SJSU IT Tips – DocuSign UI Refresh

Campus colleagues,

DocuSign is gradually moving to a new design system and recently rolled out a new user interface. There are quite a few small changes, but I wanted to share some highlights with you.

  1.   The Manage tab has been renamed to Agreements, where you can  find envelope folders inbox, sent, completed,  etc.
  2. My Preferences has a refreshed interface.  No functionality changes are involved; only a change to the look and feel.
  3. The pages under the Agreements and the Templates tabs have a UI refresh.  As part of this update, the navigation for the envelopes lists and templates lists are paginated instead of having an infinite scroll pattern.
  4. For Power Users who use the Bulk Send feature, please note that the Bulk Send feature also has a refreshed interface. There are no changes to the bulk send functionality; only a change to the look and feel.

Thank you Jocelyn Tom, Application Business Analyst, for all your work on digitization and for providing this tip. As always, the SJSU IT Service Desk is here to help by phone at (408) 924-1530 or online.

Thanks,

Bob Lim
Vice President for Information Technology
and CIO at San José State University

SJSU IT Tips – Call Forwarding and Voicemail Anywhere

Campus colleagues,

Working hybrid or traveling this summer, but still need access to your office phone? Here’s a couple tips: you can forward your office calls to another number and access your voicemail from anywhere, anytime.

To forward calls from your office to another phone number:

  1. Press the Forward All softkey.
  2. Enter the number to which you want to forward your calls. Be sure to prepend the 10-digit phone number with a “71” (e.g., 714089241000).
  3. The Forward All icon will display on your phone screen indicating that call forwarding is active.
  4. To cancel call forwarding, press the Forward Off softkey on your phone’s touchscreen.

To check your voicemail remotely:

  1. Dial 408-924-6800 and press * when the greeting begins to play.
  2. Enter your 5-digit extension (e.g., 41000) followed by #.
  3. Enter your voicemail PIN followed by #.

NOTE: If this is your first time accessing your voicemail, you’ll need to complete the voicemail setup process, including creating a new voicemail PIN.

Thank you Aaron Langford, one of our Network Analysts, for helping maintain our phone system and providing this tip to campus. As always, the SJSU IT Service Desk is here to help by phone at (408) 924-1530 or online.

Thanks,
Bob Lim
Vice President for Information Technology
and CIO at San Jose State University

SJSU IT Budget Update 05/15/24

Dear Colleagues, 

A few weeks ago, I shared SJSU IT’s approach to helping reduce the university’s budget deficit, focusing on our team and expanding growth opportunities. There are many skills needed in our division where you might be able to contribute and expand your role.  

As I mentioned in that previous budget email, we’re expanding professional development opportunities to empower you with the skills you want to build and the skills our university needs. One of those opportunities is the SJSU IT Cross-Pollination Program, created in 2020 to foster collaboration and skill development across different departments within our division. Since then, we’ve had many success stories from colleagues participating in this program. Today, I want to highlight one colleague’s journey. 

Jane Wang’s interest in data science was sparked after engaging in several in-house training sessions. She enrolled in data science classes and dove into related topics and courses. However, she needed hands-on experience to make data science part of her career. With her supervisor’s guidance, support, and encouragement, Jane enrolled in the Cross-Pollination Program. In just a couple of months, she was already actively working and collaborating with the Data Warehouse team. She has now seamlessly transitioned to a full-time role within the Data Warehouse team, fulfilling a crucial need for our campus.

The Cross-Pollination Program remains one of the most effective ways for you to grow your skills with onsite job experience during your regular working hours. While SJSU IT reduced 25 vacant positions for this fiscal year, we remain committed to implementing new solutions and technology in support of our students, faculty, staff and university community. We can’t do this without the support from everyone in IT. We encourage everyone that is interested in learning and doing more to leverage the Cross-Pollination Program. Your professional development not only provides you with tools for your success, but also helps our division meet the university’s IT needs within our constraints.

You can contact Willie Simon for more information about the program and how it works. If you think the Cross-Pollination Program is a good fit for you, talk to your manager and senior manager to get started. 

I want to congratulate Jane Wang on taking her career with us to the next level. Thank you, Kara Li and James Anderson, for supporting Jane’s professional development and our upskilling strategy. I also want to acknowledge Willie Simon for her contributions in coordinating the Cross-Pollination Program.

Of course, you can always come speak with me about the program or about our budget situation during my weekly open office hours, every Thursday from 2pm–4pm. Please feel free to reach out to Lin Ru to schedule a time.  

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, we have to continue to support one another with human kindness and empathy as our division navigates these uncertain times. I know many of you are chipping in, collaborating, and helping colleagues every day – thank you.   

Sincerely,
Bob-

SJSU IT Tips – Updating Operating System and Software Applications

Colleagues,

Updating your operating system and applications is a critical practice in maintaining the security and functionality of your computers and devices. Today’s tip is just four words: “Don’t wait to update!” Here are the two main reason why:

  • Security Vulnerability: By fixing vulnerabilities, updates prevent cybercriminals from taking advantage of weaknesses in your software. These vulnerabilities can be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access, steal data, or disrupt services. With timely updating, your systems become less susceptible to attacks like ransomware, phishing, and malware infections.
  • Performance and Stability: Updates not only enhance security but also improve performance and stability. They fix bugs, optimize code, and ensure that your software runs smoothly. Outdated software can lead to crashes, slow performance, and unexpected behavior.

If you’re using an SJSU-owned laptop or desktop, it’s likely that most of your updates are being managed automatically while you’re connected to SJSU’s network, but remember to keep an eye out for reminders to reboot your computer so that pending updates can be fully completed. Many of us also use personal devices and computers to do work and access SJSU systems. Keeping those personal devices up-to-date also helps keep university and student data secure.

Thank you to Noel McCormick from our Information Security Team for providing this tip and helping protect our university. As always, the SJSU IT Service Desk is here to help by phone at (408) 924-1530 or online.

Thanks,
Bob Lim
Vice President for Information Technology
and CIO at San Jose State University

GenAI at SJSU: Explore & Experiment

Fellow Spartans,

Recently, I gave a presentation to the University Leadership Council on Generative AI (GenAI). I’d like to share some of the insights from that presentation with you, our community of faculty and staff, to encourage everyone to experiment with GenAI. 

GenAI represents a massive opportunity for our campus and for our students. SJSU IT is partnering with Student Affairs and University Marketing and Communications on a smart search feature for our website to help students get answers to their questions using natural language. We’re also working with Google to pilot their Gemini AI platform at our university. I’ll talk more about those projects in a followup message, but for now, I want to give you a little AI background and share resources to learn more about GenAI to apply to your day-to-day work.

Traditional AI started in the 1950’s, eventually evolving into the predictive AI systems that are the foundation of advanced analytics. GenAI uses a similar concept, predicting desired output, to “create” new content: text, images, and even music. 

In higher education, GenAI has huge potential benefits for almost every department across SJSU. 

  • Virtual TAs can help create exam questions, assist with grading, and identify areas where students need additional support. 
  • Students can have a personalized study partner that adapts to their individual needs and learning styles, tracks academic progress, and translates course content into other languages. 
  • As a virtual office assistant, GenAI can help write PDs, evaluate incoming resumes, generate first drafts of emails, summarize long-form content, give at-a-glance breakdowns of complex spreadsheets, and more. 
  • At SJSU IT, we already use GenAI to assist with 24/7 cybersecurity monitoring. 

How can GenAI help you today? The only way to find out is to try it. 

The GenAI market is evolving rapidly – Dr. Simon Rodan from the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business recently shared with me this article comparing five top GenAI offerings, underscoring how there is no single GenAI option that works best for every use case. Don’t wait for the perfect GenAI solution: explore what’s available now. Test out different options to evaluate how their output varies. Incorporate GenAI into your daily workflow and see how it can help. Here are some resources to get you started:

Lastly, I want to acknowledge that GenAI comes with concerns about ethical use, accuracy, privacy, bias, and compliance. As with most technologies, an intentional approach can help alleviate many concerns. SJSU’s AI Vision Statement provides clear direction on how our university can embrace this new opportunity responsibly and mindfully. 

I’m excited to enter this frontier with you together. 

Best regards,
Bob Lim
Vice President for Information Technology
and CIO at San José State University