Joyce Landreth, Virginia Tech

• PowerPoint
• Podcast

This will be a presentation of the timeline and issues encountered in choosing a comprehensive Emergency Notification System for a large university. Virginia Tech now operates a multifaceted alert system that includes several mechanisms to alert students and staff in the event of an emergency, including a multi-model communications system that utilizes a subscription service to sign up for SMS, IM, email, or cell or landline call.

Jayson Bevins, Apple

Mac OS 10.5 is the world’s most advanced operating system. So advanced, it will let you install and run just about any operating system that is available today on Apple computers that use the Intel architecture. Whether you employ virtualization or Apple's Boot Camp technology, Mac OS 10.5 is the answer to your multiple operating system question.

Sean McCord and Bruce Carveth, University of Virginia

• PowerPoint
• Podcast

For ten years, UVa's department of Information Technology and Communication (ITC) has partnered with IT professionals throughout the University in the Local Support Partner (LSP) program. In a recent initiative LSPs have designed and implemented a new program, LSP-PRO, for peer training and professional development. Join us for this examination of a successful collaboration between a central IT group and the IT professionals who keep the information flowing, and how such partnerships lead to new opportunities for all.

Mark Poore, Roanoke College

• PowerPoint
• Podcast

After evaluating and testing several classroom response systems in 2004-2005, Roanoke College adopted i>clicker for its ease of use and low cost. “Clickers” are now used in several courses across many disciplines with a growing number of faculty utilizing this technology each semester. Best of all, i>clicker requires very little support from IT beyond a 15-minute orientation session. This session will demonstrate the i>clicker classroom response system and describe how it has been used at Roanoke College. From basic opinion polling to quizzing and participation grading, the i>clicker system is worth a look if you’re in need of an easy, affordable solution that requires very little support.

Chris Harper
Executive Vice President
Secure Enterprise Computing

• PowerPoint
• Podcast

The PCI Data Security Standard is a compliance initiative from the payment card industry that dictates best-practice security standards for service providers and merchants who handle credit card information. The standard requires on-site audits, self-administered assessments, and Internet-based vulnerability scanning. This presentation will provide an overview of the standard, and will present the experiences of a PCI Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV). Learn what organizations are doing from an Internet perspective to attain compliance.

Julia Mays, Virginia Tech, and Karen McDowell, University of Virginia

• PowerPoint (Mays)
• PowerPoint (McDowell)
• Podcast

A knowledge base can be an invaluable resource for help desk personnel, developers, and end users alike. Combining experience with current research, we will comprehensively discuss their use in higher education environments. Topics addressed include workflow systems, public vs. private information, usage statistics, cross-functionality with other programs/resources, style guides, and user feedback.

John Alexander, University of Virginia

• PowerPoint
• Podcast

The VET project, an open source tool development project that will leverage Sakai, Fedora and Pachyderm, is now a year old. This presentation will update the one given at last year's ACCS conference.

Louis Zeidman
Regional Manager, Information Risk Management
Symantec Corporation

• PowerPoint
• Podcast

Please join us as we discuss the circumstances surrounding the new FRCP(Federal Rules of Civil Procedure), Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), general compliance and how they affect you, your IT department and practices.

Scott Paisley, IBM

• PowerPoint
• Podcast

Information security threats are overwhelming and bypassing reactive defenses deployed in many networks. They require more than traditional perimeter and host defenses to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of critical data. Motivated by financial gain, organized well-funded professional attackers are generating more successful attacks by selectively targeting networks. As protection of sensitive information becomes increasingly regulated, organizations need to be continually diligent in their security efforts to implement effective ongoing security strategy and risk management programs. This presentation will explore the new generation of information security attacks and discuss how to safeguard internal networks from these new evolving threats.

Panel: Ashraf Amrou, Old Dominion University; John Hildreth, Radford University; Jim Yucha, Virginia Commonwealth University; and Rick Reo, George Mason University

• PowerPoint (Amrou)
• PowerPoint (Yucha)
• PDF (Hildreth)
• Podcast

Representatives from four different Virginia universities will discuss their successes and challenges implementing the iTunes U infrastructure to support the distribution of public and private audio/video content. The presenters will share their experiences from a variety of perspectives that range across technical applications integration, user support, and instructional best practices.

Marc DeBonis, Virginia Tech

• PowerPoint
• Podcast

This presentation will look at developing self-service IT related applications, services and systems to reduce help desk calls, empower end users, delegate authority and responsibility, and improve ROI. Learn how the MIG group at Virginia Tech has taken these steps to build out self-service infrastructures for Active Directory management, Windows software patching, and other interesting developments. Steps to re-tool, re-purpose or build from the ground up will be provided and discussed.

Nicolas Pachis, Virginia Tech

• PowerPoint
• Podcast

The VA Tech IT Security Office (ITSO) has been performing IT security reviews of University departments. The ITSO measures compliance with University Minimum security requirements and the Payment Credit Card Industry (PCI) security standard. This presentation describes the tools and process of the review.

• Podcast

Linda Hancock is the Director for the Office of Health Promotion at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). She is also a Family Nurse Practitioner who has provided primary health care to college students at VCU for two decades. Linda’s specialty is making science user-friendly and fun. Her high energy and lively sense of humor have made her a popular national speaker on topics such as substance abuse prevention, sexuality, social norms, smoking, stress and silliness. Linda's Ph.D. is in education. She loves to use cutting-edge technology to help learners see reality from new perspectives.

April Steele, Virginia Commonwealth University

• PowerPoint
• Podcast

In efforts to support Instructional Technology in the classrooms, VCU developed the Tech Squad. The Tech Squad is comprised of student-based audio/visual and PC support staff that provide frontline support and are stationed in kiosk and satellite offices around campus. Since student techs provide training on the use of A/V and PC equipment as well as offer assistance with repair we decided to enhance our level of customer service by taking support to the customer as opposed to having students man a desk and wait for the customers to come to them.

John Russell
Consolidated Client Infrastructure Program Manager
BPC, Personal Systems Group
Hewlett Packard

• Podcast

You are all too familiar with last-minute semester imaging, frequent requests for professor or class specific images, requests for rolling images in labs and classrooms--not to mention OS updates and patches! Then, there is the process of tracking and managing ETF assets, general lifecycle maintenance and management, and the requests for upgrades and refreshes of these client-side resources. The writing is on the wall, and the trends all point to a cycle of Data Center driven technology. Increases in demand, changes in the type of use, decreased percentages of capital and operating budgets all lead to centralizing computing resources. Over the past few years we have experienced similar trends in server technologies; now the trends and demands are for increased manageability and flexibility in your client computing environment. What will you learn in this session?
1. We will talk about the trends in Higher Education leading to the push for centralized computing.
2. We will explore the pros and cons of different methods of centralized computing and the practical applications of these solutions.
3. We will offer examples of peer use of these centralized computing solutions in education.
4. We will discuss when, where and how to utilize these solutions including the almighty “if” you should use them.
5. Wrap up, Q & A.

Patrick Gosetti-Murrayjohn, University of Mary Washington

• Podcast

This presentation introduces ideas and applications of the semantic web relevant to knowledge management and sharing. Topics include the state of the art, the relationship between the semantic web and Web 2.0, and integrating knowledge across constituencies. After a conceptual introduction to the semantic web, I will address specific areas in higher education that are particularly suited to semantic web approaches to knowledge management. A key part of semantic web applications is an ontology – a structured description of the knowledge to be represented – suited to the identified needs. The presentation therefore culminates in a discussion of a 'university ontology' I have been developing.

Kristine Lindely, Dell

• PDF
• Podcast

This presentation will address data protection and disaster recovery topics for Higher Education institutions. Furthermore, we will discuss best practices, methods and considerations surrounding data recovery and high availability mission critical applications.

Brian Hammond, Microsoft

• PowerPoint

High Performance Computing (HPC) has become a key element of many universities and even school systems initiatives. In this market currently dominated by the Linux and UNIX systems, many organizations are beginning to look at Microsoft Compute Cluster as a viable option. The number of servers being devoted to technical computing and HPC is growing rapidly and many scientists and engineers are looking to take advantage of power of HPC on a familiar Windows-based platform. During this session, we will discuss how to jump start your HPC initiatives leveraging Microsoft Compute Cluster and discuss how other institutions -- traditional and non-traditional HPC audiences -- have benefited from the use of this technology. We will discuss design and implementation principals, basic technical aspects of Microsoft Compute Cluster Edition and where to go for more information.

Roxie Mitchell, Microsoft

• Podcast

Looking for innovative solutions for keeping your students connected? Learn more about Live@Edu, Microsoft’s newest platform for delivering student and alumni email and communication and collaboration services at no cost to the institution! Join us for this one hour presentation on Microsoft’s Live@Edu program that offers:
• The Apps Students Want – a co-branded email inbox students can use as their primary account, with additional services like Office Live Workspace, Windows Live SkyDrive, and more services that encourage collaboration;
• Integration With What You Have In Place – Live@edu works with the devices your students already use, and integrates with the infrastructure you already have;
• Reliable Infrastructure – outsource the time and cost of spam-filtering, server uptime and ongoing maintenance to Microsoft’s enterprise-class infrastructure; and
• Safety and Privacy – keep your students’ data private and help keep them safer online.

Sheila Chandler, Virginia Commonwealth University

The relationship between the technical support staff and the end-user is very complicated. As the Learning Systems staff in Technology Services at Virginia Commonwealth University has discovered, if the end-user is not happy or content, no one is happy! The many methods the Learning Systems technical staff employ to communicate with the end-user and manage behind-the-scenes work will be discussed. The group refers to the process as “Building End-User Capital.” In managing an enterprise version of a Learning Management System or any system with a large user base, there are times the technical staff has to dip into the “End-User Capital.” We believe the larger our “End-user Capital,” the more the user community will tolerate a system malfunction/downtime.

Kathy Gerber, University of Virginia

• Podcast

R is both a programming language and an environment for statistical computing and graphics. As an open source project, why is R able to compete in areas that have been the traditional domain of commercial products? In this presentation we'll embed R within the history and ideology of open source development as we explore the unique features of this high quality, successful project.

Kendell Rice, Ph.D, Blackboard

• PowerPoint
• Podcast

With increasing demands for institutional accountability at the federal and state levels and diligent pursuit by SACS and program accreditation associations, IT managers are capable of providing leadership by learning the foundations of performance management and evaluating technology supporting systems of performance excellence. The Baldridge National Criteria for Performance Excellence, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce, is gaining wide-spread interest in the higher education sector. A member of the National Board of Examiners for the Baldridge Award will review the criteria and address how IT leaders can support institutional efforts to develop a systemic and systematic approach to learning outcomes assessment and institutional effectiveness that lead to the development of a “Culture of Evidence” throughout the University.

Keynote Address: "Commonwealth Information Security Collaborations"
Peggy Ward, Chief Information Security & Internal Audit Officer, VITA (Virginia Information Technologies Agency)

Peggy is a native of Louisville, Kentucky. She holds a degree in accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University and is a graduate of the Virginia Executive Institute.

Peggy’s information security and audit experience spans 24 years, including 21 years at the Departments of General Services, Transportation and State Internal Auditor, as well as a year at Southern Bank and Trust Company. As Chief Information Security Officer, she has developed and is implementing enhanced information security standards, policies and guidelines with expanding state agency scope; formed and sponsors an Information Security Officers Advisory Group of all Commonwealth entity persons interested in information security to share challenges and opportunities in government IT security as well as a Commonwealth Information Security Council of selected state agency representatives to strengthen the information security posture of the Commonwealth with focused initiatives.

Prior to her current role, Peggy served as the Freedom of Information Act Coordinator, managed the DGS Information Security Program and successfully chaired interdisciplinary teams such as the DGS Continuity of Operations Plan Team and the DGS Newborn Screening Cost Recovery Team. She has made presentations at the Virginia Public Procurement Forum on the Freedom of Information Act and Continuity of Operations Planning. She was selected by the Secretary of Finance to serve as Acting State Internal Auditor. Prior to her Commonwealth career, Peggy served in the U. S. Army as an air traffic controller and as a recruiter. Most recently, Peggy was recognized as a National Finalist for the Information Security Executive of the Year Award in the government category for 2007.

Robert Nakles and Derek Kan, George Mason University

• Podcast

An important element for a successful implementation of a formal IT project management framework is to build it with collaboration. The ITU Project Management Office at George Mason is building a project management framework. The framework consists of a system for project classification, project phase templates and a process for approvals. Managers will see the value and effectiveness of following the framework in handling projects.

Ashraf Amrou, Old Dominion University

• Podcast

This presentation will describe our solution to integrating iTunes U with Blackboard at Old Dominion University. In particular, an emphasis will be placed on the newly added features of Automated Course Management and Cross-Referencing.

Ashley Fairchild, Foundry Networks; Josh Frank, Virginia Military Institute

When vendors compete, the customer almost always wins… Many well respected industry analysts feel very strongly that customers who depend on a single vendor for voice, video and data networking equipment, limit themselves to the innovation that the vendor feels is necessary. In reality, when open standards are employed, the network can be simpler, faster, less costly and still secure.

Jerry Slezak, University of Mary Washington
Jim Groom, University of Richmond

• Podcast
• Website

What if we didn't understand what we do in education with blogs as “blogging” but as a quick and easy way to publish online within a learning community? Or a place to feature a portfolio of students’ best work? Or a site where professors and staff track their professional and personal development? What if we understood "campus blogging initiatives" as a community publishing platform to share, learn, and integrate various resources from around the Web into a more specific community? This presentation will offer an alternative means of conceptualizing how university networks might approach supporting teaching and learning technologies by designing their online publishing systems around an RSS-rich aggregation system of open syndication, rather than closed repositories and Learning Management Systems (LMS) that seldom, if ever, allow or enable communication outside the walls of the course. Specifically, we will describe how we have used WordPress Multi User to build an enterprise-level educational publishing platform, and how it has fundamentally changed and transformed the online component of teaching and learning beyond the tools of the standard LMS.

Nancy Courtney, Cisco Systems

• Podcast

The next generation of students are more savvy users of technology--are you ready? They want freedom, collaboration, entertainment, speed, and innovation. Cisco Systems can demonstrate how you can provide the tools to provide access anywhere, anytime, to any device!

Mac OS X Leopard

Jayson Bevins, Apple

Mac OS X Leopard has over 300 new features. Take part in this overview of the world's most advanced operating system. With a feature set that includes automatic backups, video conferencing, integrated mail application, desktop management tools, the ability to run Windows applications and much more, Mac OS X Leopard could be your next operating system.