IT Insider

Submit nominations by Friday, November 4 for your nominee to be considered for the fall 2022 awards cycle!

As summer comes to a close, we want to thank the IT employees who lent a hand to lead and support coding workshops at Fralin Life Sciences Institute summer STEM camps.

The Division of IT Staff Association held their first meeting in March - the group elected officers, discussed future meeting topics, and opened nominations for a new Staff Senator.

We'd love to know what home means to you - share a picture, note, recipe, etc. in #it-friendsandfamily channel on Slack, and join us for a "Sharing Home" Coffee Hour on March 24.

Senior Leadership has developed the IT Operational Plan Version 0.9 for FY 2022 – FY 2023. As VT IT Transformation Program initiatives become defined, the plan will be updated to Version 1.0.

You’re invited to participate in a variety of in-person and remote activities!

Taking into account data from our recent survey, the IT Communications Team and IT senior leadership formed a set of action items designed to address unmet needs and enhance strengths in our communications strategy.

UPDATE: Since this post first went live, we've learned that the Division of IT had four teams - a total of 45 employees - compete in the first official Hokie Wellness Summer Outdoor Challenge, including a podium finish for the Virtual Vanguard from TLOS!

We've added to our Acronym Glossary, and these new entries are all related to accessibility web accessibility. These are important terms to know in IT, so take a look.

Get the nitty-gritty on the three main methodologies used by our Division of IT project managers in the second post of the project management blog series.

We have quite a few Division of IT employees and student employees completing degrees this year. Well done, graduates!

We've added 12 acronyms (plus one term that is kind of an acronym sandwich) to our glossary. Enjoy!

Women Hokies in IT (WHIT) is a getting off the ground after a pandemic-related hiatus. All who support women's advancement in IT are welcome to participate!

We're all familiar with project management, but what does it actually involve? This is the first in a new blog series from the IT Project Management team to help you get to know project management a little bit better.

Collaborative Computing Solutions (CCS) has increased its efforts to provide training opportunities and support for Virginia Tech employees and graduate students.

Carl Harris, chief technology architect for the Division of IT, takes us through the Cloud Strategy Working Group's two-year journey, and offers a preview of the working group's findings.

We have a fresh batch of acronyms in our ever-growing glossary. If you don't know any of the following, now you know!

It's time for policy updates with Brenda van Gelder! This is the first in our series of regular, newsletter-style posts that will provide proactive communications about policy changes and activities relevant to the Division of IT.

With a sharp increase in use of Microsoft Teams for online collaboration this spring and summer, CCS and TLOS worked together to offer a series of training sessions through the Professional Development Network during the fall 2020 semester. Response was overwhelmingly positive - and more sessions are on tap for spring 2021.

Division of IT human resources sent employees a link to the division's Employee Engagement Survey dashboards on Monday, December 14th. We wanted to fill you in on the strategy and goals driving the new survey design.

Just because our holiday reception and employee recognition events can't happen in person doesn't mean we can't have some light-hearted fun this year. We hope you'll join in at least one of these alternate holiday activities for 2020.

TLOS is moving to the newly renovated Mattress & Furniture store in UMall on November 5, 2020.

The IT Advisory Council (ITAC) is seeking new members. All it takes is a few hours of your time each month and a desire to foster open, honest, and positive communication throughout all levels of the IT organization.

Videos from the June and August IT Town Halls are now online for your viewing pleasure!

Discuss shared interests, broaden your knowledge and skills, and build professional relationships in the process —be part of a Community of Practice!

It's been one year since Virginia Tech implemented the PageUp system for recruiting and onboarding. Vicki Hall spoke to a few key people in Human Resources to see if (and how) the project has proven beneficial. Hint: Enterprise Systems played a significant role.

Join Virginia Cyber Range director David Raymond for a preview of the new Cloud CTF Capture the Flag platform at the July 10th DoIT Virtual Break Room. General trivia, no cybersecurity knowledge necessary—play and win prizes!

The Division of IT Diversity Committee calls on IT employees to take positive steps to help create a more inclusive university and dismantle systemic racism, and invites you to attend a panel discussion with Virginia Tech Race and Social Policy Center director Dr. Wornie Reed on June 26 at 10:30am.

Collaborative Computing Solutions (CCS) is hosting two free, 1-hour online events in July showcasing the latest collaboration tools available from Microsoft and Google. Join in and learn how to use these tools more effectively!

Vicki Hall shares your comments on 'Striving for Excellence' from the 2019 All-Hands retreat in this final post in the Division of IT Core Value series.

Are you interested in learning how to ensure your content, code, or designs are accessible for all users, regardless of disability status? You're invited to take a Digital Accessibility Professional Development Survey!

Wondering which Slack channels to follow? Unsure whether to post your message on #it-announcements or #general or ??? This guide has answers—plus how to configure notifications and availability to minimize distractions and improve communications on Slack.

Many IT employees are applying their creative and technical skills to help the local community. We’ve shared a few examples here and invite you to share more on Slack!

Virginia Tech has a 20 year history of providing wireless service. With the move to virtual learning, NI&S has a head start on their project to upgrade wireless service to support the latest WiFi technology, known as 802.11ax or WiFi6.

You now have the option to add a profile photo and description to your name card in the InIT employee directory. This post shows you how to do it!

With many of us working remotely, feeling connected to our colleagues can be challenging. The IT Advisory Council is one resource you have to connect and share your thoughts. Join ITAC 's "Virtual Break Room" on Fridays at 12 noon, or reach out any time....

To provide a way for us all to connect with one another, our IT Human Resources team is hosting a weekly Zoom session on Thursday mornings, starting at 8:30 am. All Division of IT employees are welcome!

Update on Division of IT spring events: in support of the university's efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, we've rescheduled and/or moved our upcoming Division of IT events online. Here are the latest updates.

Volunteering is a great way to flex your (tech or people) skills in a relaxed setting while helping others get excited about STEM. Please consider lending a hand at one or more of these March and April events.

In an emergency situation, clear, rapid, and efficient communication is critical, and NI&S has made significant contributions to the safety of the Virginia Tech community through its recent and ongoing enhancements to VT Alerts. NI&S completed phase two of the VT Alerts system in 2019, achieving three notable milestones.