To better alert UA students and alumni of possible phishing emails, OIT tags incoming emails from external sources. OIT implemented this for student and alumni Crimson accounts beginning Dec. 1. All emails sent from external sources will be tagged with [EXTERNAL] in the subject line.
OIT has developed a new, streamlined and searchable version of the myBama portal.
The new portal will be released for beta testing November 15, and will be released to all of campus in the spring 2022 semester. Beginning Nov. 15, users can log in at myBama.ua.edu and select the option to try the “new myBama.” In January 2022, the previous version of myBama will be decommissioned and all users will transition to use the new myBama.
“We’re excited to provide the opportunity for users to poke around and test out the new myBama before making a permanent change,” said Meagan Bennett, director of customer relations for OIT.
Before developing the new site, OIT met with its Student IT Forum to hear from students how myBama could be improved.
“The Student IT Forum is incredibly helpful for us when considering changes to services,” said Bennett. “We meet with them once a month to ask questions, test out projects and get immediate feedback. The Student IT Forum provided several things for us to consider when designing a new version of myBama.”
The new myBama has a clean, bright and modern design. It also features several new functional elements that make the site user-friendly and mobile-first. One key feature that students specifically asked for in the new myBama: search.
“When OIT started talking with the Student IT Forum about designing a new myBama, my top request was that they incorporate a search bar,” said Sarah Liang, a senior majoring in computer science. “The new myBama has search functionality (and keyboard shortcuts) that even power users will love. students will be able to use MyBama to get to what they need faster and easier than ever before.”
Users can search for links by keyword. For example, if a student is looking for the MyTickets link, they can search football, tickets, or even Nick Saban to find the MyTickets link.
The new myBama also offers a “Pinned Links” section that allows users to customize their own homepage of myBama.
“We’ve found that most students, faculty and staff visit myBama for a handful of routine things, but those things may be different for each user,” said Joey Stowe, director of software and application development in OIT. “Staff may visit myBama to enter vacation or sick time. Students may visit myBama to view their class schedule. The Pinned Links section allows you to customize myBama for your needs.”
The site also provides a “Popular Links” section. This section is custom for each type of user. Once a week, this section will refresh to show the most popular links based on a user’s primary affiliation: student, faculty or staff. This time of year, you can expect to see MyTickets at the top for students, and BenefitFocus for faculty and staff.
“Our goal is to provide elements on the homepage of myBama to get users the content they need,” said Stowe.
If users prefer to scan content on pages, that option is still available in the new my
Bama. Content is available in the legacy format by visiting the pages listed on the left menu.
Along with a sleek design, the new myBama is also designed to be mobile-first. Users can visit myBama on their mobile device and access the same functionality.
Check out myBama.ua.edu on November 15 to see the new version of myBama.
By Dec. 16, all UA Zoom users must log into Zoom through single sign-on using their myBama credentials rather than a unique username and password. To log in with SSO, users can select the SSO button in the Zoom app, enter ua-edu for the domain, then login with their myBama credentials. No changes will be made to HIPAA-compliant accounts at this time. Additional information is available on the OIT website.
Apple released its latest operating system, Monterey, on Oct. 21, 2021. OIT strongly encourages end users to not upgrade at this time. Upgrading to Monterey will interfere with critical services including McAfee antivirus software.
IT admins should always test an OS in a test environment and wait for further recommendation from OIT before putting the OS into production as any issues that cannot be resolved internally may require further updates from Apple.
Beginning this month, Duo will be rolling out an updated version of the Duo Mobile app! Once the app is updated, users will notice a new, clean design. Push notifications, passcodes and phone calls will continue to work as usual, the update is only a design change. Duo’s biggest change will be swapping the position of the green “Approve” and red “Deny” buttons.
The core functionality of Duo Mobile is not changing. You will continue to be able to:
It depends. If you have enabled automatic app updates on your device, Duo Mobile will update automatically. You can also manually update Duo Mobile on your device.
No. All of your protected accounts will be automatically present in Duo Mobile after the update. You do not need to re-add anything. In addition, all of your existing settings, such as settings for Duo Restore for third-party accounts such as Instagram or Facebook, will also carry over automatically.
OIT will be implementing a Banner bundle upgrade on Sunday, Oct. 10 from 4:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. myBama will be available during the upgrade, but channels that connect to Banner will not be accessible, including self-service and administrative systems. For questions or concerns, contact the IT Service Desk at 205-348-5555 or itsd@ua.edu.
Join the OIT Security Team Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 2pm for a virtual Town Hall Meeting.
Ransomware is a term you’ve seen a lot in the news lately, but do you know how to protect yourself, your computer and your sensitive information from a ransomware attack? Join the OIT Security Team Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 2pm for a virtual Town Hall Meeting to ask questions of the team and learn how to be cyber secure.
UA CISO Ashley Ewing will provide a brief presentation on cybersecurity practices at UA and offer tips on how you can protect sensitive information. The team will then answer questions from the audience! Email meg@ua.edu to submit a question to the team in advance! More information about the event is available on the UA Events Calendar.
The Town Hall will be held on Microsoft Teams.
This month’s software spotlight is Adobe Creative Cloud! 
Earlier this month we hosted Adobe Day which featured UA students, faculty and staff showcasing their use of Adobe tools. Adobe is often thought of as a tool for “creatives” and while that may be true, Adobe offers many tools that we can all use to enhance work.
Adobe Spark is one of our favorite tools to use instead of a PowerPoint presentation, Adobe Premiere Rush is a great tool for basic video creation/editing, and Adobe Spark Mobile can be used to create animated images for social media. Good news – we have upcoming trainings on all of these tools! Check out our OIT Events Calendar for details.
Visit the OIT software catalog to learn more about Adobe Creative Cloud. Plus, join the Adobe Creatives Microsoft Team to join a community of Creative Cloud users.
Apple has released security updates for a zero-day vulnerability that affects all iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watches. Users are urged to update operating systems as soon as possible. More information about the vulnerability and update is available through various news sources, including Tech Crunch.
Additionally, Google Chrome has released updates to combat a vulnerability. Please update Google Chrome browsers as soon as possible. More information about the vulnerability and update is available through various news sources, including Forbes.
One of our favorites in OIT is LastPass. LastPass is a secure password management tool that can create and store passwords in an encrypted environment. LastPass is available as a browser tool and a mobile device app. Get to know LastPass through their YouTube channel.
Bonus! Recently LastPass rolled out a “Family as a Benefit” perk that allows LastPass users to share the service with up to 5 friends and family members.
Learn more about LastPass in the OIT Software Catalog and start using it today!
