Welcome to the Information Systems & Technology website

In Information Systems & Technology (IST) we strive to provide effective information systems, technology and services in support of learning, teaching, research and administrative needs.

On our site you'll find information on the IT services and resources available to students, faculty and staff; IST and campus-wide IT projects and initiatives; and information on our continuous efforts to provide an exceptional IT environment on campus.

Featured sites and services

News

  1. June 2, 2020Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and license server restart - June 7

    What is happening? Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and license servers will be restarted to apply updates. 

    When is this happening? Sunday, June 7 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  

    What is the impact? Users’ private VDIs will be unavailable during the maintenance window. Users of the following applications might experience short outages while the servers are rebooting:

    • SPSS
    • MATLAB
    • SAS
    • Quest 
    • ArcGIS 
       

    Work should be saved frequently to avoid data loss.
     

    Additional resources:

    Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or ext. 44357. 

  2. June 2, 2020University of Waterloo being targeted by extortion email scam

    What is happening? Members of the University are being targeted by an extortion email scam. The email will contain a compromised password used on another site, where a UW email account was used to register the account.

    What should I do if I have received this email? 

    • If you are still using the password mentioned in the phishing email, change the password on all accounts where it is being used. 
    • Do not respond to the scam.
    • For extra account security, enabling 2FA is strongly recommended: https://uwaterloo.ca/two-factor-authentication/

    Suspected fraud attempts should be reported to the Security Operations Centre at soc@uwaterloo.ca.

    Learn more about cyber security best practices: https://uwaterloo.ca/cyber-awareness/

    Questions or concerns? Contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or ext. 44357.

  3. May 28, 2020Duo two-factor authentication maintenance - June 4

    Update (June 4, 11:00 a.m.): The Duo maintenance window has been extended to 1:00 p.m.

    What is happening? The Duo two-factor authentication service will be moved behind a load balancer.

    When is this happening? Thursday, June 4 from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.

    What is the impact? During this maintenance window, users will be unable to enrol in 2FA and/or access the device management portal. Individuals already enrolled in the Duo 2FA service will be able to continue using it as normal.

    Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or ext. 44357. 

Read all news

Events

  1. June 5, 2020Presentation Friday: Working Remotely Efficiently and Securely

    Working Remotely Efficiently and Securely

    Andrew and Jason will provide an overview of recommended applications and practices to work remotely in an efficient and secure manner. Topics include Microsoft Office 365, especially OneDrive and MS Teams, as well as securing your home network and computer, secure meetings, and working with secure data.

    Speaker Bios

    Andrew McAlorum is the Director of Client Services in IST, which includes the Service Desks, Customer Relations and Support, and Project Management Office. He has held previous positions in higher ed IT at University of Waterloo, University of Toronto, and York University.

    Jason Testart is the Director of Information Security Services in IST, where he oversees WatIAM, the Security Operation Centre, and cyber security risk assessments. This is his 12th year in IST, 18th year (continuously) at UW, and 3rd month with a 5 year-old Golden Doodle as an office mate.
     

    Join us online

All upcoming events