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Orange Online: March 2026 Student Newsletters

This message was originally shared to all students via email on March 5, 2026.

Orange Online at a Glance

Each month, Information Technology Services provides tech tips for the Orange community. Pressed for time? Here are this edition’s topics:

Information Security Awareness

Phishing is often the security threat people know best, but it’s not the only risk facing our campus community. Our latest Information Security Awareness articles highlight other important topics you should understand:

  • Doxxing: Learn what it is, why the public exposure of private information is a serious threat, and simple steps you can take to protect yourself online.
  • FERPA and Student Privacy: Even a casual conversation about a student’s grades can violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Understand your responsibilities and how to safeguard student information.
  • Device Theft and Loss: A lost or stolen device doesn’t have to become a data breach. Discover how encryption protects sensitive university data and what steps you should take now.
  • Notes from the CISO’s Desk: Not all AI tools offer the same protections. Learn why using Syracuse’s approved AI services is essential for protecting university and student data.

Review these articles to better understand your responsibilities and reduce potential risks.

    Study Breaks

    Need a quick break from studying? Stop by and see ITS at our upcoming Study Breaks. We’ll be at the Digital Scholarship Space in Bird Library on March 26 with cupcakes. Grab a treat, say hello, and learn more about ITS services, events and newsletters. Learn More.

    Music Mondays

    Student musicians! Join us March 16 or April 6 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the MakerSpace in Marshall Square Mall. Meet fellow SU musicians, find collaborators and tour our music and tracking rooms. All genres welcome. Space is limited to 30 per session—sign up today! Register.

    Take Our AI Event Survey

    Help us plan our next AI event! We’re designing a student-focused session on generative AI and want your input on format, topics and activities. Take our quick 2-minute survey and help shape the event. Your feedback will directly influence what we create! Take Survey.

    Upcoming Campus Events

    Join us for upcoming sessions: Tech Topics: Digital Accessibility 101 (March 19, 1 to 2 p.m., Teams), AI at Work: Claude Success Stories (March 25, 2 to 3:15 p.m., 216 Marley and Teams), and AI at Work (April 15, 2–3:15 p.m., 216 Marley and Teams).  Register.

    Spring Break Travel Tip

    If you will travel for spring break, it’s a good idea to configure your multifactor authentication (MFA) methods to ensure you retain access to your University accounts wherever you go. ITS recommends you download and configure the Microsoft Authenticator app on the mobile device you will take with you. MFA.

    Digital Accessibility Tip

    To ensure an accessible conversion from a Microsoft file (e.g., Word or PowerPoint) to PDF, go to File, then Save As (or Export) and select PDF from the dropdown menu options. Avoid all other PDF conversion methods when saving. For detailed guidance, visit our Saving as an Accessible PDF page. Office Hours.

    AI Insights

    Explore the latest in artificial intelligence with AI Insights, the newsletter for all things AI. Whether you’re looking to enhance your work with smart tools or simply stay informed, each issue brings you news from higher ed and the tech world and weekly AI tips. Newsletter. 

    Tech Tips Weekly

    Stay connected and ahead with Tech Tips Weekly—for quick, practical advice to make the most of campus technology. Each week, our new newsletter delivers easy-to-follow how-tos, timely service updates and insider looks at the newest features, tools and resources. Subscribe. 

    Helpful Resources

    ITS and the campuswide information technology community are available year-round to help with your tech questions. Resources include:

    Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

    Tech Tips: March Faculty/Staff Newsletters

    This message was originally shared to all faculty and staff via email on March 5, 2026.

    At a Glance

    Each month, Information Technology Services provides tech tips for the Orange community. Pressed for time? Here are this edition’s topics:

    Information Security Awareness

    Phishing is often the security threat people know best, but it’s not the only risk facing our campus community. Our latest Information Security Awareness articles highlight other important topics you should understand:

    • Doxxing: Learn what it is, why the public exposure of private information is a serious threat and simple steps you can take to protect yourself online.
    • FERPA and Student Privacy: Even a casual conversation about a student’s grades can violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Understand your responsibilities and how to safeguard student information.
    • Device Theft and Loss: A lost or stolen device doesn’t have to become a data breach. Discover how encryption protects sensitive university data and what steps you should take now.
    • Notes from the CISO’s Desk: Not all AI tools offer the same protections. Learn why using Syracuse’s approved AI services is essential for protecting university and student data.

    Review these articles to better understand your responsibilities and reduce potential risks.

      Claude Success Stories

      We’re looking for faculty and staff to share how they’re using Claude in their day-to-day work at Syracuse University. Join AI at Work: Claude Success Stories on March 25 from 2 to 3:15 p.m. (216 Marley and Teams). Interested? Email itscomm@syr.edu — your example could inspire others on campus. Participate.

        Upcoming Events

        Join us for two upcoming events! Tech Topics: Digital Accessibility 101 on March 19 from 1 to 2 p.m. (Microsoft Teams) offers a practical introduction to creating accessible digital content. Then, attend AI at Work on April 15 from 2 to 3:15 p.m. (216 Marley and Teams) to explore how AI can support your work. Register.

        Adobe Tools for Faculty and Staff

        As an Adobe Creative Campus, Syracuse University offers faculty and staff access to Adobe Express, Adobe Sign and Adobe Acrobat, which offer the following features:

        • Adobe Express: Web and mobile design tool for creating social media graphics, videos, webpages and marketing materials using templates and simple editing tools.
        • Adobe Sign: Electronic signature solution for sending, signing, tracking and managing document agreements digitally. If you have not already done so, you can request Sign through the Microsoft Access Package portal.
        • Adobe Acrobat: PDF software for creating, editing, converting and managing PDF documents, including form creation and annotation tools.

        Faculty and staff who currently use the Adobe Creative Cloud should re-install it on their device through the Microsoft Access Package portal to ensure continued access. Starting March 9, 2026, the Adobe Creative Cloud will only be available by requesting it through the Microsoft Access Package portal.

        Spring Break Travel Tip

        If you will travel for spring break, it’s a good idea to configure your multifactor authentication (MFA) methods to ensure you retain access to your University accounts wherever you go. ITS recommends you download and configure the Microsoft Authenticator app on the mobile device you will take with you. MFA.

        Digital Accessibility Tip

        To ensure an accessible conversion from a Microsoft file (e.g., Word or PowerPoint) to PDF, go to File, then Save As (or Export) and select PDF from the dropdown menu options. Avoid all other PDF conversion methods when saving. For detailed guidance, visit our Saving as an Accessible PDF page. Office Hours.

        Claude Resources

        We have a growing collection of resources to help you get more out of Claude—and now’s a great time to explore them. Visit Anthropic’s Claude for Work learning hub for practical guides and use cases, review The Complete Guide to Building Skills for Claude[pdf] to create reusable instruction sets, brush up on the difference between Projects and Skills and watch the recording of our AI at Work: Claude Skills session to see how Syracuse University teams are putting these tools into practice.

        AI Insights

        Explore the latest in artificial intelligence with AI Insights, the newsletter for all things AI. Whether you’re looking to enhance your work with smart tools or simply stay informed, each issue brings you news from higher ed and the tech world and weekly AI tips. Newsletter. 

        Tech Tips Weekly

        Stay connected and ahead with Tech Tips Weekly—for quick, practical advice to make the most of campus technology. Each week, our new newsletter delivers easy-to-follow how-tos, timely service updates and insider looks at the newest features, tools and resources. Subscribe. 

        Helpful Resources

        ITS and the campuswide information technology community are available year-round to help with your tech questions. Resources include:

        • Academic and administrative IT staff

        • Classroom Resource Guide

        • ITS Service Center

        • Self-Serv NetID and password management portal

        Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

        Using Claude’s Microsoft 365 Connector

        By Shannon Glennon, AI Technology Transformation Specialist, Syracuse University ITS 

        By now you’ve likely used Claude to write and brainstorm, but it’s capable of a lot more when connected to the tools you use every day. By connecting Claude to your Microsoft 365 account, you can bring your actual work — your emails, calendar, files and more — directly into the conversation. Here’s why that matters and how to get started. 

        Why Connect Claude to Microsoft 365? 

        Without a connector, Claude works in isolation. It can help you think, write and plan, but it doesn’t know anything about your work. Connecting Claude to Microsoft 365 changes that. Depending on the permissions you set, you can give Claude real-time access to your Outlook calendar and email, OneDrive/SharePoint documents and Teams messages — so instead of describing your situation, you can ask Claude to check. 

        How to Set It Up 

        1. Open Claude.ai and login with your Syracuse University NetID credentials
        2. Click on your profile/account avatar on the bottom left of the sidebar 
        3. Navigate to Settings 
        4. Select Connectors 
        5. Find Microsoft 365 in the list and click Connect 
        6. Sign in with your Syracuse University NetID credentials when prompted 
        7. Approve the requested permissions — Claude will only access what you authorize 

                    That’s it. Once connected, Claude can pull in relevant context from your M365 environment when you ask. 

                    What Can It Actually Do? 

                    Here are a few sample prompts you can try: 

                    • “Summarize my unread emails from this week and flag anything urgent.” — Claude scans your Outlook inbox and gives you a prioritized digest. 
                    • “What meetings do I have tomorrow, and can you draft a prep agenda for my 2 p.m.?” — Claude checks your calendar and builds a ready-to-use agenda. 
                    • “Find the budget proposal I shared on Teams last month and help me update the executive summary.” — Claude locates the document and helps you refine it in context. 
                    • “Draft a response to the message from my department chair about the spring schedule.” — Claude locates the message and writes a professional reply in your voice. 
                    • “Review my work from the past week and create a summary I can bring to my team meeting.” — Claude pulls from your emails, calendar, and shared documents to build a cohesive recap of your activity, decisions made, and next steps — ready to present as needed. 

                    Tips for Getting the Most Out of It 

                    Be specific about what you want Claude to look at. The more context you give, the better the output. “My email” is vague; “emails from the budget committee in the past two weeks” is actionable. 

                    Treat it like a smart research assistant, not a search engine. Claude can read, synthesize and respond, not just find. Ask it to do something with what it finds. 

                    Start with low-stakes tasks. Try it first to summarize, draft or prepare for a meeting. Once you get a feel for how it works, you’ll find your own high-value use cases. 

                    Always review what Claude produces. AI tools are powerful, but you bring the fact checking. Read and edit before you send. 

                    From the Desk of the CISO: Not All AI Tools Are Created Equal 

                    Artificial intelligence tools have become a genuine part of how many of us work. Drafting communications, summarizing long documents, analyzing data, brainstorming — these tools are useful, and they’re not going anywhere. As with any tool, proliferation of data comes with risk. Today’s column is to help ensure you understand the difference between the AI tools that are riskier than others. Some are safe for university business and others aren’t.

                    And that difference matters more than most people realize.

                    Here’s the line I want you to remember: if you’re logging into an AI tool with your own personal account — even if you signed up using your syr.edu email address — you are not using an approved university service, and university data does not belong there.

                    Let me explain why that distinction matters.

                    Syracuse University has negotiated enterprise agreements for several AI tools, including Claude and Microsoft Copilot for work (note: this is different from the free Copilot you might find on the web). Departments can also request access to enterprise ChatGPT. What makes these different isn’t just the brand name — it’s the contract behind them. Our enterprise agreements include data protection provisions that prohibit these vendors from using your inputs to train their models, require them to handle university data responsibly, and hold them to standards consistent with our obligations under regulations like FERPA. When you access these tools through Syracuse’s authentication system — meaning you’re logging in through our single signon — you’re working within that protected environment.

                    A personal account lives completely outside of that protection. It doesn’t matter if you used your syr.edu address to sign up, and it doesn’t matter if it’s the same brand as an approved tool. A personal ChatGPT, Claude, or  Copilot account — none of those carry our enterprise protections. The terms of service you agreed to when you created that account are between you and that vendor, not between that vendor and Syracuse University. Your inputs may be used to train models. Your data may be retained in ways we can’t control or audit. And if something goes wrong, we have very little recourse.

                    So what does this mean practically? Before you use any AI tool for university work, ask yourself one question: did I get here through Syracuse’s login system? If the answer is yes, you’re likely in the right place. If you logged in with a personal password you created on your own, stop and find the approved version — or reach out to my team at infosec@syr.edu if you’re not sure one exists.

                    The productivity benefits of AI are real, and we want you to take advantage of them. We’ve worked hard to make sure approved tools are available. But those benefits come with a responsibility to use the right tool for the right job — and to keep university and student data where it belongs.

                    When in doubt, ask. We’re here to help.

                    Chris Croad is the Chief Information Security Officer for Syracuse University Information Technology Services.

                    Device Theft and Loss: Why Encryption Is Your Best Defense 

                    Laptops, smartphones, and USB drives are convenient but losing one can quickly become a serious security incident. It is a very real possibility that devices containing sensitive university and/or personal data can be lost or stolen. The good news is that encryption can make the difference between a costly data breach and a manageable inconvenience.  

                    What’s at risk?  
                    An unencrypted lost device can expose student records, employee personal information, research data, financial records, and university login credentials. In many cases, a single stolen laptop could trigger a FERPA or HIPAA compliance incident requiring mandatory reporting and potentially affecting thousands of individuals.  

                    What is encryption?  
                    Encryption scrambles the data on your device so that it is completely unreadable to anyone who does not have the correct credentials. Even if a thief physically possesses your laptop or flash drive, they cannot access the files stored on it.  

                    What should you do?  

                    • Laptops: University managed devices are already encrypted, no action needed on your part. If you use a personal laptop for university work, enable fulldisk encryption: BitLocker on Windows or FileVault on Mac. Contact ITS if you need help.  
                    • Cell Phones: Personal and universitymanaged phones can both be encrypted simply by setting a strong PIN or passphrase. Both iOS and Android encrypt data automatically once a screen lock is enabled.  
                    • Removable Storage: Avoid storing sensitive university data on USB drives when possible. If you must, use an encrypted drive.  

                    Always report a lost or stolen device to ITS immediately. Prompt reporting allows us to remotely wipe university data before it can be accessed.