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The Information Technology Newsletter for the University of Maryland

UMD Box A Versatile System for

Collaboration and File Management

New Service Enables Easy Access to Online Storage

in IT Computer Labs By Megan Speakes

By Megan Speakes

This fall, DIT launched a new service in its computer labs that lets computer lab customers more
conveniently access their various online storage accounts from lab computers running Windows.

Last spring, the Division of IT launched the UMD Box service as a

resource that could help university community members collaborate on,
share, back up, and sync files via the Internet. Since then, there have been
some improvements to the service. First, university community members
no longer need to activate Box accounts. You can begin using the service
simply by visiting www.umd.box.com and logging in with your Directory
ID and password. You can still use Box to perform the following activities
using your 50 GB of account space:

TerpDrives is also available in some other UMD computer labs. For more information or to get started,
visit http://terpdrives.umd.edu.

Share files with colleagues, students, and others without having

to send files via email attachments.
Collaborate with a group or committee by sharing content with
group members, creating a workflow, and making comments and
edits within Box.
Save files to your Box space and access them from any of your
computers or mobile devices.
Sync files on multiple devices and view them when offline.
However, now, the files you share/store/collaborate on within Box can
include information restricted by the Family Educational Rights and
Privacy Act (FERPA). This means that educational records (grades,
transcripts, and student rosters, for examples) can now be stored in Box
and shared appropriately through the system. There are still restrictions
related to storing and sharing other types of information on Box,
including Social Security Numbers, credit card and other financial
information, health information, and more.
In addition to UMD Box accounts for individual university community
members, organizational accounts are also available for colleges/
departments, student groups, and other groups affiliated with UMD.
These accounts allow members to upload and share files without affecting
their individual University of Maryland Box account quotas.
Box enables you to share information with others in the UMD
community and outside of it. However, it is important to understand that
as the content owner, you have the responsibility to create and maintain
sharing provisions appropriately. That responsibility includes sharing with
the right people and in the right manner (are they allowed to upload, or
download, or edit what others upload?) and removing people from sharing
arrangements when appropriate (for instance, when creating a share space
for use by a class).
For more information about the UMD Box service, including details on
requesting an organizational account and guidance about sharing various
types of data appropriately, visit www.it.umd.edu/box.

Spring
2008
Fall 2014

The new TerpDrives online storage management tool enables customers to link UMD Box, Google
Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive accounts to their computer lab login. After a quick and easy setup
process, every time a customer logs into a Division of IT lab computer running Windows, he or she
will be able to browse and access all of the files in his or her linked storage providers through Windows
Explorer.

Successful Visualization Lecture Series Continues

By Chloe Isaac
Last spring, the Division of IT, the Campus Visualization Partnership, and their partners Google and Yahoo
sponsored an on-campus lecture series about visualization and its use in academic and research settings. The
lectures brought attention to the programs surrounding visualization on campus and showed how the use of
visuals plays a major role in a variety of fields beyond academia. The series was a major success, with most lectures
exceeding full capacity. Guest speakers and topics covered in the spring series included:

Eric Newburger of the U.S. Census Bureau on the value of data visualization to the census
Matt Ericson of The New York Times on the presence of visualization in the news
Designer Manuel Lima on old and new visualization metaphors
Lucy Nowell of the U.S. Department of Energy on data intensive science at an extreme scale

Due to the great feedback received, the lecture series was brought back this fall, with new speakers and topics.
Guest speakers and topics discussed so far in the fall series were:
Niklas Elmqvist of the College of Information Studies
on the importance of managing literacy and complexity
for casual visualization
Nick Diakopoulos of the Philip Merrill College of
Journalism on the virtues of text in visualization
Kat Downs of The Washington Post on successful
storytelling using graphics
Kelly Gaither of the Texas Advanced Computer Center
on visualization in the information age
There will also be another lecture in December (Jon
Schwabish of The Urban Institute Can Data
Visualization Save the World?), and additional
presentations are being planned for the spring.
This lecture series helps promote the vision of UMD
standing on the forefront of universities using visualization
to assist in learning and teaching. To watch the archives of
past lectures and learn more about visualization at UMD,
please visit http://viz.umd.edu.

IT

Kat Downs of The Washington Post presents a

lecture on successful storytelling using graphics.

forUM is the Information Technology Newsletter for the University of Maryland,

published by the Division of Information Technology.

forUM

Explore Learning Opportunities

at Training@Maryland
Keep Your Mobile Devices Safe
Prepare Your Files for a Computer
Nightmare

Two Priorities for DIT: IT Security and Process Re-engineering

What a privilege to be serving as the University of Marylands
new Vice President and Chief Information Officer. First, a big thank you
to Dr. Ann Wylie for her service as Interim VP/CIO earlier this year. She
stepped into a difficult situation and handled it with grace.
Since the festivities of being welcomed into the Big Ten, I have had the
opportunity to meet with many members of the university community.
People have been generous with their time and have taught me a great deal
about opportunities and challenges with IT at UMD. Thank you one and
all for your insights.

While there is still much for me to learn, my many conversations with UMD
community members have given me some understanding about how DIT
relates to those it serves and with whom it partners. As I spoke with UMD
leaders, faculty, and staff, I asked the same questions of each of them to
gain a cross-university picture of how Division of IT services intersect with
individual, departmental, and institutional goals. The responses to the first two
questions What are you trying to do/accomplish? and What services
does the Division of IT provide that help you achieve what youre trying to
do? taught me a lot about what people are trying to do around UMD.
Through these answers, I learned a great deal about how DIT is supporting the
achievements of university community members and received some suggested
new services to investigate offering through DIT.
Another question gave me understanding of a different sort: How is DIT
doing? I consistently heard variations of the answer, it depends on which
person/group I contact. I interpret this information in a few ways.
First, many DIT people are highly regarded by the university community.
These individuals are viewed as very responsive to those we serve and as selfless.
My compliments to the many in DIT who go above and beyond to serve the
university community. It is a pleasure to work with so many skilled professionals.

Executive Editor: Phyllis Dickerson Johnson

Editor: Megan Speakes
Design and Layout: Cheryl White

Collaborate and Manage Files via

UMD Box

Message from Eric Denna, Vice President and CIO

President Loh sent me a copy of the report and told me that as VP/CIO I
have three priorities security, security, security. Since arriving, DITs
Gerry Sneeringer and I, along with several others, have consolidated the task
force recommendations into a four-pronged strategy to reduce the likelihood
of another breach of sensitive and regulated data: 1.) identify and isolate,
2.) encrypt, and 3.) monitor access to such data, and 4.) educate the
community regarding some risky IT behaviors. We have formed an IT
Security Advisory Committee that is working with us to implement this
strategy. It is an aggressive program that will require work through much
of next year to complete. We are also engaged in the early stages of a
comprehensive IT risk assessment of campus that goes well beyond data
breach issues to try and identify all of the major IT risks for the university.

Eric Denna, Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
University of Maryland

Highlights

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Most of these conversations have included questions about the status of IT

security on campus. So, let me give you an update on what is happening with
IT security. In June, the Presidents Task Force on Cybersecurity delivered its
report to President Loh. The report included several specific recommendations
to improve IT security on campus. We owe a debt of gratitude to the many
people who participated and gave so much time and expertise in the effort.

Read ITforUM online at www.it.umd.edu/ITforUM

IT

forUM

Fall 2014

Second, while there is recognition of the many

good people we have in DIT, there is also
a frustration in that those we serve
often have to work with several
internal DIT team members to
get what they need. While it
is the case that many services
do require involvement of
several internal groups, those
we serve should not have
to navigate the divisions
internal workings to get what
they need.
Third, the first two points lead
me to believe that DITs current
practices may have resulted in the
evolution of a hero culture. This
happens when people come to rely on
a particular person within an organization to
get what they need, usually because that person has
shown the willingness to go above and beyond to provide good service, often
to make up for processes that are either not well defined or not well managed.
The Division of IT has many good people willing to work hard to do a good
job for the university community. Unfortunately, when services are dependent
on a specific individual, service interruptions can occur when that individual
is sick, on vacation, or otherwise unavailable.
I believe that we can address these issues by rethinking our processes to
make some changes to how DIT provides its services. University community
members will be better served by an IT organization that can provide regular,
repeatable results by following well defined and managed processes. Instead
of having to contact several individuals within the division who often follow
separate procedures and practices within each subunit to get something
done, a community member will be able to initiate a request simply, and the
division will be able to respond successfully, without the community member
having to be the glue to help DIT do its work.
To this end, we will be rethinking three major processes over the coming months:
Filling orders for services,
Resolving problems when a service is not working right, and
Developing new services.
I expect these process re-engineering activities to result in improved service
to the community. It is likely that they will also result in some changes and
reorganization within the division to better align individual employees duties
and group structures to the new processes. And after the dust settles, I expect
that the process improvements will also result in a different consistent answer
to the question How is DIT doing? Great!

Outdoor Wireless Expanded to Improve Internet Access By Karen Marcher

New this semester, UMD community members will experience more seamless connectivity across the campus with the expansion
of outdoor wireless coverage. Throughout the summer, more than 50 wireless access points were installed to provide coverage
in all green spaces and parking garages. The Division of IT will continue to install additional access points throughout the
Fall 2014 semester.

Letters to the editor and suggestions are welcome. Please send correspondence to ITforUM@umd.edu.
The electronic version of this newsletter can be found at www.it.umd.edu/ITforUM.

ITforUM
Division of Information Technology
Patuxent Building
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland 20742

Whether taking a lunch break on Hornbake Plaza or waiting for a meeting to begin while enjoying the sunshine out on
McKeldin Mall, faculty and staff will have continuous wireless access by logging on through service set identifiers (SSIDs)
umd-secure, eduroam, and umd. The increased coverage also includes outdoor areas around the South Campus Commons,
Courtyards, Graduate Gardens, and Graduate Hills student apartment communities.

IV

ERSITY

UN

For more information about UMDs wireless network, visit www.it.umd.edu/wireless.

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forUM

The Information Technology Newsletter for the University of Maryland

IT SECURITY

Keep Your Mobile Devices Safe By Keighley Joyce

Read ITforUM online at www.it.umd.edu/ITforUM

UMDs Deepthought2 Helps Expand Research Computing and Debuts

in Global Supercomputer Rankings By Phyllis Dickerson Johnson
A University of Maryland supercomputer for the first time has been
ranked among the most powerful supercomputers in the world, according
to the 43rd edition of the closely watched list released twice yearly by
TOP500.org. Deepthought2, launched in May 2014 to support advanced
research activities, ranks No. 14 among U.S. universities, making the
high-performance computing system one of the nations fastest in an
academic setting.
In the June 2014 TOP500 List, Marylands Deepthought2 ranked
No. 347 in the world, with performance listed as 298.2 peak teraflops.
This means that Deepthought2 can complete between 250 trillion and
300 trillion operations per second. It has a petabyte (1 million gigabytes)
of storage and is connected by an InfiniBand network, a very high-speed
internal network. Put another way, Deepthought2 is the equivalent of
10,000 laptops working together, it has 2,000 times the storage of an
average laptop, and its internal network is 50 times faster than broadband.
Having one of the worlds most powerful supercomputers demonstrates
that UMD is intent on providing the local high-performance
computing capabilities UMD faculty and student researchers need to

increase dramatically the pace and scope of their scientific explorations

and discoveries. UMD researchers are using Deepthought2 in a variety
of investigative fields ranging from health sciences to fire protection
engineering to earth sciences.
Supercomputing is a transformative technology for U.S. universities, said
Fran LoPresti, former Deputy CIO of Cyberinfrastructure and Research IT
for DIT. Now, Marylands world-class supercomputer equips researchers
with the computing resources and data storage necessary to make scientific
and engineering advances in some of the most challenging computeintensive and data-intensive fields, said LoPresti.
Weve established new interdisciplinary teams that will rely heavily on
this superb computing platform to tackle some of the biggest challenges
in astronomy, bioinformatics, and the environmental sciences, said
Dr. Amitabh Varshney, Director of the University of Maryland Institute
for Advanced Computer Studies and Professor of Computer Science.
For more information, please visit www.it.umd.edu/hpcc.

Coming Soon:
New UMD Phone System
UMD is getting a new telephone system! In early 2015, DIT will
begin replacing the current university phone system, including
telephones and the hardware and software that supports them.
The updated system will mean not only a new telephone on your
desk, but also enhanced unified communication and collaboration
features for UMD faculty and staff. Watch for more info about this
project during the next couple of months.

The information on your phone can

still be stolen even when it is in the
palm of your hand. Connecting to
the nearest public wireless network or
enabling your device to automatically
connect to Wi-Fi can make you
susceptible to hackers. Public Wi-Fi
is everywhere, and hackers are
waiting for you to connect, so they
can intercept information like your
name, passwords, and credit card
credentials. The public Wi-Fi you
connect to might even be a hot spot
set up by a hacker. Disable the feature
that automatically connects you to
A lost or stolen device is one way
Wi-Fi and always make sure you are
thieves can access your personal
connecting to a trustworthy network
information. Division of IT
by confirming the SSID, the name
Manager of Security Operations
assigned to the wireless network,
Robert Maxwell suggests password
with the manager of the business
protecting your phone with an
or institution offering free wireless
alphanumeric passcode, because
access. For the best data security on
it takes less than five minutes to
campus, use the universitys wireless
unlock the standard four-digit
networks, eduroam or umd-secure,
code on iOS devices. On most
that encrypt all wireless transmissions
smartphones, you can enable this
to protect your information from
alphanumeric passcode feature in the hackers. The umd network does not
security settings. Be prepared for the encrypt your network traffic. If you
worst by learning how to remotely
are using umd, wait to check your
erase the information on your device mobile banking account and avoid
using applications like Find My iPhone sending any personal information
or Android Device Manager. If your over this Wi-Fi.
device is lost or stolen, remotely
wiping the device inhibits thieves
Another way to protect your
from accessing your files and other
smartphone data is with encryption.
sensitive information. Keep devices
Encryption is the conversion of
such as smartphones, tablets, and
data into encoded text that only
USB flash drives in a safe place at
authorized parties can read. To
all times to avoid lurking thieves.
encrypt iOS devices, all you need

to do is protect your device with a

passcode. Other devices may require
more steps. Android phones can be
encrypted by creating a passcode
and going into the security settings
to authorize the Encrypt phone
option. In most modern phones,
you can enable encryption of the
entire device through your settings
to help deter the possibility of your
data being stolen.
It may be difficult to identify
malicious smartphone apps that
can corrupt your smartphone
and gather your personal data. To
be safe, stick to official Apple or
Android app stores. Amy Ginther,
Coordinator of Project NEThics
at the university, advises you to
be discerning in your selection of
applications and to make sure you
understand the app permissions
before installing. If a particular use
of personal information location,
Wi-Fi network, contact list, call log
does not seem to make sense for
the purpose of the app, read reviews
to ensure that they are positive, and
make sure that the developer checks
out as a reputable source.
The best safeguard is to avoid
storing anything on your devices
that you do not want anyone else to
get a hold of. By taking precautions
to protect your mobile devices,
you can protect your personal
information from being stolen.

Installing Network Devices Securely By Keighley Joyce

To protect your network devices from being compromised, configuring them securely is important.
Deepthought2 helps UMD researchers advance their studies in health sciences,
fire protection engineering, earth and space sciences, and more.

New Training@Maryland Site Brings Training One Click Closer By Deb Mateik
The launch of the new Training@Maryland site (http://training.umd.edu)
late this summer has made it easy to browse and register for a rich array
of training and professional development opportunities provided by a
variety of university organizations, including the Teaching and Learning
Transformation Center (TLTC), DIT, University Human Resources, and
others. IT-related courses available for faculty, staff, and graduate students
include topics such as incorporating technology into course instruction as
well as more general software skills and specific technology certifications.
University instructors can explore a variety of topics related to teaching
and learning, course design and redesign, and instructional technology
innovation through the offerings of the TLTC. Development workshops
ranging from Preparing to Teach Online to Creating Accessible Course
Spaces enable instructors to actively engage with campus experts in order
to strategize enhancements to their own professional practice.
Instructors can also avail themselves of the expertise of colleagues from
across campus and across the country by registering to participate in a
Speaker Series or Brown Bag lunch event. These professional development
events are free; however, registration is required at the Training@Maryland
site. For faculty and staff who prefer to access their development
opportunities online, the TLTC hosts biweekly 30-minute How Do I
webinars on Tuesdays. Registration is not required, but the topics are listed
on the Training@Maryland event calendar. In addition, offerings of the
Online Learning Consortium (formerly Sloan-C) can also be accessed at
http://training.umd.edu. DIT underwrites the universitys participation

Most people carry valuable

information with them everywhere
they go whether it is stored in
smartphones, tablets, USB flash
drives, or another type of mobile
device. The use of mobile devices
has become a habitual part of our
lives. Because of that, we may have
overlooked that the conveniences
of smartphones can lead to trouble.
Whether you realize it or not,
your devices may contain personal
information that can be stolen by
hackers or thieves.

in this online resource, which provides self-paced, online workshops

on various aspects of course design and the integration of instructional
technology tools into teaching and learning.
IT Courses one-day, vendor-led training sessions on desktop
productivity tools such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint or
development tools in the Adobe Creative Suite are fee-based workshops
meant to enhance the skills of university
employees. The free Computer Connections
program provides very basic computer skills
to campus staff who may have limited access
to or experience with information technology.
Quick access to the universitys Lynda.com
resource, which provides UMD faculty,
staff, and students with unlimited access
to an online library of instructional
videos on software use, business skills,
and more is also available through
Training@Maryland.

One problem with network devices is that they are becoming more capable and have some kind of intelligence
inside of them that can be compromised, Manager of Security Operations Robert Maxwell says. For example,
printers that are configured improperly can be used to commit attacks on other devices, or they can allow hackers
to access information stored inside the printer, like a tax return or a copy of your passport. Because anyone can
Google the default passwords to some of these devices, Maxwell advises you to create new, stronger passwords for
printers, routers, network attached storage, and streaming media devices.
For help with configuring your network devices properly, call the Help Desk at 301.405.1500.

How to Deal With Spear Phishing By Keighley Joyce

It may be easy to identify an email promising riches
with a click of a mouse as a scam. But what if the email
greeting includes your name and seems to be from a
university official asking for your UID and password?
What if it seems to be from your credit card company
urgently asking for your information to avoid card
deactivation? These could be examples of spear phishing.
Spear phishers target you specifically by using
information they know about you, such as your name,
in the salutation. Its throwing a spear at a single fish
versus casting a net on the water, says Gerry Sneeringer,
Director of Security and Policy in the Division of IT
and the universitys Chief IT Security Officer.
The information you provide to spear phishers will be
used against you for nefarious purposes, Sneeringer says.
Falling victim to phishing attacks can harm your various
online accounts and financial data.
Common signs of spear phishing include grammar
and spelling errors, awkward wording or phrasing, and

Fall 2014

Prepare Your Files for a Computer

Nightmare By Keighley Joyce
Whether your device is lost, stolen, or broken, losing valuable files like the
employee annual report due to your boss next week or pictures from your
family vacation can be a nightmare.
The best defense against experiencing this frustration is to back up your data
regularly in the cloud or by using USB storage or an external drive. Backing
up your data can protect your files from theft, data corruption, hardware
failures, and natural disasters.
The University of Maryland offers services that can assist you with data
backup. UMD Box (www.it.umd.edu/box) provides faculty, staff, and
students with space to store files, which you can access from any device
over the Internet. When using online backup services, its important to pay
attention to access and security settings. For example, Box will keep your
things private by default, requiring action on your part to share them. Some
other services provide storage space along with website space. In such an
account, if you place your files in the wrong location, you could end up
sharing them with the entire Internet.
Starting this fall, UMD Box, which offers 50 GB of space, is provisioned so
that all faculty, staff, and students have pre-made accounts. All you have to do
to start using your account is log in with your Directory ID and password.
DIT also offers other backup and data protection services to university
departments and affiliates. For more information, visit www.backups.umd.edu.
Taking advantage of backup services can ensure your files are safe and secure
when things go wrong.

Tips for Creating Strong Passwords

By Keighley Joyce
Common passwords are weak passwords. Choosing a password like 123456
or letmein is dangerous, and before you know it, hackers could have access
to your accounts. Using strong passwords for your various accounts lowers
the risk of your passwords being cracked and your information being
compromised.
The Division of IT recommends these tips for creating stronger credentials:
Use passphrases that only you can remember, like the name of a song, but
fancy it up by putting it in the wrong order or with different characters,
numbers past 14, and upper and lower case style.
Longer, rather than shorter. A long password containing words not
commonly found in the dictionary is harder to crack.
Do not reuse passwords, especially on UMD sites. A weak password
that is reused across multiple accounts is a hackers paradise. Once they
discover one password, they can use that to try to enter your other
accounts.
If your account allows it, enable two-factor authentication to make it
more difficult to crack.
Protecting your information and devices should be a priority, and using
strong passwords is one way to do so. For more information about university
password requirements, please visit www.password.umd.edu.

pressing requests for personal or financial information

via email. To avoid being caught by a spear phisher:
Delete the email before opening it if it looks
suspicious at first glance.
If you open an email and decide it is not genuine,
do not open any active links within it. Delete it.
Call to confirm your belief that the email is a
scam. If you are unsure about the authenticity
of the email, call the phone number from the
official company website or the friend or relative
the email appears to be from before providing any
personal information or clicking any active links.
Block the email address to avoid further scams if
you find the email to be fake and fraudulent.
Remember, the university will never ask you for your
Directory ID and password in an email, so if you
receive an email that appears to be from UMD asking
for this information, report it by calling the Help
Desk at 301.405.1500.