CaTS | Photo by Brett Hull | The Wright State Guardian
Wright State University’s Computing and Telecommunications Services has a detailed history and offers services for the entire campus community.
CaTS history
Michael Natale is the Associate Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at Wright State. According to Natale, CaTS formed in the 1990s for multiple purposes.
“CaTS was started by the university’s administration to assist with the growing importance [of] computers and information systems [that] were playing in the day-to-day operations of the university,” Natale said.
CaTS employees
CaTS employs a number of students and staff on campus. Natale explained that CaTS employs software developers, technicians and engineers on an ongoing basis, as well as students in the Help Desk, Classroom and Computer Lab group and the audio/video services team.
What CaTS does
CaTS manages all the central computing systems that students, faculty and staff use to conduct university business, such as WINGS, WINGS Express and Pilot. CaTS also manages the university’s network and telephone system.
CaTS has a Help Desk to provide centralized technical support for students, faculty and staff. The Help Desk was unavailable for comment at this time.
CaTS also manages technology in the classroom and computer labs, the Wright Print Center, Wright1 card services and A/V services for campus and Nutter Center events.
Phishing emails and WSU students
There is a noticeable increase in phishing emails sent to Wright State students at the beginning of fall semester every year, according to Natale. Natale explained that while the CaTS email security gateway filters out the majority of emails, there are still some that get through. Natale described how CaTS responds to this problem.
“When we detect a phishing email reaching individuals, CaTS will send out an alert to the individuals affected,” Natale said.
Although there are measures in place, Natale wants all Wright State students to be informed about information security policies and tips. There is an information security training program available on Pilot.
