News archive - July 2020

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Resolved: UWaterloo Scholar unavailable - July 29

Resolved (July 29, 3:00 p.m.): UWaterloo Scholar has been restored. Users should be able to access UWaterloo Scholar again.

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567 ext. 44357

What is happening? UWaterloo Scholar is currently unavailable. IST is investigating and more information will be shared when available.

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567 ext. 44357

Monday, July 27, 2020

COVID-19 related phishing attempts - July 27

What is happening? There has been an increased volume of COVID-19 related phishing emails being sent to members of the University. These phishing attacks are expected to continue in the foreseeable future. Please be vigilant and read emails carefully before responding. If you have received emails with subject lines similar to the following, do not click any links and do not reply:

Please read new Covid-19 details
New Covid-19 info please read details
Covid-19 info please read details here

What should I do if I have received this email? Suspected fraud attempts should be reported to the Security Operations Centre at soc@uwaterloo.ca. Reports of successful fraud should be directed to UW Police Services at uwpolice@uwaterloo.ca.

Where can I get legitimate COVID-19 updates? The Government of Canada has an opt-in email list for individuals who want to receive trusted information about COVID-19: https://www.canada.ca/en/managed-web-service/get-updates-covid-19.html

Visit the University’s Coronavirus Information website for information and updates: https://uwaterloo.ca/coronavirus/

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.

Thursday, July 23, 2020

IST Strategic Plan, 2017-2020 Closure Report now available

Developed in 2016, through broad campus consultation, the aim of the IST Strategic Plan, 2017-2020, was to prioritize key strategic needs ahead of the University's new strategic plan and/or updated IT strategic plan, and identify the actions that could be taken to address those needs. This work was intended to target specific areas for improvement complementary to other ongoing operational activities and other major initiatives in such areas as information systems, security, and infrastructure, where planning and implementations would carry on in parallel.

IST is pleased to announce the successful completion of this work and the overall achievement of our strategic goal – Together we deliver. You are invited to visit the IST Strategic Plan website to review the high-level findings, read the Closure Report in full, and learn more about how we’ll move forward from here.

Thank you again for your support and contributions to this work. We look forward to continuing to provide exceptional information technology service and support to the University of Waterloo community.

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Resolved: Issue logging in to WatIAM - July 21

Resolved (July 22, 2:40 p.m.): WatIAM has been restored. Users should be able to log in and access WatIAM again.

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567 ext. 44357

Update (July 21, 4:14 p.m.): WatIAM backups are still being restored. Users will not be able to access WatIAM until the restoration is complete and the system has been refreshed. WatIAM is currently expected to be restored by Thursday, July 23.

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567 ext. 44357

Update (July 21, 10:36 a.m.): The configuration of the WatIAM servers became corrupted yesterday afternoon when the servers exhausted the available number of file descriptors. IST is working on restoring from backups.

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567 ext. 44357

What is happening? An issue is preventing users from logging in to WatIAM. IST is investigating and more information will be shared when available.

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567 ext. 44357

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Resolved: Issue logging in to Workday - July 21

Resolved (Jul 21, 8:53 a.m.): An issue with Workday pointing to the incorrect database has been corrected. Users should be able to log in to Workday again.

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567 ext. 44357

What is happening? An issue is preventing users from logging in to Workday. IST is investigating and more information will be shared when available.

Questions or concerns? Please contact the IST Service Desk, helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567 ext. 44357