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[:en]Why is my new PC taking so long?[:af]Hoekom neem dit so lank om my nuwe rekenaar te kry?[:]

Thursday, July 8th, 2021

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If you have been waiting for a computer or other hardware you have ordered, you would have noticed that delivery is taking much longer than usual. This is undoubtedly a big inconvenience and cause much frustration.  

The reason for these delays is a worldwide supply shortage of semiconductors effecting 169 industries, ranging from car manufacturing, steel production, consumer electronics and even soap manufacturing just to name a few.

What caused these shortages? Apart from Covid-19 pandemic causing an increase on the number of people working remotely and requiring equipment, a number of other factors also played a role such as the tech war between the U.S. and China.

It is also not expected that the chip industry will be back to its healthy supply-demand situation until 2023.

The two companies that the university appointed as suppliers for laptops and desktops, Dell and Lenovo also notified us of the severe component shortages, and they are doing their best to shorten delivery periods under these severe circumstances.  The shortages include LCD screens, CPUs, audio cards and network cards resulting in extended lead times.

A more detailed explanation is provided here.

We appreciate your patience. Unfortunately, we are dealing with unusual circumstances beyond our control, but please know that we are trying our best to ensure your orders reach you as soon as possible.

 

 

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Indien jy verlede jaar `n skootrekenaar of ander apparatuur bestel het, sou jy waarskynlik agtergekom het dat aflewering langer as gewoonlik neem. Dis ongetwyfeld `n groot ongerief en veroorsaak geweldige frustrasie.

Die rede vir hierdie vertragings is `n wêreldwye tekort aan halfgeleiers wat 169 industrieë beïnvloed, onder andere motorvervaardigers, staalproduksie, verbruikerelektronika tot selfs seepvervaardigers.

Wat het hierdie tekort veroorsaak? Buiten dat die COVID19-pandemie veroorsaak het dat die hoeveelheid mense wat tuis werk en skielik toerusting benodig het aansienlik vermeerder het, het `n aantal ander faktore, soos die tech-oorlog tussen Amerika en China, ook `n rol gespeel.

Die verwagting is dat die mikroskyfie-industrie nie voor 2023 sal terugkeer na die normale verskaf- en aanvraagsituasie nie.

Dell en Lenovo, die twee maatskappye wat deur die Universiteit aangestel as verskaffers vir skootrekenaars en tafelrekenaars, het ons ook in kennis gestel van die ernstige komponenttekorte en dat hulle hulle bes probeer om die afleweringsperiodes onder omstandighede te verkort. Die tekorte sluit LCD-skerms, CPU’s, klankkaarte en netwerkkaarte in, wat kan lei tot vertraagde leweringstye.

`n Meer gedetailleerde verduideliking kan hier gevind word.

Ons waardeer jou geduld. Ongelukkig bevind ons onsself in ongewone omstandighede buite ons beheer, maar wees verseker dat ons ons bes probeer om seker te maak dat julle bestellings so gou as moontlik afgehandel word. 

 

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[:en]Microsoft Teams performance tips[:af]Microsoft Teams werkverrigting wenke[:]

Tuesday, July 6th, 2021

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Many SU staff members have experienced lost connections during a Teams meeting or sometimes have technical glitches such as poor or broken voice connections. With this short article, we provide some tips to ensure that your next Teams meeting has minimum disruptions. The tips are split into three categories:

  1. Good practices
  2. Preparing for a trouble-free meeting
  3. Steps to take if you experience a poor connection

The good practices include:

  1. Regularly shut down and restart your PC – at least once a day. The shut down and restart cleans the PC of processes taking up resources. A good habit is to shut down at the end of the workday, and start fresh in the morning.
  2. Regularly run updates, ensuring that the operating system and applications are up to date. This should happen almost automatically on University owned PCs.
  3. Regularly run virus checks.

Preparing for a trouble-free meeting – especially important if you are the host or presenter for a meeting:

  1. Close all unnecessary applications.
  2. Test if you have sufficient Internet bandwidth available. You can do this by running an Internet bandwidth test at Speedtest by Ookla – The Global Broadband Speed Test.
    For voice only and sharing images you need less than one MB/second. For sharing applications and using your webcam, you need between 1 and 2 MB/s.
    For video you preferably need 2 MB/s.
  3. Test if your PC has sufficient resources.
    For Windows 10 press Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
    For a Mac the equivalent is the Activity Monitor: Press Command+Spacebar to get the Spotlight search field. 
    Start typing “Activity Monitor.”
    The CPU usage percentage should be under 50% and memory usage below 60% before you start MS Teams.
  4. If your MS Teams app was open before a meeting, quit and start MS Teams again at least 10 minutes before your meeting.
    To do this right click the Teams icon on the task bar and Quit, then start again.

5. If you share your Internet with other users (e.g. at home), ensure that the others know and do not hog the Internet connection. (e.g. do not play video, stream content, run updates).
Turn the camera off and use audio only if  the speed test or PC resources tests did show limitations.

6. If you are the host or presenter and have doubts about your Internet connection, rather work from your office on campus where you are unlikely to run into limitations. Use Ethernet (a cable connection to your router) rather than Wi-Fi if you have Ethernet available.

7. Have a second device with Microsoft Teams as a standby, e.g. a mobile phone with an LTE data connection. Practice switching devices so that you are familiar with how it works before you host a meeting.

Steps to take if you experience a poor connection:

  1. Turn the camera off if it was on.
  2. Turn off incoming video: (last item under the three dots menu).
    You will still be able to see shared screens and comments.

3. Switch to another device as a last resort, for example MS Teams on your mobile phone or tablet.

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Die meeste US-personeel het waarskynlik al die frustrasie ervaar van gebroke internetverbindings tydens ʼn Teams-vergadering of ander tegniese uitdagings soos swak of gebroke verbindings. Met hierdie kort artikel verskaf ons `n paar wenke om te verseker dat jou volgende Teams-vergadering met die minimum probleme gepaardgaan. Die wenke is verdeel in drie kategorieë:

  1. Goeie praktyke.
  2. Voorbereiding vir ʼn moeitevrye vergadering.
  3. Stappe om te neem indien jy ʼn slegte verbinding het.

Goeie praktyke sluit in:

  1. Skakel jou rekenaar gereeld aan en af – ten minste een keer per dag. Die af- en aanskakel verwyder prosesse op jou rekenaar wat onnodig hulpbronne gebruik. ʼn Goeie gewoonte is om aan die einde van die dag af te skakel en weer vars in die oggend te begin.  
  2. Doen gereeld opdaterings en verseker dat die bedryfstelsel en toepassings op datum is. Dit behoort normaalweg outomaties te gebeur op rekenaars wat US-bates is. 
  3. Loop gereeld jou anti-virus sagteware om te voorkom dat jou rekenaar virusse kry.

Voorbereiding vir ʼn moeitevrye vergadering, veral belangrik as jy die vergadering lei:

  1. Maak alle onnodige toepassings toe. 
  2. Toets of jy wel voldoende Internet-bandwydte beskikbaar het. Jy kan dit doen deur ʼn Internet-bandwydte toets te doen met Speedtest by Ookla.
    Vir slegs klank en die deel van grafika het jy minder as een MB/sekonde nodig.
    Vir die deel van toepassings en die gebruik van jou webkamera, het jy tussen 1 en 2 MB/sekonde nodig.
    Vir video het jy verkieslik 2 MB/sekonde nodig.
  3. Toets of jou PC genoeg hulpbronne het.
    Vir Windows 10 druk Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
    Vir MAC is die ekwivalent die Activity Monitor: Druk Command+Space bar om die Spotlight soekveld op te roep. 
    Tik Activity Monitor in die soekveld.
    Die persentasie CPU-gebruik behoort minder as 50% te wees en die geheue-gebruik onder 60% voordat jy MS Teams gebruik.
  4. Indien MS Teams oop was voor ʼn vergadering, maak dit toe en weer oop te minste 10 minute voor jou vergadering begin. Om dit te doen, regskliek op die Teams-ikoon op die taskbar, kies Quit en maak dit weer oop. 

5. Indien jy jou Internet (bv. tuis) met ander gebruikers deel, maak seker dat hulle weet jy is in ʼn vergadering sodat die Internet-verbinding nie onnodig oorlaai word nie (met bv. video’s, TV kyk of opdaterings) Skakel jou kamera af en gebruik slegs oudio as die spoedtoets of rekenaar se hulpbronne beperkings uitgewys het.

6. Indien jy die vergadering lei of aanbied en jy twyfel oor jou verbinding tuis, doen dit eerder vanaf die kantoor of kampus waar dit minder waarskynlik is dat jy probleme sal hê. Gebruik Ethernet (ʼn kabel direk verbind aan jou internetpunt) eerder as Wi-Fi indien dit beskikbaar is.

7. Hou ʼn tweede toestel met Microsoft Teams byderhand vir ingeval, b.v. ʼn selfoon met LTE-data. Oefen om toestelle te wissel sodat jy gewoond is aan hoe dit werk voordat jy `n vergadering moet lei.

Stappe om te neem indien jy ʼn slegte verbinding het.

  1. Sit die kamera af indien dit aan was.
  2. Sit inkomende video af (laaste item onder die driepunt-spyskaart) 
    Jy sal steeds gedeelde skerms en kommentaar kan sien.

3. Skakel oor na ʼn ander toestel as die laaste alternatief, byvoorbeeld MS Teams op jou selfoon of tablet.

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[:en]The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) is here[:af]Die Wet op Beskerming van Persoonlike Inligting (POPIA) is hier[:]

Sunday, July 4th, 2021

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The Protection of Personal Information Act (4 of 2013) (POPIA) is in full effect from 1 July 2021.  A brief summary of the POPIA Act is available here.

To support the University community’s readiness for POPIA, the Division for Information Governance has launched a series of guides and tools at www.sun.ac.za/privacy, including our institutional privacy regulations, an online privacy impact self-assessment, and channels for reporting incidents or breaches of personal information.

The Division for Information Governance also offers awareness sessions, facilitated privacy impact assessments, and internal advisory and consulting services by request. For more details, contact privacy@sun.ac.za

Also read POPIA: How valuable is personal information?

Everlytic, the digital messaging platform, also has various of helpful articles on its website, as well as a handy POPIA Powerpoint guide.

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Die Wet op Beskerming van Persoonlike Inligting (4 van 2013) (POPIA) het op 1 Julie 2021 ten volle in werking getree. `n Kort opsomming van die POPIA-wet is beskikbaar hier.

Ter ondersteuning van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch se voorbereiding om gereed te wees vir POPIA, het die Afdeling Inligtingsoorsigbestuur ʼn reeks gidse en gereedskap gepubliseer op www.sun.ac.za/privaatheid.  Dit sluit in die institusionele privaatheidsregulasies, ʼn aanlyn privaatheidsimpak assessering asook kanale om insidente en oortredings in die gebruik van persoonlike inligting aan te meld. 

Vir meer inligting volg asb. die skakel na www.sun.ac.za/privacy.  Sessies oor bewusmaking, gefasiliteerde impakstudies op privaatheid en interne advies- en konsultasiedienste is ook beskikbaar op versoek. Vir meer inligting, kontak privacy@sun.ac.za

Lees ook: POPIA: Hoe waardevol is jou inligting?

Everlytic, die digitale boodskap-platform, het ook `n verskeidenheid nuttige artikels op sy webwerf, sowel as `n handige POPIA Powerpoint-gids

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[:en]IT HUB closed[:af]IT HUB gesluit[:]

Wednesday, June 9th, 2021

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The IT HUB has been closed this morning due to a positive COVID case of one of the staff members. 

For urgent issues students can go to their Computer User Areas (CUAs) for assistance or for less urgent problems, log a request on servicedesk.sun.ac.za.

IT HUB will be closed until Friday, but we will monitor the situation and keep you updated. 

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Die IT HUB is vanoggend gesluit nadat een van die personeellede met COVID diagnoseer is.

Vir dringende probleme kan studente na hulle Rekenaargebruiksareas (RGAs) gaan en vir minder kritiese probleme kan `n fout tapporteer word op servicedesk.sun.ac.za.

Die IT HUB sal gesluit wees tot Vrydag, maar ons monitor die situasie en sal studente op hoogte hou.

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[:en]Home or office?[:af]Tuis of kantoor?[:]

Monday, June 7th, 2021

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If the past year has taught us anything, it’s that working from home is entirely feasible – depending on the type of job you have, of course. Many companies have opted to allow their staff to work from home even after the pandemic. Opinions on whether this is a good idea are vast and varied. 

Earlier this week US news outlet, Bloomberg, cited that, according to a survey, 39% of US employees would consider quitting their jobs if required to return to work and many already have. Similarly PC Mag reported on the willingness of employees to switch jobs in order to keep working from home.

How do you feel about going back to the office? Has working from home changed your perception of the office? Would you feel safe going back? We would love to know what you think. Please email us at bitsbytes@sun.ac.za. Your comments will be treated as anonymous.

More articles on the topic:

No “back to work” for South African tech companies (Mybroadband)

Image by Chris Benson via Unsplash

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As die afgelope jaar ons een ding geleer het is dit dat om van die huis af te werk heeltemal doenbaar is – afhangende van jou tipe werk natuurlik. Heelwat maatskappye het intussen besluit om hulle personeel tuis te laat werk, selfs na die pandemie. Opinies oor die toekoms van kantoorgebaseerde werk is wyd en uiteenlopend.

Vroëer die week het die Amerikaanse nuusagentskap, Bloomberg, verwys na `n meningsopname wat aangedui het dat 39% van Amerikaanse werknemers eerder sal bedank as om terug te keer kantoor toe. PC Mag het `n soortgelyke artikel publiseer oor werknemers se bereidwilligheid om van werk te verander sodat hulle steeds tuis kan werk.

Hoe voel jy daaroor om terug te gaan kantoor toe? Het die afgelope paar maande jou persepsie oor die kantoor verander? Sal jy veilig voel om terug te gaan kantoor toe? Ons wil graag weet wat jy hieroor dink, so stuur asb. vir ons e-pos by bitsbytes@sun.ac.za. Ons sal jou kommentaar as anoniem hanteer.

Nog artikels oor dié onderwerp:

No “back to work” for South African tech companies (Mybroadband)

Foto: Chris Benson via Unsplash

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