Ag IT Matters

With the semester coming to an end, Ag IT would like to offer several IT-related reminders and considerations before diving into summer vacation season.

Ag IT has launched a new Computer Setup Request form on our website.

Spring is in the air (mostly) and your summer helpers/ interns will soon be arriving to your County offices. With advanced planning, you can best be assured that your interns and program assistants will be able to use the computers and other IT resources on their start date or soon after.

Ag IT has just about completed the project we began in early September to migrate the backup/sync of user My Documents from county servers to OneDrive. Thanks to each of you who took the time to work with us to get this project completed. It is rare for us to complete an IT project ahead of schedule, but with your cooperation, we have done just that.

You know that we have software expertise and access to tools and services to keep your computer humming along, but what if it’s flat-out busted? A little smoke from the side of a laptop? Buzzing noise in the desktop? You can call us for that, too!

Most Pennsylvanians think that fairs are fun places to enjoy the kinds of food that can make a cardiologist weep – unless they are seeking new patients. The people of our communities look forward to the fun and relaxation time with friends, exhibits, shows and sales. We in Ag IT know that for many extension professionals it is one of the most stressful times of the year.

As spring arrives and moves into summer, two projects with big impacts will be shifting from the planning and preparation stages into implementation – and the implementation phase of one or both will impact you!

Ag IT, just like all of you, has routine work to do every day, every week, and every year. And, just like you, we also tackle bigger projects. Some are year-long, and others are multi-year. We just finished the Office 365 migration project, and we’ve been casting about for our next big project since we know that idle hands are the Devil’s playground, and we don’t want to draw the Devil’s attention to us!

While Ag IT enjoys the December Break just like most other offices at UP, we also understand that you have important responsibilities that do not necessarily follow a calendar. For that reason, we have put measures in place to respond to significant IT service interruptions during the holiday break.

“Hey Siri! How long do I cook a 25 lb. turkey in the microwave?” “Seriously? You’re trying that one on me?” “Alexa: How much rum do I need to keep a kettle of Hot Buttered Rum throughout the holiday? Is it different if the in-laws are visiting?” “Have you seen the barrels of rum in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies? Yeah, more than that.” “Google! What do I do if the whole office network fails during the holiday break?” “You call your friends and colleagues at Ag IT, just like always!”

Butterball offers a turkey emergency hotline for the holidays, and if you look a little on Google you’re likely to find a hotline for fruitcake or eggnog emergencies as well. No need to use Google to find help for network and server issues in the College of Ag though...your IT colleagues will be on recliner-chair standby for just that sort of emergency.

…Every Who down in Whoville liked email and credit cards a lot . . . but the Grinch, who lived just north did NOT! Or, at least, he liked using YOUR credit cards and accounts more than his own. (with deepest apologies to Dr. Seuss)

If you wander around the halls of Ag IT, you will often hear our staff talking on the phone referring to the Thumbprint Page. “Use this password anytime the thumbprint page pops up,” or “Use the same password that you would for the thumbprint page!” Next month, Penn State will launch a redesign of the Thumbprint page, more correctly known as the WebAccess page.

Everybody likes “Pop” things … PopTarts; pop (a beverage found in western PA only); popcorn; Pop-Pop (the Grandfather); Snap, Crackle, Pop, and, as we approach New Year’s Eve, some might enjoy the pop of the Champagne bottle. We hope that you will also like the new way we’ll be sending some important messages….a ‘pop up’ window, front and center on your screen.

Butterball offers a turkey emergency hotline for the holidays, and if you look a little on Google you’re likely to find a hotline for fruitcake or eggnog emergencies as well. No need to use Google to find help for network and server issues in the College of Ag though...your IT colleagues will be on recliner-chair standby for just that sort of emergency.

Why should I buy your recommended Dell laptop when I found this 9” laptop for only $9.99?!?! Because the $9.99 unit is a Lite Brite Magic Screen. And, the $99.99 laptop deal sounds like a bargain until you actually explore the value instead of just the cost.

You work hard all week. We see it, we know it. We read about how hard you work on Facebook. You catch a rest and a recharge overnight, and a better recovery period over the weekend. We see that on Facebook, too. And then, after the rest and recharge, you are back at it… Your computer would benefit from this same routine that works for you!

We’re not even going to hide it. We’ll admit it right up front. This article is an almost identical copy/paste from the March issue of IT Matters. Why? Because it is that important!

The Fair: Where citizens of the commonwealth go to eat sausage sandwiches, get indigestion and eat antacids. The Fair: Where Extension professionals go to conduct shows and sales, get indigestion and eat antacids.

The recent blizzard notwithstanding, snow is melting fast with all this spring like weather. Even if you didn’t get much snow, we are looking forward to spring and your new summer workers. With some advanced planning, you can best be assured that your interns and program assistants will be able to use the computers and other IT resources on their start date or soon after.