Issue 18, July 6, 2021
This communication was generated by UTHSC Information Technology Services to educate
and inform our campus community about available technology tools, training opportunities,
news, and events that will help you and the university achieve excellence in patient
care, education, research, and community service.
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New UTHSC TechConnect Site Coming on July 26!
We’ve talked about it for weeks now – the new IT service site where you can report
a problem, explore and request new services, and find answers to your technical questions.
You voted to call it UTHSC TechConnect, and it will be at your fingertips 24/7 in
less than a month, on Monday, July 26!
Visit our TechConnect introduction page to see the logo, meet our friend Veronica, and learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to help us give the TechConnect site a name that is meaningful
to you.
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| Microsoft Announces Windows 11 Last week, Microsoft announced their new Windows 11 operating system would be available
later this fall. The new Windows 11 is advertised to have a cleaner design and new
features. ITS customer service specialists will be testing the new operating system
in the coming months, and we will contact you about updates in early 2022.
ITS does not recommend immediately upgrading to any new operating system until the
vendor has had a chance to address early software deficiencies and you have confirmed
that your current applications are compatible with the new system.
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| MATLAB and Simulink by MathWorks, Inc. MATLAB and Simulink are computational software environments used to perform various
tasks applicable to engineering, science, mathematics, statistics, and finance. The
UT system-wide Total Academic Headcount (TAH) license includes MatLAB, Simulink, and
most of the toolboxes listed on the company product page. The toolboxes are collections
of functions for solving particular classes of problems, such as signal processing,
image processing, control systems, curve fitting, etc. Simulink and the toolboxes
require MATLAB.
Learn more about MATLAB and Simulink on OIT's Research Software website. Learn when to use it, where to run it, how to learn, and where to get help.
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Microsoft has some excellent training courses we recommend:
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Microsoft Planner
With Planner on your PC, Mac, or mobile device, you can:
- Create new plans, assign tasks, and share files with others.
- Organize teamwork and collaborate on projects in a simple, visual way.
- Chat with others to make sure you're on the same page.
- Keep track of your team's progress and stay on top of your work—from anywhere, on
any device.
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Email
How to Increase the Font Size While Reading Mail in Outlook
Tired of straining your eyes to read an email? You can easily increase the font size
of an email with these simple steps!
Windows Users:
- Double click on the message to open it in a new window.
- Make sure you are viewing the Message toolbar.
- Click the Zoom option on the right.
Mac Users:
- Double click on the message to open it in a new window.
- Click ⌘ + to zoom in and ⌘ - to zoom out.
Web Outlook:
- Click CTRL + to zoom in and CTRL - to zoom out (Windows users) or ⌘ + to zoom in and
⌘ - to zoom out (Mac users).
Lean 6 Sigma
The Parking Lot
Have you ever led a meeting where things just completely went off the rails? You scheduled
an hour to knock out three or four things, and someone went on a tangent, usually
because they genuinely wanted their voice to be heard.
The problem is, if you don’t recognize their idea, many people will keep bringing
the conversation back to it. So now you have lost complete control, and the meeting
is unproductive.
Enter Lean’s beloved Parking Lot. A parking lot helps you recognize everyone’s ideas
by placing them in an area (usually on a whiteboard or in meeting notes), so you can
discuss these ideas in a future meeting. Sure, it is a bit of a meeting deflection
tactic, but it helps keep the discussion focused on completing your scheduled tasks.
And many ideas that come to people in meetings ARE relevant and helpful, so you want
to record them. A parking lot helps you keep control of your meeting while also recognizing
ideas to be addressed later.
Learn more about the parking lot and how to use it to your advantage in meetings by
reading Quick and Dirty Tips’ How to Use the ‘Idea Parking Lot’ in 4 Simple Steps article.
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Ransomware Definition
 Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts a victim's files. The attacker then demands a ransom from the victim
to restore access to the data upon payment.
Users are shown instructions for how to pay a fee to get the decryption key. The costs
can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands, payable to cybercriminals in Bitcoin.
How Ransomware Works
There a number of ways ransomware can access a computer. The most common is through phishing, with attachments that come via an email, masquerading as a trusted file. Once they
are opened and/or downloaded, they can take over a device. Some more aggressive forms
exploit vulnerabilities in applications or even operating systems never needing a
human's intervention.
There are several things the malware could do once it has taken over, but by far the
most common occurrence is to encrypt the user's files. The files cannot be decrypted
without a key, which will only be given after a ransom is paid.
Who is a Target (Why Should I Care)?
Everyone and every organization is a target. National and global news have made ransomware
stories major headlines. Recently in the U.S., we have seen our fuel transportation
industry, mass transit, and meatpacking industries hit. But the bad guys aren't just
in it to make headlines, they want MONEY. The average payout for ransomware in 2019
was $115,123 but increased 171% in 2020 to $312,493. The healthcare industry makes
up 11.6% of the industries targeted by ransomware attacks.
How to Prevent Ransomware
There are a number of defensives to take to prevent an infection, which is all good
security practices in general.
- Keep your operating system patched and up-to-date to ensure you have fewer vulnerabilities to exploit.
- Don't install software or give it administrative privileges unless you know exactly what it is and what it does.
- Install antivirus software, which detects malicious programs like ransomware as they arrive.
- Back up your files, frequently and automatically! That won't stop a malware attack, but it can make the
damage caused by one much less significant.
If Your Device is a Victim of Ransomware
For UTHSC Devices
If your UTHSC device is under attack by ransomware, IMMEDIATELY power off the machine
by pressing and holding the power button until the computer turns off then contact
the ITS Service Desk (901.448.2222). Do not try and fix the device yourself.
For Personal Devices
While your personal device is not the responsibility of UTHSC, we do want to help
keep you secure. CSO created a videowith step-by-step instructions on recovering from ransomware. However, if you don't
have a backup of your data, there may be no recovery.
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Micah Hubbard
 In each issue, we feature one of our amazing ITS team members. We learn more about
Micah Hubbard with our Customer Technical Support hardware team in this segment.
What is your role and how long have you been in ITS at UTHSC? I lead the Customer Tech Support Hardware team and have been with ITS at UTHSC for
almost 3 years.
What is a day in the life of Micah like? My day is typically a mix of computer troubleshooting/repair, new computer configurations,
and supporting the Hardware team. Away from work I enjoy indoor and outdoor sport
climbing, spending time with my wife, Jenny, and traveling (though not so much recently).
I’m also a sucker for a good video game, board game, or book.
What is your favorite thing about working at UTHSC? It’s a tie between the sense of satisfaction knowing that my work helps make UTHSC’s
education, research, clinical care, etc. possible AND the wonderful work-life balance
that I enjoy here.
What’s something most people don’t know about you? I am an ordained minister and help lead a small house church that meets weekly around
the dinner table.
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