Friends, our winter break is quickly approaching. With great gratitude to President Smith for the extended Winter Break, we also realize that our support is needed during times when the College is officially closed. To that end, ITS wants to make sure the Swarthmore community has all the information they need to be supported and ready to begin the spring semester. We would like the entire community to enjoy a restful and restorative break, and to allow our folks to have time off, too.
ITS Support During Winter Break 2021-2022
Our help desk will be closed for winter break (beginning 12:00pm EST Friday, December 17, 2021 until 9:00 am EST Tuesday, January 4, 2022). During this time you may still submit all support requests via our ITS Support Portal and we will prioritize them accordingly. On-campus support and equipment loans will resume on Tuesday, January 4, 2022 (The Help Desk will continue to operate by appointment and will have limited hours thru January 14 as we prepare for the spring semester).
Classroom and Conferencing Technologies
Classroom and Conferencing Technologies will be closed for winter break. Equipment loans and support will resume on Tuesday, January 4, 2022.
Language Center, Media Center, and MakerSpace
The Language Center, Media Center, and MakerSpace will be closed for winter break and will reopen on Tuesday, January 4, 2022.
Security and Updates
OS updates
Updates are important to keep your computer running smoothly and securely. Major Operating System updates are scheduled to be pushed out to campus computers over the winter break. Updates will be scheduled to install at off hours to avoid disruption. Even if you will not be using your College desktop or laptop over the break, we recommend leaving your computer on so that it updates before you need to use it in early January, 2022.
Remember to secure your data
You can always replace a computer, but without a backup you can not replace data. Remember to check that your data is being backed up (weekly if you can). Swarthmore College uses Code42 (a.k.a. CrashPlan) as our backup solution. If you’re using a college-owned computer, check to see if your data is being backed up successfully.
Online shopping security tips
For many, this time of year brings an increase in online shopping. Here are some tips from the Center for Internet Security that can help make the process less risky.
Passwords
Did you know Swarthmore College now has a password manager solution, LastPass, available to faculty and staff? Stay tuned for more details early in 2022 and contact Support Services (support@swarthmore.edu) if you’d like to get an early start!
Remote Resources
The ITS Support Portal is a great place to start if you have any questions. You will be able to view various Solutions articles to receive solutions to common questions, as well as browse our Service Catalog (requires login). You can also submit tickets from the portal. For additional articles to help you, check out the ITS KnowledgeBase.
You may also check out the Working Remotely page for additional resources, or explore more learning that you could ever possibly learn (it’s a fact, not a challenge) on LinkedIn Learning.