ITS Service Changes
How Ongoing/Upcoming Upgrades May Affect You
Below is more detail about ongoing and upcoming changes to ITS services that are likely to impact you:
- Enhanced NetBadge Debuts
- Exchange Betterment Project: Best Practices for Users of the UVa Exchange Service
- Simpler Method for Resetting Passwords & Security Questions
- Upgrades to the UVa Mailing List Service (Sympa)
- Upgrades to the UVa Proxy Server
See also recently completed ITS service changes/upgrades and Student Information System (SIS) Enhancements put in place at the request of users.
Enhanced NetBadge Debuts
New Version of NetBadge with Higher Level of ID Assurance (Spring 2011)
- Purpose: “Enhanced” NetBadge provides
a higher level of identity assurance than does “original”
NetBadge, as it protects access to University computer systems which require a higher level of security.
Enhanced NetBadge:
- began in pilot during Fall 2011 by a group of 900 around the University who review graduate admissions materials (they will use Enhanced NetBadge in lieu of a special iKey or token);
- will soon protect a new, simpler procedure for resetting your security questions or passwords;
- will eventually be used to protect some more sensitive aspects of the Student Information System (SIS) and Employee Self-Service on the Integrated System (HR/Finance).
- Impact:
- For schools and departments:
- University Web developers may now use Enhanced NetBadge authentication to protect applications with sensitive personal information.
- For end users:
- Whenever you encounter the enhanced version of NetBadge (such as when you need to
reset the password you use for NetBadge, or view/change your security questions) you will
be asked to supply:
- your UVa computing ID and password or digital certificate, as is required with “regular” NetBadge; plus
- your University ID number, and
- the answer to one of your personal security questions you set during the ID verification process.
- Whenever you encounter the enhanced version of NetBadge (such as when you need to
reset the password you use for NetBadge, or view/change your security questions) you will
be asked to supply:
- If you have not completed the in-person identity verification
process, you will be not be able to access systems protected by Enhanced NetBadge. (This also
means that you will be unable to take advantage of the simpler procedure for resetting/synchronizing
your passwords.)
- Need to check whether you have completed the ID verification process and can successfully log in through Enhanced NetBadge? See How Do I Get Ready for Enhanced NetBadge?
- For schools and departments:
Exchange Betterment Project: Best Practices for Exchange Users
Improving the UVa Centralized Exchange Service (Nov. 2011 - March 2012)
- Purpose: ITS has launched a major effort to improve the UVa Centralized
Exchange Service. The project team has implemented Microsoft’s best practices on the “back end,”
as well as collected data on common Exchange problems experienced here at UVa, and compiled a list of best practices
for the “front end” so our e users may learn how they can better their own user experience with Exchange!
Work has included:
- implementing Microsoft-identified best practices on the servers;
- upgrading back-end service components such as storage, monitoring, and antivirus/antispam protections;
- collecting and collating data from LSPs to identify the most common Exchange calendaring problems encountered by day-to-day users;
- developing, documenting, and publishing best practices in Exchange email, calendar, and mobile devices, so users are aware of how to get the most from Exchange;
- offering a series of trainings to educate users about the Exchange best practices; and
- promoting the new, improved centralized University Exchange service.
- Impact: Going forward, the UVa Centralized Exchange Service will have better performance, greater availability, and improved disaster recovery capabilities. By following best practices and guidelines developed and shared during the project, UVa Exchange customers will enjoy an improved, more reliable user experience as well!
Simpler Method for Resetting Passwords & Security Questions
New Streamlined Procedures (Spring 2012)
- Purpose: The process involved in resetting and synchronizing the password(s)
you use for NetBadge has been greatly simplified.
- This ability is protected by the new Enhanced NetBadge service, as it takes advantage of the personal security questions you set during the ID verification process.
- Impact: As long as you can clear Enhanced NetBadge, you can now much more easily reset, change,
and synchronize all the UVa password(s) you use for NetBadge, and view/manage your personal security questions and answers.
- Previously, if you lost/forgot the password you use for NetBadge, you had to do (or re-do) your in-person identity verification and obtain a new PassPhrase card before you could reset your password.
- Now, many users will be able to bypass this step by answering a personal security question.
- If you need to check whether you have completed the ID verification process and can successfully log in through Enhanced NetBadge, see How Do I Get Ready for Enhanced NetBadge?
Upgrades to the UVa Mailing List Service (Sympa)
Sympa 6.1 Upgrade (Late Spring 2012)
- Purpose: To take advantage of enhancements associated with new version of the Sympa Mailing List Service.
- Impact: Upgrade includes:
- faster access to mailing lists through a new and improved Web interface;
- adding an unsubscription URL to message footers;
- offering subscriber exclusion for MyGroup mailing lists;
- internationalization (Web interface available in different languages);
- new list cloning (create a new mailing list based on an old one) and renaming abilities;
- auto-reply/autoresponder features;
- better overall processing to reduce backups and delays when sending out lots of mail at once;
- the ability to customize message content sent to each subscriber;
- improved moderation through personalized rejection messages;
- a new option to pre-schedule messages to go out at any time of the day or night;
- optional temporary subscription suspensions; and
- lots of bug fixes!
Upgrades to the UVa Proxy Server
EZproxy Middleware to Provide Authentication & Access (May 15, 2012)
- Purpose: Used by over 2500 institutions, EZproxy is middleware that authenticates users against local authentication systems (NetBadge at UVa) and provides remote access to licensed content based on the user’s authorization. EZproxy is much easier to set up and maintain than our current proxy software.
- Impact:
- Allows the use of NetBadge for authentication, which reduces the number of authorizations/passwords and provides a better end-user experience.
- UVa Proxy Server users will no longer have to configure their browsers, on either mobile devices or computers.
- Makes connections to a large number of content providers easier.
- Some users may have to update bookmarks to restricted materials; simply add the following string to the front of your URL — http://proxy.its.virginia.edu/login?url=. So, for instance, http://www.jstor.org will become http://proxy.its.virginia.edu/login?url=http://www.jstor.org
