Issue 53, February 21, 2023

The university recently purchased upgraded Microsoft licenses for all faculty, staff, and students to better protect you and your university data with enhanced email security.

You may notice these differences after February 15 when checking your Microsoft 365 email.

• Safe Documents scans shared documents for malware before being opened.
• Safe Attachments uses a virtual environment to check attachments in email messages before being delivered to recipients.
• Safe Links provides URL scanning and rewriting of links in inbound email messages. The link will still work but will be rewritten behind the scenes and scanned for potential phishing or unsafe sites.

These enhancements decrease the risk of phishing attempts with spammy links or harmful attachments.

Learn more in our Microsoft 365 Email Security Features knowledge base article.

We love sharing information with you, and that’s what our Knowledge Base in UTHSC TechConnect is all about!

But sometimes we miss a step, or there was a software change, or an article needs to be easier to understand. Maybe we need to add more screenshots to the instructions.

That’s where you come in! Help us have the best possible knowledge base articles by giving us feedback on our articles.

For example, look at the Official UTHSC Email Signature article. Was it helpful? There is a Yes or No button at the end of each article – let us know!

And if it wasn’t helpful, click the Comment button to let us know what needs to be changed, and we will use that feedback to update the article.

If we are missing an article that you would love to see in the Knowledge Base, let us know by filling out a service request.

We appreciate all your comments and feedback!

Can I Still Call My Co-Workers if They Aren’t on RingCentral?

Yes! All you need to do to reach any UTHSC number, whether it’s on RingCentral or the old system, is to dial 9 and then the 10-digit number instead of using the 5-digit extension (ex., 9 + 901.448.#### instead of 8####).

Learn more about RingCentral!

Interested in learning more about Microsoft products but don't have time to commit two or three hours to training?

Get started quickly with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, and other M365 apps by visiting the Microsoft 365 Quick Starts page.

Sometimes, the easiest way to schedule a meeting or appointment is to have everyone choose their available times via a polling system.

We know some of you are using Doodle for this, but we ask that you find an alternative.

Why? Because our Cybersecurity team has received numerous messages recently about a Doodle malware outbreak. Malware is software designed to attach and disrupt your computer; no one has time for that!

If you are using Doodle and your browser asks you to download software, don’t.

The next time you need to schedule a meeting or appointment, use one of these M365 alternatives: 

• FindTime: Attendees vote on the best time! Installing FindTime / Creating a FindTime Poll  
• MS Bookings: Great for appointments. Bookings includes a web-based booking calendar that integrates with Outlook to optimize your calendar and give your customers the flexibility to book a time that works best for them. Visit our Microsoft Bookings TechConnect article for instructions.  
• Outlook Scheduling Assistant: Schedule meetings through your Outlook calendar. The scheduling assistant lets you know when all UTHSC meeting attendees are available (provided they put their meetings and other busy times on their calendar), making it easy to find free time to meet. Using Scheduling Assistant 

Still have questions? Contact our Service Desk at uthsc.edu/techconnect or 901.448.2222.

Every 4-6 years (or once your computer can no longer run a supported operating system), your department should provide you with a new UTHSC-owned computer, printer, or another device. But — cue the groans! — what do you do with the old equipment?

Surplus it! 

The Surplus Property unit of Procurement Services collects, repurposes, and disposes of the University’s excess surplus property in the most effective and efficient manner in compliance with applicable laws and policies. You don’t even have to wipe the hard drive clean. Surplus handles that!

So free up space in your office – and on your department’s inventory list – by sending that old stuff packing. Contact your department’s business manager or visit the Surplus Equipment webpage for more details.

Mobile devices, such as smartphones, smart watches, and tablets, continue to advance and innovate at an astonishing rate. As a result, you may be replacing a new device as often as every year. Unfortunately, you may not realize just how much personal data are on your devices — far more than your computer. Below we cover the different types of data on your mobile devices and how you can securely wipe your device before disposing or replacing it. If your mobile device was issued to you by work, check with your supervisor about disposal procedures first.

Your Information

Your mobile devices store more sensitive data than you realize, to include . . .

• Where you live and work, and your daily travel habits.
• The contact details for everyone in your address book, including family, friends, and co-workers. Phone call history, including inbound, outbound, voicemail, and missed calls.
• Texting or chat sessions within applications like secure chat, games, and social media.
• Personal photos, videos, and audio recordings.
• Stored passwords and access to your accounts, such as your bank, social media, or email. Health-related information, including your age, heart rate, or exercise history.
• Financial information, including credit cards, payment methods, and transactions.

Erasing Your Device

Regardless of how you dispose of your mobile device, such as donating it, exchanging it for a new one, giving it to someone, reselling it, or even recycling it, first erase all of your sensitive information. Do not assume that the next owner will “do the right thing.” The first step is to back up your device so you can recover and transfer all your data and settings to your new device. Once backed up, you will want to reset your device, as this wipes your data and resets it to factory default. During the reset process, you may be prompted to enter your cloud password to break any links with that device to the Cloud; be sure to do this. The reset steps below are for the two most common devices — Apple and Android.

Apple iOS Devices: Settings | General | Transfer or Reset | Erase All Content and Settings.

Android Devices: Settings | System | Reset Options | Erase All Data (these options vary depending on your device manufacturer).

SIM & External Cards

In addition to resetting your device, also consider what to do with your SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card. This is the little card in your phone issued to you by your phone carrier; it’s what identifies your device and enables it to make a cellular or data connection. When you wipe your device, the SIM card retains information about your account and is tied to you. If you are keeping your phone number and moving to a new device, talk to your phone service provider about transferring your SIM card. If this is not possible, keep your old SIM card and physically destroy it. Many of today’s modern smartphones have something called an eSIM, which is a virtual SIM card as opposed to a physical SIM. The eSIM is wiped during the reset process.

Finally, some Android mobile devices utilize a removable SD (Secure Digital) card for additional storage. Remove these external storage cards from your mobile device prior to disposal. These cards can often be re-used in new mobile devices or can be used as generic storage on your computer with a USB adapter. If reusing your SD card is not possible, then just like your old SIM card, we recommend you physically destroy it.

If you are not sure about any of the steps covered above, or if your device reset options are different, take your mobile device to the store from which you bought it and get help. Finally, if you are throwing a device away, consider donating it instead. There are many excellent charitable organizations that accept used mobile devices, and many mobile providers have drop-off bins in their stores to recycle them.