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From: Webster University Information Technology
Date:  Monday, September 15, 2008
Subject: Single Sign On

We are pleased to announce that as of Wednesday, September 17, 2008 you will have one less username and password to remember.  Student Registration & Services Online and Faculty Advising/Grade Entry have been integrated into the Connections portal.  These services will be collectively known as Academic Services. 

Because, for most individuals, this combines the most frequently used programs into Connections with one username and password, it is called Single Sign On. 

Faculty access these services using the following steps:

Logon on to Connections (http://connections.webster.edu) with your Connections username and password.  Once logged on, locate the “Faculty/Staff Academic Services” channel on your “Faculty” tab and click the link.  For security purposes, you will then be asked to enter your Connections username and password once again.  Once you have done so, you will be logged into the Advising and Grade Entry site.  Once logged in, proceed as you normally would.  Nothing about the advising and grade entry application has changed, only the way you log in.

Students access these services using the following steps:

Logon on to Connections (http://connections.webster.edu) with your Connections username and password.  Once logged on, locate the “Student Academic Services” channel on your “Student” tab and click the link.  For security purposes, you will then be asked to enter your Connections username and password once again.  Once you have done so, you will be logged into the Registration and Services Online site.  Once logged in, proceed as you normally would.  Nothing about the application has changed, only the way you log in.

If you have forgotten your Connections username and password you may reset it by going to http://connections.webster.edu and clicking on “I’ve Forgotten my Username or Password”. 

For STAFF who need to access advising and grade entry services, please go to http://www.webster.edu/technology/adding_sso_channel.shtml  for information on how to add the Academic Services Channel to your Connections account. 

This change does not affect the desktop version of the CARS/CX application; the username and password for that application remain the same and separate from your Connections account.

If you never had a Connections account, please contact the Help Desk at 866-435-7270. 

For more information on Connections, please visit http://www.webster.edu/helpdesk/faculty/connections/index.shtml

For more information on Single Sign On please visit http://www.webster.edu/technology/sso.shtml

Information and training for extended sites can be found here http://www.webster.edu/technology/sso_training/extended_site_sso.shtml

9/9/08 Sent to Webster World List & Posted to Connections

Tonight, Tuesday, September 09, 2008 we will perform required maintenance on the Connections and CX Web servers which will require these applications to be unavailable for a period of 4 to 6 hours beginning at 8:00pm.

CX Web includes the student registration and services online application where students access their schedule, register and pay their bills and the faculty/advising application where faculty enter grades, access advisee information and obtain class lists.

Students and Faculty who need to access their online courses during this time may go to http://online.webster.edu and login with their Connections username and password.

Those needing to access their Webster email online may go to http://webmail.webster.edu and login with their Connections username and password. 

8/27/08 Sent to Webster World List & Posted to Connections

Information Technology is pleased to announce our Fall 2008 Technology Workshop Series.  In addition to all new workshops such as Adobe Acrobat Pro and Creating Publications with InDesign we are now offering all of our workshops online!

Faculty, staff and students at our extended sites will now be able to take advantage of all of the same workshops offered on the Webster Groves campus.  Each workshop will be broadcast online at the same time it is being given in-class.  Any faculty, staff or student with an internet capable computer with sound can register and participate in the workshops.  Participants will be able to see and hear what is being taught and be able to ask questions via a chat feature. 

To get more information about the Fall 2008 Technology Workshop series or to register for a workshop, visit http://www.webster.edu/technology/workshops

If you have any questions about the workshops please email infoservices@webster.edu

8.27.08 Sent to Webster World List & Posted to Connections

Over the past several months, the frequency of email phishing scams delivered to Webster users has dramatically increased. Phishing is an attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and other account details by a spammer posing as a legitimate entity, in this case the Webster University Help Desk or support team.   For examples of recent “phishing” emails in the Webster system, please go to http://www.webster.edu/helpdesk/email_scams.shtml

Please note, Webster University Information Technology will NEVER ask you for your password or other sensitive information via email. 

We also WILL NOT delete your email account because you didn’t respond to an email message.

In the past three months 7 Webster email accounts have been hijacked as a result of users responding to phishing scams.  While this may seem like a small number of accounts, each one has been responsible for over 70,000 spam messages being sent through the Webster email system (almost half a million total messages) and consequently the webster.edu domain being blacklisted by several Internet Service Providers (ex: Hotmail, SBC Global). In addition to producing spam it can take many hours to clean up one user’s hijacked account, resulting in lost productivity and damage to the institution and user’s reputation as a legitimate source of email.   A user’s account can be hijacked when they respond to any phishing message or click on a link embedded in the message. 

Tips to keep your account safe:

• Never send your password via email

• Never respond to a message that looks suspicious or that you are not positive comes from Webster University, even if it’s just to ask if it is legitimate. If you want to know if a message is legitimate, do not respond to the message, forward it to support@webster.edu

• Read the email carefully, many phishing attempts are poorly written, containing poor grammar and spelling mistakes. 

• Check http://www.webster.edu/helpdesk/email_scams.shtml for known phishing scams, if your email looks similar DO NOT respond

• Do not click on a link in an email from an unknown source!  Your account can be hijacked or you can get a virus on your computer by clicking on a link in an email.  If you are even slightly suspicious of the email, DO NOT click on the link.

• Be skeptical.  Don’t be fooled by personalized messages, web pages or images in an email, they are all easily faked. 

• Know what messages are being sent out from Webster Information Technology.  We have created a web page where we will post all current communications to the Webster community.  Go to http://www.webster.edu/helpdesk/news.shtml and bookmark this site.  If you are unsure of a message you receive, check this page. If it is not listed it is probably not legitimate. Forward it to support@webster.edu

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