When it comes to technology Stellenbosch University is at the forefront and we can safely say we’re often first with new developments. Although this is to our advantage, it also means we’re regularly faced with unexpected challenges. The past two years we put a new printing system into action. Safecom currently manages a large amount of printing done on campus, and in spite of occassional problems, it holds many advantages for it’s users.
Of which the largest is the issue of privacy. With Safecom your sensitive and/or personal documents will no longer lie around for all to see at the printer. You print the document from the printer and immediately receive your print-out. Less paper is wasted. Often documents end up between someone else’s printing and you have to reprint everything or you print too many copies, but can’t stop the print job in time. This is no longer an issue with Safecom.
To print you select the SecurePrint option on your pc, hold your card against the reader at the nearest printer and choose Pull Print on the touch screen. You can pick up your printing at any Safecom printer on campus.
The printing ques are automatically set up from the server side on each computer on campus. You don’t have to wait for an IT technician to set up your printer if you received a new pc. You can start printing immediately.
At the opposite side of the spectrum we still have older technology which fulfills a similar function. And of course, causes some confusion.
Many of you might recognise the card reader on the right. This is an example of the reader used for printers and photocopiers still running on the Phonenet system, for example in the Photocopy Centre in the Neelsie and JS Gericke Library.
With Phonenet each staff member and student’s UT number is linked to their personal account. Departments use departmental accounts linked to cost points. Each time the relevant person uses his card at a card reader, copy credits are subtracted from his account.
This is the only existing system still utilising the staff or student card’s magnetic strip. Other systems on campus already use the card’s chip to read credits. Eventually Phonenet has to be phased out since it cannot be upgraded. There are currenly 117 machines still operating on the Phonenet system and the aim is to phase out these machines by 2014.
More on Safecom printers on campus
(Information supplied by Ronel Reynecke and Hendrik le Roux)
Tags: safecom
‘n Groot frustrasie met die Safecom stelsel is dat dosente nie drukwerk wat verband hou met doseerverpligtinge daarmee kan uitdruk nie, omdat slegs jou persoonlike rekening daaraan gekoppel word. Dit beteken dat mens alle sodanige drukwerk per e-pos aan die sekretaresse moet stuur sodat dit vanaf die departementele kaart gedruk kan word. Hierdie omslagtige prosedure mors tyd en skep vir almal onnodige werk.