ITS Support Center Winter Break Hours
In observance of Winter Break, the Information Technology Services (ITS) Support Center will close on Friday, Dec. 16, at 5 p.m. and will reopen and resume modified business hours on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023 at 8 a.m. If you have an emergency while the ITS Support Center is closed, please call 703-993-8870 and listen to the prompts to be connected to a representative. Up-to-date information regarding ITS alerts is posted on the ITS website.
Zoom Link Safety and Zoom Bombing Prevention
ITS has recently seen an increase in Zoom meeting links and event passcodes for Mason-hosted events posted to Twitter. Posting this information, even for a matter of minutes, opens the event up to vulnerabilities and unintended guests (aka Zoom bombing). Please always remember when using Twitter or other social media platforms to promote events hosted via web conferencing tools such as Zoom, do not share the meeting link or passcode.
To learn more about mitigating vulnerabilities and how to remove disruptive attendees, see Securing Zoom Meetings and Classes and Getting Started with Zoom Security and Privacy.
If you experience inappropriate activity in a Zoom meeting, you can report the incident to Zoom’s Trust and Safety Team.
For questions about securing web conference meetings, contact the ITS Support Center at 703-993-8870 or support@gmu.edu or submit a ticket.
New Telecommunications Vendor Update
In August, ITS announced the selection of Mason’s new telecommunications vendor, Vonage, Inc. Since the announcement, ITS has successfully rolled out the new system for all Mason Call Centers and is moving into the next phase of the project: faculty and staff phones.
ITS has met with Telecom Coordinators to coordinate a phased-approach implementation, which will kick off in early 2023. In the coming weeks, Telecom Coordinators will validate details with phone users (work location, phone numbers, etc.) in preparation for switching to the new system. ITS will provide additional updates and resources in January 2023.
Mason’s current telephone system is end-of-life, and with a workforce increasingly dispersed, the new solution delivers advanced features (e.g., mobile applications, ring/accept calls on any device, presence awareness) and integrates into Mason’s tools (e.g., Office 365).