In This Edition
Strategy Updates
What is IT Building? The Product Backlog
IT recently implemented a tool for tracking all IT projects in a single location. IT is delivering transparency by making its backlogs visible to everyone in the agency, allowing you to see what IT is currently working on, and what you can expect to see in the near future.
The first backlog to go live is the “Product Backlog”. The scrum team will develop whatever the IT Steering Committee prioritizes on the Product backlog. IT will be releasing this backlog to IDL in the coming weeks.
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Product Updates
Idaho State Forestry Contest
IT has been modernizing the Idaho State Forestry Contest application. Idaho Department of Lands is one of several sponsors that put on the Idaho State Forestry Contest. The contest is typically held the second Thursday in May introducing students in grades 5 through 12 to basic forestry and resource management. The top Junior and Senior high school winners of the contest win prize money and scholarships.
IDL has historically provided the IT support, including the application with which scores are calculated. The tool has not been significantly updated in many, many years, so IT developed a modernized version that will be much more stable and easier to use. IT also captured a list of future updates streamline the entire contest process.
ArcGIS Pro Licenses
We have been receiving messages about the lack of available licenses for ArcPro. Due to the increased number of users during this time we encourage all users to shut down ArcGIS Pro whenever you are not actively using it to allow licenses to become available for other users. For any users not actively editing enterprise feature services, we have a large number of basic licenses available – this will still allow for viewing and local editing. Please contact a member of the GIS team if you need guidance on changing your license.
My IDL (SharePoint 365)
The Townhall meetings are well attended. Representatives from various groups within the organization have begun configuring their division or program site. The Townhall meetings allow representatives developing their groups SharePoint site to support each other and share information as everyone learns how to configure SharePoint together. The Townhall meetings are a space to ask questions. Often someone has already worked through the same problem.
There is one question that many people have asked: What is the difference between "My IDL" SharePoint and the Teams SharePoint? This is a great question! Do not worry. You are not alone.
Microsoft uses the “SharePoint” interface for multiple purposes. The following graphic explains one of the most important distinctions between the Team sites and My IDL. Note that the graphic also addresses OneDrive.
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OneDrive: Private working space
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Team Site: Team’s Stuff for team collaboration (rather than email and shared drives)
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My IDL: Everyone’s Stuff for publishing documents, policies and self-service information
Cybersecurity Updates
Safe Online Practices and Password Strength
As technology plays an important role in our daily operations, it is vital that we all have a basic understanding of cybersecurity. Even if you are not an IT professional, there are simple steps you can take to protect yourself, your colleagues, and the information we handle. You are probably aware that many of the tasks you perform rely on computer systems and mobile devices, such as access and updates to critical information like weather forecasts, fire safety plans, and emergency response coordination. These systems, when not properly secured, can be vulnerable to cyber-attacks that can disrupt operations and cause serious safety hazards.
To help you stay safe online, we want to remind you of a few basic steps you can take to protect yourself and your colleagues:
- Be aware of phishing attempts and do not click on links or enter your credentials on suspicious emails or websites.
- Keep your software up to date to ensure that your devices are protected against known vulnerabilities by not ignoring pending updates and restarting your machine weekly.
Use strong and unique passphrases for all your accounts. Examples of secure passphrases are shown below.
- “I don’t like having long passwords” That will take 3 quattuordecillion years to crack
- “Luke, I am your father” Will take just over 169 sextillion years to crack (yes you can use spaces)
- “I Once Rolled a Taco” 34 quintillion years
- “Mini and Mickey are Mice!” 7 nonillion years
All these examples are thousands of times stronger than “R@#s234a” which takes only 1 day to crack.
If you have any questions or concerns about cybersecurity, please do not hesitate to reach out to our IT department for assistance. They are here to support you and help you understand more about this important topic. We understand that cybersecurity can seem overwhelming and sometimes confusing, but by working together and staying informed, we can help to keep our systems and information safe.
 Source: xkcd.com
Questions?
If you have any questions about topics discussed in this edition of our Information Technology Newsletter, please contact Elton Kelly at ekelly@idl.idaho.gov.
Past Editions
View the archive of our Information Technology Newsletter, and other IDL newsletters, on our One Team, One Voice webpage.
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