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Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration

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EASI Go Prod AMS Updates – Nov. 2020 to Feb. 2021

Date: March 1, 2021
To: Administrative Management System Users
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration 
Re: EASI Go Prod AMS Updates – Nov. 2020 to Feb. 2021

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.

The following are major changes from November 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021:

U of T Enterprise Modernization Program

SAP S/4HANA Migration (November 3, 2020)
On November 3, U of T launched the next phase of the U of T Enterprise Modernization Program, called the S/4HANA Migration. This phase of the five-year program represented an upgrade of the Administrative Management Systems (AMS) that will create the foundation for improved overall system performance and future modernization of the SAP systems at U of T. U of T’s Financial Information System was a core part of this upgrade and will transition to a highly responsive system, since the new system will be a transactional and reporting system built into one. As well, the upgrade will improve speed and reporting for the Human Resources Information System and Research Information System in the future. The platform will also have the potential to provide an improved user interface as well as enhanced analytics and better insights into reporting. Learn more about the S/4HANA Migration.

U of T Phonebook Directory

The U of T phonebook directory project has officially wrapped up – providing users a more modern, accurate and mobile-friendly application. The revamped phonebook directory allows external and internal users to search for staff, faculty members and division or department information using an accessible interface. It also eases Departmental Administrators’ workloads, since staff and faculty can update secondary information. The application was initially launched in summer 2020. Since then, accessibility has been optimized and a new telecommunications administrator module has launched. As well, departmental and telecommunications administrators can now search by UTORid, and when staff and faculty are logged into the application they can compile a list of departmental contacts in PDF and CSV format.

If you are a Departmental Administrator, please ensure your department’s information is up to date. You can review training materials here: https://easi.its.utoronto.ca/initiatives/phonebookdirectory/

Enterprise Shared Services

New Shared Mailbox Creation Process (November 24, 2020)
Starting on November 24, the University of Toronto moved to a full-service shared mailbox creation process and Reader Registration no longer processes new shared mailbox requests. Faculty and staff can submit online requests for new shared mailboxes directly to U of T’s Enterprise Service Centre (ESC). Read the updated instructions, and access the new form, here: https://uthrprod.service-now.com/kb_view.do?sysparm_article=KB0010164.

ESC is going to Paris! (January 26, 2021)
On January 26, our production instance of the Enterprise Service Centre (ESC) was upgraded to the latest version of ServiceNow called Paris. The Paris release introduces improvements to the platform’s performance and stability. It also introduces some exciting new features that we will be deploying in the future, including Microsoft Teams interion and a virtual support agent. A big “Thank You!” to the ESC community for all their time and feedback preparing and testing this new release. ESC is available at: https://uoft.me/esc

New Electronic Signature Competency Centre (January 2021)
The Electronic Signature Competency Centre is a joint effort between Information Technology Services and divisional representatives to provide resources and guidance for divisions interested in e-signature solutions. Resources include guidelines for electronic signature assurance, sample use cases, comparisons of popular solution platforms, and details on specific products. The Electronic Signature Competency Centre is available here: https://utoronto.sharepoint.com/sites/its-easi-esignature

Dalla Lana School of Public Health COVID-19 Archive (February 2021)
EASI Information Management partnered with Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) to create a SharePoint archive to preserve and share the school’s experience with the COVID-19 pandemic, acknowledging their potential historical value. DLSPH faculty, students, post-doctoral fellows and staff are invited to submit original records and first-person testimony to document perspectives and lived experiences around the COVID-19 pandemic. Submissions will be collected and preserved for future researchers to gain insight into DLSPH’s significant role in the pandemic.

Human Resources Information System (HRIS)

UCheck Administrative Dashboards (November 2020)
On September 8, 2020, U of T released UCheck to faculty members, librarians, staff and students. UCheck is a web portal that enables users to complete the required COVID-19 health screening and generate a risk status before coming to any of our three campuses or other properties owned or operated by U of T. The risk status will indicate whether an individual should come onsite or stay home. In November 2020, EASI enabled a UCheck administrative dashboard for the purposes of viewing health screening outcomes. It allows CAOs, delegated human resources professionals in divisional offices and residence administrators to view the statuses of all students or employees within their reporting areas/residence.

Kronos Upgrade (December 4, 2020)
Kronos is a cloud-based time and attendance system that eliminates the use of paper timesheets and allows for convenient, online approval processes. On December 4, 2020, EASI upgraded Kronos to eliminate Flash and provided a more consistent and improved user experience, including employee timecards and transfer selection for managers. Other enhancements were made to functionality for Timekeeper and Advanced Scheduler modules, and the mobile application.

SuccessFactors: Performance & Goals (January 2021)
On January 18, 2021, the 2020 / 2021 Goal Setting process opened for Professional & Managerial (PM), Confidential and Research Associate / Sr. Research Associate (RA/SRA) employees. While Human Resources & Equity launched the goal setting process in SuccessFactors, they are currently reviewing institutional processes with an eye to streamlining and reducing the administrative load on U of T’s people leaders and employees. As a result, participating in the conventional 2020 / 2021 goal setting process this year is not mandatory for the groups previously mentioned.

Research Study Leave (February 1, 2021)
The Office of the Vice-Provost, Faculty & Academic Life (VPFAL), in partnership with EASI launched the Research Study Leave tool (RSL) in the Human Resources Information System (HRIS) on February 1, 2021. The tool is an additional functionality in HRIS that consolidates faculty RSL and administrative leave entitlements. This new tool provides a single, reliable and accurate source of data that will streamline the entire RSL and administrative leave process. With leave entitlement data now within HRIS, and the accrual and deduction of credits managed within the system, users can leverage the tool to forecast leaves, estimate risk and exposure, and ensure solid academic planning.

2020 Personal Income Tax – T2200S (February 25, 2021)
Human Resources & Equity worked in partnership with EASI to develop an online process to request a T2200S for claiming work from home expenses on their 2020 taxes. Employees who have worked from home over 50 per cent of the time since March 2020, and who incurred expenses greater than $400, can request a T2200S via the HR Service Centre using this process. For those who requested the detailed version of the form, it will be available in Employee Self-Service on February 25. Refer to this official communication for more details.

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Please Update your Administrative Web Services Bookmarks

Date: March 1, 2021 
To: Administrative Management System Users
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration 
Re: Please Update your Administrative Web Services Bookmarks

Hi everyone,

Please note that the previous Administrative Web Services site, located at http://aws.utoronto.ca, has moved into the Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration site located at https://easi.its.utoronto.ca/administrative-web-services/.

Please update your bookmarks accordingly for any of the following services:

  • Kronos
  • Enterprise Service Centre (ESC)
  • ESC Fulfiller Interface
  • My Research (MR)
  • Expense Reimbursement Direct Deposit (ERDD)
  • uSOURCE
  • Employee Self-Service (ESS)
  • Manager Self-Service (MSS)
  • JDXpert (Job Description Management Software)
  • Employees@UofT
  • SuccessFactors: Performance & Goals (PMGM)
  • SuccessFactors: Learning Management System (LMS)
  • SuccessFactors: Recruitment
  • Instructor Lookup Report
  • Telephone Service Orders
  • Telephone Directory Services
  • Service Order Request Form
  • Service Order Status
  • My Customer Account
  • Get Service Order Billing Information

Sincerely,
Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration

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Microsoft 365 milestone: U of T allows app integration

M365 logo

U of T’s Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI) is pleased to announce that a new process will allow controlled application integration with Microsoft 365 (M365).

Previously, any apps that accessed M365 data and MS Office add-ins were disabled due to security concerns. Now, EASI, in partnership with Information Security, has created a solution that will allow some apps that are business critical or broadly used at the departmental level to integrate with M365. The goal is to improve the user experience and allow users to realize more potential from M365.

Apps that are deemed very low risk, meaning they don’t access any M365 data, are now available for use. These include Microsoft Tech Community, Microsoft Events, Miro, Flipgrid and many others. Other apps that have been enabled include email clients like Thunderbird, Gmail and Samsung email. To see the current list of approved and pending applications, please visit the Admin Managed Apps page.

Apps that are higher risk or require individual licenses will be limited to certain users and will be managed at a departmental level. These include apps like 12twenty, myViewBoard, and DocuSign.

Once a new app is requested, it needs to be approved by divisional IT administrators, and then it heads to the Application Review Committee for evaluation. An additional risk assessment is performed and then implementation begins. New requests should be submitted through M365 App Request form.

The team faced many challenges when trying to implement this solution. They tried four different methods of controlling application access before creating a solution that balances users’ needs along with access and security. The winning combination uses Azure Active Directory, a cloud-based identity and access management service, including custom app consent policies and application user assignment groups.

The team is currently working to clear up the backlog of requests, and in the future will work on approved requests.

For more information, go to the EASI website. Admin Managed Apps | EASI (utoronto.ca)

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After successful launch, U of T phonebook directory finishes final phase

Close up of woman using mobile phone and laptop

After extensive research and design activities, an overhaul of the database architecture, customization for different user groups and the launch of four modules, the U of T phonebook directory project has officially wrapped up – providing users a more modern, accurate and mobile-friendly application.

The revamped phonebook directory allows external and internal users to search for staff, faculty members and division or department information using an accessible interface. It also eases Departmental Administrators’ workloads, since staff and faculty can update secondary information.

“We’ve really worked to improve data accuracy and user experience,” says Pamela Harris, associate director of Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI). “It provides a lot of convenience – from using the application on a mobile device to allowing staff and faculty to update important parts of their information.”

This project was initiated in fall 2019 and was a collaboration between Information Technology Services and Human Resources & Equity.

Staff and faculty can log in using their UTORid and add additional phone numbers and an alternate U of T email. They can also select which phone number and email they would like to use to receive official Human Resources communications. Departmental administrators log in to their own module to primarily maintain department-specific contact information.

And when business officers cannot edit information, including creating a new department and modifying the visibility of that department, a module allows telecommunications administrators access to edit information and add new business officers to the system.

Before the team began any design work, they conducted research with staff across all three campuses to understand their thoughts on the current directory and possible improvements.

“I attended one of the initial usability testing workshops for the phonebook redesign project, where the team had set up a prototype of the actual application,” says Nathan Harrison, product delivery lead at Arts & Science Information and Instructional Technology. “It was so much easier to provide feedback on specific tasks with this approach – you’re able to provide richer feedback, and having your voice heard helps to make an enterprise change feel more inclusive for end-users.”

Similar to Google, the site takes the guesswork out of searching by providing autosuggestions, and guides people through the searching process with helpful tips. It also displays helpful information from all three campuses, including emergency, media and safety contacts.

“A key difference between the old and new application is the enhanced search functionality,” says Laura Klamot, a user experience designer with EASI. “Previously, it was more difficult for users to find what they were looking for since they might not remember a person’s full name, or be familiar with all of the department and faculty names, as well as the structure of the University. We worked hard to create an all-encompassing search.”

A new search feature allows departmental and telecommunications administrators to search by UTORid. And while users can compile a list of departmental contacts in a PDF, they can now download an easily editable CSV file.

Accessibility was also a major focus of the project. The team built the application according to accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1), and tested it using a collection of browsers, devices, and screen reader software.

Phonebook before and after
A before and after view of the U of T Phonebook, showing the improved, accessible user interface.

Beyond the user interface, the data accuracy in the new phonebook has also been greatly improved.

“The previous application relied on directory coordinators to update a lot of the information and the data became easily outdated and sometimes inaccurate,” says Na Young Lee, assistant to the director at Arts & Science Information and Instructional Technology. “Since the information is pulled from the Human Resources Information System (HRIS) and various other databases, we can trust that it’s current data.”

Brian Galvis, lead phonebook directory project manager with EASI agrees.

“The new phonebook directory integrates data from many systems, including U of T’s VoIP provider, UTORauth, HRIS, University of Toronto Scarborough and the University of Toronto Mississauga. The magic of it is that all of those databases and systems come together behind the scenes to provide faster data exchanges and an overall improved user experience.”

With the ability to scale in the future, the phonebook could integrate with other university systems.

“The team has accomplished a lot with this project and we have a solid platform for potential future upgrades,” says Pamela Harris. “This could include integration with even more University of Toronto resources, such as Campus Maps, MS Outlook, and an Emergency Contact application.”

Interested in learning more about the Authenticated Search and Departmental Administrator Modules? Visit https://easi.its.utoronto.ca/initiatives/phonebookdirectory/ for a training video, FAQs and other resources.

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UCheck Scheduled Maintenance February 21, 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.

Date: February 19, 2021
To: UCheck Users
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: UCheck Scheduled Maintenance February 21, 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.

Hi everyone,

Please note that UCheck will be unavailable on Sunday, February 21, 2021 from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. (EST) due to scheduled maintenance and upgrades. During this time, faculty, students, and staff will not be able to access UCheck’s health screening.

If you are coming on campus during this time, you can use the paper-based, offline forms at https://www.utoronto.ca/utogether/ucheck to complete a health screening prior to coming onto campus.

Sincerely,

Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration

Posted on

ROSI and other student systems maintenance Friday, March 5

Date: February 16, 2021
To: ROSI Users
From: Student Information Systems
Re: ROSI and other student systems maintenance Friday, March 5

 

Dear ROSI users

We will need to take ROSI and all associated student information systems offline 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., on Friday, March 5 to perform quarterly maintenance on the database. We will return the systems to service sooner if the work is completed earlier than 9 p.m.  The following systems will be affected:

ACORN
Degree Explorer (Student and Admin)
ACORN Grant Application
ROSI
ROSI Express
Course Information System
Timetable Builder
Varsity Blues Registration System
Safety Abroad Student Registry
eMarks
Exam photo invigilation
Elections
Web services/APIs

A notice will be posted on the ACORN launchpad so that students are aware of the outage.

Thank you for your patience as we make these improvements.

This email has been sent from a service account and does not accept replies. Please direct any follow up questions to the Enterprise Service Centre http://www.uoft.me/esc

Sincerely,
Student Information Systems

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Microsoft to retire Skype for Business on July 31, 2021

Date: February 5, 2021
To: ACE-IT, InfoTech, EITU
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: Microsoft to retire Skype for Business on July 31, 2021

 

On July 31, 2021 Microsoft will retire Skype for Business Online. After that date, the service will no longer be accessible. Between now and July 31, existing Skype for Business users at the University will experience no change of service and they will be able to continue using it as needed. Before that time, we recommend you take the following actions:

For online meetings 

If your division is still using Skype for Business to schedule online meetings, we recommend upgrading to Microsoft Teams as soon as possible.

For conference rooms 

If your division is still using Skype for Business in your conference rooms, you will need to switch to an alternative service before July 31, 2021. We recommend upgrading to Microsoft Teams. 

In both instances, Teams offers improved meeting features to Skype for Business and we expect you will find the transition to be a smooth one. You can learn more about using Teams on the University’s Microsoft 365 website: https://easi.its.utoronto.ca/shared-services/office365/teams/

Please let us know how we can assist you in this transition by submitting a ticket through the Enterprise Service Centre.

Kind regards, 

EASI Digital Workplace

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Connect+Learn: Best Practices for Teams Breakout Rooms

Join us for this session on best practices for Teams breakout rooms. Topics covered will include:

  • How should I set up breakout rooms to ensure successful collaboration?
  • What is good breakout room “etiquette”?
  • How can I manage multiple breakout rooms at once?
  • And more…

Please note: this session builds on the previous week’s training and assumes attendees have a basic understanding of what breakout rooms are and how they are set up.

Resources