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July 2024 Employee of the Month: Michael Gonzales

Michael was nominated by Ulises Mata for his inclusive leadership, dedication to student success, and commitment to fostering teamwork across the BearHelp and Student Technology Services (STS) teams.
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Team of the Quarter: Core Workfront Implementation Team

ITS is proud to announce the Core Workfront Implementation Team as the Spring 2024 Team of the Quarter! They successfully implemented the Workfront project management tool across ITS.
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Early Migration to R’Mail in Full Swing as More Campus Units Transition to Google Email and Calendaring

The early opt-in period ends this year. Interested ORGs are asked to reach out by October 7, 2024, to schedule an early migration.
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Student Technology Fee Offers Tech Tools and Services to All Highlanders

Discover the wide array of campus services you can use to enhance your Highlander experience!

UCR Emergency Notification System: Mobile Phone Number Verification

Text messaging is one of several tools used to communicate during an emergency and is often the quickest way to be notified. Other emergency campus notification tools include verbal broadcasts from the bell tower, messaging on campus computer screens, email, and voicemail. Below is a list of FAQs about UCR's Emergency Notification System (ENS). What...
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June 2024 Employee of the Month: Fadi Zaki

Fadi was nominated by Edwin Meglar, Patrick Wagman, Rehan Tahir, and Kathy Rondeau-Taylor for his instrumental role in driving the implementation of ITS Governance and Workfront.
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Technology Companies are Changing the Digital Landscape – How Does This Impact UCR?

Changes that affect UCR’s industry standard technical tools and services directly impact the way Highlanders work, teach, study, and research. Read this article to learn how to mitigate disruptions caused by these changes.
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Microsoft Makes Changes to UCR’s Educational Licenses

Following the August 1, 2024, retirement of Office 365 A1 Plus for education, UCR is providing affected Highlanders with a complimentary Office 365 A1 license. Visit the blog to learn more about this change.
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May 2024 Employee of the Month: Carla Lopez

Carla was nominated by Tamela Bow and Lily Barger for her exceptional positivity, proactive team-building efforts, and invaluable support to the ITS department.

Faulty Configuration Update from CrowdStrike Causes Global Outage

CrowdStrike, a leading endpoint detection and response (EDR) provider, found itself in hot water due to a major outage caused by their configuration update.

April 2024 Employee of the Month: Nan Jiang

ITS proudly recognizes Nan Jiang as the April 2024 Employee of the Month for her remarkable contributions to the Financial Aid Preliminary Award project.
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Ransomware Attack Forces Permanent Closure of 157-Year-Old College

Hackers breached the college’s systems and gained access to institutional data, halting school operations.
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University Operations Shut Down and Classes Canceled after Ransomware Attack

Hackers breached the university’s systems, encrypting critical data and disrupting campus activities.

Beware of SMS Phishing (Smishing) Attempts Targeted at the UCR Community

Higher education institutions such as UC Riverside are prime targets for phishing, the fraudulent practice of sending communications (e.g., emails and SMS messages) that appear to be from reputable individuals or companies in order to induce people to reveal confidential information. The attacker's goal is to gain access to sensitive data and login information, install...

March 2024 Employee of the Month: Qamar Stationwala

Qamar stands out as an exemplary team member whose innovative work has significantly improved the user experience and efficiency of the UCR Jobs Portal.

Team of the Quarter: ITS HRMS Team (HR/APO Systems)

The ITS HRMS Team was recognized by Central Human Resources for their outstanding work in the implementation of the new Human Resources Management System (HRMS) Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and the new Jobs Portal.
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Cybercriminals Expose Universities' Sensitive Data

A ransomware group exploited a vulnerability found in a software product used for file transfers, breaching sensitive data repositories and compromising confidential information.
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UCR Adopts Retention Policy for Content Stored in Zoom Cloud

Under the new policy, which will take effect on October 14, 2024, Zoom cloud recordings will only be stored for 9 months in users’ accounts.
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University Loses $1.9 Million After Falling Victim to Business Email Compromise

Hackers successfully tricked university employees into transferring a substantial amount of money to a fraudulent bank account under the guise of a legitimate contractor.
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UCR’s Ascent to Common, Sustainable, and User-friendly Platforms

ITS announces an option for Staff to streamline email and calendaring by migrating to R’Mail to join Faculty and Students.
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