Dear CIA Community,

I hope everyone had a rejuvenating summer and is ready for a new school year full of exploration and creation. We had a productive summer in Information Technology and would like to share with you some of the changes, upgrades, reminders, and updates that you can expect to see now and through the upcoming academic year.

Interactive Media Lab (IML)

We are excited to share that the Interactive Media Lab (IML), a hub for immersive and emerging technologies rooted in collaboration with industry leaders and community professionals, is officially “open”! More details on the IML can be found on the IML myCIA website. A few points to note:

• The IML is for students and faculty enrolled in all majors or programs. In addition, the IML will host external industry and community engagements. 

• The IML is located within the MidTown Collaboration Center (1974 E. 66th St.). Please visit here for hours of operation and public transportation/ driving directions.  

• The IML features a myriad of studio and lab spaces.  When clicking on links for each individual space, you can view an availability calendar. Students, faculty, and staff can book spaces by using this form (CIA login required). Please note that some spaces may require prior authorization or demonstrated proficiency with tools before we confirm booking. Field trip forms are not required for class visits to the IML. Spaces are booked on a first-come, first-served basis. Failure to show for a booking without a 24-hour advance notice may result in loss of future booking privileges.
• Please contact Chey Sprinkle, Operations Manager at the IML, via email (IMLCheckout@cia.edu) or via phone (216-421-7380) if you have any questions about using the IML.

Microsoft365 + Phones

As of June 30, 2025, CIA has moved completely to the Microsoft365 (M365) cloud-powered productivity platform that includes email (Outlook), productivity software (Word/Excel/PowerPoint), collaboration (Teams), and file storage/sharing (OneDrive/SharePoint). Please visit here for more information on the transition.

Faculty and staff with phone extensions will also notice that their phones are now integrated into Teams, which we hope will provide a more flexible and unified communication experience.

M365 features a robust feature set. The IT team will be working throughout the year to improve fidelity and performance of these M365 tools along with adding new features, as necessary.

Student Laptop Requirements Enforcement + Computer Labs

CIA has annual validation requirements for our longstanding laptop requirements.  If students have yet to complete it, the most important first step for them is to take a brief assessment in our Canvas LMS to ensure they have the technological tools to be successful at CIA. If students haven’t completed this assessment, they should take it as soon as possible. This assessment needs to be completed every year, so, even if it was completed last year, it needs to be re-taken.  It only takes a few minutes to complete. The final deadline to complete this assessment is August 29^th, but earlier responses are greatly appreciated.

Please visit Laptop Requirements Overview page and Laptop Program FAQs for more information.

With all students required to have a laptop for classes, CIA IT, in planning with Cabinet and Academic Division Chairs, have updated all computer labs this summer. Many labs feature high-end displays with laptop docking stations. Fixed Mac/PC workstations are available in labs where workstations have been deemed appropriate. Please note that decisions on these new computer lab configurations were informed by 18 months of prior usage data within computer labs.

Students should be able download and install most frequently used software on their laptops. For information on where to download popular software, including from Adobe and Autodesk, visit the Technology Store page (note: you must be logged in to myCIA to access software for personal devices).

Personal Laptop Printing

CIA IT is excited to announce a new feature that allows students, faculty, and staff to print from their personal laptops. Please visit here for complete instructions and resources.

Contact Us and Service Desk Hours 

The technology staff is here to help. If you need any assistance, please visit support.cia.edu to submit a support ticket. You can also visit our offices and service desks. The hours are listed below:

Administrative Offices (413): 

• Technology Management, Networking and Infrastructure, Online Services, Administrative Computing

• Open 8:30am-4:30pm Monday-Friday

Digital Output Center (115): 

• Digital Printing, Scanning, and Consultation

• Open 9am-5pm Monday-Friday (through ~9/7), Open 9am-9pm Monday-Friday, 2pm-5pm Saturday (starting ~9/8)

Equipment Checkout /Media Services (325): 

• Free equipment loan for all students, faculty, and staff + Classroom/event multimedia technology support

• Open 8am-8pm Monday-Thursday, 8am-7pm Friday (through ~9/7), Open 8am-10:30pm Monday-Thursday, 8am-7pm Friday, 10am-2pm Saturday (starting ~9/8)

Help Desk (116): 

• Drop-in and scheduled support for all technology matters, Student/faculty/staff laptop pickup, Laptop Exemptions

• Open 8:30am-4:30pm Monday-Friday

• Studio and lab space for immersive and emerging technologies, Free equipment loan for all students, faculty, and staff
• Open 8:30am-4:30pm Monday-Friday, Special events by appointment

WiFi Instructions

Please visit wireless instructions on myCIA or visit support.cia.edu if you require assistance with accessing WiFi.

Acceptable Use Policy + Backups

Creating backups of your important files is a key aspect in artistic, academic, and administrative workflows. Per Cleveland Institute of Art’s Acceptable Use Policy, one’s personal responsibilities include making “frequent and appropriate backups of their own work to guarantee protection against loss.”

To facilitate backups, CIA provides several different options for faculty, students, and staff to make backups. You can download a printable version of a document that covers backup options by visiting the Handouts section of the myCIA Technology page. In addition to simply using backup tools, users may also schedule a consultation with Help Desk staff to implement a backup strategy using these tools. To arrange a consultation, please visit support.cia.edu to create a support ticket.

Phish Alert Button + KnowBe4

A “Phish Alert Button” (PAB) is available in Outlook clients and in web-based email clients. The PAB will allow you to report a suspected phishing email with a click of a button without needing to forward the questionable email to IT staff. 

As a reminder, we will continue to train employees by regularly sending out simulated phishing tests. In addition, IT will be sending a cybersecurity assessment (SAPA) to employees in September.

Remember these three rules to stay safe online:

• Rule Number One: Stop, look, and think before you click!
• Rule Number Two: Do you spot a red flag or something phishy about the email? Verify the suspicious email with the sender through the phone.
• Rule Number Three: "When in doubt, throw it out." Delete emails that look suspicious or notify IT by using the PAB to report the message in question.

If an employee clicks on a simulated phishing test, they will automatically be enrolled in some refresher training from KnowBe4. The message they will receive from KnowBe4 inviting them to the training will be in a similar format to the message below. It is ok for you click on the links in these KnowBe4 emails.

From: KnowBe4 do-not-reply@training.knowbe4.com

Subject: You’ve been enrolled in training

Keeper Password Manager

Employees that handle sensitive data should be using Keeper as a password manager. If employees need assistance in using Keeper, please contact support@cia.edu. 

Self-service Conference Room Booking

CIA has adopted a self-service booking tool called Joan. Employees can book the Reinberger Conference Room, 113, 327A, and IML Conference Room (coordinate with IML for space access first) directly by using Joan. Please visit these instructions for using Joan.

Student Texting

Since April 2025, CIA has been using an integrated system for student texting. For students to receive general non-emergency communication text messages from CIA, incoming students must submit this form to opt-in to receive these messages. Continuing students are encouraged to check this form to ensure that we have their correct cell phone number on file as well as submit updates to their cell phone if needed. 

Please note that all CIA community members are automatically signed up to receive emergency emails. Community members can change emergency phone numbers for text messages via this page.

Software Request Policy and Online Services Catalog

For faculty and staff needing to request software or access to an online service, please refer to the Online Services/Software Request Policy and Procedures. Also please refer to the Online Services Catalog (login required) to get a comprehensive list of currently supported services.

IT Readiness for Remote Work

CIA employees may be eligible for remote work per the employee handbook. For those employees who have the need to work remotely, please keep in mind that remote access tools such as VPN should be tested prior to working remotely.

In closing, we are here to help. Please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

Looking forward to a great 2025-2026 school year!

Best,

May 2025 CIA Graduates,

As a friendly reminder, we wanted to prepare you in terms of what to expect with your CIA accounts upon graduation. Action is required on your part to transfer email and Adobe Creative Cloud data.

CIA Email

Your name@cia.edu (formerly name@student.cia.edu) email address along with other Google and Microsoft-related services will cease to function effective May 31, 2025. Due to changes in Google’s terms and services, as well with as the operations of CIA’s Information Technology Department, we have discontinued the service of providing Google accounts to CIA alumni. While we understand that this may be inconvenient for some, 

It is your responsibility to back up/ transfer Google and Microsoft files before May 31st, 2025.

• Google instructions for transferring emails and files
• Microsoft instructions for transferring emails and files

Please make sure to complete this transfer before May 31^st. This guide should walk you through creating a new Gmail account and transferring emails and files.

Adobe Account

Your Adobe account from CIA with your name@cia.edu (formerly name@student.cia.edu)email will no longer be active effective May 31, 2025. Your Adobe account will be disabled on this date, so it is important to save any Adobe data to another location prior to May 31^st. Instructions on how to migrate data can be found here. Note that there are separate processes for regular Adobe data and portfolio data.

If you require additional assistance, please submit a ticket here