Archived Page: 2021 Network News

April 2021
Volume 19, Number 3

2021 virtual security conference registration open; call for presenters 

The 2021 virtual Commonwealth of Virginia Information Security Conference is open for registration. The theme of the conference is “2021 Cybersecurity Reboot: Tools for building cyber resilience.”  In addition to break-out presentations, the conference program will feature two keynote addresses.  

Conference details: 

• Date:  June 24
• Location: Virtual! Event will be hosted by the College of William & Mary.
• Registration cost: $25 for conference, which covers access to top-notch speakers and presentations, as well as a conference swag bag
• Conference website: https://www.vita.virginia.gov/information-security/security-conference/

Conference participants will have the opportunity to:

• Expand professional networks -- The conference will provide opportunities to virtually meet with security-minded colleagues.
• Learn about security products and services -- Providers will present on Commonwealth-specific security products and services and how they can be used.
• Maintain professional certifications -- Up to five continuing professional education (CPE) credits are being offered. 

We encourage you to register now as we expect the conference will reach maximum capacity. There are still a few presenter spots available, please contact Maurice Coles if you are interested. Registration is free for those presenting. 

Register for the 2020 conference 

Learn more about this upcoming exciting conference

 

CIO Nelson Moe named one of nation’s top “Doers, Dreamers & Drivers” 

We are proud that our very own Chief Information Officer of the Commonwealth Nelson Moe has been named as one of Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers of 2021. In its 20th year, the national program has honored more than 500 individuals for their ingenuity in public service and leadership in technology innovation. As leader of VITA and CIO, Nelson oversees Virginia’s technology infrastructure, assets, security and critical government connections between citizens and state agencies.  

The Top 25 awards program recognizes IT leaders who meet public sector challenges and improve performance of critical programs. In addition to his exemplary COVID-19 response, Nelson recently oversaw the transformation of VITA’s business model from a single-source provider model to a multisupplier model, one of only three currently in the nation, which offers a diverse portfolio of services for optimal operating performance and enhanced customer service. He also spearheads the Commonwealth’s evolution to cloud technologies, including an ongoing project to move all 65 state agencies’ servers to a cloud-enabled data center, which is well ahead of schedule. 

Read Nelson Moe’s profile on Government Technology

Read the press release

 

End of IE11 support for Google Apps

Beginning April 15, Google Workspace will no longer support the Internet Explorer (IE) 11 browser. Google Workspace includes Gmail, Calendar, Chat and all other Google supported applications. Although still accessible via IE 11, some Google Workspace applications might not open or function properly. For the best user experience, please use the Chrome browser to access Google Workspace.

 

A new way to access your IT services bill 

Beginning April 2, agency personnel who use Digital Fuel will have a new and easier way to access the monthly IT services bill.  

For now: nothing is changing in the platform; continue to access the monthly IT services bill in the same manner.   

Beginning April 1: there will be a new and easier way to access the monthly IT services bill. Only the login process will change. Beginning April 1, please use the login process described here.  

Later this year, VITA will transition to a new ITFM platform. The new platform will provide enhanced transparency with added capability and flexibility on an industry leading user-friendly product suite. Specifically, the new platform will provide several capabilities we know are important to agencies: 

•  User configurable reporting with permission control 
•  Automated extracts 
•  Forecast review and approval workflow, and  
•  A closed loop system (planning, cost, billing and rates) 

Additional details and invitations to attend training on the new tool will come later this year. VITA is leveraging lessons learned from the 2019 ITFM go-live to anticipate agency needs and preferences.  

This transition reflects continued focus on evolving and innovating to meet and exceed agency expectations. While this transition will require time and engagement from agencies—the VITA team is working hard to make it as seamless as possible. 

 

Gmail’s delegate limit increases to 1,000 

Google has increased the number of delegates that can be assigned to a mailbox from 25 to 1,000 individuals. A mailbox delegate is an individual who has permission to manage a mailbox, in addition to their personal mailbox. The maximum number of delegates simultaneously logged into a mailbox is now 40. 

For more information on mail delegation and how to add and remove delegates, refer to the mailbox delegation knowledge base article (KB0018373) located on the VITA service portal. 

 

Kudos! 

Improved install experience and reduced delivery times for new Xerox devices  

Recently, Xerox engaged their physical device custom configuration center (DCC). The DCC was designed to improve the user experience and reduce delivery times for new Xerox devices.  Xerox will pre-load all VITA- approved configurations, affix asset tags, add IP addresses (if provided), install card readers based on each agency’s unique physical badge, add user self-help documents like the self-mapping instructions and test the features and functions. All new orders placed in the VITA service catalog will be processed through the DCC.  

Agency testimonial: “The last two desktop printers I installed that were pre-configured were the easiest to install by far. Just being able to unbox the printer, hook it up and have it working was amazing. I know that sounds like an exaggeration, but we had such trouble getting the printers installed correctly that having to do nothing but hook up a printer was a breath of fresh air. While I know it would be a lot of work for your staff, having all new printers shipped like this would be a great help to my staff.” - Jason Evans, DBHDS IT Director Eastern State Hospital  

And a thank you… 

Thank you to an agency end user at Virginia Department of Health (VDH) who submitted a suggestion to improve the Google resource request form. To address this request, we did the following: 

• Eliminated the requirement to list both read/write users and read users 
• Added an area for additional customer comments  

We are always looking for new ways to enhance our offerings. We welcome your input and invite you to submit suggestions via the improvement suggestion form in the service portal.  

 

Workplace collaboration services (WCS) support resources have been moved to the VITA service portal 

In an effort to help streamline where COV users get information, WCS has moved its support resources to the VITA service portal. Here, you will find FAQs, quick start guides, recorded trainings and third-party Microsoft support resources for COV-supported Microsoft services and MyHub.  

Below is a list of knowledge base (KB) articles that are currently available. As new information becomes available, these resources will be updated and new KB articles will be created. 

• Available Microsoft Power Apps connectors (KB0018370) 
• Available Microsoft 365 applications (KB0018371) 
• Getting started with workplace collaboration services (KB0018368) 
• Microsoft Office 365 licensing FAQs (KB0018382) 
• Microsoft SharePoint FAQs (KB0018366) 
• Microsoft Teams FAQs (KB0018365) 
• Microsoft Teams recorded trainings (KB0018379) 
• Power Automate FAQs (KB0018361) 
• WCS consulting services FAQs (KB0018384) 
• Workplace collaboration services (WCS) FAQs (KB0018383)  

 

Due date recalculations for fulfillment requests  

 In January, we updated the way that fulfillment request due dates are calculated. The change accounts for the time spent awaiting agency approval. Fulfillment time frames were previously being impacted by the time required for agency approval. Currently, requests, with an established service level agreement (SLA) for fulfillment, have the due date reset to the pre-determined allotted workdays (as defined in the SLA for that specific catalog item) upon agency approval. For example: 

• A request comes in that has an established SLA of five days for fulfillment. 
• The due date is set for five days. 
• The ticket goes into the agency approval queue.  
• The number of days used on agency approval are added to the due date. That is, if an agency takes three days to approve the request, then the due date calculation is reset to five days from the date of approval.  
• This change provides suppliers the required five days to fulfill the request and meet the SLA.  

For all account fulfillment requests (such as onboarding) that do not have an established SLA, the due dates are reset upon agency approval to a standard 14 business days. However, delivery of fulfillment remains the same as always by all suppliers. All requests are worked in the order they are received and best effort is made to fulfill requests as quickly as practical.

 

IT strategic planning for the 2022-2024 biennium is underway 

To assist with IT strategic planning, VITA is holding workshops beginning this month.

In the coming weeks, agencies will receive an email with dates and times. Each agency must attend one workshop; attendance will be recorded. AITRs are required to attend a session. Additional agency representatives involved in IT strategic planning are welcome and encouraged to attend. 

We will frame agency IT strategic planning within the larger context of Commonwealth planning as a whole, while conveying detail for how this looks at an agency level including:  

• review the benefits of planning for the agency 
• delivery of a "how-to," customizable, agency strategic planning workshop slide deck and facilitation notes 
• discussion of next steps and how to navigate the ITSP approval process 

May 31 is the deadline for submitting agency IT strategic plans. If you have questions, please contact the IT investment management team.    

 

Microsoft Teams meeting Google add-on available 

Please note that the Microsoft Teams add-on for Google Calendar can only be installed if your agency has opted in to Google Drive. 

To address the challenges that come along with scheduling a meeting in Teams, the Microsoft Teams meeting add-on for Google Calendar is available for installation. This add-on gives WCS customers the option of scheduling a Teams meeting right from their Google Calendar.  

Instructions for installing the add-on can be found in the installing the Teams meeting add-on for Google Calendar knowledge base article (KB0018375) via the VITA service portal.

A few things to note:  

• Teams meetings scheduled in Google Calendar will NOT show on your Teams calendar. 
• Teams meetings scheduled in Teams will still behave as they have – the meeting will only show on the organizer’s Teams calendar and the attendee’s Google calendar. 
• Teams meetings for a specific Teams channel cannot be scheduled using the add-on. 

 

End of VITA's Sprint contract

On April 1, 2020, T-Mobile completed the acquisition of Sprint Solutions. VITA's contract for Sprint rate plans was extended through June 30, 2021, in order to facilitate a transition from Sprint-branded rate plans to T-Mobile.  

If your agency is a user of Sprint Wireless services, please convert your current Sprint users to T-Mobile as soon as you can. There should be no change in your service coverage and services may actually improve as a result. Agencies may find that some older phones and equipment may not be T-Mobile-compatible and will need to be replaced. You can work with the Sprint/T-Mobile state account representative, Michael Girardi, to determine what the impact to your users will be and if an existing device will need to be replaced. If agencies do not complete the transition by June 30, there is a remote possibility that they could lose service on affected devices since the contract does not provide for continuation of Sprint services past that date. 

 

Did you know?  

Did you know you can reopen a request that is not fulfilled correctly?    

Users now have the ability to confirm if a service request has been fulfilled correctly. If there is an issue, users can now click the "Reopen my request item" button in the confirmation email. Previously, users were asked to reply to the email if the service request was not fulfilled. This functionality works the same way as unfulfilled incidents.

 

IT Contingent Labor Contract update

The VITA team is in the final stages of solicitation for the IT contingent labor contract. The team expects that the award will be announced by May. To allow agencies ample time to transition, VITA has extended its current contract with CAI through December 30. More information will be shared as it becomes available, as this remains an active procurement.

 

VITA is conducting customer satisfaction survey 

VITA is currently conducting its twice-yearly customer satisfaction survey. Identified staff should have already received an invitation. Participation in the survey is essential as we use the feedback to monitor the performance of the multisourcing model and identify opportunities for both platform and organizational improvement. Survey responses are tracked and reported to VITA leadership, customer representatives and other stakeholders. 

If you did not receive the survey and believe you should have received it, please check your spam folder. If you need assistance in getting access to the survey, please contact us. The survey will close on Wednesday, April 7. 

 

Webinars scheduled for new electronic signature service 

VITA is preparing to transition our current electronic signature service to a new, more cost-effective model. Two webinars are scheduled that will provide an overview and demonstrate relevant use cases for this new service. Current electronic signature customers, and those who would like to learn more, are encouraged to attend one of the sessions. Please choose a date and click on the link below to register.  

Webinar dates/times: 

• April 16 – 2 p.m. | Registration link
• April 21 – 10 a.m. | Registration link 

 

Training opportunities: ITISP learning management system 

See below for the list of classes available in April in the ITISP learning management system (LMS).  

The LMS is available via the training widget on the VITA service portal homepage—providing easy access to training registration and CBT courses. We invite you to review knowledge base article KB0018324 to learn more.   

(Note: The ITISP LMS is not a replacement for the current DHRM enterprise LMS solution.)  

Available classes:   

Incident management – April 8, 2 – 4 p.m.  

Service catalog – April 15, 11 a.m. – noon  

Change management – April 20, 10 – 11:30 a.m. 

HARP for submitters – April 20, 3 – 4:30 p.m. 

Request fulfillment – April 27, 11 a.m. – noon  

If you have any questions, please contact the VCCC at 866-637-8482.  

 

State work phones receiving unsolicited and inappropriate text messages 

VITA has learned that some state employees have received unsolicited inappropriate text messages on their work cell phones. We know that carriers are actively trying to address the problem, but, unfortunately, there is no magic bullet, app or security appliance that reliably addresses text spam or unwanted messages. Here are a few ways to deal with this issue:

• Ignore and delete the messages; do not interact with the sender
• Block the phone number; this may be only minimally effective because spammers usually change their originating number every few hours
• Check your messaging app to see if there is a spam protection setting
• Report it to your agency information security officer   

 

Information Security Tips

Throughout the year, especially around the holidays and during tax season, you extend your cyber footprint by paying bills, shopping, using social edia and many other digital activities. Cleaning your technology and cyber footprint can do the same thing; it removes clutter from your life while at the same time protecting you. To help you spring clean your technology and cyber footprint, this month’s security tips offer a checklist to help you through the process.  

Read Information Security Tips