"Mailreader" service to go away and be replaced by "Webmail." For several years, ETS has provided, on an unsupported basis, access to a web-based email service known as "Mailreader." Mailreader, however, has had a number of deficiencies and is no longer being supported by its developer. ETS has begun the process of replacing Mailreader with a new application known as "Webmail." Webmail provides the same basic functionality as Mailreader, but has additional features such as secured connectivity, online help and a more intuitive interface. For a short period of time both services will run concurrently, but on April 1 Mailreader will no longer be available and all users should switch to Webmail. Webmail is accessible from anywhere there is a web connection at http://webmail.fhda.edu.

Wireless networking. We are planning to implement ubiquitous wireless access throughout the District over the next three years, with a limited test environment in the coming months. The process for selecting a wireless vendor has been completed and the Board has approved entering into an agreement with WAN/LAN Solutions, a reseller for Alcatel and Aruba wireless products, to provide wireless hardware and management software. We expect to begin installing phase one of the wireless project during the Spring quarter. We will begin with a test at limited locations on both campuses and expand access from there. The initial locations will be the Krause Center for Innovation, the 3000 buildings and library at Foothill, and the library at De Anza. Once we feel comfortable with security and performance, we will roll it out to more locations on both campuses.

911 access from on campus. Our phone system now fully supports 911 dialing from anywhere on campus. If you have an emergency or need to reach the campus police very quickly, you can simply dial 911 on any campus phone. You will be connected directly to the dispatcher. Please note: if you dial 911 accidentally (perhaps while trying to get an outside line) stay on the line. Do not hang up! Let the dispatcher know that you called in error and that you are okay. They may send an officer to your location to verify that everything is okay if you don't communicate otherwise.

New Macintosh will not run MAUI. The new Intel-based iMac has many nice features and the 17" model has been selected as the Macintosh desktop standard for the District. (For more information about District standards, go to the ETS hardware and software standards page) However, because the new Intel-based Macs use a different version of the operating system, MAUI will not work on these new computers. (MAUI only runs under OS 9 and the new Macs will not support OS 9.) ETS is busy finding a substitute for MAUI, but it will be several more months before a replacement application is found. For this reason, we strongly urge all Mac users to think about the following when considering the acquisition of a new Macintosh computer for their office: (1) if MAUI is not going to be used on the new Mac, then go ahead and order it; (2) if a new Macintosh is absolutely necessary and MAUI is going to be used, then we suggest keeping the old computer available for MAUI use, or working out an arrangement with others to share use of an older Mac that supports MAUI when necessary. For information about what ETS is doing to solve the MAUI problem, read the item below.

MAUI replacement project. With the introduction of the new Intel-based Macintosh, the plan to replace MAUI as one of our primary administrative data query tools is now more urgent. (See the story above.) A special ETS task force will focus on finding a suitable replacement. To date, the task force has assembled and is reviewing technical specifications. We are also exploring the data query/business intelligence software market to determine what products might represent a suitable substitute at a reasonable cost. Several have been identified and we are talking with those vendors about their products' feature sets, licensing terms and prices, as well as testing their products. We are looking for a solution that is web-based and adheres to industry standards so that MAUI data can be accessed by either Mac or PC users (currently it is only accessible via the Macintosh). To date we have had no problem finding products that claim to provide all of MAUI's functionality and more. At this point it's more an issue of settling on an affordable product.

Dealing with surplus equipment: We have found that many people don't know what to do with old computers, printers and fax machines. Sometimes we find out when such equipment is left in bags outside our offices. (NOT GOOD! Do not do that.) Often people just let the equipment sit in a corner, unused, until we come to make a service call or move their equipment to a new office and discover all this old equipment. Disposing of unused equipment is an easy process. Just contact the Call Center (ext. TECH) and we'll take care of it from there!

Identity management and user authentication and authorization. In March, ETS began reviewing bid documents from identity management vendors and attending presentations about their products to gain a better technical understanding of their products. We hope to take a request for contract approval to the Board of Trustees in May. Identity management will provide the District with better security, single sign-on capabilities and portal access for students.

Dealing with "cyber-waste." Our use of information technology is sometimes justified in terms of saving paper. Whether it actually saves paper or not is subject to debate. However, we do know that information technology does create its own waste stream. There are many waste products that we need to dispose of properly -- batteries, toner and ink cartridges, packaging, etc. In the next issue of News Bytes we will have a more detailed article about e-waste. However, we do want to bring to your attention that the District and Office Depot have established a recycling program for used inkjet cartridges, laser cartridges, copier toner cartridges and old personal cell phones. See the article in this issue of News Bytes for more information.

Tech documents now available for download. ETS recently introduced a new section on its website that provides more information about the department's activities. The site, located at http://ets.fhda.edu/techdocs, provides a variety of documents in PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint format. Among the documents are white papers on open source and wireless technologies, calendars of ETS projects, draft copies of ETS Service Level Agreements (which are currently moving through the governance process), and a PowerPoint presentation about security awareness. Check it out!

Meeting Maker upgrade on the way! That's right, after a long wait between upgrades we will soon be rolling out a new version. Version 8.5 has many new features and functionalities not available in the current version. For example, it has a completely html-based web capability so that you can access your Meeting Maker calendar from anywhere without needing the desktop application. Version 8.5 also provides for better synching with various handheld devices, such as Palm and Blackberry PDAs. Additionally, this web capability will allow us to more fully integrate Meeting Maker into our new portal. As in the past, our migration to the new version will be a "flash cutover." That is, all users must move to the new version at the same time -- you won't be able to access the Meeting Maker database until you have the new version. More details will follow via email as we get closer to the conversion, scheduled for the early part of the Spring quarter.

Spam filtering. Below is the most current data from our spam firewall for the past 12 months. You can see that the filter is now blocking as spam almost 90 percent of all email directed to the District from outside. (The firewall does not handle internal email, only that from outside.) Since March 1 of last year, that totaled almost 13 million spam messages! Note that the amount of spam directed at our server jumped dramatically in December 2005 and even more dramatically in January 2006. The spammers are not going away; if anything they are stepping up their efforts.

	Blocked as Spam	Blocked with Virus	Tagged as Bulk	Allowed in Clear	Total
Mar-05	822,183	9,501	23,113	281,608	1,136,405
Apr-05	980,956	10,616	29,441	257,826	1,278,839
May-05	922,362	13,926	22,074	260,226	1,218,588
Jun-05	662,126	21,173	28,187	258,243	969,729
Jul-05	820,482	16,568	56,172	254,560	1,147,782
Aug-05	765,245	14,893	34,061	246,760	1,060,959
Sep-05	558,145	13,499	24,706	260,943	857,293
Oct-05	612,698	12,397	31.898	319,243	976,236
Nov-05	638,063	16,929	45,184	281,484	981,660
Dec-05	1,150,097	28,741	55,133	273,512	1,507,483
Jan-06	2,670,951	12,034	52,620	329,132	3,064,737
Feb-06	2,337,149	7,103	50,107	291,956	2,686,315
Total	12,940,457	177,380	420,830	3,315,493	16,886,026

The amount of email tagged as [BULK] has historically been only about 2 to 3 percent of the total email the District receives. However, in November and December the number of messages tagged as [BULK] jumped to 4.6 and 3.66 percent, respectively, during those months, so you may have noticed a corresponding increase of bulk mail in your email in-boxes. Note that although the number of messages "allowed in the clear" has trended slightly upward during the past 12 months, the number of messages blocked as spam increased radically beginning in December 2005. The below chart demonstrates this dramatic increase.

Workflow processing and automated forms. We are moving forward with developing an online method for handling our business processes. We have nearly completed testing of the timesheet processing. It will be accessible through the portal as a single sign-on. We have already begun work on future workflow processing projects, such as handling the paperwork associated with faculty evaluations and the grade-submission process. In addition, we are accumulating a library of forms that do not require a complex process to complete submission.