IT Communication Guidelines

This page details ITS' guidelines for communicating important technology information to the university.

Communication Goals

  1. Create clear and concise messages that efficiently communicate IT information.
  2. Communicate in a timely and effective manner.
  3. Diversify communication delivery by utilizing various delivery methods.
  4. Communicate to targeted audiences whenever possible.

Audiences

  • Staff
  • Faculty
  • Students
  • Pre-students
  • Retirees
  • Alumni
  • Other

Standard Communications

Delivery Methods/Channels

Below are the various written communication methods and channels that can be used to communicate information to the university community.

  • Campus Update
  • Direct Email (Adobe Campaign)
  • ITS Webpages (ITS home page, ITS Reported Issues webpage, ITS Chat webpage, etc.)
  • SSO Login/MyBGSU Portal
  • Canvas Dashboard
  • Listservs
  • ITS Service Desk Phone Front End
  • Social Media

Messaging

ITS will send messages regarding services and applications only for which we they are considered owners and works to limit the number of direct, mass emails sent by focusing on targeting specific audiences.

Scheduled/Planned Outages & Upgrades

Scheduled outages are planned in advance. The ITS Content & Knowledge Team requires project managers submit outage information for distribution at least 8 days prior to the outage window. This allows the team adequate time to ensure the information is communicated across all available and applicable mediums in a timely manner. We understand that there are times when an outage cannot be planned for that far in advance, and in those situations the communication process is adjusted to ensure we are giving the impacted population as much advance notice as possible.

Communication Guidelines
  1. ITS project managers (PMs) schedule the outage and communicate to the internal ITS outages listserv. This message should indicate if the maintenance is to be added to the Reported Issues webpage.
  2. If the PM believes the outage merits campus communications (some outages are so minor, or so short, that communications are not necessary. In these cases, the PM will personally communicate the outage information with stakeholders and those impacted), they will send more detailed information to the ITS Content & Knowledge team.  This should be sent at least 8 days in advance to allow for messaging at least one week prior to the outage.
  3. Significant outages with a high level of severity, urgency and impact, may merit a direct email sent to the affected audience. Examples of such outages would be large-scale PeopleSoft outages, or outages to campus systems lasting more than a few hours. ITS communications limits the number of direct campus email messages sent based on recipient feedback and to emphasize that direct emails reflect outages of more serious impact.
    1. Direct emails can be sent to specifically targeted lists, or preconfigured audience lists (see Audience(s) section).
    2. Depending on how early the outage is scheduled and shared, direct messages may be sent in the following intervals*:
      1. Approximately one month prior to the outage
      2. Approximately one week prior to the outage
      3. Less than 24 hours prior to the outage
      4. Less than 12 hours after the outage is complete
      5. *A combination of two or more of the above is usually considered.
  4. All scheduled campus outages meriting communication will be posted in Campus Update. The timing for messages to appear in Campus Update is dependent upon the lead time given, as well as the severity of the outage. A typical outage will be scheduled in Campus Update:
    1. Approximately one week prior to the outage
    2. At least once the week of the outage (multiple submissions may be necessary)
    3. Campus Update allows for a very high-level of audience targeting including All, Students, Faculty/Staff, Firelands, Graduate Students
  5. All scheduled/planned outages will be added to the ITS Reported Issues page, under “Scheduled Outages”, available at www.bgsu.edu/issues.
  6. If the outage impacts a service accessed within the MyBGSU portal or application using SSO, a message will be posted to the SSO login page available at my.bgsu.edu. The message will appear for the entire outage window.
  7. If time allows, outage information can be posted to our social media accounts. If urgent, we may work with the main BGSU social media accounts or other BGSU community accounts to help increase our reach.

**Project managers will always directly communicate scheduled outages with stakeholders and areas directly impacted prior to the sending of any campus messages

Emergency/Unplanned Outages

Emergency outages are handled similarly to scheduled outages, but without advance notice to the BGSU community. Communications usually include mass mail messages because these can be sent out ASAP.

Fraud Notifications

Fraud Notifications are sent when a phishing attack on the university community has been identified. The BGSU Information Security team reviews potential phishing emails, and, if they are determined to be fraudulent, the team will identify the areas of concern and then send an alert to campus.

Have a question or recommendation regarding our communication processes? Is there another communication method that we could add to our list? Feedback is always welcome! Please send your thoughts to mcranst@bgsu.edu.

Updated: 06/23/2023 10:25AM