Service Level Agreement (SLA):

OIT has recently developed a Service Level Agreement (SLA) designed to enhance the efficiency and reliability of our technology support services.

The SLA serves as a formal commitment from OIT, outlining specific timelines for response and resolution to ensure a more predictable and satisfactory experience for our campus community.

SLA Terms:

Priority Levels: The SLA defines different priority levels based on the nature and urgency of reported incidents or service requests. This allows us to allocate resources effectively and address critical issues promptly.

Response Time: The SLA specifies the timeframe within which you can expect an initial response to your tickets.

Resolution Time: Guidelines are provided regarding the resolution of reported incidents.

For detailed information on the terms and conditions of our SLA, click here.

OIT Device Support:

It is often time-consuming and a security risk to attempt to support aging UAH-owned devices. Each year, OIT evaluates the current technologies and establishes a level of obsolescence. Devices that are not fully supported will no longer be provided with replacement parts and software, and we will only provide extremely limited support on such devices.

With the decreasing cost of computer hardware and the increase in the number of computers on campus, it is often much more cost-effective for the university to replace obsolete equipment than attempt to repair or support it after the manufacturer or vendor no longer can. 

To give the campus time to replace any devices, enforcement will not begin until October 1, 2024. If you need assistance in determining the status of your device, please enter a ticket by sending an email to helpdesk@uah.edu.

For detailed information on our Device Support Standards, visit OIT Device Support.

Your Feedback Is Important:

As we roll out this SLA and the Device Support procedures, we encourage you to provide feedback. Your feedback helps us refine and improve our services to better meet the needs of our campus community.

• Van Hudson, Help Desk Technician
• Ryan Pounders, Software Developer I
• Rhianna O'Reilly, Help Desk Technician

We are so happy to have you here, and wish you well in your careers!

These alerts are not indicative of a virus infection and are labeled with the UAH OIT logo. While these updates are a new process and the temptation may be to ignore these notifications, it is critically important that you allow these updates to be installed to avoid a forced installation at an inconvenient time.

Reminders about Multi-Factor Authentication

Google 2-Step Verification is similar to but separate from Duo. Both utilize a second factor (commonly a mobile device) to add an extra layer of security to your UAH accounts. For any SSO systems like Canvas and myUAH, Duo is required. For any Google Workspace products like Gmail and Drive, you will use Google 2-Step. Keep reading for more examples.

Did you know that you can reach out for technical support from OIT via several channels? See shortcuts to them all in our Client Portal at uah.edu/ithelp. The Client Portal offers forms, ticket history, Knowledge Base articles, and more!

1. Call 256-824-3333 for remote help 24/7/365.

2. Chat with an agent 24/7/365 using this link.

3. Use our Chatbot, called ITChat (click the message bubble in the bottom right corner of the ITChat page).

4. Send an ehttps://www.uah.edu/oit/contactmail to helpdesk@uah.edu. We respond to emails during Help Desk Hours (weekdays when UAH is open; 8:00 am to 5:00 pm).

5. Visit us at the OIT Help Desk, which is located inside the M. Louis Salmon Library.

• When submitting a ticket to the helpdesk for an error message you received on your computer, include a picture of the error message and the date and time you received it. You can easily copy the image by pressing the s/windows/shift keys on your keyboard and then pasting (ctrl v) it into your ticket.

The Network Team is currently evaluating several new vendors of wireless access points for potential future use at UAH. The current plan is to deploy Aruba access points in Spragins Hall and Charger Village Food Court as well as Juniper Mist access points in the cafeteria and VBH OIT areas. These new access points have the latest 802.11 standards enabled, supporting 2.4, 5, and 6GHz wireless connections (devices supporting the 6E standard). Utilizing these access points will be seamless to the users (they will still broadcast UAH Get Connected and Eduroam SSIDs).

Please continue to utilize only the Eduroam and UAH Get Connected SSIDs, as the Faculty5, Student5, and Staff5 networks will be removed from our broadcast soon. 

The Infrastructure Team has been working to make several enhancements to the overall fiber infrastructure that connects UAH to the outside world. We have added a second Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) Add/Drop node in the Library, bringing the total number of units to two on campus, and significantly improving our redundancy and resiliency. We are currently working with both Alabama A&M and Alabama Super Computer to enable additional external connections, further improving our external redundancy. 

Let us know if there is a topic you would like OIT to cover by sending an email to oit@uah.edu.