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Information Technology's Projects and Initiatives

JMU Information Technology provides leadership and support for technology projects affecting the campus community.

It is the policy of the University to ensure that effective and efficient project management exists and that adequate controls are included when acquiring, developing and implementing information systems that include technology components.

Whether the objective is to acquire/develop a new system or service or to maintain/modify an existing one, the university requires all employees to comply with state requirements and university policies and standards for management of information technology projects.

University departments are required to contact Information Technology and complete the Project Initiation Questionnaire (PIQ) prior to soliciting acquisition or development of technology solutions.

Information about our current projects and initiatives is listed below.

Access Strategies

Increased mobility and new device offerings are challenging the university’s current access policies and procedures.  In cooperation with university administrators and data managers, Information Technology is conducting a review of current access practices and considering new policy and technical strategies to more fully incorporate remote access and personal device use.  The goal is to provide means of access that accommodate the innovative work styles university constituents desire while maintaining appropriate data management and security controls.

e-ID and Access Management

Information Technology will be replacing the JMU Accounts portal (accounts.jmu.edu) used for account activation, password changes, and password resets with an identity management product from Oracle. The new e-ID account management functionality will be available on a new tab in MyMadison called MyAccounts. Further information and the steps used for the enrollment is available at http://www.jmu.edu/computing/IdM.

Electronic Collaboration Environment

Information Technology, in partnership with Libraries and Educational Technologies and the Center for Instructional Technology will establish a new collaboration environment for the university and support those who pioneer its use. Microsoft’s Lync and SharePoint services will meet our objectives for JMU and provide faculty and staff with the level of collaboration tools soon to be available to students through the Office 365 platform (the sucessor to Live@edu). With instant messaging, chat, audio/video conferencing, calendar and document sharing capabilities, the new collaboration tools will tightly integrate with Microsoft's Exchange/Outlook and Office products and enable a richer experience surrounding instruction, advising and student support.

Microsoft Lync

Microsoft Lync 2010 provides a single interface uniting commmunication and collaboration through Instant Messaging, presence, group chat, audio visual web conferencing, desktop sharing and more. In the fall of 2011, Informaton Technology began deploying Microsoft Lync for faculty and staff use. Installation for use on faculty and staff JMU-owned Windows and Mac computers, documentation, Self-Help and FAQs are all available and can be found by visiting www.jmu.edu/computing/lync.

Internet Explorer 9

On July 1, 2012, IE 9 became the default installation on faculty/staff computers. Users of managed computers (part of the JMUAD domain) currently running older versions are recommended to upgrade to IE 9 via Control Panel/Run Advertised Programs.

Macintosh Desktop Management

Information Technology is currently implementing a solution for the management of Apple desktops, laptops, and the user accounts of such devices within their Information Technology environment.  The four main aspects which this project addresses are:  

1. Provide authentication and password complexity policies consistent with JMU policy

2. Provide the ability to manage devices from a security point of view

3. Provide the ability to remotely distribute OS and third party application updates

4. Provide the ability to remotely distribute applications and images

For more information, visit the Macintosh Desktop Management project page.

Mountain Lion

JMU Information Technology has tested and certified Apple’s latest operating system.

For further information on requesting an upgrade, visit our Mountain Lion project page.

SSL VPN

Information Technology is replacing the Cisco VPN with an SSL VPN access service from Juniper Networks.  The current Cisco VPN is no longer supported by the vendor. The SSL VPN is a service that offers a number of ways to connect to the JMU network from off-campus to access restricted, on-campus resources (available only from the JMU network range).  For more information, visit the SSL VPN project page.

Wireless Master Plan to Provide Ubiquitous Wireless Service to Campus

The demand for ubiquitous wireless access continues to rise. Information Technology has developed a plan to expand access over a three to four year period to reach full, seamless coverage in all campus locations. The plan includes a cost estimate and an approach to any major barriers that need to be resolved. Buildings to receive ubiquitous  wireless access includes: Harrison, Cleveland, Music, Sheldon, Village, Eagle, Taylor, and Warren.

To view a listing of the buildings with wireless access, visit http://www.jmu.edu/computing/desktop/wireless/access_points.shtml.