Information Technology News Archive

1996 - 2017

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Campus Support

Secure Instant Messaging

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chat logo

NACS has introduced a new component of our communication and collaboration services: Instant Messaging (IM).

This service allows real-time communication between two or more people.  You can type brief messages back and forth, ask and answer quick questions, share links, and transfer files. In addition to person-to-person communications, it can be used to host a group “chat room”, to assist help desk or reception activities, or for contact between faculty and students.

As this service is designed for and operated at UC Irvine, it has many advantages over commercial IM services:

  • UCInetID Identification — Your instant messaging ID is the same as your campus login: UCInetID@uci.edu. With the UCInetID system you always know with whom you’re speaking; no need to guess or verify whether an instant messaging handle actually belongs to your coworker.
  • Spam-Free — NACS Instant Messaging is not accessible by commercial instant messaging systems. In addition, you must authorize senders before they may send messages to you.
  • Security — All transmissions are encrypted using SSL/TLS.

NACS offers documentation for selected instant messaging clients for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

For additional information and connection instructions, please see http://www.nacs.uci.edu/computing/im/

UCInetIDs for Applicants

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Admissions site for applicants

NACS has expanded the availability of campus network identities this year for the first time to include applicants for admission to the university.

Since applicants now have the ability to officially authenticate to UCInet, units such as the Registrar, Admissions, Financial Aid, and Housing can offer online information and support to potential students without creating their own systems of identification, providing applicants more uniform and convenient access to these resources.

NACS issued over 64,000 UCInetIDs to applicants this year.

Saving Money through Strategic Sourcing

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In the current budgetary climate, faculty and staff should be aware of the opportunities for saving money on academic software and computer equipment that NACS coordinates.

NACS works with representatives from the other UC campuses to leverage the buying power of the multi-campus system to negotiate a variety of discounted software licensing contracts.  Among the research software for which UCI has licensing programs are the mathematics packages Matlab and Mathematica, the statistical packages SAS and SPSS, and GIS software from ESRI.  You can explore UCI’s software licensing agreements online.

UCI also participates in UC’s Microsoft Consolidated Campus Agreement (MCCA) wherein units can purchase annual licenses for Microsoft software such as Windows and Office for all computers owned by the unit.  NACS can help units determine whether this option fits their needs.  Information on this and other options for purchasing Microsoft software is available online.

Finally, UCI has a strategic sourcing agreement with KST Data which provides discounts on the purchase of new desktop and laptop computers.

NACS and DUE Team Up

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In summer 2007, the Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) and NACS agreed to partner in providing information technology (IT) support services to DUE departments and programs. Under the new partnership, DUE’s IT support team members joined NACS and became a part of the Web Technologies Group under the direction of Shohreh Bozorgmehri.

DUE has extensive IT needs in the areas of file and web server management, desktop support, database administration, and application development.

Its nearly one hundred staff members administer a wide range of support programs that serve the undergraduate population at UCI, including but not limited to tutorial services, academic advising, and study abroad programs. These needs are currently met by a DUE-IT team consisting of the Director, seven staff, and one student programmer.

The DUE-IT team members in turn have access to a range of technical knowledge and expertise within the NACS organization. Sharon Salinger, Dean of Undergraduate Education who proposed the partnership, praised the success of the venture. “By moving DUE-IT to NACS we capitalized on the depth and breadth of knowledge and support within NACS,” she said.  “Our IT staff joined a more productive environment and the Division benefited from superb leadership and project management.”

In the past year, the NACS DUE-IT team provided a range of services to DUE and through DUE to the campus undergraduate community. Student tracking, previously managed on paper and in Microsoft Office products, is now handled through a web-based system for Student Academic Advancement Services and Transfer Student Services. DUE-IT staff worked with the Office of Admissions to consolidate numerous separate data exchanges into one central and secure feed. Internal code, database, and file permissions audits were conducted and extensive searches were conducted for unsecured sensitive information, greatly enhancing DUE’s IT security.

Currently, the DUE-IT team is working on a range of projects, including the overhaul of the Undecided/Undeclared Office’s workshop systems, the consolidation and streamlining of central DUE data systems, and implementation of a central student ID card reader system to allow DUE offices to more efficiently serve students. Additional information about the DUE-IT partnership can be found online.

Online Telecommuncations Service Request Form

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NACS online Service Request Form

NACS Online Service Request Form

NACS clients are asked to use our online service request form for making network and telecommunications service requests.  Orders for telephones and lines, wired and wireless network services,  voice mail services, cellular services, calling cards, 800 Mhz radio services, conference unit rental, account fund changes and other telecommunications services are all possible through the use of the online order form.  Requests for telephone and network services at the same location can be ordered together with a single form.

Orders are reviewed, dispatched to the appropriate team for processing, scheduled, and completed typically within five business days.  Orders for 10 or more services require longer lead times.  NACS will do our best to meet any client deadline.

Once an order is in the system, you will receive email confirmation, and you will be able to check on its status online.  A set of administrative tools allows you to review or search through open orders.

If you need assistance with your order, need to make changes to it, or cancel it, or if you would like to check on the feasibility of a tight deadline, contact NACS Telecommunications Customer Support at x45123 or nacs-tcs@uci.edu.