Upcoming System Outage and Important Microsoft News
IMSS would like to inform you about a major administrative outage scheduled for March 5 to March 9th, as well as some important Microsoft changes.
Major System Outage between 5 PM on Thursday, March 5 through 8 AM, Monday, March 9
Please make a note of this system outage.
IMSS is moving major administrative systems to the Amazon Cloud. The outage impacts Oracle, Exeter, Kronos and other dependent systems. Some frequently used systems will be unavailable in access.caltech.edu including, but not limited to;
- Online W-2
- Online Payslip
- My Personal Information
- RADR
- Regis (GDP)
- Internal Charges
- Division Personnel Management
Learn more about System Availability
Important Microsoft News
Please read below to determine if you or your lab's software and hardware could be affected by these Microsoft changes. Mac computer users and users with Managed Computing services can disregard this message.
Internet Explorer 9, 10 & 11
Discontinue using Internet Explorer as a general-purpose browser. IE should only be used with trusted websites that require it. Use Firefox, Safari, Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
A new vulnerability affecting Internet Explorer 9, 10 and 11 is being actively exploited on all versions of Windows (including the now-unsupported Windows 7 and Server 2008, see below). The vulnerability can be exploited by a malicious website, and will not be patched until mid-February, possibly later. Successful exploitation would result in the ability to execute code on the affected system, under the privileges of the currently logged-in user. More importantly, as of early 2019 Microsoft does not recommend Internet Explorer as a general-purpose browser, but rather as a compatibility tool for applications that require it. Although Internet Explorer 11 will continue to receive updates, it should not be used as a primary browser.
Windows Server 2008 is no longer supported by Microsoft
Migrate to a newer supported version of the Windows Server operating system as soon as possible.
On January 14, 2020, Microsoft discontinued support for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Microsoft will no longer be providing regular security updates for these operating systems, which puts them at increased risk for compromise.
Windows 7 is no longer supported by Microsoft
Learn more about options you can take to reduce your security risks.
On January 14, 2020 Microsoft stopped all updates for Windows 7, ending the support for a decade-old operating system. This means that while your computer will continue to function, it will be vulnerable to security risks and viruses because it will no longer receive software and security updates from Microsoft.
If you have any questions or encounter any problems after the outage, please contact the Help Desk (x3500, [email protected], https://help.caltech.edu.)