Library VPN: A new tool to power research for UNSW Staff and Students

Library VPN was set up so UNSW staff and students could access library material that, due to copyright reasons, can only be accessed from UNSW’s network. Connecting to Library VPN, you can access UNSW Library resources and websites as if you were physically located on campus.

Connecting to Library VPN opens you up to a world of information and research, wherever you are. Complete your research through online eJournals, and access to hundreds of databases, from Access Engineering through to Zoological Record.

Browse through thousands of documentaries, television shows and movies available to stream. Listen to huge catalogue of music, complete with composer and artist biographies, notes and sheet music, to expand your understanding of the arts.

And as the first “full traffic” VPN offered by UNSW, you can use Library VPN overseas to browse the web like you were still in Australia. That means you can continue to use Google’s services in China, continue to use social media in Egypt to connect to your team back home, or to simply watch ABC’s iView to stay informed on events back in Australia while overseas.

To connect your devices to the Library VPN, use the following guides:

 

You should note that when connected to the Library VPN, all internet traffic will be sent through the VPN. This can, in some cases, impact the speed of your internet connection. All traffic will also be logged by UNSW, just as the traffic on UniWide is logged.

Office 365 at UNSW – Your Data Stays in Australia

One of the most asked questions about Office 365 and OneDrive cloud storage here at UNSW, from professional staff, students and academics, is where exactly will the data be stored?

It’s a fair question. Data sovereignty is a major concern for many academics, as some research grants will require all research data to stay in Australia. Storing research in”the cloud” can make this difficult, as it’s often hard to tell where exactly the servers that make up a cloud offering are based, and many providers will mirror your data across multiple servers in multiple countries.

Well, the good news is all data stored in Office 365 and OneDrive accounts linked to a UNSW account will be stored right here, in Australia. Late last year, Microsoft moved all data from UNSW customers from servers in Singapore to servers here in Australia, ahead of the university wide roll out of Office 365.

When Office 365 is turned on on your account, you’ll be able to store any important data you need in your OneDrive account. UNSW staff and students will receive one terabyte of storage, enough for roughly 85 million word documents. And because that data lives in the cloud, you’ll be able to access it from anywhere, including your home or mobile devices.

Microsoft has over twenty years experience storing and securing data for enterprise and government customers. We chose Office 365 as our cloud solution at UNSW due to Microsoft’s commitment to privacy, security and data sovereignty.

VR and AR Research at UNSW

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Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality research is in full swing at UNSW Australia. The latest technologies are being used by teaching staff and researchers from facilities as diverse as Art and Design, the Built Environment, Engineering and Medicine. Facilitating this is the LITEroom, a dedicated space for UNSW to showcase new educational technologies, allowing staff hands-on access to new products and equipment that have the potential to make a positive contribution to learning and teaching practices.

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Podcasts at UNSW Australia

Podcasts are radio shows you pick and choose from the internet, to create a radio station that’s tuned just to your interests. No subject is too niche, as long as the hosts are passionate and engaging. We’ve discovered some fascinating shows being produced on campus and spoke to the producers to find out what is involved in producing a show, and how you can get your own podcast started.  Continue reading

Pokemon Go at UNSW

Love it or hate it, there’s no escaping the impact of Pokemon Go. In the last few weeks, Nintendo gained almost $30 billion in market value, before seeing its stock tumble just as quickly. Thousands of Australians joined a Pokemon walk to catch the little critters as a community. The game has even caused a surge in battery pack sales, with some retailers seeing an increase of 200%. So what has been the impact at UNSW?

 

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Technology Research At Your Fingertips

Person at computer with coffee mugWhere should you go to when looking for answers on technology questions and direction?

At UNSW we are fortunate to have multiple research and analyst resources available to us;

  • Gartner
  • Cutter Consortium
  • CEB IT Leadership Council ­
  • Forrester

These are all resources available to UNSW staff, that can provide us with insight into technology information and market research.

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Graduate Research Information System Launched

The Graduate Research Information System (GRIS) successfully went live on Friday, July 1. Around 80 staff attended GRS’s pre-Go Live demonstration sessions in Sydney last week and in Canberra the previous week, and as of yesterday, 119 users have logged in to GRIS, including sessions from as far afield as Germany, Slovenia, Serbia and Taiwan! So far 16 variation to candidature requests have been lodged by candidates and GRS have routed 19 admission applications to Schools for assessment. Continue reading