Managing your Mobile Devices

Mobile devices are our connection to the world around us, so it makes sense that we would have a lot of information stored in them. The majority of the data stored in our devices, we wouldn't want just anybody having access to. So, it's important to know how to manage your mobile devices. Here's a couple quick areas you can focus on to ensure your mobile device is safe.

Storing

At the end of the day, you are the only one in charge of protecting your information. So, you need to make sure you have a strong front line of defense, also known as a passphrase. This means that not everyone can gain access to your device. Next, really think about what information certain apps need to function. There's pretty good logic that a calculator app shouldn't need access to your camera or contacts. So, why would you let it have access to that information? Finally, turn off your WiFi or Bluetooth if you aren't using it. While these can be incredibly helpful while in use, they can open your devices up to potential harm when not in use.

Connecting

Similar to the last point, always be careful about what WiFi or Bluetooth devices you connect with. If it's not a known and secure network others who manage or are on it can possibly watch what you are doing or get your information. Therefore, never access important accounts like your email or bank on a public network. A common way hackers target your information is through phishing, or using fraudulent messages that appear as real ones to get your information. So, if you don't know the sender or if the message doesn't seem right don't act on it, simply delete it.

Cleaning

Another way to protect the information on your mobile device is to only keep what you need. A lot of times you'll out something important in your phone and then forget it's there. So going through and deleting what you don't need anymore is important. This is also true about apps, many times we download an app just for a specific time like vacation and then we forget about it. Well, many apps request access to your information through contacts or pictures. Just because you stop using the app doesn't mean that it suddenly stops collecting that information. 

Managing Social Media for Young Professionals

In today's society, it's difficult to find someone who isn't involved in social media in some way. Social media is a great tool for connecting with others about what is going on in our day to day lives. However, many times we don't really think about the effect a simple post can have on our future careers. Employers are looking into how we act on our social media accounts, because it lets them know how you act outside the magnifying glass of interviews and applications. At this point in our lives our focus is on getting the career we've been working on, so make sure your social media past isn't interfering with it. 

Think First

Before clicking "post" on that hilarious meme or fantastic picture of how you spent your Saturday night, take a second to think. Who do you want to see that picture? Better yet, think about who you don't want to see the picture because once it's posted it can't be fully taken down. Think about how your online decisions can influence other's opinions of you. Always THINK: T - is it true? H - is it helpful? I - is it inspiring? N - is it necessary? K - is it kind?

Think Privacy

One way to protect yourself from potential problems is through privacy restrictions. This can be limiting what the public has access to through to show to only "friends". This is very common and a great way to start limiting what people can see. You also might have managers or colleagues on your social media accounts. While you might have a great working relationship, they probably don't need access to everything you post. Taking advantage of custom privacy settings is a great way to remain friends with coworkers and still have freedom to post. 

Think Branding

Social media accounts typically are an accurate depiction on our personalities and how we spend our time. That being said, how we represent ourselves through these accounts are vital. You want employers to see you as a competent individual that will be a great investment, not someone who could embarrass the business. Doing routine checks periodically of what other are posting about you is a great start. The next step would be removing any questionable content that could hurt you. Instead, focus on positive or career centered stories that show you are connected to more than just the latest hit on Netflix. Overall, you have to manage your own online identity.

Exciting New Teams Devices

During Microsoft's Ignite conference, I learned of a new lineup of devices designed specifically for communicating via Microsoft Teams. They are all Teams Certified, and they will work seamlessly with the software. These devices will range anywhere from web-cams for video conferencing, to wireless earbuds for convenient voice calls.

Logitech Brio 4K Webcam

Jabra 65T Wireless Earbuds (Coming Soon)

They also have more devices such as full conference room setups and speakers, but the one that has me really excited is one of their mobile docks.

The device pictured on the left in the image above would allow one to turn their mobile device into a teams-driven desk-phone simply by placing it on the dock. While docked, it would also be able to receive calls through the Jabber app, though it's not clear at this time if Jabber calls will work with the headset. It's also likely that the mobile device would need to be NFC capable, as it looks like the dock is powered by a wireless charging pad.

Overall, these devices are pretty exciting from the perspective of an institution that uses Teams heavily!

Tyler Gastineau
Digital Experience Coordinator
Information Technology

Microsoft Ignite 2018 - My Review!

New enclosure for Surface Go

In September, Tyler Gastineau, Doug Polston and I attended Microsoft Ignite, Microsoft's annual technology conference in Orlando, FL.  During the event, we learned about a lot of new things coming from Microsoft including updates to everything from Windows to Office and impacting services like SkyLab and Hornet 365.

We all attended different sessions and demos throughout the week.  Here are my top takeaways:

• The OneDrive for Mac client is getting an update to bring it more on par with the Windows version!  The best new feature--files on demand.  This means you don't have to sync all your files down to your Mac.  OneDrive will intelligently sync only those you're using to avoid filling out your hard drive!
• There are a lot of new SharePoint features coming that will greatly enhance our intranet capabilities with Hornet 365.
• One of the new features is News, which syndicates user-personalized news feeds across all of SharePoint.
• Teams is now feature equivalent to Skype for Business, plus lots of new integrations are being added making Teams the hub for your collaboration and communication needs.
• Office 2019 was released the day of the conference, but ESU will not be using Office 2019.  We will be moving to the newly branded version called Office 365--it's the same desktop software we're used to using at home and, unlike our current version, it'll be patched and have features added automatically!
• There's an all-new version of Microsoft Project Online coming!  Unlike the current version, it looks more modern and is expected to be available April 2019!

Brian Osbourn

Director, Web & Digital Strategies

Walking on an interactive video board at Ignite!

HornetCAST 360 - ESU's first 360 degree IT Podcast!

This week we embarked on a new endeavor--podcasting!  But this is no normal podcast--this one is video and 360 degrees!  That means you can interact with the video by scrolling around the video or watching it in your favorite VR gear.  Since this was our first attempt, it's a little rough and we're working on adding in graphics and more features.  For our inaugural episode, Tyler and I discuss our experience at the annual Microsoft Ignite conference, then Sandy joins us to cover all the latest devices and technology news from the past couple weeks that will impact ESU.  Check out HornetCAST 360 and let us know what you think!

Watch it here!

Brian Osbourn
Director, Web & Digital Strategies

Did you know what our digital signs can do?

The digital signs around university bring campus into life. The services and features that the digital signs offer are incredible and very helpful. If you go to any digital sign and touch the menu, it will provide you with many services and features.

Some of those features:

• Interactive Maps. This feature can provide  you with many locations by touching each internal category. For example:
• It shows academic and administrative buildings.
• Parking permits and free parking locations.
• Bicycle stations, where you can do some fixes to your bike.
• Emergency phone stands, where you can call help from different locations around campus.
• Athletics, etc.
• Campus Map. This gives you some useful information. Like:
• It shows each parking permit color 
• Provides you with  Hornet Nation Wi-Fi coverage.
• News. This tab gives a wide variety of announcements and events around campus.
• Weather, which includes two features:
• Includes the weather straight from the National Weather Service.
• It shows a radar view of Emporia and surrounding areas.

Now you can get many things you want, right at our digital pulse!


Ahmad Alaliwi
Student Web Developer
Web and Digital Strategies

iPhone XS Max

Following up on the Apple new products we're taking a look at the iPhone XS Max to analyze. And for any ESU Faculty or Staff: if you are eligible for an upgrade, and you would like the XS Max, then contact the IT Help Desk for more information.

Below are the features of the phone: 

• iPhone XS Max come in three different colors, Gold, Space Grey, and Silver.

• Capacities vary from 64GB, 256GB, to, and for the first time, 512GB.
• Size of iPhone:

• The display is Super Retina HD display with 6.5-inch (diagonal) all-screen OLED and Multi-Touch HDR.
• One of the cool features about this phone that it’s splash, dust, and water resistant with maximum depth of 2 meters up to 30 minutes.
• The processor is an A12 Bionic chip. Next generation neural-engine.
• Some of the camera features (not all included):

o   Dual 12MP wide-angle and telephoto cameras

o   2x optical zoom; digital zoom up to 10x

o   Dual optical image stabilization

o   Autofocus with focus pixels

• Some of the video recording features (not all included):

o   4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps

o   1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps

o   720p HD video recording at 30 fps

o   2x optical zoom; digital zoom up to 6x

o   Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps

o   Time-lapse video with stabilization

• Enabled by TrueDepth camera for facial recognition
• Some features about the power and battery (not all included):

o   Lasts up to 1.5 hours longer than iPhone X

o   Up to 50% charge 30 minutes

o   Wireless charging

Ahmad Alaliwi

Student Web Developer

Web and Digital Strategies

Information Technology

Apple Watch Series 4

APPLE 
WATCH 
4

On September 12, 2018, Apple held its annual special event where they released the iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max, and the Apple Watch 4. After taking it all in, I knew I had to have the new watch.

I recently had the opportunity to daily drive the Apple Watch Series 4 (44mm) and it is a beautiful combination of machinery and technology.

• A larger LTPO OLED Retina display in same form factor (40 mm and 44 mm), previously (38 mm and 42 mm).

• Along with a 2x faster S4 processor
• Better Haptic Feedback
• New Digital Crown
• FDA approved ECG feature (coming soon)
• Fall Detection that can contact Emergency SOS if you've taken a hard fall
• Optional  Improved Cellular Connectivity
• Louder Speakers
• New watch faces
• New workouts added
• Apple Pay

For me, personally, it's a nice extension of my phone and productivity while tracking various health elements. I'm sure as time goes on there will be various applications that one could use straight from the watch. On top of all that, it gives me the excitement and feelings of a a child with a new toy. What more could you ask for?

If you're on the previous generation Apple Watch, you can get the software upgrade to watchOS 5 now!


Emporia State University Faculty and Staff: If you think you might be able to use the the Apple Watch 4 for work, contact the IT Help Desk for more info.

Saandhyarag Sasidhar
Student Operations Manager
Web and Digital Strategies

LinkedIn: How Students can Optimize Job Search

Photo Source: LinkedIn

Here are a couple ways to optimize social media job searching as a college student:

Post complete self-image: Have all professional information uploaded onto LinkedIn. If an employer can visit a student's page and see past job experience, technical/soft skills, and what they want in a career, then that student will have a much easier time being recruited by companies that fit their agenda.

Stay updated: whether it's in a specific industry's news or a particular company, being in the know gives an advantage. This can be helpful when meeting recruiters or during an interview because it shows that the interviewee has been doing their research.


Donald Goode
Student Web Developer
Web and Digital Strategies

Was Your Facebook Hacked?

Did you know that Facebook had a major breach on September 25th? Chances are you didn't know about the breach. The majority of the publicity around the breach was on social media's like Twitter rather than Facebook itself. However, Facebook came out and stated on last Friday that it would let those affected by the breach know. It's unclear how much information was provided to users, so I'm going to educate you on what happened, how to tell, and what to do.

What Happened?

Overall, Facebook is saying that the issue happened because of some vulnerabilities in their codes and software. While this is one issue, it has been found that there are 3 particular ways they gained access to the accounts. The first one targets those who use Facebook to log into other apps, like Spotify or Instagram. The second was through a program that allows for easy video-uploading for birthdays. The third weak point in Facebook was through the "View As" feature, ironically meant for better safety. While each is different, they added to the problem in a big way. The majority of the issue was caused by "digital keys" utilized in these actions to allow access. As the result the hackers tried to collect people's private information, but it's unclear what/how much was collected.

Have you been hacked?

The easy way to tell if your account was part of the breach was being logged out of your account last Friday. However, this can be difficult, according to Kate O'Flaherty at Forbes, because an additional 40 million accounts not hacked were logged out for additional safety. Facebook also stated that they would leave a notification for those affected at the top of their News Feed. If you have used any of the features mentioned, but are uncertain if you were included in the hack, it's best to assume you were and continue with the safety precautions.

What should you do now?

At this point the main focus is towards prevention in the future. Facebook has went in and "solved" the issues through shutting down the options until it can be completely secured. That leave the next steps to the end users. While not "necessary" according to Facebook, it's highly suggested that users change their passwords for their account and any similar passwords for any other accounts. You should also enable two-factor authentication found in the settings to increase your security. Next we suggest to log out of other apps or accounts that you're using through Facebook. To do this go into "apps and websites", then "logged in using Facebook". Overall, the issue has been handled, but it's best to be cautious anyway.

A Cheaper Alternative to VR!

The Oculus Go was released this past May and it is an affordable price to get into the VR world. Although this isn't the most advanced tech in the VR world, for $199 it matches up pretty strong against the two flagship VR devices, the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. To give you a price comparison, the Oculus Rift sells for $399 and the HTC Vive for $499. Another difference between the Oculus Go and the other two is that the Oculus Go is a standalone device. This means that you don't need a phone or computer to power your VR world. You won't only save on the VR headset, but also a VR Ready device! So, if you're a student looking to get into VR, take a look at the Oculus Go!

Sam Derksen
Student Web Developer
Web and Digital Strategies

Microsoft Surface Event

Microsoft recently announced updates to three Surface devices, and I will give you a simple rundown of the changes.

• Surface Pro 6
• CPU Upgrade to 8th Generation
• Black Versions Now Available
• Surface Laptop 2
• CPU Upgrade to 8th Generation
• Upgraded Contrast Ratio
• Improved Keyboard For Quieter Typing
• Black Versions Now Available
• Surface Studio 2
• Massive GPU Upgrade to Nvidia GTX 1070
• Additional USB-C Port
• Upgraded Screen
• Surface Headphones
• Full Charge Within 2 Hours
• Up to 15 Hours Of Bluetooth Listening
• USB-C and 3.5 mm Inputs For Wired Listening

Microsoft also released a new payment program, Surface All Access, so anyone can afford these new devices over time.

Sam Derksen
Student Web Developer
Web and Digital Strategies