Information Technology Services

Archives: Bulletins

October 20: Discover How Azure AI Foundry Can Accelerate Your Research 

Interested in exploring how AI can support and enhance your research? 

Join Information Technology Services (ITS) and Microsoft on Tuesday, October 20, for the George Mason Foundry Day, a hands-on introduction to Azure AI Foundry and the growing opportunities it offers for research, experimentation, and innovation. 

During this one-day launch event, you’ll learn how researchers can leverage Foundry throughout the research lifecycle, see live demonstrations, hear directly from fellow George Mason researchers, and gain practical guidance on accessing and using the platform within Mason’s Azure environment. 

Featured sessions include: 

  • Azure AI Foundry orientation and core AI concepts 
  • Real-world research use cases from George Mason researchers 
  • Live demonstrations of building solutions with Foundry 
  • Guidance on usage, costs, governance, and responsibilities 
  • Access and support resources available through ITS 
  • Open discussions and networking with peers and Microsoft experts 

October 20 | 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. 
Merten Hall, Room 1204 (Location Updated) 
Lunch and networking included 

TimeSessionLead(s)
10:00 – 10:15 a.m.Welcome and Launch ContextGeorge Mason Leadership and Microsoft
10:15 – 11:15Foundry Orientation: Research Lifecycle, Capability Selection, and Core AI ConceptsITS, Casey Campbell, and Microsoft
11:15 – 11:30How to Get Started in Foundry at George MasonITS and Microsoft
11:30 – 11:50Researcher SpotlightHadeel (Researcher)
11:50 – 12:30From Research Problem to Foundry SolutionRemo Leone Laudo, Researcher, and ITS
12:30 – 1:00Lunch / NetworkingAll
1:00 – 1:45Live Demonstration: Building with FoundryRemo Leone Laudo and Nicholas Piesco(Microsoft) 
1:45 – 2:20Understanding Usage, Cost, and ResponsibilitiesNicholas Piesco and ITS
2:20 – 2:40Open Q&A and Use-Case DiscussionITS
2:40 – 3:00Event Wrap-upAll

Whether you’re just beginning to explore AI or looking to advance your current research initiatives, this event will help you better understand what’s possible and how to get started. 

Reserve your spot: George Mason Foundry Day Registration 

Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2026

Information Technology Services (ITS) is observing Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October with daily Instagram posts and events to promote online safety and security. 

The National Cybersecurity Alliance, which sponsors the annual observance with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), is encouraging people to make life hard for cybercriminals by building safe, consistent online habits daily. Those habits make it harder for cybercriminals to access personal data and compromise accounts. 

ITS encourages users to recognize that each person is responsible for protecting their personal data and George Mason’s IT systems and assets. To promote online safety and security, ITS has events planned to share information that helps people stay safe and take precautions online. 

Cybersecurity Awareness Month plans are: 

  • Daily Instagram Tips: Each day during the month, ITS will provide a tip about online safety and security. 
  • IT Security Trivia: The ITS Cybersecurity Operations team will host a trivia contest on Tuesday, October 6, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Johnson Center, Kiosk B. Prizes will be awarded for correctly answering cybersecurity-related questions. 
  • Ask Me Anything Reddit Thread: From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 15, ITS will host a Reddit Thread where Cybersecurity Operations staff will answer cybersecurity questions. 
  • This is How We Do IT — Cybersecurity at George Mason University: 2 p.m. Tuesday, October 20, Johnson Center, Room C. Cybersecurity Operations team members will participate in a panel discussion about IT Security at George Mason, what they do to keep George Mason safe, and what interests them in IT Security. The panel discussion will be hybrid, with an option to attend via MS Teams.   

ITS continually takes steps to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. Among the ways ITS is helping community members stay safe are: 

  • Providing alerts about phishing attempts. When ITS receives phishing email reports, it posts an alert on the ITS website and notifies recipients. Find phishing alerts at  
  • Making it easier to report phishing. Employees can report phishing emails directly from an Outlook inbox. 
  • Annual training. Each year, employees must complete IT Security Awareness Training that helps them recognize phishing emails, follow safe online practices, and avoid scams. 

Adopting safe and secure online behavior can help you protect your information and George Mason’s IT systems. And yes, it can make it harder for cybercriminals to scam you. 

Upcoming Microsoft 365 Changes for October 2026

SharePoint OTP Retirement: Changes to Guest Access

To create a more secure file sharing process, Microsoft is changing SharePoint sharing permissions and deprecating legacy one-time passcodes. As a result, MS Teams owners, SharePoint site owners, or OneDrive account holders may receive reports of external members having lost access to their shared data. To resolve this, the owner should re-share any file, folder, or site with the affected guest, after-which guests should regain access to existing shared resources as well. 

Legacy Outlook for Mac Retirement 

Starting October 2026, the legacy Outlook for Mac desktop client will cease working with Exchange Online. Users will need to switch to the New Outlook for Mac desktop client or Outlook on the Web (OWA) to check their email with the Mac OS.

Exchange Web Services (EWS) Retirement

Microsoft will begin retiring Exchange Web Services (EWS) in October 2026, with full retirement completed by April 2027. Applications that rely on EWS to connect to Exchange Online may experience service disruptions through the final retirement in April 2027. Mac Mail (Apple Mail for Mac) is one of the most widely used applications that relies on EWS. Microsoft is working with Apple to support the transition; however, functionality remains dependent on Apple providing the necessary updates. If you are a Mac Mail user and experience issues using the application, it is recommended to switch to the Outlook for Mac desktop client or Outlook on the Web (OWA).

New School Year, Same Old Phishing

The new school year brings an increase in phishing attempts by cybercriminals who know people are busy. 

As students, faculty, and staff are settling into the 2026 – 27 academic year, it’s an important time to remain on guard and to report any phishing attempts you may receive. Reporting phishing emails allows ITS to properly assess and notify others who may be targets.

Cybercriminals try to take advantage of the busyness of a new semester to catch members of the George Mason community off guard and lead them to respond to phishing emails. Many times, phishing emails are unsolicited, look official, and seem urgent, often tricking recipients into replying. If you received an email you believe is a phishing email:

In addition, be wary of requests to purchase gift cards. Cybercriminals often send emails with subject lines such as “Are You Available?” or “Urgent Request,” impersonating George Mason deans and executive officials. They request a cell phone number to text a message. They add urgency to requests to purchase gift cards and then text back the gift card number and PIN. When the information is sent to the cybercriminal, they withdraw the money from the card, and the sender is out the money. 

Even amid this exciting time of the year, use caution and examine emails to ensure they are legitimate. If you have a question about the legitimacy of an email, contact ITS Support 24/7 at 703-993-8870 or via live chat at  https://its.gmu.edu/chat/.

Coming August 20- New Zoom Web Experience

Effective August 20, 2026: The George Mason Zoom web homepage will be updated and will have a new look. Zoom is making this change to provide a unified, intuitive interface to help users access key features faster and manage settings more efficiently.

See New Zoom Web Experience – August 2026 for a snapshot of the biggest changes users will see or https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0084872 for full details of what is changing