EASI

Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration

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Monthly SIS Training Resources & Support Session

Join us on the first Thursday of each month for an informative Connect+Learn session on SIS Training Resources & Support, tailored primarily for new ROSI users. The Student Information Systems (SIS) group manages enterprise student and curriculum applications, and processes for the University.

SIS provides reporting tools, enhancement and production request forms, and support for the SIS applications. In the session, we will discuss:

    • Student Information Systems (SIS): What we do
    • SIS Training Materials & Resources
    • How to Get Help
    • SIS: What We Support and What We Don’t
    • Using ESC Effectively: When to use ESC, how to write a ticket, and best practices for utilizing ESC services

 

Resources

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UTMail+ email reconciliation project: account cleanup with big benefits

blue banner with email icon

As 2024 draws to a close, the Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI) team at the University of Toronto is reflecting on the successful completion of the UTMail+/M365 Email Reconciliation Project – a major initiative that has already delivered significant improvements in security, efficiency and cost savings.

After wrapping up in October 2024, the project decommissioned 381,619 email accounts, transitioned 35,000 alumni accounts to a separate, secure email service, and saved more than 300 TB of storage for email and 10 TB for OneDrive. In under six months, this digital overhaul has set the stage for a smarter, more secure future at U of T.

“This project is integral to protecting our data and systems,” says Swetlana Signarowski, EASI’s executive director. “We can provide a secure, reliable and consistent user experience for authorized individuals.”

This massive project required a dedicated support effort over the six months.

“The project’s help desk was staffed by summer students, and they responded to over 9,000 support requests and answered over 1,900 calls,” reports project lead Vicki Vokas.

In collaboration with U of T’s Division of University Advancement, the project also expanded to include offboarding for 2024 graduates. EASI developed a process to effectively track account closures, sent over 1 million notifications to users and integrated the processes with the Enterprise Service Centre (ServiceNow) for account management.

By removing unauthorized, dormant and unused accounts, U of T has strengthened its security by closing numerous vulnerable access points. Additionally, the project has led to significant cost savings by reducing unnecessary M365 licensing and freeing up expensive storage space.

What’s Next?

Lessons learned from this project will guide U of T in automating and streamlining account management. This process will include automating offboarding for inactive staff and faculty, introducing guidelines for inactive student accounts, and exploring future improvements to alumni account management.

The UTMail+/M365 Email Reconciliation Project has helped position U of T for a more secure, efficient digital future. By eliminating outdated accounts, consolidating services, and reducing unnecessary resources, U of T is setting the stage for continued success.

“As we look ahead, we aim to build upon the foundation established by this project,” says Signarowski. “Our objective is to improve operational efficiency while protecting U of T’s resources.”

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Introducing the New eMarks Faculty Administrator Manual

Date:  December 10, 2024
To: eMarks Users
From:  Student Information Systems
Re: Introducing the New eMarks Faculty Administrator Manual

 

Dear eMarks users,

We are thrilled to announce the official launch of our new eMarks Faculty Administrator Manual. This comprehensive guide has been developed by the SIS Client Engagement team, in collaboration with our primary eMarks support representative.

During our consultations with various divisions last fall and winter, we identified a significant documentation gap. While many divisions have created manuals and instructions for instructors and departmental administrators, there was a clear need for documentation to support Registrars’ Offices in configuring and managing eMarks. Our new Manual aims to fill this gap, providing a resource that can be utilized across all divisions, with the flexibility for each division to add local practices and policies.

We believe this Manual will greatly assist in the configuration and management of eMarks, ensuring a smoother and more efficient process for all involved.

If you have any questions or concerns about the Manual, please let us know with an ESC ticket for eMarks.
Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,
Student Information Systems

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Monthly SIS Training Resources & Support Session

Join us on the first Thursday of each month for an informative Connect+Learn session on SIS Training Resources & Support, tailored primarily for new ROSI users. The Student Information Systems (SIS) group manages enterprise student and curriculum applications, and processes for the University.

SIS provides reporting tools, enhancement and production request forms, and support for the SIS applications. In the session, we will discuss:

  • Student Information Systems – What we do and how to get help
  • Student Information Systems Training Materials & Resources 
  • What we support and what we do not (and where to go for those)
  • When to use ESC and how to write a ticket and use ESC appropriately

Resources

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Schedule for the production of the 2024 Tax Forms  

Date: December 2, 2024
To: ROSI Users
From:  Student Information Systems
Re:  Schedule for the production of the 2024 Tax Forms

 

Dear ROSI users,

*** This e-mail is sent on behalf of Student Receivable and Accounting Office ***

Following is the schedule for the production of the 2024 Tax Forms.

T4A: 

  • Wednesday, January 8, 2025 – (night) details updated on ROSI.
  • Thursday, January 9 – Monday, February 10, 2025-Divisional updates for T4A details on ROSI.

T2202: 

  • Thursday, January 30, 2025 (night) -details updated on ROSI.
  • Friday, January 31st – Wednesday, February 12, 2025, Divisional updates of T2202 details on ROSI.

Feb 21, 2025, T2202 & T4A available on ACORN for students and ROSI/ROSI Express for staff.

For questions regarding the Education Credit details or overall schedule, contact Enterprise Service Centre (ESC): https://uoft.me/rosi-support

For questions regarding T4A details or Tuition Credit details, contact Student Receivable and Accounting Office: studentar@utoronto.ca

 

Sincerely,
Student Information Systems

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EASI Go Prod NGSIS Updates – Oct. 1 to Nov. 30, 2024

Date:  November 29, 2024
To:  ROSI Users; ROSI Express Users
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: EASI Go Prod NGSIS Updates – Oct. 1 to Nov. 30, 2024

 

Hi everyone,

Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI) would like to update you on the latest major production releases and updates for the NGSIS program and student systems. The following are major changes from October 1 to November 30, 2024:

Accommodated Testing Services (ATS) 
Accommodated Testing Services coordinates on-campus assessment accommodations for students with disabilities who are enrolled in in-class courses offered on the St. George Campus. ATS has released the following enhancements:

  • Implemented an improvement to allow ATS staff to send bulk emails within the instructor emailing functionality.
  • Added a CIS Submissions Dashboard, where ATS staff can search and filter CIS submissions and view pertinent statistics for a given data range.

Course Information System (CIS)
The Course Information System streamlines syllabi and exams processes for instructors and administrators. The following improvements have been introduced: 

  • Removed a marking scheme rule from the Syllabus Builder module for the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.
  • Updated exam information notice in the Exam Details module for the Faculty of Arts & Science.

Curriculum Management (CM)
CM provides a centralized and searchable inventory of all approved undergraduate and graduate course/program information from current participating divisions at the University of Toronto. Between October 1 to November 30, new reports were published on Power BI for graduate administrators using CM for their governance cycles.

Curriculum Publisher (CP)
The Curriculum Publisher is an online application that allows divisions and departments to publish course and program offerings. Between October 1 to November 30, a divisional calendar was published for the Faculty of Information.

eMarks
eMarks enables the online submission of course grades and amended grades. It also allows instructors and departments to track any changes made to a student’s grade. The following improvements have been introduced:

  • Developing a new administrator manual.
  • Updated help menu links.
  • Added messaging to advise against using copy and paste when editing email message templates to avoid unexpected issues due to special characters.

Student Information Systems (SIS) Core Systems 
The administrative and student core systems, including ROSI, ROSI Express, OASIS, ACORN, and Degree Explorer completed the following major releases:

  • Added Transitional Year Programme (TYP) to ACORN’s Confirmation of Enrolment letter.
  • Implemented a fix to better handle OUAC transcript job failures caused by duplicate records.
  • Completed the Ontario Education Number (OEN) process for Fall 2024 late registrants.

Application Support and Training
EASI has completed the first annual cycle of “just-in-time” and topical training for staff who use systems such as ROSI, ROSI Express, and ROSI Files. At the beginning of each month, new ROSI users are invited to a system and resource session. Later in the month, Connect+Learn sessions are offered covering processes and functionality relevant to upcoming activity in the academic cycle (e.g., course setup in advance of summer and fall enrolment). Sessions are also offered on changes or enhancements to systems (e.g., introduction of the new Power BI class list reports in ROSI Express). These Connect+Learn sessions have been supported by newly revised procedure documents and manuals on the SIS website.

EASI has created a new eMarks manual for administrators in Registrars’ Offices who manage the configurations for their divisions. It is in the final stages of review by EASI and the divisions and will be released on December 10.

Sincerely,
Student Information Systems

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EASI Go Prod AMS & Enterprise Shared Services Updates – Oct. 1 to Nov. 30, 2024

Date: November 29, 2024
To:  AMS and Enterprise Shared Services Users
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: EASI Go Prod AMS & Enterprise Shared Services Updates – Oct. 1 to Nov. 30, 2024

 

Hi everyone,

Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI) would like to update you on the latest major production releases and updates for U of T’s Administrative Management Systems (AMS) and Enterprise Shared Services.

The following are major changes from October 1 to November 30, 2024:

Administrative Management Systems

SAP GUI Upgrade (October)
U of T has completed the transition to the new version of SAP GUI. Digital Workplace clients received the upgrade from SAP GUI 7.6 (Patch 6) to version 8.00 (Patch 4), and IT administrators facilitated the upgrade for divisions. The new version includes performance improvements, as well as enhanced stability and security, and represents minimal change to business processes.

S/4HANA Upgrade (November 2)
As part of yearly system and application maintenance, U of T upgraded from SAP S/4HANA 2021 to version 2023 on November 2. Over a six-month period, the team conducted extensive testing (including 2,500 test cases) and performed multiple dry runs to ensure a smooth transition. The twelve-hour upgrade included post-upgrade tasks and final testing. It also included removal of Question-Based-Authentication from Employee Self-Service (ESS) and Manager Self-Service (MSS) and UTORMFA enforcement for ESS/MSS, Employee Reimbursement Direct Deposit, My Research, and the Capital Projects Portal. By leveraging the latest advancements in SAP technology, U of T is better positioned for future upgrades and innovations.

Human Resources Information System

Removal of Question-Based-Authentication (November 2)
On November 2, EASI and People Strategy, Equity & Culture (PSEC) removed question-based-authentication from Employee Self-Service (ESS) and Manager Self-Service (MSS). This change improves security across U of T applications and offers a simplified user experience, allowing users to access ESS/MSS immediately after authenticating with UTORid, password and UTORMFA.

Technical Services & Architecture

StarRez Cloud Migration Project (November)
StarRez is a system used across all three U of T campuses, and 13 residence operations, to manage the application, operation and management of residence services, including undergraduate, graduate, and family housing. The StarRez Migration Project, launched between September and November, moved the on-premises system to a modern and secure cloud platform that is hosted and supported by StarRez. Migrating to StarRez Cloud has many technical and user benefits, including user interface improvements, up-to-date releases, 99 per cent uptime and full technical support from StarRez. At the same time, EASI has worked to modernize StarRez integrations with other systems such as AMS, Student Accounts, and TCard Photos to provide better security, and more frequent and accurate data exchanges.

Enterprise Shared Services

M365 Email Reconciliation Project (October 31)
The M365 Email Reconciliation Project was successfully completed by the target deadline of October 31, 2024. The project decommissioned approximately 382,000 accounts and provisioned 23,000 alumni accounts. To date, the team has received 33,432 alumni opt-in requests, 1,368 status verification forms, 8,241 incident tickets, and fielded 1,715 support calls. Project support is ongoing, and the team continues to provide assistance.

Enterprise Service Centre (ESC)/ServiceNow Upgrade (November) 
ServiceNow, the underlying platform powering the Enterprise Service Centre (ESC), was successfully upgraded to the latest release overnight from November 18 to 19. The new release, named Xanadu, brings stability and security enhancements as well new features such as an improved rich text editor.

Entra ID Connect Upgrade (November 19)
On November 19, U of T upgraded Entra ID Connect, a service used for Microsoft identity management. The goal of this upgrade was to improve performance, security, and compatibility, to support long-term sustainability of U of T’s identity infrastructure.

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Admission Deposit Setup and Administration

Join us for a Connect+Learn session about Admission Deposits. Several ROSI data points control the ACORN Credit Card Admission Deposit function and determine whether or not a student is prompted for an admission deposit upon logging in. Responsibility for the creation and maintenance of these data points must be coordinated across separate offices in order to work.

This session will guide staff in Divisional and College Registrar’s Offices and graduate units through the process of implementing and maintaining deposits, referencing the business rules and applicable ROSI screens.

In the session, we will discuss:

  • Configuration of Deposits in ROSI
  • The Eight Rules of ACORN Admission Deposits
  • How to Avoid Errors

Resources

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Monthly SIS Training Resources & Support Session

Join us on the first Thursday of each month for an informative Connect+Learn session on SIS Training Resources & Support, tailored primarily for new ROSI users. The Student Information Systems (SIS) group manages enterprise student and curriculum applications, and processes for the University.

SIS provides reporting tools, enhancement and production request forms, and support for the SIS applications. In the session, we will discuss:

  • Student Information Systems – What we do and how to get help
  • Student Information Systems Training Materials & Resources 
  • What we support and what we do not (and where to go for those)
  • When to use ESC and how to write a ticket and use ESC appropriately

Resources

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UTmail+ Calendar Update: U of T Holidays and Religious Observances for 2025-2026

Date: November 26, 2024 
To: Infotech
From:  Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re:  UTmail+ Calendar Update: U of T Holidays and Religious Observances for 2025-2026

 

As part of our annual process, we will be updating all UTmail+ Calendars to include the 2025-2026 official U of T Holiday and Religious Observances dates. This update will occur in mid-December and will take at least three days to complete. Individuals will see the following in their calendars:

  • Holidays will be marked as: all day event, out of office, no reminder and the location set to ‘U of T Holidays’.
  • Observances will be marked as: all day event, free, no reminder and the location set to ‘Non-Statutory Religious Observance’.

View the full holiday schedule and the full religious observances schedule.

Questions? Please contact Vicki Vokas, Senior Manager, Digital Workplace at vicki.vokas@utoronto.ca

Sincerely,
Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration