OUT AND ABOUT:
CUSTOMER-FACING UPDATES
VUIT Supports Back to School
As Vanderbilt continues to prepare to resume on-campus, in-person classes for the fall 2020 semester, the health and safety of our Vanderbilt community is our highest priority. VUIT’s Strategy and Transition Management Office has partnered with the Division of Administration, School of Nursing, and several organizations across the university to prepare for a successful return to campus.
Fran Spurrier, Heather Mitchell, and Whitney Harris were tasked with quickly determining a solid solution for contact tracing and case management. After thoughtful analysis, the team, along with other stakeholders, chose MazikCare, a Microsoft Partner. MazikCare’s Back-to-School solution includes daily symptom monitoring assessment, robust case management, end-to-end automation, and notifications. Over the last several weeks, the team has been mapping out all of the return to campus processes, gathering all of the required data feeds, and holding working sessions to ensure the Back-to-School solution meets the go-live date of August 10.
The team has also been instrumental in pre-arrival testing, the Command Center, and the public-facing dashboard. They will continue to play a role as VU and VUMC partner together on a quarantine and isolation prediction model.
Contact: Fran Spurrier
Network Services Supports FutureVU Initiatives
The Network Services team supported FutureVU’s efforts to eliminate all overhead utilities in the West End Neighborhood by relocating all overhead copper and fiber cables to a new underground conduit system. This project required detailed planning and deliberate coordination to limit service interruptions and reduce costs. In the course of this work, VUIT was able to eliminate several copper cables used for telephony as well as upgrade fiber cables for improved connectivity to Greek houses and other buildings in the neighborhood.
Contact: Muditha Hewa Vithana
VUIT’s Application Development & Integration team and the Platform Services team works with Peabody Researchers
VUIT Application Development and Integration (ADI) and Platform Services worked with Peabody Researchers to create a Children’s Subject and Study Website and Relational Database where researchers can easily access or submit subjects for ongoing studies. Peabody researchers previously used an on-prem Filemaker application to store subject contact data. This application had limited data checking, validation, and search functionality. The new Child Studies Group (CSG) application and database were designed from a combination of a home-grown application from the University of Texas, Austin, requirements from Dr. Amy Booth, and the Peabody Filemaker Application and data. Tasks for this project included licensing, resources, development, authentication, and data conversion and normalization.
The VUIT Relationship Management team negotiated with the University of Texas for a copy of the application code and ability for Vanderbilt to own and make code changes for our use. The development consisted of building out the most cost-effective savings and secure infrastructure in the AWS cloud to include serverless resources and containers. The work also entailed adding and replacing code, adding Vanderbilt Branding, secure authentication, and dozens of additional features. The VUIT teams worked closely with the Peabody researchers to convert and clean approximately 6.1 million data points down to approximately 1.4 million data points, then programmatically inserted this data into the approximate 40 database tables in the new application.
The primary people involved in this project included John McCammon, Relationship Manager, Julie Catellier, Lead Cloud Integrations Engineer, and Nadir Saghar, Senior Application Architect. Researchers included Dr. Amy Booth, Professor of Psychology & Human Development, and Israel Flores, Graduate Student Researcher.
Contact: Julie Catellier
VUIT Inside Scoop
Membership with Education Advisory Board available to all VUIT team members
Vanderbilt has a membership with EAB’s IT Forum, which provides best practice research, actionable advice, and implementation tools to leaders of higher education across a wide range of issues. This resource is available to all VUIT team members.
Below are instructions on setting up your account as well as a few suggestions on how to take advantage of the many resources available to you through this partnership.
- Create an account on www.EAB.com
- New Users: Any VUIT employee may create an individual user account through our registration page.
- Step #1: Go to http://www.eab.com/Members/Register and start by entering your location.
- Step #2: Select your employer from the dropdown box.
- Step #3: Enter your personal information into the boxes provided.
- Note: You must use your employer-issued email address.
- Step #4: We will email you a confirmation code and instructions. Please input your code to complete the account creation process.
- Participate in IT Forum Webinars:
A list of all archived webinars can be found here.
- Ask EAB
Have a question about a project you’re working on? Interested in seeing if EAB’s IT Forum has resources you can use for an upcoming presentation? Ask EAB! Specifically charged with responding to one-off research requests from member institutions, Ask EAB is an expert center all of us can leverage by emailing Kimpton Langford Farren (KLangford@eab.com) with questions.
If you have any questions about our membership and what you have access to, feel free to contact Kimpton Langford Farren. I would also encourage you to visit EAB.com to browse the many IT Forum resources, all of which are available to any VUIT employee.
Contact: Kelsey Anito
Pluralsight Live 2020 is Going Virtual
Starting October 3, 2020. Pluralsight will be hosting their annual conference in a virtual environment,. This will be a multi-day experience, and best of all, it is FREE for anyone to join. Pluralsight is bringing together some of the brightest innovators and visionaries to explore a world with limitless potential.
For more information please visit this site.
Contact: Kelsey Anito
Update on Safari Books Online
In light of the current circumstances, VUIT had to make some strategic decisions about our online training offerings. Our individual contract with Orielly, to access the resource of Safari Books, was not renewed.
As a Vanderbilt staff member, many of the resources previously provided by VUIT are still available to you through the VU Library.
To access that resource, please follow the instructions below:
For further details on this offering, please reference this news article.
Contact: Kelsey Anito
New HR Workshops focus on remote work and employee engagement
Vanderbilt Human Resources has launched 3 new virtual workshops that are free to all Vanderbilt Staff.
- Working Remotely: Making it Work
- Leading Remote Teams Effectively
- Employee Engagement and Recognition for Leaders
To sign up for these courses or for more information, please visit Oracle Learn or consult this MyVU article.
Contact: Kelsey Anito
Microsoft Ignite Goes Virtual
Microsoft Ignite will be launched as a complimentary digital event experience this September. Join the sessions to learn innovative ways to build solutions, migrate and manage your infrastructure, and connect with Microsoft experts and other technology professionals from around the globe. For those interested in taking advantage of this complimentary experience, please register at this link.
Contact: Kelsey Anito
TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Ali Behnam-Gilani, Senior Collaboration Administrator in IT Hosting Services
Hometown:
Tehran, Iran
How long have you been with Vanderbilt and what roles/positions have you held?
“I have been with Vanderbilt for slightly over nine years. I have worked as a Desktop Support Analyst, a Unified Collaboration Specialist, and I am currently a Senior Collaboration Administrator.”
What is your current project?
“Automation and improvement of our team’s scripting environment.”
What are a few fun facts about you?
“When I’m not working, you can find me landscaping, cooking, or involved in home improvement projects.”
What do you do for entertainment?
“I enjoy spending time with my dog, Henry!” (A picture of Henry can be found in the “VUIT Pets” section in this newsletter.)
Why VUIT?
“It goes back to 2004 when I moved to the U.S. and started learning English at Vanderbilt English Language Center. I really enjoyed the campus and loved the academic environment. Even though I could not find an opportunity to work at Vanderbilt at the time, I took every interview until I finally convinced Taj Wolff to give me a chance to work in ITS.”
UPDATE FROM HUMAN RESOURCES
VUIT New Hires
Cortlyn Bowers – Administrative Solutions
VUIT Departures
Jamin Welch – Support Services
Perez Long – Support Services
Travis Chance – IT Security Operations
Carol Beverly – Classroom Technology
Meriel O’Conor – Business Intelligence Projects & Delivery
VUIT Job Postings
Operator Services Representative # 2000668
Operator Services Representative # 2000667
Technical Support Specialist # 2000639
Technical Support Specialist # 2000625
Security Analyst # 2000612
Contact: Christine Maci
Well-being Resources During COVID-19:
Your Well-Being Navigator:
Located on the Health & Wellness website, Your Well-Being Navigator provides easy links to resources at Vanderbilt University, VUMC and within Middle Tennessee for taking care of yourself and the people you love. The Well-Being Resources During COVID-19 section highlights specific resources for coping with this pandemic including medical and psychological support for workplace exposure, resources for home life, childcare, financial assistance, self-care and workplace safety.
Occupational Health Clinic
COVID-19 Monitoring Program:
The Occupational Health Clinic COVID-19 Monitoring Program is reaching out to all employees who test positive to check in on their physical and psychological health and to provide necessary resources including an opportunity for Work/Life Connections follow up if needed/desired. The program includes sequential follow-up for those who are not being followed medically or do not have a PCP to ensure that employees are recovering well. Faculty and staff may contact Occupational Health at 615-936-0955.
ConnectCARE:
ConnectCARE by Work-Life Connections/EAP offers confidential telehealth support to faculty and staff who may need remote access to counseling and coaching services due to self-monitoring or social distancing requirements. To make an appointment with a counselor, call 615-936-1327 (Monday-Friday,
8:00 am – 5:00 pm).
Toolkit for Working Remotely:
For anyone who is now working remotely, Health Plus has created a toolkit, How to Stay Healthy and Productive While Working Remotely, to guide employees on staying healthy, productive, and engaged with life while working remotely.
Did you know VUIT has a Twitter account?
Follow VUIT on Twitter to stay abreast of news, outages, and alerts at @Vanderbilt_IT.
“SkyVU in Review” Newsletter
The SkyVU in Review newsletter is released twice a month and provides a summary of new features, tips & tricks, updates, and announcements. Check out the most recent issue here.
*Please visit the SkyVU website and follow SkyVU on Instagram for additional information.
Customer Kudos
Kudos to Tim Tucker, Senior Technical Support Specialist, and the Peabody Support Team
Michael McAllister, a VUIT Relationship Manager, praised Tim for his work on the ACCRE-managed GPFS file system.
“For the past three months, Tim Tucker has gone above and beyond to help troubleshoot permission issues on the ACCRE managed GPFS file system. During the migration of data from DORS to ACCRE in early April, it became clear that certain customers were having access issues with their migrated files. Tim played a major role in helping identify the impacted shares. He exemplified extreme patience and professionalism while assisting ACCRE in their efforts to troubleshoot the root cause of the permission issues. Tim deserves recognition for not only taking it upon himself to keep customers updated during this process, but also for his willingness to help customers navigate separate support channels for their IT needs. In addition, he and members of the Peabody support team have done an excellent job communicating the different support channels for VUIT and ACCRE. They have managed to calm the nerves of multiple researchers during these uncertain times. I greatly appreciate the quality of customer service provided by Tim and the Peabody support team throughout this process.”
Kudos to Ed Rowlands, Associate IT Project Manager in IT Service Management
Chris Westbrook, a VUMC employee, praised Ed for his assistance with the installation of hardware and phones.
“I just wanted to say he’s really done a great job to really figure out what we need…the attached plan is AWESOME! I’m glad you gave me someone who is so detail oriented.”
Kudos to Chris Turcotte, Senior Technical Support Specialist in IT Service Delivery
Chris received praise from a new VU employee for helping her set up her email account and providing guidance on where to go for Zoom needs.
“I recently came on board as a Contractor and had the pleasure of working with Chris Turcotte. He assisted in my .edu set up and provide guidance on where to go for Zoom needs. Whether our dealings were over the phone or via email he was always quick to assist and provide guidance. Responding with professionalism and resolution. Having worked in Technology (in one form or another for the past 17 years) I have been on receiving end of ‘bad’ feedback more often than not. I wanted to take this moment to share the good.”
Kudos to Alex Cadreche, Network Security Analyst in Network Services
Alex received praise from Robert Martin for his quick response to a submitted help ticket.
“We had a VUMC customer that needed access to a couple of our servers and databases for support reasons. This was something that was needed quickly so as to not interrupt the application support for our Academic Affairs team. I submitted a ticket and within minutes, Alex and I chatted and were able to take care of the customer’s needs.”
Kudos to Andy Green, Associate IT Director in Application Development and Integration
Andy received praise from Fran Spurrier for his assistance over the weekend with a last-minute request.
“I just wanted to let you know what a pleasure it is to work with Andy. He probably has the best attitude of anyone I have worked with at Vanderbilt and is always eager to help and do the right thing. He is awesome! No matter what you throw at him, he takes it, runs with it, and never complains. This was a last minute request and he is working over the weekend to get it ready for Monday.”
Two Kudos for Randall Holder, Technical Support Specialist in IT Service Management
Randall received praise from VUMC employee Mindy Parker for his guidance on phone options.
“I wanted to reach out to offer a sincere thanks to you and your staff, particularly Randall. I had an order placed for our department and he spent time explaining and answering ALL of my many questions yesterday regarding the phone system. With our department being virtual and doing training that way through the end of the year, a lot of questions have come up. He was extremely kind, very personable and funny! He made my afternoon! I truly enjoyed speaking with him regarding phone guidance and options. I am someone who likes to know how the gears turn and why things work the way they do – he was very helpful with my order. Thank you so very much again. Huge props to you and your team, and thanks to Randall as well.”
Randall received praise from Maria Kasel, a VUMC staff member, for his assistance recently.
“I just wanted to take a moment to recognize the help I received from Randall Holder the other day during, what I believe to be an emergent situation. We had been trying to get a phone activated for some time in a new work room that is caring for COVID patients for one of our IM resident house staff teams. Since I am working off campus and was having a difficult time getting anyone on campus to assist with this I finally just called the help desk and Randall was able to walk me through and all the steps until I had the work order submitted in eProcurement. He went above and beyond to ensure that patient care was the first priority.”
Kudos to Kyle Greenway, Technical Support Specialist in IT Service Delivery
Kyle, received praise from Karen Ann Krieger, a professor in Blair, for his help setting up a new VU iPad.
“I just wanted to say thank you for having Kyle on the VU IT team. He was so so very patient with me this afternoon as he helped me set up a new VU iPad—like an hour plus of patience! Plus, Kyle assisted me with a sense of humor (and/or he humored me) which is so extra wonderful especially during the COVID state of our world.”
Logan Runger, Technical Support Specialist, and Jennifer Daniel, Lead Technical Support Specialist in IT Service Delivery
Logan and Jennifer received praise from Karen Ann Krieger, a professor in Blair.
“Thank you for what you ALL do for us faculty and students. I sure do appreciate our Blair IT folks–both Jennifer and Logan.”
Four Kudos for Mondrivia James, Projects Manager in the Office of the CIO: Business Affairs
Mondrivia received praise from Heather Slagell for her assistance with returning to campus safely.
“Driv has gone above and beyond to ensure that everyone is safe and that we can come back on campus. She truly is the grease on the wheel. If she wasn’t performing and managing behind the scenes many tasks would not get completed. She has coordinated movers, employees, ensured supplies are ready when people come to campus, and much more. She has gone to multiple stores in search of supplies when many didn’t want to leave their homes. Driv is a great employee and is really working to keep us all safe.”
Mondrivia received praise from Kathleen Armour-Spitzer for her assistance with moving out of the 1415 offices.
“Many thanks to Mondrivia James for going above and beyond helping us to clean up and move out of 1415! She worked tirelessly organizing, cleaning and making sure everything was packed up and ready to be moved. Thank you, Driv, for all of your hard work!”
Mondrivia received praise from Kathryn Maggart for her assistance with closing out the1415 offices.
“I would like to give a BIG “shout out” to Driv James. During these extraordinary times she has been a steady hand on keeping our staff safe and healthy. During the move to “Remote Work” in March 2020 and closing our office location 1415 in July 2020, she has coordinated supplies and suppliers to get what we need, when we needed it. Kudos! A job done well! Thanks Driv!”
Mondrivia received praise from Stan Tharpe for her assistance in moving out of the 1415 offices.
“I would like to recognize Driv for the work done to clear out 1415. With me not being local I could not help as much as I would have liked but I did recognize her efforts when I was there to clear out my office. Not being there for a few months I forgot about the stuff I inherited from Rick that I had not had a chance to throw out and Driv graciously did that for me. My team also noticed her efforts when they were there clearing their spaces. In the heat having to social distance while physically moving stuff I’m sure was not fun but it appeared she did it without complaint.”
Kudos to Fran Spurrier, IT Director in Strategy and Transition Management, and Phil Neely, ITS Dashboard Manager in BI Projects and Delivery
Fran and Phil received praise from VUDevelopment and Alumni Relations employees Suzann Hollingsworth and Julie Prim for their assistance with Microsoft Planner.
“We couldn’t let an opportunity pass without making one of our IT colleagues aware of how grateful we are to have been introduced to Fran Spurrier and Phil Neely. They have ensured we have the tools needed to be successful in our weekly report to VC Lutz. From teaching us how to navigate/use Planner, pulling our weekly Gantt reports quickly, and always being so kind when providing further explanation anytime needed…and that feels like we’re just scratching the surface. We really do appreciate the extra mile(s) they have gone for us and thought their hard work should be recognized.”
Pets of VUIT
Ali Behnam-Gilani’s dog “Henry”
Complimentary Gartner Webinars: August
Each month, Gartner offers free webinars that are open to everyone. Please visit the Gartner website to see all of the webinars available to you. Feel free to attend as many webinars as your time allows. If you have any questions or have trouble accessing the training session, please email gartnerwebinars@gartner.com.
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