[Acocoops] August 15 Meeting Notes Summary

[Spencer Chen]

August 15th Meeting:

Attendees: Jason, Jameson, Nevil, Scott, Herbert, Amy, Spencer

Regrets: Sean, Camille, Bill

Scribe: Spencer

1. CALMS Software Wireframe Development
First Page Design and Content:

  *   Standardization: Agreed that a standardized approach is necessary for the first page, which will display an overview of assets, software licensing details, and specific fields expected by the user.
  *   Business Case Requirement: Debated whether a business case should be mandatory when requesting software. The consensus was that while professors should not be required to write the business case directly to Bill, it may be necessary in cases where there are financial constraints, providing potential leverage for decision-making.
  *   Comments and Communication: Decided that any relevant comments or email threads associated with the software request should be documented and attached to the software profile.

Product Key Management:

  *   Handling Product Keys: It was decided that individual product keys per license (e.g., 50 keys for SPSS) might need to be dropped into files for proper tracking.
  *   Terminology Decision:
     *   Two key decisions were made regarding terminology:
        *   "Licensing" or "Licenses" was preferred over "Software License."
        *   Agreed to drop the word "software" and use just "license."
  *   Details Page Population: When a software type is selected, the details page will auto-populate with relevant fields such as computer/license details and the number of seats available.

Overview of Assets and License Management:

  *   Expected Fields: The overview page should include fields that users expect, like computer details, license details, and asset assignment.
  *   Seat Assignment: Discussed that Adobe licenses (assigned per user) differ from SPSS licenses (group licenses). Seats can be assigned to both a user and an asset, with managers or directors being the primary users.
  *   Notes and Related Assets: The system should allow the assignment of seats and relate them to specific assets. A note feature should list the number of seats associated with each software.

Untracked Software and Communication Gaps:

  *   Unmanaged Licenses: Recognized that several software instances might not be tracked, especially for unmanaged laptops where users might purchase software independently. There is a need for better communication and tracking of these licenses.
  *   Focus Areas: The focus should remain on software requiring payment, with further discussions planned to address any untracked or unmanaged licenses.

Finance Tab Adjustments:

  *   Vendor Field: Agreed to add a vendor field to the finance tab. For instance, SPSS is made by IBM but sold by another company, and this should be reflected.
  *   Details and Finance Tabs: On the details page, the software creator (e.g., IBM for SPSS) should be listed, while the finance tab should record the vendor (e.g., Orion).
  *   Duplication Concerns: Debated whether to duplicate the vendor and manufacturer fields across different tabs or show them visually in a unified manner.
  *   Justification File: Decided to remove the justification section from both the details and finance pages, as it will be handled as a file in the system.

Advanced Search Capabilities:

  *   Finance Tab in Advanced Search: Suggested adding a finance tab in advanced search, with key fields like renewal dates, item, and product key to streamline reporting.
  *   Reporting Adjustments: Agreed to exclude asset numbers from reports and make items clickable for easier navigation.

Notification and Expiry Management:

  *   Notification Dates: Current notification dates (3 months and 6 months before expiry) were deemed insufficient. It was suggested to revisit 6 months before contract ends and set multiple reminders for critical software like SPSS, which expires at the end of the year.
  *   User and ACO Notifications: The system should notify both the user and ACOHelp when an asset or software license is due, with reminders sent at appropriate intervals.
  *   Vendor Negotiations: Discussed the potential for negotiating with vendors for better pricing as part of the budgeting process, with notifications to be set accordingly.

Future Email Lists:

  *   ACO-Soft Email List: Agreed to move forward with the minor changes discussed and revisit the discussion of email lists for future communications.

2. User Agreement Pop-Up Implementation
Proposal and Agreement Tracking:

  *   Pop-Up Implementation: A proposal was discussed to introduce a user agreement pop-up window that appears when users log on to the system. This would remind users of important information they need to acknowledge, potentially on a yearly basis.
  *   Tracking Acceptance: The need to track when users accept the agreement and when it expires was emphasized. A decision was made to explore both client-side (requiring acceptance every time) and server-side (once per device) implementations, with client-side being the easier option.
  *   Privacy Act Reference: Agreed to make the user agreement more specific by referencing University Policy 11 on information management, with a link provided for users to access detailed information.
  *   Environment Variables: It was decided to use environment variables to identify applications and ensure the user agreement is appropriately applied, without needing to present it every single time unless the machine is reimaged.

3. Intune Migration and Updates
Documentation and Confluence Page:

  *
Intune Documentation: Updates on the ongoing Intune migration included creating documentation on Confluence. Internal documentation<https://uwaterloo.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ACOHD/pages/44159795217/InTune+Documentation> <https://uwaterloo.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ACOHD/pages/44159795217/InTune+Documentation> has been started.
  *   BitLocker and Group Management: BitLocker keys have been figured out, but there is hesitation about adding co-ops to Intune. A process needs to be defined for sending devices from Intune to CALMS.
  *   Manual Join vs. Autopilot: A diagram for Autopilot needs to be created, with a focus on making the process smoother for rollover devices. Manual join processes were deemed less ideal and require further refinement.
  *
Dynamic Groups: Scott’s document on group names and purposes was discussed, with the intention to share it with the team. There might be a need to redo some groups to ensure proper permissions and functionality.

[cid:807a0236-f09a-4397-9723-49d1ecf46076]
Outstanding Issues and Next Steps:

  *   Power Settings for SAF Laptops: Scott encountered issues with SAF laptops going to sleep when plugged in, which led to a discussion on setting power options through group policy to prevent this.
  *   Software Deployment: Debated the management of apps like Nitro Pro for Windows and the use of Qualys and Intune tags for deploying software. Qualys tags and SentinelOne packaging are still being worked on, with a need to track how Intune and Qualys tags are functioning.
  *   Windows Defender: While not directly related to Intune, discussions about Windows Defender were put on hold, as they fall out of scope but remain something Bill is looking into.
  *   Final Documentation: The next steps involve wrapping up the documentation, taking screenshots, and finalizing the draft for acceptance. Testing on real devices will be necessary before moving devices from unmanaged to Intune.


Thanks everyone!

Spencer
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