CCAS Cloud Account Transition

The Columbian College Private Cloud (CCAS Cloud) currently provides access for faculty, students, and staff to various resources, including printing, storage, virtual desktops (Citrix), and classroom technology. 

Currently, CCAS Cloud services are accessed using your CCAS Cloud account. To better align with cybersecurity practices and simplify login approaches for all GW services, your login for both CCAS and other university services will be your GW UserID and password starting in June 2023. You will no longer need a separate CCAS Cloud account to access the CCAS Cloud service; all services currently accessed through the CCAS cloud will be available through the new login. 

Dedicated support will be provided throughout this period for everyone who is impacted, including those on sabbatical or working remotely.

What is changing in Summer 2023?

Beginning in June 2023, access to the following CCAS resources will be transitioned from using your CCAS Cloud account to your GW UserID and password. Including but not limited to:

• Columbian Cloud Portal (Citrix Access Gateway)
• CCAS Cloud Virtual Desktop
  • Cloud Courses
• CCAS Cloud Data Storage (Cloud Network Drives) 
  • G Drives, H Drives, and R Drives
• CCAS Follow Me Printing 
• CCAS VPN
• ServiceNow
• Valt

Some service may require two factor authentication similar to GW email and other services after the transition. 

What is not changing?

• Faculty, staff, and students will still be able to access existing CCAS Cloud resources. 
• The user interface for accessing key CCAS Cloud services will remain the same. 
• The user experience and capabilities for each CCAS Cloud service is expected to remain the same. 

Milestones

Completed CCAS Services Transition from Cloud Account to GWUser ID

• CCAS Firewall (i.e., Sonicwall) to Enterprise Firewall (i.e., Palo Alto) 
• R Drive Migration (i.e., final data synchronization)
• Follow-me Print to GWPrint 
• Academic (i.e., labs and computer classrooms) Workstation Migration
• CCAS_Mac VPN Profile to Enterprise VPN (i.e., Palo Alto Global Protect)
• Citrix
• WebCheckOut
• VALT

 

Ongoing and Planned CCAS Services Transition from Cloud Account to GWUser ID

• Faculty/Staff & Share Office Workstations (ongoing)
• ServiceNow (TBD)

 

Monthly Transition Update

• June 2023 Update 
• July 2023 Update

Completed Community Events 

GW IT leadership will be presenting upcoming changes. The presentations will be delivered during the following CCAS faculty and staff meetings:

CCAS all-faculty Meeting

Date: Friday, March 24, 2023 

Time: 2:00 - 4:00

Location: USC Amphitheater

CCAS Finance & Administrators Meeting

Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2023 

Time: 11:00 a.m.

CCAS Council of Chairs Meeting 

Date: Friday, April 14, 2023 

Time: 10:00 - 12:00

Location: USC Grand Ballroom

POD 1 Management Team Meeting

Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2023  

Time: 11:15 a.m

Location: Phillips Hall 210A

CCAS Research Faculty Town Hall

Date: Tuesday, April 25, 2023 

Time: 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Location: Online (Zoom)

CCAS Office of Faculty Affairs Outreach  

Date: Monday, May 8, 2023 

Time: 1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Location: Online (WebEx)

CCAS Clinical Practice Outreach 

Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2023 

Time: 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Location: Online (WebEx)

CCAS Office of Graduate Studies Outreach  

Date: Thursday, May 25, 2023 

Time: 10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Location: Online (WebEx)

Timeline

GW Information Technology (GW IT) is currently working on the changes that will enable a smooth transition. The transition will take place in phases over the summer of 2023. GW IT will coordinate with individual CCAS departments to plan the schedules for the transition.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

How does this change impact me and when does it start?

Your login for both CCAS and university services will be your GW UserID and password starting in June 2023 with a phased approach coordinated with each department. You will no longer need a separate CCAS Cloud account; all services currently accessed through the CCAS cloud will be available using your GW UserID and password. Migration dates for workstations and services will be communicated when they are scheduled. 

How will GW IT manage the increased demand for support as faculty and staff return to campus for the fall semester?

GW IT will have additional resources available to assist CCAS faculty and staff upon their return to campus. Support staff will be available all summer and can assist with migrations to avoid the fall rush.

If I am out of the office during this summer, will my CCAS Cloud account be deactivated?  If not, will I still be able to log into my computer and other resources with the CCAS Cloud account? Will there be a sunset clause or specific date when I have to have everything cut over?

No date has been set for deactivating CCAS Cloud accounts. As services are transitioned, they will only be accessible using your GW UserID.

Will I need to change the password for my GW UserID as often as I have to change the one for my CCAS Cloud account?

No. GW UserID accounts provide additional protection through two-step authentication (2SA), which eliminates the need for frequent password changes. 

Why is GW IT performing such a significant change during a time when many faculty are out of the office?

GW IT worked with CCAS leadership to schedule the migration during the summer to ensure that the changes are made with minimal impact to academic and research activities.

Services-related Questions

Will this impact my access to CCAS Cloud services while I’m on sabbatical, or working remotely? 

No. You will not lose access to CCAS Cloud services. As services are transitioned, you will need to access them with your GW UserID.

I have specialized software on my computer. Will I still be able to access it?

Yes.

Will I still use the CCAS_MAC_VPN profile to access my network storage?

GW IT is in the process of transitioning to a new VPN client. You will still have access to your CCAS Cloud network storage, including your Home (H) and Group (G) network drives.

GW IT is replacing the Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client with the Palo Alto GlobalProtect VPN Client. AnyConnect will be retired on August 8, 2023. How to download GlobalProtect

Will data stored in the CCAS Cloud be moved?  

No storage will be moved, only authentication is changing.

How will this change impact my access to Citrix and ServiceNow?

Once a date is coordinated and communicated, the change will be made, and you will be required to sign-in with your GW UserID. 

What will happen to key CCAS Cloud services such as Citrix and ServiceNow in the future?

There are no changes to the service other than authentication. They will continue to be maintained and supported by GW IT.

How will the change impact the SRA App in ServiceNow? Will it change how users are granted access? 

The SRA app will be available post-change and users will be able to access it via their GW UserID. Access will continue to be granted by submitting a ticket to IT. 

Can the CCAS Intent to Submit webform be made available to all GW users without the need to authenticate?

After the change, the CCAS Intent form will be available to all GW users, but will require authentication with your GW UserID. 

Questions and Feedback

If you have questions or feedback about this change, please share them with us by submitting a Technology Consult and Feedback Digital Workplace form, and a member of the project team will be in contact with you.