News From the ITS Help Desk - May 2025

Help Desk Hours and Location

The ITS Help Desk is located in the Library on the Santa Maria campus and offers in-person support from Monday to Thursday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, and Fridays from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The Library will be closed for extended periods during the Summer break. Please ring the doorbell to the left of the library door and/or call ahead for support so that we may let you into the Help Desk when needed. If issues arise, please submit tickets via ithelp.hancockcollege.edu or by emailing ithelp@hancockcollege.edu to automatically generate a ticket request based on email. Please do not email individuals directly; If that individual is on vacation or otherwise unavailable, your email may be missed until their return.

Important Updates and Notices

New Knowledge Base Articles Added:
Article - Employee Preparation for Of... - A resource based on the current* VPN and access requirements needed to support students at Registration Rallys.
Article - New Employee ITS Onboarding... - A resource checklist covering requests for New Employee access and equipment.
Article - Application Policy - Updated communications about AHC's Application Policy on district-owned, managed devices.

VPN Access Update:
*VPN access requirements will be changing over the next year. Please keep an eye out for communications regarding this policy from IT Director Dr. Andy Specht.

Essential Articles and Ticket Requests

• Updating Personal Information for Password Resets at Allan Hancock College
• How to Connect to ALLAN_HANCOCK_COLLEGE On-Campus Wi-Fi
• Canvas Instructions (hancockcollege.edu)
• Request Form - Something Broke - Report ANY IT Problem (teamdynamix.com)
• Request Form - I Can't Sign In (teamdynamix.com)
• Request Form - Install Something (teamdynamix.com)

Updates from Technology Council and Committees

• Web Services Committee
  • Schedule: Meetings are held bi-monthly, usually on the 1st Thursday, from 9:30-11:00 am.
  • Updates: Common course numbering is being implemented across the academic catalog.
• Educational Technology Advisory Committee (EdTAC)
  • Schedule: Meetings are held bi-monthly, usually on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday, from 2:30-4:00 pm.
  • No Update
• Banner Committee
  • Schedule: Meetings are held monthly, usually on the 2nd Monday, from 9:00 - 10:30 am.
  • No Update
• Technology Council
  • Schedule: Meetings are held bi-monthly, usually on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday, from 2:30-4:00 pm.
  • Update: LVC's network upgrade has been paused while underlying service providers upgrade equipment.

🧠 Securing the Future: IT Standards and Data Practices in California Higher Education

California's colleges and universities are at the forefront of implementing robust IT strategies to ensure secure, efficient, and compliant technology environments. This article delves into the key IT standards, policies, legal frameworks, and lifecycle management practices that shape California's higher education landscape.

🛡️ Data Security and Compliance

Federal Compliance: FERPA, HIPAA, and CCPA

• FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) mandates the protection of student education records from unauthorized disclosure.

• HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) requires secure handling of medical records, applicable to student health centers.

• CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) and its expansion under CPRA grant California residents rights over their personal data, including access, deletion, and restriction of data collection and use.

Institutions must implement data classification policies, encrypt data in transit and at rest, and monitor for unauthorized access across systems such as Student Information Systems (SIS), Learning Management Systems (LMS), and cloud-based collaboration tools.

Institutional Cybersecurity Standards

Public institutions, particularly University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) campuses, adhere to:

• NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5: Provides a catalog of security and privacy controls for information systems and organizations. NIST Computer Security Resource Center+5NIST Computer Security Resource Center+5NIST Computer Security Resource Center+5

• NIST SP 800-171 Revision 2: Outlines security requirements for protecting controlled unclassified information in nonfederal systems. NIST Publications+7NIST Computer Security Resource Center+7NIST Computer Security Resource Center+7

• UC Information Security Policy IS-3: Governs user access, auditing, asset management, and incident response.

• Annual cybersecurity training for faculty and staff.

• Multi-factor authentication (MFA), endpoint protection, and network segmentation.California DOJ+33NIST Publications+33dca.ca.gov+33

💻 Device Lifecycle Management (DLM)

Importance of Lifecycle Planning

Managing thousands of devices across campuses necessitates structured lifecycle management to prevent increased support tickets, security vulnerabilities, and budget overruns.

Typical Lifecycle Stages

1. Procurement: Devices must meet institutional hardware standards, often including vendor imaging services and asset tagging.

2. Deployment: Devices are enrolled in Mobile Device Management (MDM) platforms with security baselines, network policies, and single sign-on (SSO) configurations.

3. Support and Maintenance: Help desk teams track hardware via asset management systems, conducting annual audits to ensure compliance and warranty coverage.

4. Decommissioning: Data sanitization must follow NIST SP 800-88 Revision 1 guidelines, which provide methods for rendering data unrecoverable. NIST+3NIST Publications+3NIST+3

📚 IT and Accessibility Standards

Digital Accessibility

California higher education institutions uphold:NIST Computer Security Resource Center+6NIST Publications+6NIST Publications+6

• Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 Level AA: Ensuring digital content is accessible to users with disabilities.

• CSU Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) and UCOP's Electronic Accessibility Policy: Affecting procurement, online course design, and web development.NIST Computer Security Resource Center+11Franchise Tax Board+11California Secretary of State+11

⚖️ Legal and Policy Requirements

Public Records and Data Governance

As public institutions, UC, CSU, and California Community Colleges (CCC) campuses are subject to:NIST Computer Security Resource Center+4SCO+4SCO+4

• California Public Records Act (CPRA): Mandates the disclosure of public records upon request, unless exempted by law. California Post

• California Government Code § 13402: Requires agency heads to establish and maintain effective systems of internal controls. Department of Finance+1California State Auditor+1

Procurement and Vendor Contracts

Procurement teams must ensure:

• Software and services are VPAT-certified for accessibility.

• Inclusion of Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) with vendors handling sensitive data.

• Vendors provide SOC 2 reports and comply with FERPA requirements.

April 2025 Ticket Summary

Here’s a brief overview of ITS activity:
Total Tickets (Whole Department)

• February: 418
• March: 431
• April: 474

Location-less Tickets

297 tickets had no location specified.

Lompoc Valley Campus (LVC) Tickets

17 tickets originated from the Lompoc Valley Campus.

Top 5 Forms Used at LVC:

1. Something Broke (iPaaS): 9
2. Audio/Visual Event Request: 2
3. Install Something: 2
4. VOIP Telephone Request: 2
5. Problem Form: 1

5 Most Common Request Locations:

1. LVC 2: 5
2. LVC 5: 4
3. LVC 1: 3
4. LVC 6: 3
5. LVC 3: 1
    

Santa Maria Valley Campus (SM) Tickets

156 tickets originated from the Santa Maria Valley Campus.

Top 5 Forms Used at SM Campus:

1. Something Broke (iPaaS): 94
2. Install Something: 27
3. Audio/Visual Event Request: 13
4. VOIP Telephone Request: 10
5. Classroom/Cart Maintenance Request: 5

5 Most Common Request Locations:

1. Building A: 30
2. Building B: 18
3. Building L: 18
4. Building C: 15
5. Building M: 14