2023

Congratulations on your success at Northwestern! Commencement will be here before you know it, and navigating all the final preparations for your life away from campus may seem overwhelming. Northwestern IT can help!

Spring is a time of renewal, clean starts, and Northwestern IT's annual reminder to take a fresh look at your devices. So, while tidying up your living environment, take some time to spruce up your digital surroundings, too. Here are a few tech tips that can lead to a better, more secure experience when using your smartphone, tablet, or computer.

On April 12, Northwestern IT is applying two changes that impact Northwestern University Microsoft email security: all email forwarding rules to unaffiliated domains will be disabled, and email received in Outlook clients from an external source will be indicated by a ToolTip.

On Thursday, February 16, in the James Allen Center on the Evanston Campus, Northwestern IT celebrated employee and project team excellence at its first Extended Staff Meeting of 2023.

February marks the beginning of an initiative to continue progress in making Northwestern's digital learning environment more accessible, welcoming, and inclusive. The next step includes focused attention on learning content, specifically increasing the accessibility of all course sites and learning materials and aligning them with the University's digital accessibility policy and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Northwestern IT has performed an update to GlobalProtect, the University’s Virtual Private Network (VPN), introducing a change to the login process. The update resolves login issues reported by users across the University and reduces the number of times necessary to authenticate to Web Single Sign On.

On February 4, 2023, Zoom implemented a Software Quarterly Lifecycle Policy requiring a new minimum version every three months—the first weekend of November, February, May, and August. This policy ensures all users have the required privacy and security updates and the latest features. As of this date, Zoom requires version 5.10.3.

The 2023 TEACHx symposium is accepting proposals through Monday, February 13. This year, TEACHx is asking participants to think about how instructors can continue to innovate and experiment with technology that expands teaching strategies while also asking individuals to consider the full impact of their approaches on the student learning experience.

One of the many ways Northwestern IT supports the University’s commitment to be a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment is a collaborative effort providing instructors the skills and tools necessary to create Canvas course sites that meet digital accessibility standards.

Are you familiar with the accessible software Northwestern offers and who can benefit from its use? Take a moment, and learn about resources all students can use to improve the academic experience. Find a tool that's right for you.

Securing data doesn’t have to be complicated. In recognition of Data Privacy Week, we are sharing news about information security office hours and essential steps to help you make the right decisions about keeping data private.