Announcements

As we approach winter closure (December 22, 2025 - January 2, 2026), we want to ensure you have the equipment and support you need. Please review the information and deadlines below to inform your planning. Computer Ordering Deadlines If you want to order and receive a new computer before winter break, make sure...

Stay informed about UIT systems downtime by subscribing to the it-client-alerts-humanities mailing list. What is the it-client-alerts-humanities list? University IT (UIT) manages critical infrastructure for the university. The it-client-alerts-humanities mailing list is used to communicate alerts to Humanities & Sciences (H&S) stakeholders when major UIT systems experience disruption - whether service is slow...

On Friday 5/5/25, the default captioning and transcription settings in Stanford's Zoom platform were changed to enhance privacy and security. UIT implemented this change in response to feedback from the Stanford community about the need for more intentional recording practices. What's Changing The full caption transcript panel will be disabled by default. The...

Exciting New Dashboard We are excited to announce a new dashboard to greet you when you log in. Our goal is to provide information at your fingertips to help you make decisions, keep your site fresh, and present opportunities for improvement. The dashboard will launch with a few blocks of information, but you...

H&S IT is pleased to announce that we’ve made a significant investment in our research computing capabilities by acquiring 39 new compute nodes for the Sherlock high-performance computing cluster. This enhancement is designed to support researchers across the School of Humanities and Sciences. What This Means for Your Department Sherlock is an invaluable...

Dear Colleague, As you know, recent efforts to adapt to the new storage pricing approach imposed by Google have drawn focus to how we fund technology and tools at Stanford. The community’s response has highlighted the importance and complexity of the matter, prompting us to pivot our approach. Last fall, we paused implementation...

Dear DFOs, ADs, and H&S Web Editors, As we approach the end of 2024, I want to take a moment to recognize your significant efforts in advancing digital accessibility across H&S, and the combined impact you’re having. I'm excited to share some highlights, give you a glimpse of what's coming next, and wish...

Colleagues, We've recently noticed a concerning trend of unreported lost and stolen devices. This oversight can seriously compromise university data security. To address this, we're reminding everyone of the critical steps to take if your laptop or other device is lost or stolen. Why This Matters and What we Need from You Prompt...

Starting the summer of 2021, University IT is requiring Cardinal Key for computers and phones accessing Stanford resources such as Axess, webmail, and Stanford’s Google Drive. The majority of staff and faculty devices at the School of Humanities and Sciences have Cardinal Key installed. For the remaining devices ISO, H&S IT, and CRC...

On Friday, December 10, a critical software vulnerability known as Log4Shell was broadly publicized. Alarmingly, this vulnerability is widespread, affecting organizations worldwide and putting numerous Stanford systems at risk. The Information Security Office (ISO) has detected related activity targeting our systems and has been working around the clock with IT teams throughout the...

Introducing, Jamf, the new generation of device management for Macs As part of University IT's Healthy Devices efforts , Jamf has been selected as the successor to BigFix for device management on MacOS devices at Stanford. Jamf is now available to install, and H&S IT will be working with departments and programs to...

Living in a hybrid world, much of our professional and personal lives takes place online. You may be prepared to work and play in a digital space, but are you prepared to defend yourself against the latest cybersecurity threats? Cybercrime has evolved, with cybercriminals able to unleash attacks that have lifelong impacts on...

We’ve become aware of a bad interaction between recent MacOS releases and Stanford’s Code 42 Crashplan backup software. Recent MacOS releases require explicit permission for non-Apple applications to access all of a user's storage. A user may not have been prompted to provide this access when upgrading MacOS. This is particularly problematic for...

On October 9th, University IT sent an email about Virtual Host Redirects. The email subject was Action Required by 11/6: Update Virtual Host Information (and the contents of the email are at the bottom of this article). This page provides some additional information about what is changing. What’s happening? The system that redirects...

As of October 13, 2020, Microsoft will no longer provide security and software updates for Office 2016 for Macs. Due to this change, all Macs need to be upgraded to Office 365 (O365) to avoid potential security vulnerabilities. What can you expect? You will not lose any data If you are using Outlook...

Our colleagues in University IT have been able to secure a campus-wide license for MATLAB and Simulink, which is now free to use for Stanford faculty, staff, and students. Previously, community members needed to purchase this software, which is used across a wide variety of H&S departments and programs. Individual machine licenses, add-ons...

Hosted by Stanford’s Information Security and Privacy Offices, the Cybersecurity and Privacy Festival aims to raise awareness and understanding about how to ensure our online lives are safe and secure. Join us for the 2020 “Pandemic Edition,” which spans across the week of Oct. 19 to 23, from 1 to 3 p.m. daily...

The H&S Web team have been working with our vendor Sparkbox to create a new look and feel for our Drupal 8 sites. We've created two distinct themes Colorful and Traditional: The Colorful theme focuses on bursts of color throughout the site, complimented by layered elements. It also includes color pairings to give...

H&S IT has created a process and a simple set of forms to facilitate requests for access to H&S systems. By using the access request form, requests can be routed to the system business owner and to H&S IT personnel as needed, without the need to know who is responsible for which system...

As part of an ongoing effort to improve the security of their product, Zoom will begin requiring passwords on June 23. Zoom passwords should be 6 characters long, all numerals. There are a few steps you will need to do to get ready for that change. In Zoom: Configure a password for your...

In the coming months, there will be several changes to Stanford's IT infrastructure that will affect our Apple computer users. Due to these changes, most Apple computers in H&S will need to be upgraded to MacOS 10.14 Mojave or MacOS 10.15 Catalina. Why upgrade? Two changes are driving the need to upgrade: Changes...

This announcement refers to outdated information. All sites on the H&S Drupal Platform are now on later versions of Drupal. Drupal.org announced November 2021 will be the end of Drupal 7 support. If you've worked with the H&S web team or Stanford Web Services on your website, there's a good chance you're on...

University IT has published a guide on how to protect your Zoom meetings from so called Zoom-bombing How to Protect your Zoom Meetings

H&S IT held several training sessions on how to use Zoom, Slack, and the Jabber softphone. Below are the recordings and slides from those trainings: Zoom Recording of Zoom Jabber Slack Training Zoom Jabber Slack Training Slides Zoom Recording of Advanced Zoom Training Doing More with Zoom Slides Protecting Your Zoom Meeting Slides...

Update 3/24/20 The deadlines for Form Builder have been extended: April 30, 2020: You will no longer be able to create new Form Builder forms. July 30, 2020: UIT will retire the Form Builder service and all existing forms. -- After 12 years, University IT (UIT) plans to retire Form Builder. Form Builder...

University IT provides the Dashlane password manager free of charge to all current faculty, staff, and students. Why use a password manager? Remembering passwords for numerous applications can be burdensome. A password manager addresses the problem by securely storing your passwords and keeping them synchronized across your phones, tablets, laptops and other devices...

With University IT's willingness to archive AFS at an all time high, tools that rely on AFS may be services to avoid. Stanford Form Builder is one such service. Because of it's reliance on AFS to host the webform, an archived AFS space will lead to a broken form. Until the university decides...

Various senior leaders across the University have been impersonated by e-mail hackers performing a variety of financial scams targeting University community members. The Dean of Humanities and Sciences, Debra Satz, has been impersonated with different emails such as dsatz.stanford.1edu [at] gmail.com (dsatz[dot]stanford[dot]1edu[at]gmail[dot]com) or dsatz.stanford0.edu [at] gmail.com (dsatz[dot]stanford0[dot]edu[at]gmail[dot]com). Depending on the setting on your email client, the sender may appear...