purchasing Delays

Global shortages in technology components (semiconductors) used to build PCs, is resulting in delays of 6-8 weeks for ordering new IT equipment. This is affecting almost all equipment including laptops, docking stations and monitors.

If you anticipate needing new equipment for the fall, for new hires and/or to accommodate hybrid working arrangements, please ensure you submit a ticket to the UBC Self-Service Portal for these purchases at least two months in advance.

Please note you can also make IT equipment orders directly in Workday including webcams, monitors, headphones, etc. Click HERE for more details:

Computer Replacement Program (CRP) for New Hires

The CRP program is centrally funded to provide UBCO IT supported equipment for permanent ongoing positions at UBCO. This program is currently being reviewed to ensure we are able to meet the technical needs of our growing campus in a fiscally responsible way. CRP requests for new positions filled by internal candidates will be validated with finance to determine whether an existing position is being backfilled. In the event staff end up changing roles, equipment may move with that staff member if there is no immediate backfill for the vacated role.

More details on CRP can be found HERE.

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Retirement of McAfee Encryption Management Service – June 24, 2021

April 29, 2021

Submitted by tcarpenter on Thu, 04/29/2021 - 14:44

UBC IT will be retiring the McAfee Encryption management service on June 24, 2021.  We will continue to manage encryption for supported devices by leveraging the capabilities of existing licensed products (MS InTune for PCs and Jamf Pro for Macs).  This change will result in significant cost savings for the University.  

 

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Remember to close off your Qualtrics account before end of term

April 23, 2021

Submitted by jchong on Fri, 04/23/2021 - 13:04

Its almost the end of term and those of you leaving UBC will want want to make sure your Qualtrics surveys and respondent data are properly dealt with. By attending to any administrative tasks now, you can avoid causing issues that could impact colleagues who may rely on your survey data for their work.

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Skype for Business Decommissioning on May 31, 2021

April 8, 2021

UBC IT is decommissioning Skype for Business (UBC Collaboration Suite) on May 31, 2021. To continue to support your collaboration needs, your Skype for Business account will also be automatically switched to Microsoft (MS) Teams on that day. MS Teams enables persistent chat, video conferencing, and collaborating in real-time on documents.  To learn more about MS Teams, please visit the MS Teams service catalogue: https://www.it.ubc.ca/teams.

To help get you oriented with the platform, UBC IT is offering two MS Teams Overview sessions:

  • Thursday, April 29 | 2:00pm – 3:30pm
  • Tuesday, May 26 | 1:00pm – 2:30pm

To sign up for a session, please click here: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4NnQLz3Kxt6rvyC.  An Outlook invitation will be sent to end-users closer to their training date.

Switch to MS Teams before May 31

You can also switch to MS Teams if you prefer to be migrated before May 31. Please note that this option is not available to contractors.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact the IT Service Centre: https://www.it.ubc.ca/helpdesk

How to Get Started with MS Teams

Once migration is complete, review the “Get Started” Portal on MS Teams to familiarize yourself with the platform. The Portal includes quick start guides, tips, and additional resources:

Please note that any recurring meetings previously scheduled in Skype for Business will need to be rescheduled in Microsoft Teams.

To learn about the differences in features between Skype for Business vs. MS Teams (Teams Only Mode), click here: https://it.ubc.ca/services/email-voice-internet/microsoft-teams#further

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A Guide to Using MS Teams at UBC

April 8, 2021

UBC IT is decommissioning Skype for Business on May 31, 2021.  To continue to support your collaboration needs, everyone will be moved to Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams is a collaboration tool that was launched for UBC August 2020 to allow UBC groups to create content and share information that they need to work together. MS Teams is Microsoft’s replacement for Skype for Business which is at end-of-life. There is no vendor support for Skype for Business after July 31, 2021. To learn about the differences between Skype for Business and MS teams, refer to this chart.

How do I learn to use Microsoft Teams?

To learn more about MS Teams, please visit it.ubc.ca/teams Or check out our UBCO IT's Guide to Using Teams at UBC - which provides detailed instructions on Getting Started and using MS Teams at UBC, including:
  • Setting up a Team
  • Creating & Using Channels
  • Creating & Sharing & Collaborating on Files
  • Using Chat
  • Creating Meetings with Teams
  • Advanced Tips & More Help
MS Teams Training You can also attend one of UBC IT's upcoming MS Teams Overview Sessions:
  • Thursday, April 29 | 2:00pm – 3:30pm
  • Tuesday, May 26 | 1:00pm – 2:30pm
To sign up for a session, please click here. An Outlook invitation will be sent to end-users closer to their training date. Or check out the “Get Started Portal” on the Microsoft Teams dashboard once you have the application launched. To request an overview to getting started with Teams for your UBCO department, please contact UBCO IT's Engagement Services team.

What is Teams Only mode?

Teams Only mode is essentially using all the collaboration features within MS Teams. When Microsoft Teams was first launched, end users had the choice of staying with Skype for Business for the time-being, but still have access to some of the MS Teams features, such as attending online meetings. When you are switched over to Teams Only mode, you will no longer have any access to Skype for Business features. You will essentially only be using Microsoft Teams to collaborate with others moving forward.

Can I switch over to Microsoft Teams before May 31?

Yes, you* can switch to Microsoft Teams before May 31.  To do this, please complete this form (Campus-Wide Login - CWL - credentials are required to access the form). *Note: Contractors are not eligible to switch before May 31. Their accounts will be migrated on May 31. If you do not do anything, your account will automatically switch to Microsoft Teams on May 31, 2021.

What happens to my SFB scheduled meetings?

Unfortunately Skype for Business meetings will not automatically switch over to teams. You will need to re-schedule any previously booked Skype for Business meetings as Microsoft Teams meetings after May 31.  We suggest creating a reminder on Tuesday June 1 to switch and minimize the potential of disruptions to regular meetings.

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A 90 Day Data Retention Schedule for MS Teams Chat Coming April 30

March 12, 2021

Submitted by wwan on Fri, 03/12/2021 - 11:24

Instant messaging apps has become one of our essential tools to communicate and stay connected with one another. We often overlook the amount of data that is collected by asking a simple question or participating in casual banter. To comply with UBC Records Management policies and requirements, UBC will be implementing a 90-day data retention schedule to the MS Teams instant messaging feature starting April 30, 2021.  

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How to Defuse Zoom-bombs

March 12, 2021

To celebrate a year of working and teaching remotely, UBCO IT would like to share some reminders on what you can do to ensure your UBC Zoom events aren’t interrupted by uninvited guests.

Unfortunately, incidents of Zoom-bombing at UBC continue, but there are some quick and easy steps that hosts or co-hosts can take to stop or remove any unwanted quests.

As a reminder, it is up to the host of the meeting to ensure they understand the security level required for the event, have the appropriate Zoom security settings in place beforehand and are able to take actions during the meeting to manage any disruptions.

How to Disable Meeting Functions or Remove Intruders During A Meeting

If you have an unwanted guest trying to disrupt your Zoom meeting, the host or co-host can block them instantly using the Security icon (at the bottom of your Zoom screen):

This will open a pop-up window where you can then:

  • Stop ALL participants from being able to do any or all of the following:
    • Share their screen, use chat, rename themselves or  unmute –
    • Click on any of the options to toggle on or off as needed (√ indicates it is enabled, selecting it will remove the check and disable the feature)
  • Remove Participant(s)
    • This will open a list of participants with the option to remove individuals as needed.
    • Once someone is removed, they cannot rejoin the meeting.
      • If you removed the wrong person, and need to allow them to rejoin:
  • Re-enable functions for all participants as needed
    • Click on the Security icon again, and select the meeting functions not checked to re-enable them for ALL Participants as needed.

How to Manage Chat During a Meeting

You can also adjust who participants can chat with even after the meeting has started.

Select the chat icon at the bottom of your zoom window (if it is not there either re-size your window or click on “More” with the three dots on the far-right side).

This will open the Chat window.

Click on the three dots on the bottom right of this window to manage who participants can chat with.

More Quick Tips for Public or Large Events:

  • Assign a moderator to monitor the chat and remove any disruptive participants
  • Do not use your Personal Meeting ID (PMI) to host public events
    • Your PMI is a persistent meeting room and people can pop in and out all the time
  • Use the Waiting Room feature to screen participants before they join

More Great Zoom Resources

If you have any questions or concerns, please submit a ticket via the UBC Self-Service Portal (CWL login required; Request a Service -> Request Desktop or AV Support -> Support Type: AV), and our Audio Visual team will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

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