SCLS Technology News

The end of Windows 7

As you may have already heard, Microsoft is ending support for Windows 7 on January 14, 2020. This means Microsoft will discontinue all support and all updates, including security updates.

If you've been keeping up with your PC rotation plan (replacing 1/5 of your PCs each year), you should be prepared and all of your PCs should already be running Windows 8.1 or 10. If you've fallen a bit behind or you're not sure where your library stands, the rest of this post is for you!

What you can do

Check your library's Workstation Status Report and confirm that your library's PCs are up-to-date (in terms of both age and "installed OS"). If they're not, plan your replacements now! You can consult this recent blog post for ordering deadlines.

SCLS plans for SCLS-supported Windows 7 PCs

SCLS-supported Windows 7 PCs will be turned off on March 31st, 2020. If a major vulnerability is found between January 14th, 2020 (end-of-life) and March 31st, 2020, SCLS reserves the right to remove Windows 7 PCs immediately.

Windows 7 PCs not supported by SCLS

• Self checks and sorters - ILS staff will communicate with libraries about plans for Windows 7 self checks and sorters.
• SCLS-as-ISP computers - If your library has Windows 7 computers that have SCLS-as-ISP network connections, you should plan to replace these PCs. The library is responsible for any security issues introduced by computers on SCLS-as-ISP connections.

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Wireless project update

The move to Meraki wireless has begun!

Progress

In June, we shared a little bit about the project and requested library floor plans to help with planning and documentation for the new system. We had a phenomenal response, receiving plans from almost all of our libraries! (for those that couldn't provide plans, we understand -- sometimes they just don't exist!)

At the July All Directors Meeting, Dan shared more information about the new system, including costs. Shortly after the All Directors meeting, we asked libraries to fill out a short survey about their wireless coverage, and since then we've been hard at work making recommendations for number and placement of wireless access points for libraries.

BIG THANKS to everyone who filled out the survey, provided feedback about current and desired coverage, and answered our follow-up questions with additional information!

Current status

As of this first week of September, 26 of our 53 library sites with SCLS-supported wireless have decided on the number of APs for their location. 10 of these libraries are actually live on the new Meraki system. Some of these libraries are working on having additional cabling installed, and some are just waiting for us to schedule their install dates. There are also a handful of libraries that are still waiting for AP recommendations from us based on wireless site surveys we've requested from a vendor --- we hope to have these for you later this month.

Documentation

Support and report documentation for the new system can be found here:

• Support: https://www.scls.info/enterprise-wireless-support-meraki
• Reports: https://www.scls.info/wireless-reports-meraki

Questions

If you have any questions about the project or the recommendations for your library, please contact the Help Desk!

End of year ordering and Windows 7

The end of the year is quickly approaching and it’s time to start thinking about your end of year PC orders. This is a reminder not to wait too long to place those orders. Friday November 8th will be the final day to place an order through SCLS that will guarantee an invoice in your hands before the end of the year. If you are able to receive an invoice in mid to late January with a 2019 date, then you can place an order all the way up to December 13th.

Also, take a look at your Workstation Status Reports to see if you have any Windows 7 PCs at your library. This would be a good time to think about replacing as many as you can. Microsoft will end support on Windows 7 January 14th, which means we will no longer be pushing out Microsoft updates to Windows 7 PCs after January 14th. When you have a system that’s no longer supported by Microsoft on our network you not only risk compromising your PC, but you also put the whole network at a much greater risk of being compromised.

 

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash