Douglas Olsen
Samford University provides its students with access to the campus network and the internet from their personal devices. The university's Technology Services department supports students, faculty, and staff with classroom technology, wireless, administrative systems, email, and support. The university configures all Samford-owned computers (Windows and MAC systems) and mobile devices with a standard configuration of the appropriate operating system. Students are required to have Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, or Word, or compatible software like Open Office, to read and work with specific file types.
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What You'll Learn
Microsoft Excel, Powerpoint and Word are required
Samford University provides technological support for its students, faculty, and staff. The university requires students to have Microsoft Excel, Powerpoint, and Word to read and work with certain files. Specifically, Microsoft Excel or compatible software is needed to read XLS, XLT, XLSX, or XLTX files. Likewise, Microsoft PowerPoint or compatible software is required to read POT, POTX, PPS, PPSX, PPT, or PPTX files. Finally, Microsoft Word or compatible software is necessary to read DOC, DOT, DOCX, or DOTX files.
Students can use Microsoft Office 365, which includes Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, or compatible software like Open Office. Samford University configures all Samford-owned computers (Windows and MAC systems) and mobile devices with Microsoft Office 365. Additionally, the university provides classroom technology, wireless access, administrative systems, email, and support services to its students.
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Compatible software: Open Office
Samford University provides Microsoft Office 365 on all university-owned computers. However, students can use compatible software such as Open Office to read and write files in various formats.
OpenOffice, now known as Apache OpenOffice, is a free and open-source office productivity software suite. It was first developed in 2003 with the goal of achieving better interoperability with Microsoft Office. It includes a word processor (Writer), a spreadsheet (Calc), a presentation application (Impress), a drawing application (Draw), a formula editor (Math), and a database management application (Base). Apache OpenOffice is available in multiple languages and works on common operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux.
OpenOffice quickly became notable competition to Microsoft Office, achieving 14% penetration in the large enterprise market by 2004. In 2005, The Guardian used OpenOffice to illustrate the limitations of open-source software, and Sun Microsystems, the primary sponsor of OpenOffice at the time, began to reduce its contributions. Despite this, OpenOffice continued to be developed and improved by volunteers, and it has been downloaded over 300 million times as of 2020.
For Samford University students, OpenOffice is a viable alternative to Microsoft Office for reading and writing files. It supports a wide range of file formats, including those used by Microsoft Office, and can export files in PDF format. By using OpenOffice, students can ensure they have the necessary tools to work with various file types and maintain compatibility with other software.
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Wi-Fi access
Samford University provides Wi-Fi access to support students, faculty, and staff. To connect to the Wi-Fi, you must first ensure that your Wi-Fi is turned on. Then, select the correct wireless network: 'Samford Users' or 'Samford_IOT'.
If you select 'Samford Users', a window will open asking you to enter a password. Here, you should enter your Samford username and password and tap 'Join'. A window labelled 'Certificate' will then appear, and you should tap 'Accept' to accept the wireless certificate and join the network.
If you select 'Samford_IOT', you will be prompted to go to 'pf.samford.edu/device-registration'. Tap 'Register another device', and enter your MAC address for your device in the text field (including the colons). Tap 'Register', and you should now have full internet access.
You can also connect to the Wi-Fi by clicking the available wireless networks icon, which should resemble a series of bars. Click 'Samford Users' or 'Samford_IOT' and choose 'Connect'. A Network Authentication window will open, where you should enter your Samford username and password. You should now have full internet access.
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Security and compliance
Samford University takes IT security and compliance very seriously. The university configures all Samford-owned computers (Windows and MAC systems) and mobile devices with a standard configuration of the appropriate operating system. This includes additional software such as Evisions, Microsoft Office 365, Adobe Reader, and supported browsers. Full disk encryption is also implemented, with FileVault for MACs and BitLocker for Windows.
The university actively participates in various IT security organizations to stay updated on developments and improve its IT security operations. It also recognizes the unique threat landscape faced by higher education institutions due to the sensitivity of data they hold. In the event of a potential security breach, users are instructed to immediately contact the Technology Services Service Desk or a designated IT Security and Compliance Office (ITSCO) representative. Users are advised not to take any action, touch, attempt to log in, or alter the compromised system until advised to do so by the ITSCO.
To facilitate the reporting of suspicious emails, Samford University has enabled the "Report Message" feature in Outlook. This allows users to alert the Information Security team about suspicious emails and delete them from their inboxes with a single action.
In terms of compliance, Samford University has been working towards becoming PCI DSS compliant for its credit card processing activities. The PCI Compliance Working Group was formed in 2011 and engages with external specialists in PCI compliance to ensure the university's processes meet the required standards.
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Standard operating system configuration
Samford University has a standard operating system configuration for all Samford-owned computers (Windows and MAC systems) and mobile devices. The following is a list of the standard configurations:
- Configure the system with a standard configuration of the appropriate operating system.
- Include additional software such as Evisions, Microsoft Office 365, Adobe Reader, and additional supported browsers.
- Utilize Dell Command Update for Dell firmware updates.
- Use standard system naming (Department Code – Serial Number).
- Create a local administrator account with a password maintained and changed when appropriate by Technology Services. Other local accounts must be approved by the Samford University Information Security team.
- Enable full disk encryption (FileVault for MACs and BitLocker for Windows).
- Install SimpleHelp remote control software for remote technical support. This software collects statistics about the computer and enables remote control for improved support efficiency.
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Frequently asked questions
Samford University provides students with a list of approved software that they should be able to install and/or upgrade on their Samford-issued computers. This includes Microsoft Excel or compatible software like Open Office to read XLS, XLT, XLSX or XLTX files, Microsoft Power Point or compatible software to read POT, POTX, PPS, PPSX, PPT or PPTX files, and Microsoft Word or compatible software to read DOC, DOT, DOCX or DOTX files.
To connect to the internet at Samford University, you need to open the Settings on your device, turn on Wi-Fi, and select the appropriate Samford network ("Samford Users" or "Samford_IOT"). A window will open asking you to enter your Samford username and password. After entering this information, you should be connected to the internet.
Samford University does not appear to have specific operating system requirements for students' personal computers. However, the university provides technical support for Windows and MAC systems, and configures all Samford-owned computers with a standard configuration of the appropriate operating system.
In addition to the operating system, Samford University-owned computers include software such as Evisions, Microsoft Office 365, Adobe Reader, and additional supported browsers.
