A message from Information Technology Services and Facilities Management Services:
The College has invested significantly in facilities this year. FMS and ITS have had a very busy summer with building completion and implementing upgrades. ITS has upgraded or replaced 339 lab computers, 281 lab monitors and 2 iPad carts in 32 computer labs/editing suits as well as upgrading 32 classrooms (so far); FMS has replaced furniture in 2 lecture halls, renewed 10 classrooms and together with ITS, have built 90,000 square feet of new space at both campuses. Below are some details of the many projects that have been completed as well as some that are still in progress.
Campus Redevelopment/Capital Space upgrades
NOTL – Marotta Family Innovation Complex: SAC Café, six new classrooms, one new computer lab, offices, innovation research labs, collaboration spaces and new gymnasium and fitness centre; Cannabis Production Lab; Artisan Distillery building, and new sidewalk connecting link Bench Street; and exterior door lock security upgrade.
Welland – Student Commons, outdoor plaza and cafeteria including two major video walls and sound; New entrance signs at Rice Road and First Avenue; S150/S160 (Hamilton Room) lecture seating upgrade; and the Merritt hallway accessibility ramp.
Downtown St. Catharines – 43 Church St: two classrooms, one computer lab classroom, and one open computer lab.
Moving to new applications, a major upgrade was made to Blackboard in early July which moved us to the most current release of the software. Some new functionality was enabled but the best is yet to come as CAE and ITS prepare the Campus community over the next academic year to enable the new Ultra interface. At the same time, the College has developed a new general purpose Portal that has been released in beta. You can find the link on the Portal login page or portalnc.niagaracollege.ca/. While the portal will be a great experience on a laptop or tablet, a new Niagara College Mobile App will be released soon that should provide a more mobile friendly experience.
The College’s external internet connection has been upgraded from three gigabits per second (Gbps) to 10 Gbps. As well, over the summer, in the large gathering areas, wireless access points were replaced with newer units that have more capacity and speed. Coverage was also enhanced at the bus stops, and at both Welland and NOTL courtyards. The wireless network will be scanned in October to determine where further upgrades are needed and to ensure that good coverage is provided throughout the campus.
Computer labs: All computer labs have been reimaged to latest Windows or Apple version as well VMware virtual environment upgraded as well. The College has also invested in newer technology in some technology labs that has allowed us to upgrade to more secure operating systems. Some of these lab changes will occur over the break week as well, a number of classroom upgrades will occur as the term progresses.
Welland Campus upgrades
The following computer labs have also been upgraded (bolded rooms also had monitors upgraded):
AH223, L17, M110, S230, S231, TC12, TC33, V12, V14, V3, V9 and 12 edit suite computers, iPad cart, and 43 podiums.
We also worked with Media and Trades to expand and standardize seating in the following labs: V106, S302, S334, S336, S304, S308, and S310.
The following classrooms have been fully upgraded:
L4, M200, M213, S103, S230, S231, S232, S234, S235, TC33, TC38, TC53, TC65, and TC68.
Digital upgrades have been made to: S140, S141, S142, and S143.
A podium upgrade has been made in M114.
NOTL Campus upgrades
The following computer labs have been upgraded bolded rooms also had monitors upgraded):
E207, HT005, W206, iPad cart, 48 podiums – monitors only N301, N304, N306, W115, and W202.
Classrooms that have received digital upgrades include: E110, N102, N302, N305, W201, and W213A.
Cyber Security Update
For the last four months, ITS has been rolling out a new authentication method that will provide a safer digital environment. This is called multi factor authentication. The first phase involved the College information systems (Student, Finance and Human Resources), file shares (N; and G: drives) as well as faculty and staff email. ITS does expect to continue rolling out MFA for off-campus access to other systems in the future.
