Our Summer 2023 Newsletter
In This Issue
WVSTC Wrap-Up and Thank You
The West Virginia Statewide Technology Conference Committee would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to our sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees for making the event a resounding success.
With your help, we brought together technology enthusiasts, professionals, and educators from all corners of West Virginia to foster knowledge, collaboration, and the exploration of cutting-edge technological innovations.
Without your invaluable support and active participation, this event would not have been possible.
To our sponsors, we extend our sincerest thanks for your generous contributions. Your support helped us cover essential costs, enhance the conference experience, and provide attendees with valuable resources and networking opportunities. Your commitment to advancing technology in our state is commendable and has a lasting impact on our community.
To the exhibitors, thank you for showcasing your products, services, and solutions during the conference. Your presence added immense value to the event, and attendees benefited from hands-on experiences and insights into the latest developments in the tech industry. Your engagement and willingness to share knowledge have left a positive impression on all who attended.
To our attendees, we extend our thanks. Your active participation, thought-provoking discussions, and eagerness to learn contributed significantly to the conference’s overall success. We hope that the knowledge gained and connections made during the event will inspire continued growth and development in the field of technology.
From the Executive Director!
Steven White, WVNET Executive Director
I am delighted to announce my official appointment as the new Executive Director for WVNET, following an extensive search conducted by the Higher Education Policy Commission and the dedicated members of the search committee. I am deeply honored to have been selected for this role, and I am committed to continuing my support on various initiatives across West Virginia.
I am also pleased to share that Jason Chastain has accepted the position of Manager of Telecommunications at WVNET. Given Jason’s extensive history with WVNET, his leadership and expertise will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in guiding the telecommunications department to success.
These leadership changes followed a successful West Virginia Statewide Technology Conference (WVSTC), which was held on July 19-20th, and covered a wide range of pertinent topics. While the Artificial intelligence (AI)-related sessions garnered significant anticipation and attendance, numerous other sessions also provided valuable insights for supporting our institutions. I want to extend my gratitude to all the presenters and attendees who contributed to the conference’s success as well as the Conference Planning Committee who poured a lot of hard work and dedication into making this year’s WVSTC a wonderful educational and networking event for West Virginia.
Lastly, I want to emphasize the importance of maintaining a high level of security awareness. With the increasing frequency of cybersecurity attacks, it is crucial for us all to take proactive measures. Implementing multiple layers of security can greatly reduce the risk of such attacks, but it all starts with individual users. By adhering to best practices such as using unique passwords, being cautious of unsolicited emails, and embracing multi-factor authentication, we can collectively make a substantial difference in enhancing our security posture.
I look forward to working with all our customers more in the future and I hope everyone has a great remainder of the summer and a successful fall term.
Welcome New Employees!
Eduardo Del Toro joined the DBA Group as the new Oracle DBA Senior on July 5, 2023.
Eduardo is a Senior Oracle Database Administrator (DBA) with more than 15 years of experience working with many Fortune 500 companies in sectors like health care, manufacturing, education, county/state/federal government, agrochemical biotechnology, shipping/logistics, banking, telecommunications, utilities, Federal Reserve Bank, and the Department of Defense, to name a few. After graduating from the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez campus with a Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Eduardo started as a COBOL programmer, and then became Oracle DBA supporting the AT&T Universal Card product. He finds pleasure and excels in work environments that are open and collaborative. He also demonstrates strong communication skills, including the ability to create documentation and job aids. This is particularly valuable, as many business challenges arise from inadequate communication and a lack of information and procedural sharing.
Promotions
Steven White – Executive Director
Jason Chastain – Manager of Telecommunications
Kyle Atkins – Telecommunications Network Specialist I
Visit https://events.govtech.com/West-Virginia-Digital-Government-Summit.html for more information.
Your satisfaction is very important to us. WVNET has implemented a customer satisfaction survey link in our OZ ticketing system. When a help ticket is closed, the reporter will receive an email update with a link to allow customers to fill out the survey, and, if desired, request a call from a manager. To access the form in the OZ email, click on the link.
If you’re not using OZ and you wish to take the survey, please feel free to complete the survey at https://wvnet.edu/satisfaction-survey/. We look forward to hearing from you. Have questions? Contact Harmony Garletts at hgarletts@staff.wvnet.edu.
New Schedule of Rates
Effective July 2023, WVNET has a new schedule of rates.
Visit https://wvnet.edu/resources/schedule-of-rates/ to find out more.
Join Our Team!
WVNET offers an excellent State of WV Employee benefits package of health insurance, dental, vision, hearing, Health Savings Accounts / Flexible Spending Accounts, retirement investing, life insurance plans, short-term/long-term disability insurance, as well as generous amounts of vacation, sick, state & federal holidays, and professional development opportunities. To view full job details, check our website: https://wvnet.edu/about/careers/ and submit your resume to careers@staff.wvnet.edu. EOE/AA/ADA Employer
DATA CENTER MANAGER to maintain the smooth operation of our data center infrastructure and physical facility. Responsibilities will include ensuring the data center’s optimal performance, leading technical staff, maintaining service availability, managing environmental controls, and overseeing facility maintenance and security. Salary range: $75,000 – $85,000.
NETWORK OPERATOR to provide basic (Tier I) assistance and consulting to WVNET customers, including K-12 schools, higher educational institutions, libraries, state and county government, and various not-for-profit organizations. Network Operators are categorized as essential personnel as defined by WVNET policy, and the incumbent is required to work during declared emergencies.
This position provides customer support, system monitoring, and problem escalation to advanced (Tier II) support on a 24-hour non-standard work hours basis. The position is required to work a 12.5-hour rotating shift to accommodate 24/7 services.
Department Updates
SYSTEMS UPDATE
Jobsub Update
WVNET has recently implemented important updates to the Jobsub web interface. These updates have two main objectives: enhancing security measures and improving the user experience for both individuals and school administrators. The primary focus is to provide better control over accounts and ensure the safety of personal information.
In response to the escalating frequency of malicious cyber-attacks on various systems, strengthening the security measures of our applications has become imperative. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a widely respected authority that establishes guidelines for password security. According to NIST recommendations, password changes are advised at least once a year, preferably every 180 days. In alignment with these guidelines, Jobsub account passwords will now expire 180 days after their creation. However, users will now have the convenience of easily resetting their passwords using the new ‘Forgot Password’ feature, which grants them increased control over their accounts.
To provide an additional layer of security, Jobsub will now require users to verify their email addresses before gaining full account access. This verification process empowers users to independently utilize account recovery options. In the event of password reset needs, the Help Desk will remain available for assistance.
Furthermore, the updated web interface enables accounts to directly view a broader range of file types without the need for downloading. Previously, users were required to download specific file types to verify their contents. However, now you can instantly access the contents of SQL files and numerous other types without the need to download them.
Considering the new requirement for users to verify their email addresses, we are introducing mass email notifications for specific announcements sent to all registered email addresses. This initiative aims to minimize confusion following significant updates to Jobsub. These email notifications will inform users about upcoming major updates that might impact their login process in the future. Since these announcements are accessible only after logging into the interface, receiving email notifications about such updates is expected to provide valuable assistance.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS UPDATE
During the summer, the Telecommunications Group at WVNET has undertaken a few projects to ensure the reliability of the network used by its customers. One example of this is the deployment of a Cisco 8200 series router for the Wood County Courthouse. This device replaced the aging Cisco 3945 router, which had served as the core network router for the Courthouse since September 2012.
It’s worth noting that the initial deployment of Cisco 3945 routers to all 55 County Courthouses was made possible through a BTOP (Broadband Technology Opportunities Program) Grant back in 2012.
As these routers are gradually phased out and replaced by the individual Courthouses, WVNET verifies that all information is cleared before sending them to surplus.
Responding to the growing demand for increased bandwidth in the southern half of West Virginia, WVNET took additional measures to enhance both Internet and Internet2 capacities at OARnet in Columbus, Ohio. An upgrade saw these capacities escalate from 30 to 40 Gbps. Notably, OARnet stands as one of the two upstream ISPs with which WVNET collaborates, ensuring resilient and redundant Internet/I2 connectivity.
The team has also started initiating a reconfiguration of parts of our network in preparation for the migration of the high-speed transit ring to Cisco NCS 5500 series routers. This advancement in technology will allow WVNET to incorporate 100Gbps WAVES, supplanting the current 10Gbps connections. Noteworthy is the fact that the existing transit ring was initially installed in 2012, underlining the transformative strides being made.
Highlighting their commitment to knowledge dissemination, the WVNET Telecommunications Group took center stage at this year’s West Virginia Statewide Technology Conference. Their insightful presentation provided a comprehensive overview of the current state of our network architecture, along with insightful previews of impending upgrades. These include the high-speed transit ring migration, advancements in the VPN server, fortifications in firewall capabilities, and the pivotal upgrade of backbone routers.
DEVELOPMENT TEAM UPDATE
This issue, we’re diving into the world of web typography. We all know how essential it is to make our content readable and visually appealing for our online audiences. To help you enhance the legibility of your content, we’ve gathered some insightful tips from Oliver Schöndorfer’s article on font size, line height, and line length. Let’s explore the key takeaways!
Font Size, Line Height, and Line Length: The Perfect Trio
When it comes to web typography, three crucial factors are closely intertwined: font size, line height, and line length. Remember these core principles:
- Font size and line height go hand in hand. They impact the overall readability of your content.
- Adjust line height according to line length. Longer lines require more line height, while shorter lines can do with less.
- Utilize a type scale to establish a typographic hierarchy, ensuring a visually pleasing layout.
- Optimal results are achieved by creating fluid line heights that adapt to column widths.
- For a consistent experience between desktop and mobile, a line-height value of 1.5 is recommended.
Crafting Effective Display Text
Display text, particularly headings, plays a pivotal role in catching your readers’ attention. Here’s how to make them stand out:
- For <h1> tags, the default choice is 40px/2.5em.
- On desktop, consider increasing font size to a maximum of 64px/4em.
- On mobile, opt for 32px/2em or smaller to avoid excessive space consumption.
- Experiment with smaller line heights, like 1.1, for larger headings.
- Sometimes, a line height smaller than the type size can enhance readability.
Mastering Body Text
The body text is where your content truly comes to life. Follow these recommendations for optimal results:
- Default choice: 16px/1em (browser’s default).
- On desktop, increase font size up to 24px/1.5em at most.
- On mobile, stick to the defaults or occasionally go 10% smaller (min 14–15px).
- Aim for 50–75 characters per line (25–37.5rem) with a line height of 1.5–1.6 on desktop.
- Mobile-friendly text usually features 40–50 characters per line (20–25rem) and a line height of 1.3–1.45.
Fine-tuning Functional Text
Even functional text, such as captions and navigation elements, requires careful attention:
- Default choice: 12px/0.75em – 14px/0.875em.
- Feel free to increase font size up to 16px/1em on desktop.
- Be cautious not to make text too small on mobile, as it’s already compact.
Harmonizing Typeface Attributes
Typeface attributes – font size, line length, and line height – interact harmoniously to create readable and engaging content. Start by selecting suitable typefaces and establishing a type scale for different text elements.
Achieving Fluid Typography with CSS Clamp()
Modern web design enables fluid typography using CSS clamp(). This technique interpolates between minimum and maximum values for font size and line height, adapting to container width and line length. While there’s no magic number for perfect typography, the guidelines mentioned above, along with the tools available, will undoubtedly steer you in the right direction.
Remember, when in doubt, err on the side of larger font sizes. After all, readability is key to a successful online presence.
For further insights, we recommend reading Oliver Schöndorfer’s comprehensive article “What’s The Right Font Size For the Web?”. Happy reading and happy typography tweaking!
To discuss web development projects or if you are looking for support for your current website, send an email to wvnet-support@staff.wvnet.edu to schedule a meeting and review your project requirements.
WVNET FINANCE UPDATE
The FY 23 audit has a new GASB requirement:
GASB 96 – “Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangements” (“GASB 96”)
In May 2020, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) issued GASB 96 – Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangements with the objective of enhancing transparency through the recognition of SBITA-related assets and liabilities on the balance sheet. The requirements of GASB 96 were effective for reporting periods beginning after June 15, 2022 (for many governmental organizations with a June 30th fiscal year-end, the adoption date would have been July 1, 2022, for the year ending June 30, 2023). GASB 96 requires a “full retrospective” adoption in which the standard is applied to all the periods presented in accordance with the guidance with the impact of adoption reported as a restatement of the beginning net position (or fund balance or fund net position, as applicable) for the earliest period restated. Accordingly, West Virginia Network for Educational Telecomputing (“WVNET”) is adopting GASB 96 effective July 1, 2022, for the year ending June 30, 2023. As a result of the adoption of the new standard, WVNET is recording the impact as of the July 1, 2021, adoption date.
Please contact the Finance and Business Office staff with any questions you may have:
- Accounts Receivable – Libby Cress (lcress@staff.wvnet.edu or 304-293-5192 x 50451)
- Accounts Payable – Buffy Vehse (evehse@staff.wvnet.edu or 304-293-5192 x 50487)
- Billing and Procurement – Phil Snitz (psnitz@staff.wvnet.edu or 304-293-5192 x 50483)
- CFO – Donna Meadowcroft (dmeadowcroft@staff.wvnet.edu or 304-293-5192 x 50472)
