ITS updates: NAU Remote Apps, myNAU portal and more

NAU ITS logo

May 3, 2019

As the final days of the 2018-19 academic year approach, ITS has some important updates to share with the NAU community.

GreenPC moves to Virtual Desk, creating an improved NAU Remote Apps experience

Did you know that all students, faculty and staff have access to more than 50 software applications through NAU Remote Apps?

Information Technology Services (ITS) has been working to improve the remote desktop experience by adding more software and a streamlined method for accessing these tools. NAU Remote Apps can be accessed through a browser or directly on your desktop for a more immersive experience.

NAU Remote Apps provides access to the following software and many more:   

  • Adobe Creative Cloud suite
  • Microsoft Visio and Project (in addition to the Office 365 package)
  • Wolfram Mathematica, MathWorks, SPSS, and other research and statistical programsVisual Studio and the latest development tools
  • Palisade, Tableau and more

In addition to improving the NAU Remote Apps experience, ITS also will be migrating the old GreenPC environment to the Virtual Desk, known as vDesk. All of the functionality available on GreenPC exists on vDesk. Users accustomed to connecting to GreenPC will be redirected to the new vDesk process.

NAU Community portal officially becomes the myNAU portal

On May 22, my.nau.edu will be fully converted to what has been previously known as the NAU Community. Anyone who accesses my.nau.edu will be redirected to the new portal.

After a year of testing, receiving feedback and making improvements, ITS will transition to the new portal and decommission the old myNAU portal. The new platform is built on a more flexible and modern technology, which means new features can be added over time.

Two remaining functions from the legacy portal, Directory Services and Email Manager, will still be available from the new portal. These services will be addressed in a future phase.

Additional details and a link to a feedback form can be found at in.nau.edu/its/nau-portal.

Additional updates

Important updates to the Virtual Private Network (VPN) will be implemented on May 21. The updates include several security fixes and will provide better support for the latest version of Mac OS.

Over the summer, the Lynda.com online learning platform will migrate to LinkedIn Learning, providing the same online content in a new platform. LinkedIn Learning makes viewing videos on a variety of mobile devices possible and provides more relevant recommendations.

ITS will continue to make improvements to the WiFi networks across campus, working to make connecting and staying connected easier.

Blackboard Learn will upgrade to the Ultra Base Navigation on May 17. This upgrade will make several changes to the navigation structure within BbLearn. Details on the changes are provided on the eLearning Center website: https://in.nau.edu/elearning/bb-ubn/

Tallie Valverde