Maynooth University IT Services

Dear Colleagues,
We have become aware of a vulnerability in the print spooler service running on all Windows machines. This is an issue affecting all universities and companies that have a centralised printing service. We have stopped the print service until we assess this serious security issue.
This issue will also apply to anyone who has a local printer. Be extra careful clicking links in any email that you do not recognise. Also note that other colleagues who may share your printer should also be extra vigilant as the malware can use your Print Spooler service to escalate privileges on their computer.
You should disable the print spooler on your Windows machine.
1: How to Enable or Disable Print Spooler Service

Press the Windows Key + R, type in services.msc, and press Enter.

Double-click on Print Spooler.
Change Startup type from Automatic to Manual
Click on Start or Stop.

If you have any issues or queries please email servicedesk@mu.ie.

Kind regards,

ServiceDesk

IT Services
 

Maynooth University notes that you are no longer a registered student of the University, having completed your studies some time ago or not re-registering to your programme. As a result, your University IT account is now scheduled for deletion. This affects the following IT services which have been available to you:

Your user account
MU e-mail address including your Office 365 email and calendar
Personal network share (sometimes referred to as your 'x-drive') and Office 365 storage
Access to the Student Web portal (e.g. examination judgements)
Please be advised that these will be deleted on Friday, 30th July, 2021, which will result in the following:

You will no longer be able to access your MU account to log onto PCs, email or the Maynooth University network
All emails (and email forwards associated with your account) will be deleted
All data from your personal network share and Office 365 storage will be deleted
Moodle, StudentWeb and library access will be revoked
You should take the following actions:
Forward any emails that you wish to retain, to another account or save them as files
Save any files that you wish to retain from your personal network share to a secure file store or device, meaning any assignments, theses or related data should be downloaded from your account, from Moodle or from StudentWeb.In the event that you are receiving this email in error and you are currently a registered student with Maynooth University, please contact servicedesk@mu.ie providing information of your relationship with the University. If you register during the deletion period (18th June-30th July) your account will not be deleted, and no further action is required.

Further details and a copy of this email are available on the Maynooth University IT Services website, at :

https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/it-services-notices

under the heading, "23-06-2021 Maynooth University Student Account Deletion - July 30th, 2021"

ServiceDesk,
IT Services,
Maynooth University.

Don’t miss out…

You may not know this already but when you graduate from Maynooth, you automatically become a member of the Maynooth alumni network and join the 80,000+ alumni around the world.

There are a wide variety of benefits and services available to Maynooth alumni and we're constantly adding to the list. After all, you did earn them! We host numerous alumni activities at home and abroad and organise events such as Networking/Career evenings, Class Reunions and the annual Carol Service and alumni reception. We also post regularly on social media and are here for you should you have any post-graduation queries.

So, make sure you join the Maynooth Alumni Online Community and tell other Maynoothians you know too!

Click here to find out what’s available to you – did you know, for example, that Maynooth grads can vote in the Seanad Éireann elections?? - together with stuff you might need to get/know in the future. If we can help you with anything else, please don't hesitate to contact us at alumni@mu.ie.

Stay safe and be well.

Dear Colleague,

Essential maintenance will take place on Maynooth University’s AppsAnywhere infrastructure on Wednesday 23rd June next between 17.00 and 23.00.

While no downtime is expected, we recommend that users do not plan any critical activity involving AppsAnywhere during this timeframe.

A copy of this notice may be viewed at https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/it-services-notices

With kind regards,

IT Services ServiceDesk

Dear Colleagues,
This is to confirm that University owned Windows 7 devices have been blocked from accessing the internet and all cloud-based services while on-campus from 31 May 2021. 
Laptops and Desktops running Windows 7 will still work on campus, without access to internet dependent resources such as cloud services and Office365. However, IT Services recommend that you do not rely on a Windows 7 device as your main computer.
If you have been working remotely since March 2020 and have data on a Windows 7 device based on campus, please contact servicedesk@mu.ie on your return to campus for assistance with recovering that data.
The device in question can then be assessed to see if it is capable of running Windows 10.
Thank you for playing your part in protecting Maynooth University’s IT environment.

With kind regards,
IT Services
ServiceDesk

Dear Colleague, 

I hope all is well with you.
I am writing in in relation to issues with running the OneDrive for Business sync client from Windows 7.
If you are working to migrate data from Windows 7 and experience this problem, a Microsoft EasyFix tool can downloaded from the following link:

https://download.microsoft.com/download/0/6/5/0658B1A7-6D2E-474F-BC2C-D69E5B9E9A68/MicrosoftEasyFix51044.msi

The tool will download to your Downloads Folder.

Double-click to run the tool to correct the issue with the OneDrive For Business sync client.

IT Services

Dear Colleague,

This is a gentle reminder that University owned Windows 7 devices will be blocked from accessing the internet and all cloud-based services while on-campus from 31 May 2021.

Further information on this may be found at: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/staff

With kind regards,

Laptops and Desktops running Windows 7 are unsupported systems. Recent cyber-attacks on the HSE and Department of Health show the importance of keeping all IT systems and services up-to-day on supported platforms with the latest security patches installed.
We appreciate that many staff are already working with IT Services and departmental colleagues to plan for the migration from Windows 7 to Windows 10. To minimise any disruption that the proposed change will cause to you, we recommend all staff currently using Windows 7 devices on campus to migrate any locally held data to OneDrive before 31 May.

Information on how to configure OneDrive and migrate data to it can be found at:

 https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/windows-10

To avail of additional support in the configuration of OneDrive, if required, please contact servicedesk@mu.ie.

When all your data has been migrated, please contact servicedesk@mu.ie to arrange to migrate to Windows 10.

Thank you for playing your part in protecting Maynooth University’s IT environment.

IT Services

ServiceDesk

Notice sent to All Staff 06/05/2021

Dear Colleague,  

IT Security is of vital significance in the protection of data, systems and services used to carry out the daily teaching, research and administrative functions of Maynooth University.  Unsupported systems are more vulnerable to exploitation that will seriously affect the University by impacting on the availability of IT related services and or leading to the loss of data or financial resources.    

All staff at Maynooth University have a role to play in preserving the integrity of its data, systems and IT-related services.  

Laptops and Desktops running Windows 7 are unsupported systems.  To protect the security of Maynooth University’s IT environment and critical systems, University owned Windows 7 devices will be blocked from accessing the internet and all cloud-based services while on-campus from 31 May 2021.  

Further information on this may be found at: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/staff  

We appreciate that many staff are already working with IT Services and departmental colleagues to plan for the migration from Windows 7 to Windows 10.  To minimise any disruption that the proposed change will cause to you, we recommend all staff currently using Windows 7 devices on campus to migrate any locally held data to OneDrive before 31 May. 

Information on how to configure OneDrive and migrate data to it can be found at:  https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/windows-10   

To avail of additional support in the configuration of OneDrive, if required, please contact servicedesk@mu.ie.   

When all of your data has been migrated, please contact servicedesk@mu.ie to arrange to migrate to Windows 10.  

Thank you for playing your part in protecting Maynooth University’s IT environment.  

A copy of this notice can be found at: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/it-services-notices 

With kind regards  

IT Services  

ServiceDesk 

Dear Colleagues,

Please note that the original maintenance to Moodle scheduled for Friday March 19th has been postponed, and as a result Moodle will be available to all users on Friday 19th March.

We appreciate the disruption these difficulties have caused, and we thank you for your support during this time. Further updates will be posted on Twitter @MU_Moodle and on the MU Current Students webpage.

Kind Regards,

Moodle Support Team

Colleagues,

We are aware that Moodle issues continue. Our service provider is working to restore service as a priority.

Kind regards,

IT Services
Service Desk

Dear Colleagues,

Moodle is currently unavailable. IT Services staff are working with the Moodle supplier on this issue as a priority and will inform you when we have an update.

Kind regards,

IT Services
Service Desk

Dear Colleague,

We are writing in relation to AppsAnywhere which is currently available at MU.

AppsAnywhere allows access to software previously only accessible in Public Access Computer Rooms (PACR) from anywhere via a web portal.

Windows Users:

To access AppsAnywhere, please visit https://appsanywhere.mu.ie and log in with your username and password.  Over sixty apps are available to Windows users via this portal.

 
Apple and Chromebook Users:

To access AppsAnywhere, please visit https://apps.mu.ie/ and log in with your email address and password.  This will allow you to launch AppsAnywhere via a virtual desktop environment.  Please log on to AppsAnywhere with your username and password.

We are working to extend the number of applications available on this platform. 
 

Downloading Endnote for Local installation:

Endnote is available for local installation on Apple and Windows computers.  Users may avail of this option directly at https://appsanywhere.mu.ie.

Further information on AppsAnywhere and latest updates may be found on the IT Services web pages at: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/appsanywhere
 
A copy of this email may be found at: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/it-services-notices

With kind regards,

IT Services
ServiceDesk

Dear colleagues,

Please be advised the telephony service is now restored we are awaiting official confirmation from Eir.

Regards,

IT Services 
Service Desk

Dear colleagues,

Please be advised we are experiencing on-going issues with the telephony system; outgoing calls are impacted. This is a country wide outage. The service provider is working on this at present and we will let you know if there are any further updates.

Regards,

IT Services
Service Desk

Dear colleagues,

Please be advised we are currently experiencing issues with the telephony system; external calls are currently impacted. We are investigating as a priority and a ticket has been logged with our service provider.

Regards,

IT Services
ServiceDesk

Dear Colleagues,

AppsAnywhere will be unavailable from 08.00 to 13.00 on Wednesday 27 January for essential maintenance.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this.

A further notification will be sent when availability resumes.

AppsAnywhere is normally available via https://appsanywhere.mu.ie/

Kind regards,

IT Services
Service Desk

Dear JDE User,

our JD Edwards support vendor and Oracle have developed and delivered a fix for the JD Edwards Browser Issue. The fix was tested before the Christmas break and has been delivered to the JD Edwards production system.

You can now revert to using JD Edwards from your preferred browser. Google Chrome and MS Edge are the browsers of choice on PC and Firefox on MACs.

It’s possible that you may have to clear your browser cache for this fix to take effect, instructions here.

If you encounter any further issues of this nature please open a Service Desk ticket.

Regards and Happy New Year.

IT Services
Service Desk

Dear colleagues,

On behalf of MU Panopto Support, please note that on Saturday, December 19th 2020, Panopto Cloud will be updated with the latest features and improvements. These updates will require downtime for a minimum of 3 hours with an estimated start time of 21:00. During this downtime, you will not be able to access videos on our Panopto site and videos that are embedded on Moodle will not load. In addition, any attempts to upload from recording clients will result in a "Server unable to connect" message. For any questions about this, please contact panoptosupport@mu.ie.  

A copy of this email may be found at: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/it-services-notices  

Regards,

Service Desk
IT Services

IT Services is pleased to announce the availability of AppsAnywhere.  

AppsAnywhere provides an App Store experience for students and staff to access a selection of the most commonly used academic software.   This is a new service that will facilitate remote access to software previously available on campus.  This removes the requirement for students to install the software on their desktop or laptop. 

To access the service and see the applications that are available, please visit https://appsanywhere.mu.ie  and log in with your Maynooth University username and password.

This service is now available for Microsoft Windows devices. Work is ongoing to extend the service to Mac and Chromebook devices and we will update you shortly.

Further information on AppsAnywhere is available at: 

https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/appsanywhere 

Dear Colleagues, 

This is a gentle reminder that, as part of IT Services security projects, there will be a General ICT Security Awareness session provided on the following dates: 

• Wednesday 11 November at 11.00AM 
• Tuesday 24 November at 11.00 AM 

Each session will be delivered by the staff of HEAnet via Microsoft Teams.

We still have places available for both dates. 

If you would like to attend, please fill in the following form to register for the date that is most suitable to you.  

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=zPVUFDW7hUa72YYh_YBVyQbGSfkyj5lOo0TV5DCvKyxUM1NOMU8yQTkyVTZMRU8wMThFWDRFTURIUS4u  

As there is limited availability, places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. There are 20 available places.  

These awareness sessions will include: staying safe online, ransomware, social engineering, phishing, etc.   

Kind regards, 

IT Services 

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to announce the official arrival of Breakout Rooms to Microsoft Teams. 

This Breakout Room feature is a powerful and long-awaited addition to Microsoft Teams. It enables meeting organisers to split participants into smaller groups to facilitate class discussions, brainstorming sessions, group training tasks, etc. You must be using the Teams desktop application to use this feature. Some of the features of Breakout Rooms for organisers include:

• Create up to 50 Breakout Rooms in a single meeting
• Assign participants to rooms automatically or manually
• Join any of the rooms to take part in group discussions
• Close rooms to automatically bring participants back to the main meeting once again

From Monday, 09.11.20 you will be able to schedule a channel meeting and start using breakout rooms. Why not schedule a meeting with your class or department team today. To do this:

• Schedule a channel meeting – Teams > Calendar > New meeting and invite a channel to the meeting 
   
• Once you join the meeting, select the Breakout Rooms icon to setup your rooms 
   

For guidance on using Breakout Rooms, please review the information provided on the IT Services webpages: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/microsoft-teams. If you do not find what you are looking for, or if you run into any issues, please contact IT Services directly at servicedesk@mu.ie. 

Please note that a copy of this email and all legitimate IT Services Notifications will appear on the IT Services page of the Maynooth University website under the IT Services Notices section.

Regards,

IT Services

ServiceDesk unavailable On Thursday 29/10 from 10am until 4pm 

A reminder that essential maintenance on ServiceDesk will take place tomorrow Thursday 29th October from 10am until 4pm. 

Emails to ServiceDesk during this time will not be addressed until the upgrade is complete. 

If you have an urgent matter to report you may phone  01 7083830. 

As part of IT Services security projects, there will be a General ICT Security Awareness session provided on 3 November next at 11.00AM, via MS Teams. This session will be delivered by the staff of HEAnet. 

If you would like to attend, please fill in the following form to register.  

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=zPVUFDW7hUa72YYh_YBVyQbGSfkyj5lOo0TV5DCvKyxUMElRMzZINkE1V09UQlpGWjhITlpOUk5DVy4u 

As there is limited availability, places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. There are 20 available places.  

These awareness sessions will include: staying safe online, ransomware, social engineering, phishing, etc.   

Please note that each place we provide represents a cost to the University. If you are unable to attend an activity you should let us know at least 3 working days beforehand, so that we can fill your place. If you do not give sufficient notice, we may ask your Head of Department to reimburse the cost of your non-attendance. 

Dear Colleagues, 

As part of IT Services security projects, there will be a General ICT Security Awareness session provided on 21 October next at 11.00AM, via MS Teams. This session will be delivered by the staff of HEAnet. 

If you would like to attend, please fill in the following form to register.  

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=zPVUFDW7hUa72YYh_YBVyQbGSfkyj5lOo0TV5DCvKyxUQVU0MFhaM0RNMTFFQkQ4MDdONjJTN0lHQi4u  

As there is limited availability, places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. There are 20 available places.  

These awareness sessions will include: staying safe online, ransomware, social engineering, phishing, etc.   

Please note that each place we provide represents a cost to the University. If you are unable to attend an activity you should let us know at least 3 working days beforehand, so that we can fill your place. If you do not give sufficient notice, we may ask your Head of Department to reimburse the cost of your non-attendance. 

Kind regards, 

IT Services 

Dear colleagues,

Regards
IT Services Notices.
 

Colleagues,

There will be a short outage to the Panopto lecture capture and streaming service from 5:30pm today, until 8pm. This is to facilitate full integration with Moodle 2021.

Service Desk

IT Services

Dear Colleagues, 

As part of IT Services security projects, there will be General ICT Security Awareness sessions provided on the 2nd and 16th of September, respectively via MS Teams. These sessions will be delivered by the staff of HEAnet. 

Please fill in the form https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=zPVUFDW7hUa72YYh_YBVyQbGSfkyj5lOo0TV5DCvKyxUNTEySUg2T05OVE83RkRFWktVSlFEMkZRMS4uto select a time and register to attend a session. As there is limited availability, places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. There are 20 available places per session.  

These awareness sessions will include: staying safe online, ransomware, social engineering, phishing, etc.   

Please note that each place we provide represents a cost to the University. If you are unable to attend an activity you should let us know at least 3 working days beforehand, so that we can fill your place. If you do not give sufficient notice, we may ask your Head of Department to reimburse the cost of your non-attendance. 
 

Kind regards, 

IT Services 

Maynooth University notes that you are no longer a registered student of the University, having completed your studies some time ago or not re-registering to your programme. As a result, your University IT account is now scheduled for deletion. This affects the following IT services which have been available to you:

• Your user account
• MU e-mail address including your Office 365 email and calendar
• Personal network share (sometimes referred to as your 'x-drive') and Office 365 storage
• Access to the Student Web portal (e.g. examination judgements)

Please be advised that these will be deleted on Friday, 7th August, 2020, which will result in the following:

• You will no longer be able to access your MU account to log onto PCs, email or the Maynooth University network
• All emails (and email forwards associated with your account) will be deleted
• All data from your personal network share and Office 365 storage will be deleted
• Moodle, StudentWeb and library access will be revoked

You should take the following actions:

• Forward any emails that you wish to retain, to another account or save them as files
• Save any files that you wish to retain from your personal network share to a secure file store or device, meaning any assignments, theses or related data should be downloaded from your account, from Moodle or from StudentWeb.In the event that you are receiving this email in error and you are currently a registered student with Maynooth University, please contact servicedesk@mu.ie providing information of your relationship with the University.

Further details and a copy of this email are available on the Maynooth University IT Services website, at :
https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/it-services-notices
under the heading, "26-06-2019 Maynooth University Student Account Deletion - August 7th, 2020"

Don’t miss out…

You may not know this already but when you graduate from Maynooth, you automatically become a member of the Maynooth alumni network and join the 75,000+ alumni around the world.

There are a wide variety of benefits and services available to Maynooth alumni and we're constantly adding to the list. After all, you did earn them! We host numerous alumni activities at home and abroad and organise events such as Networking/Career evenings, Class Reunions and the annual Carol Service and alumni reception. We also post regularly on social media and are here for you should you have any post-graduation queries.

So, make sure you join the Maynooth Alumni Online Community and tell other Maynoothians you know too!

Click here to find out what’s available to you – did you know, for example, that Maynooth grads can vote in the Seanad Éireann elections?? - together with stuff you might need to get/know in the future. If we can help you with anything else, please don't hesitate to contact us at alumni@mu.ie.

Stay safe and be well.

Dear Colleagues,

As part of IT Services security projects, there will be General ICT Security Awareness sessions provided on the 30th of June and the 7th of July, respectively via MS Teams. These sessions will be delivered by the staff of HEAnet.

Please fill in the form

 https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=zPVUFDW7hUa72YYh_YBVyQbGSfkyj5lOo0TV5DCvKyxUNUtRUzc1VjRKVVQ1NlU4SlBMVFg0NElXUS4u

to select a time and register to attend a session. As there is limited availability, places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. There are 20 available places per session.

These awareness sessions will include: staying safe online, ransomware, social engineering, phishing, etc. 

Please note that each place we provide represents a cost to the University. If you are unable to attend an activity you should let us know at least 3 working days beforehand, so that we can fill your place. If you do not give sufficient notice, we may ask your Head of Department to reimburse the cost of your non-attendance.

Kind regards,

IT Services

Dear Colleagues,

As part of IT Services security projects, there will be General ICT Security Awareness sessions provided on the 3oth of June and the 7th of July, respectively via MS Teams. These sessions will be delivered by the staff of HEAnet.

Please fill in the form

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=zPVUFDW7hUa72YYh_YBVyQbGSfkyj5lOo0TV5DCvKyxUNUtRUzc1VjRKVVQ1NlU4SlBMVFg0NElXUS4u to select a time and register to attend a session. As there is limited availability, places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. There are 20 available places per session. 

These awareness sessions will include: staying safe online, ransomware, social engineering, phishing, etc.

Please note that each place we provide represents a cost to the University. If you are unable to attend an activity you should let us know at least 3 working days beforehand, so that we can fill your place. If you do not give sufficient notice, we may ask your Head of Department to reimburse the cost of your non-attendance.
 

Kind regards,

IT Services

Dear Colleagues,

As part of IT Services security projects, there will be General ICT Security Awareness sessions provided on the 3rd and 9th of June, respectively via MS Teams. These sessions will be delivered by the staff of HEAnet.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=zPVUFDW7hUa72YYh_YBVyQbGSfkyj5lOo0TV5DCvKyxURVdXMFdLWFZRQTFXUVNLMFFIUjYxRFhFUC4u
Please fill in the form  to select a time and register to attend a session. As there is limited availability, places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. There are 20 available places per session.

These awareness sessions will include: staying safe online, ransomware, social engineering, phishing, etc. 

Please note that each place we provide represents a cost to the University. If you are unable to attend an activity you should let us know at least 3 working days beforehand, so that we can fill your place. If you do not give sufficient notice, we may ask your Head of Department to reimburse the cost of your non-attendance.

Kind regards,

IT Services

Dear Colleagues,

Essential maintenance on the ITS Student Record System has been  completed.

Kind regards,

ServiceDesk
IT Services

Dear Colleague,

Essential maintenance on the ITS Student Record System has been rescheduled for this weekend. This will mean a full service outage on ITS with impacts on associated systems:

Outage : Friday 08/05/20 17:00 – Monday 11/05/20 10.30

Systems :

Workbench – Student info, history, etc.

ITS Back Office

Student Web - iEnabler

Timetable Viewer

Admin Reports on Workbench

Further notification will be sent when the system is available again.

Regards,

IT Services 
ServiceDesk

Dear Colleague,

We hope all is well with you.

Our records indicate that you are using a Windows 7 laptop and that you have not been in contact with IT Services to have Extended Security Updates (ESU) applied to it.

It is important that you take steps to have ESU applied to your Windows 7 computer immediately so that it continues to receive essential updates and security patches from Microsoft.

What you need to do:

· Check your computer to ensure that it has the most recent available windows update installed. A help sheet on how to do this may be found at https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/windows-10/windows-7-extended-support Please keep checking after each installation until no important updates remain. You do not need to install any optional updates or language packs. · When all available updates have been installed please contact servicedesk@mu.ie to arrange for the Extended Security Updates (ESU) to be applied to your machine.

· A member of IT Services will contact you and apply the ESU at a mutually suitable time.

Please Note: ESU is only available for University owned Windows 7 devices. IT Services cannot apply the extended support to privately owned equipment. However, staff should check these devices and install any available security updates to render them as secure as possible.

A copy of this email may be viewed on the IT Services web page at https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/it-services-notices

Thank you for your cooperation with this important IT Security task.

Dear Colleague,

We hope all is well with you.

Our records indicate that you are using a Windows 7 laptop and that you have not been in contact with IT Services to have Extended Security Updates (ESU) applied to it.

It is important that ESU is applied so that the computer will continue to receive any system and security updates issued by Microsoft.

What you need to do:

· Check your computer to ensure that it has the most recent available windows update installed. A help sheet on how to do this may be found at https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/windows-10/windows-7-extended-support Please keep checking after each installation until no updates remain. · When all available updates have been installed please contact servicedesk@mu.ie to arrange for the Extended Security Updates (ESU) to be applied to your machine.

· A member of IT Services will contact you and apply the ESU at a mutually suitable time.

Please Note: ESU is only available for University owned Windows 7 devices. IT Services cannot apply the extended support to privately owned equipment. However, staff should check these devices and install any available security updates to render them as secure as possible.

Dear Colleague,

We hope all is well with you.

Our records indicate that you are using a Windows 7 laptop. Microsoft ceased providing support for Windows 7 on 20 January last. However, Extended Security Updates (ESU) have been purchased by IT Services to ensure Windows 7 computers continue to receive updates and security patches. Window 7 machines which have not had the Microsoft Extended Security Updates installed are particularly vulnerable to security threats.

On 7 April, University Executive approved a decision to apply Extended Security Updates (ESU) to University owned computers running Windows 7 which are being used by staff to work from home.

Two earlier communications, issued on 9 and 17 April respectively, outline the steps you need to take so that the ESU can be applied to your computer.

It is important that ESU is applied so that the computer will continue to receive any system and security updates issued by Microsoft.

What you need to do:

· Check your computer to ensure that it has the most recent available windows update installed. A help sheet on how to do this may be found at https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/windows-10/windows-7-extended-support Please keep checking after each installation until no updates remain. · When all available updates have been installed please contact servicedesk@mu.ie to arrange for the Extended Security Updates (ESU) to be applied to your machine.

· A member of IT Services will contact you and apply the ESU at a mutually suitable time.

Please Note: ESU is only available for University owned Windows 7 devices. IT Services cannot apply the extended support to privately owned equipment. However, staff should check these devices and install any available security updates to render them as secure as possible.

Thank you for your cooperation with this important IT Security task.

IT Services

ServiceDesk

Dear Colleague, 

This is a gentle reminder to ask users of Windows 7 computers to install any outstanding windows updates and then contact IT Services to have Extended Security Updates (ESU) applied to them. 

What you need to do: 

Check your computer to ensure that it has the most recent available windows update installed.  A help sheet on how to do this may be found at https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/windows-10/windows-7-extended-support  Please keep checking after each installation until no updates remain. 

When all available updates have been installed please contact servicedesk@mu.ie to arrange for the Extended Security Updates (ESU) to be applied to your machine. 

A member of IT Services will contact you and apply the ESU at a mutually suitable time. 

Please Note:  ESU is only available for University owned Windows 7 devices.  IT Services cannot apply the extended support to privately owned equipment.  However, staff should check these devices and install any available security updates to render them as secure as possible. 

IT Services  

ServiceDesk. 

Email sent regarding Windows 7 Extended Security Updates, 09/04/20.

Dear Colleague,

On January 14th 2020 Microsoft Corporation discontinued support for the Windows 7 operating System. While Window 7 machines will continue to work, they will become increasingly vulnerable to security risks and viruses as, outside of extended support, Microsoft will not distribute security updates.

While IT Services were working to upgrade or replace all existing Windows 7 computers this semester, the outbreak of Covid 19 has created a new working environment for the University community. Our records indicate that you are using a Windows 7 laptop. It is important that you check it to ensure it has received all available updates from Microsoft.

IT Services has purchased Extended Security Updates (ESU) for Windows 7 computers owned by Maynooth University.

What you need to do:

· Check your computer to ensure that it has the most recent available windows update installed. A help sheet on how to do this may be found at https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/windows-10/windows-7-extended-support · When all available updates have been installed please contact servicedesk@mu.ie to arrange for the Extended Security Updates (ESU) to be applied to your machine.

· A member of IT Services will contact you and apply the ESU at a mutually suitable time.

Please Note: ESU is only available for University owned Windows 7 devices. IT Services cannot apply the extended support to privately owned equipment. However, staff should check these devices and install any available security updates to render them as secure as possible.

A copy of this email may be viewed on the IT Services web page at https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/it-services-notices

IT Services

ServiceDesk.
 

To better facilitate working from home JD Edwards (Financial Reporting and Requisitioning/Purchasing) is now available at a new, secure web address which is publicly available : 

https://finapp.mu.ie/ 

Please update your favourites/bookmarks accordingly.

Dear Student,

You, and all students, are required to change your password by 27th November 2019. As students are continuously targeted in phishing attempts, IT Services is enforcing a stronger password policy and therefore it is extremely important that you reset your password to be in line with these new password requirements. To change your password you can go to the following link mypassword.maynoothuniversity.ie or the shortened version mu.ie/pwd.

ALL communication on this security initiative will be from this official Maynooth University account – NEVER trust an email that is sent from any other address.

The new password policy will dictate that any password MUST be a minimum of 16 characters in length but will not enforce any other complexity. You SHOULD add some complexity by including uppercase, digits, and/or grammatical characters.

Examples:

• egsixteenletters    (Minimum to meet the requirements)
• Eg-6teenletters!    (Adds complexity with mixed case, symbols & digits)
• 1wanderedlonely-as-a-cloud* (Long and complex is the ideal)              

All current student passwords have an expiration date of 27th November 2019. If you do not change your password by that date, your password will expire and you will lose access to the following:

• On campus PCs
• Office365
• Moodle
• eduroam

You will see flyers and posters around campus reminding you to change your password by 27th November 2019. 

Kind regards,
 

Dearbhla O'Reilly

Head of IT Operations

As you have completed your studies some time ago, your account is now scheduled for deletion. This affects the following IT services which have been available to you:

•  Your user account
•  SPCM e-mail address including your Office 365 email and calendar
•  Personal network share (sometimes referred to as your 'x-drive') and Office 365 storage

Please be advised that these will be deleted on Friday, 20th September, 2019, which will result in the following:

•  You will no longer be able to access your account to log onto PCs, email or the Maynooth University/SPCM network
•  All emails (and email forwards associated with your account) will be deleted
•  All data from your personal network share and Office 365 storage will be deleted
•  Moodle and library access will be revoked

You should take the following actions:

•  Forward any emails that you wish to retain, to another account or save them as files
•  Save any files that you wish to retain from your personal network share to a secure file store or device, meaning any assignments, theses or related data should be downloaded from your account/Moodle.

In the event that you are receiving this email in error and you are currently a registered student with either St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth or Maynooth University, please contact servicedesk@mu.ie providing information of your relationship with the University. 

Colleagues, we have been advised of a new potential phishing attempt that MU staff may be susceptible to.

The phishing attempt presents as an email wherein the attacker will trick people with an expired library account and ask them to click on a link.

These emails can be from compromised staff or student accounts.

Please note that IT Services will never email requesting passwords or account details.

If you are suspicious about an email, contact the sender directly (not by email) and do not click on any links or attachments.

Kindest Regards,

IT Services.

Dear colleague,

We are aware of on-going phishing attacks targeting MU staff and students. These emails can be from compromised staff or student accounts, as is the case this afternoon.

Please note that IT Services will never email requesting passwords or account details.

Please delete any phishing emails you receive. You can also report them to Microsoft so they can update their filters using the following instructions: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/phishing.

If you are suspicious about an email, contact the sender directly (not by email) to verify its authenticity before clicking on any links.

Kindest Regards,

IT Services.

We are aware of issues with the phone service this morning.
 
Our supplier is working on site to restore the service. 
 
We will advise once the service is restored
 
Kind regards,
 
ServiceDesk
IT Services

Email Communication sent to Staff on 02-05-2019

Dear colleagues,
 
The network issue that impacted various services re-occurred in the last 30 minutes.
We have definitely identified the source of the issue and implemented a workaround.
 
The service is stable and the workaround will remain in place until we can fix the original problem.
 
 
Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
 
Regards,
IT Services
 

Notice sent to All Staff 02/05/2019

Colleagues,
 
We are currently experiencing a network issue with all services effected. We will provide an update as soon as possible.
 
Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
 
Regards,
IT Services.
 

On Friday evening (05/04) a phishing email was sent to the all-students mailing list. This email was fraudulent and the contents un-true. This email should be ignored. We have used Microsoft’s Office 365 Security features to retract this email.
 
This email was sent to all-students@list.nuim.ie, not to any individual students. The attackers did not have access to the actual addresses behind that mailing list.
 
Steps have been taken to prevent similar abuses of this mailing list.

Dear Students,

Recently there was a phishing campaign directed at students. Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from, for example, the University, in order to convince users to reveal personal information, such as passwords, usernames and even credit card numbers.

Typically, these emails will claim to be from IT Services, another office within the organisation, a reputable business that you may have dealt with or even a friend or colleague.  Phishing messages will use terms such as "confirm", "validate", "follow the link" or "update" - note that MU IT Services will never ask staff or students to do any of these things.  If you receive a mail requesting any information in relation to your account, or to click on a link to log into an unfamiliar page,  report the page and let us know immediately.

If in any doubt, please contact the IT ServiceDesk -  ServiceDesk@mu.ie, phone 01 708 3388, or change your password via the Maynooth University website.

As you have completed your studies some time ago, your account is now scheduled for deletion. This affects the following IT services which have been available to you:

Your user account
MU e-mail address including your Office 365 email and calendar
Personal network share (sometimes referred to as your 'x-drive') and Office 365 storage
Please be advised that these will be deleted on Wednesday, 17th April, 2019, which will result in the following:

• You will no longer be able to access your MU account to log onto PCs, email or the Maynooth University network
• All emails (and email forwards associated with your account) will be deleted
• All data from your personal network share and Office 365 storage will be deleted
• Moodle and library access will be revoked

You should take the following actions: 

• Forward any emails that you wish to retain, to another account or save them as files
• Save any files that you wish to retain from your personal network share to a secure file store or device, meaning any assignments, theses or related data should be downloaded from your account/Moodle

In the event that you are receiving this email in error and you are currently a registered student with Maynooth University, please contact servicedesk@mu.ie providing information of your relationship with the University.

Don’t miss out…
As a graduate of Maynooth, do consider registering with the Maynooth Alumni Online Community on http://alumni-network.maynoothuniversity.ie so you can keep your contact details up to date and we can keep you posted about alumni benefits and services and any alumni events (at home and abroad) that will be on during the year including the alumni Carol Service reception, ourSummer Soirée (cultural evening event just for alumni), the annual Maynooth Alumni Reunion (3rd Saturday in September) and lectures specifically geared for alumni http://maynoothuniversity.ie/alumnilectureseries . Check us out also on social media – see https://maynoothuniversity.ie/alumnicommunity - there are many ways to connect with and be a part of the Maynooth Alumni network – so keep connected!

Dear Colleagues,

As part of continual service improvement, and in line with the University's commitment to enhancing IT security, there will be changes to your Maynooth University logon account. These changes will be rolled out as part of the “O365 Security Enhancements Project”.

The first phase of these changes involves implementing a new password policy. This policy will apply to all accounts and will enforce a longer minimum password length.

The second phase is a security enhancement using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

In the coming months Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) will be enabled on all staff accounts. This will enhance the security of University data and will be applied to each account in a phased roll out.

There will be further communication and support from IT Services as these security enhancements are applied to users’ accounts.

Brian Carolan
Director - IT Services
Maynooth University, IT Services
Email: servicedesk@mu.ie

Dear Colleagues, 

Following up from our email of 18/10/2018, we would like to provide a short update regarding the “Class Hall PC OS upgrade” project. 

To-date, over 70% of the PCs were upgraded to Windows 10. If you have not yet used one of these Windows 10 machines, you will do so in the coming weeks and months. Whilst using these Windows 10 Class Hall PCs, please keep the following important information in mind: 

To use any class hall PC, you must have valid Maynooth University login credentials. To log on: 

To ensure the continued security and integrity of your data you must also sign out of Windows 10. To sign out:

You will see these same instructions displayed in all Class Halls, next to the podium PCs. However, if you experience any login problems, contact ServiceDesk on 01 708 3388. For all other issues related to the PC and teaching technology, contact Campus Services, AV Support on 01 708 3930 

To get the latest information regarding this project, please visit IT Services web page "Class Hall PC OS upgrade” under the “Public Access Computer Rooms” page.

Regards,

ServiceDesk

IT Services

Dear Colleague, 

The current Windows 7 setup on PCs in the class halls is out-of-date and no longer meets Maynooth University’s IT Security and PC Management standards. Therefore, in the coming weeks, IT Services in co-operation with AV Support will upgrade all class hall computers to Windows 10. This upgrade will increase the security and improve the overall IT environment within the class halls.  

The “Class Hall PC OS Upgrade” Project will commence on Tuesday, 30/10/2018 and we aim to conclude no later than Friday, 07/12/2018. You will start to notice changes in the class halls already on Monday, 05/11/2018 with Hume class halls being the first to be upgraded, followed closely by Iontas, Arts Building and so on.  

This upgrade in operating system will change the way you currently use the PCs in the class halls, therefore we recommend that you review the information “PACR - Class Hall PC OS Upgrade” provided on the IT Services web page under “Public Access Computer Rooms”, in order to familiarize yourself with the various changes and also to view the progress of this project. In summary:

• you will now be required to logon with your MU credentials each time you wish to use a class hall PC, therefore,
• you must have a valid MU username and password to ensure the continued security and integrity of your data, you must also remember to sign out 
• on login, your X drive will be automatically mapped 

If you require any further information pertaining to the above, please contact IT Services on 3830 or send an email to Servicedesk@mu.ie. 

Regards, 

IT Services 
ServiceDesk 

Dear User,
We have been notified by Human Resources that your term of employment with Maynooth University has ended. This affects the following IT services which have been available to you:

  Your user account
  MU e-mail address including your Office 365 email and calendar
  Personal network share (sometimes referred to as your 'x-drive') and Office 365 storage

Please be advised that these will be deleted on 22nd of January, 2019, which will result in the following:
 You will no longer be able to access your MU account to log onto PCs, email or the Maynooth University network
 All emails (and email forwards associated with your account) will be deleted
 All data from your personal network share and Office 365 storage will be deleted
 Moodle, Workbench and HR Portal (ePayslips) access will be revoked

You should take the following actions:
 Print any ePayslips / P60s, which you require for your own records, from the HR Portal (hrportal.nuim.ie)
 Forward any emails that you wish to retain, to another account or save them as files
 Save any files that you wish to retain from your personal network share to a secure file store or device
 Data belonging to your former Department may be crucial to their correct functioning. Make sure that you have transferred such data off your personal storage and into their possession in a secure fashion.
 Your MyCard (staff ID card) should be returned to the Post Room, located on the North Campus, and any outstanding balance on it used before its return.

In the unlikely event that you are receiving this email in error and you are currently employed by Maynooth University, please contact humanresources@mu.ie or phone 01 708 3866.

If you experience any difficulties in completing any of the advised actions above, please contact servicedesk@mu.ie well in advance of the account closure deadline to ensure that the best possible support can be provided.
Further details and a copy of this email are available on the Maynooth University IT Services website, at :

https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/it-services-notices

under the heading, "Staff Leaving - Your Maynooth University staff account will soon be deleted."

Regards,
IT Servicedesk.

Notice of planned changes to wifi networks on campus.

      As of Monday 27th August the guest SSID (wifi network) named "Maynooth University" will be changed to "MU-Guest".
This is being done in an effort to clearly describe this network as a guest SSID and to distinguish it from the preferred staff & student SSID "eduroam".
The MU-Guest SSID will continue to function as an unencrypted network offering port 80 and port 443 (http:// & https://) access.

     There will also be a change to the eduroam network - replacing the current realm identifier "@nuim.ie" with the new realm "@mu.ie".
This change will not affect on-campus users - the local eduroam network will respond to both realms - but roaming users will need to download and install the updated Configuration Assistance Tool to rewrite their connection settings.
It is hoped this change will be completed before week ending 31st August, an update email will be sent to confirm this date.

Kind Regards,

ServiceDesk
IT Services.
 

Notice sent to All Staff 19/07/2018

Colleagues,
 
The issue with outgoing calls to landlines and international numbers has been resolved for the moment.                    
 
 
 
Please note that a copy of this email and all legitimate IT Services Notifications will appear on the IT Services page of the Maynooth University website under the IT Services Notices section. 

Regards,

IT Services,
ServiceDesk.
 

Colleagues,

                   we have been made aware there are issues with outgoing calls to landlines and international numbers.

Internal telephony is working as expected and calls to mobile numbers seem to be unaffected.

A call has been logged with our service providers, and IT Services will update as more information is available.

Please note that a copy of this email and all legitimate IT Services Notifications will appear on the IT Services page of the Maynooth University website under the IT Services Notices section.

Regards,

IT Services,
ServiceDesk.
 

Colleagues,
                   Scheduled work in Lyreen Data Center has been completed and services are no longer considered at risk.
 
Access to ITS back office has been fully restored, access to ienabler/student web is currently offline but is expected to be restored shortly.

Please note that a copy of this email and all legitimate IT Services Notifications will appear on the IT Services page of the Maynooth University website under the IT Services Notices section.

Regards,

IT Services,
ServiceDesk.
 

Colleagues,

In order to repair an electrical (UPS) fault in the Lyreen Data Center, the ITS Production System will be unavailable from 07:30 - 14:00 on Wednesday 18th July. Registry + Fees & Grants have previously been consulted about the timing of this planned outage.

Other services should be considered “at risk” until this electrical fault is rectified.

A further notice will be issued when the work is complete.

Please note that a copy of this email and all legitimate IT Services Notifications will appear on the IT Services page of the Maynooth University website under the IT Services Notices section.

Regards,
IT Services,
ServiceDesk.
 

Dear Colleague

We are writing in the context of upcoming Office365 Information Seminars which you have registered for

IT Services would appreciate it if you could complete the attached survey on your awareness of different features in Office365 before you attend your scheduled workshop.

The survey is designed to measure the effectiveness of the information seminars as a means of promoting user awareness of Office365 features. It will be repeated four weeks after the seminars are completed so that IT Services can assess how users perceive the effectiveness of this mode of information delivery.

The survey is conducted through Microsoft Forms. Participants will be required to log into Office365 to complete it, but the survey is anonymous.

IT Services greatly appreciates your co-operation in this matter.

With kind regards,

IT Services Office365 Training Team

Dear Colleague,

You may have received an email over the last few days purporting to be from Eberhard Albrecht with the subject line -

Subject: Protecting Faculty and Staff Account / Quarantine Exercise - Request Number.......

This is a phishing attempt and you should disregard or delete the email.

Please note that we will never ask you to disclose your password in an email.

Regards,

IT Services
ServiceDesk

Dear Colleague,

We are aware that staff can not log in to the HR Portal this morning -

mu.ie/hrportal

We are working with the vendor to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Please note that a copy of this email and all legitimate IT Services Notifications will appear on the IT Services page of the Maynooth University website under the IT Services Notices section. 

Regards,
IT Services
ServiceDesk

 Dear Colleague,

Network Service 

Due to a loss of power for the North Campus during Friday evening there was an impact to network services on campus in Rye Block D (Campus Planning & Development, Kennedy Institute, Design & Innovation), this has now been resolved.  Wireless service in Hume has  been restored. While wireless service is reduced in areas of Arts, Science, Callan, Village Apartments and APT Lecture Hall, there is no significant service impact and will be fully restored early this week.
 
Access to Office 365, Moodle, Peach Department File Shares and other Data Centre services was not affected. 

Access to Moodle

There was a separate logon issue for Moodle users earlier today unrelated to the above. This has now been resolved.

Regards,

IT Services

Servicedesk

Dear Colleague,
 
Due to a loss of power for the North Campus during Friday evening there has been an impact to network services on campus. There is reduced network service in Rye Block D (Campus Planning & Development, Kennedy Institute). There is some impact to wireless service in Arts, Science, Callan, Hume, Village Apartments and APT Lecture Hall.

 Service to these affected areas will be restored as soon as possible.

Access to Office 365, Moodle, Peach Department File Shares and other Data Centre services was not affected. 
 
Regards,

IT Services

Servicedesk

Dear Colleague,

An ESB outage yesterday evening affected the south campus, this lead to issues with incoming calls to the University.  The problem is now sorted and all phone systems are working, if you are experiencing any issues please advise our Servicedesk.

 https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/it-services/servicedesk

Regards 

IT Services
Servicedesk