First, we'll focus on the Aladdin eToken. What are your comments on this device?
Has it been easy or difficult to use?
Do you anticipate using the token for purposes other than leave reports?
How do you store your eToken between uses?
Do you have any concerns about using the USB port on your computer?
Responses:
The eToken is very easily misplaced. therefore, you either leave it plugged into your computer or put it in a desk drawer.
At least one person put it on their keychain.
Need a recommended, secure way to store the eToken.
The project and IT employees need to remain flexible to changing the device (from eToken to something else).
No one had problems using the device.
At least one person was using and preferred the USB extension cable.
Using it to sign e-mail.
Looked into putting other signatures (certificates) on the device but did not.
Next we'd like to review the process that issued you the personal digital certificate.
Did you have any scheduling problems? What did it take to resolve them?
Did you have any difficulty creating a password? Please explain.
How would you suggest making the process better?
Responses:
Process went well but we (employees) need "one stop shopping" to get all required university ids and credentials, e.g., Hokie Passport, eToken.
It would have been best to put this on our Hokie Passport.
How do new IT employees hear about this and get their eToken? This is not covered in orientation.
This group did not have problems with creating a secure password but they observed and heard of others that did.
Need some education on the fact that 10 invalid login in attempts/uses of the eToken locks you out so that a visit to StuTel and a password reset are needed.
At least one person observed that the 10 invalid attempts is cumulative and a successful login to the eToken did not reset this threshold and this individual had to go to StuTel for a password reset.
Some confusion exists over why we need this level of security for submitting leave reports when you already have to sign in to the leave system with your PID and password.
A quick discussion about biometric devices revealed that the finger print scanner on the back door of the AISB does not work well and sometimes not at all when the temperature is cold.
The next section deals with installing the software and configuring your system.
Did you have any difficulty installing the software? Configuring your browser? Please explain.
Were the instructions helpful? Did you have any difficulty with them? (skipped step?)
Installation is one of the areas where work is already underway to improve the process, with a greater degree of automation. Would you be willing to uninstall your current software and help us evaluate the automatic installer?
Responses:
One person had unresolved problems installed Aladdin RTE software on a newer laptop. Was getting "rollback errors". Aladdin technical support could not fix it. This person had to bring in an old laptop from home to do leave report. For January/February (2007) leave report the old laptop from home was forgotten and it was the last day for leave reports so on a lark reinstalled Aladdin RTE software and it installed and worked successfully. Only change to the laptop was change from IE6.x to IE7.x
At least one person had no problems with software since it was installed and configured by a systems administrator not the owner/user of the computer.
No reported problems with browser configuration.
Online instructions are too lengthy. Because of this it is easy to skip a step.
E-mail from Erv on 10-9-2006 used unfamiliar acronyms (e.g., PKI) without explaining what it was causing some confusion.
Vista support required before trying new PDC windows installer.
The online leave report was our first application that required personal digital certificates for digital signing.
Did you have any difficulties the first time you digitally signed your leave report?
Were the second and subsequent times easier? Harder? Different?
If you are a supervisor, what are your reactions to the online leave approval process?
Do you see value in the online leave reporting process? Please explain.
Responses:
Several did not like to fact that once your leave report is digitally signed you cannot go back and look at until your supervisor has approved it which may be days.
For employees that do not use a computer much the entire process is a challenge, e.g., postal employees. Especially for those that do not like or use online processes. May need to offer additional training, education and hand-holding for these employees.
The once/day e-mail notice for supervisors is not often enough. Would prefer immediate notification for any and all leave reports submitted then once per day after that.
Another suggestion is to use Instant Messaging (IM) instead of e-mail for notification.
Supervisors cannot review a leave report and do nothing to it. The only options are sign or reject. If you have a question about something you cannot close it to ask the employee a question then come back to it.
Workflow system needs sorting options, useful for supervisors that have many leave reports to approve and sign.
One supervisor was OK with and another irritated by the fact that you have to enter your PDC password for each leave report approval.
One suggested work around is to present check boxes and sign all those checked in one action with one prompt for PDC password.
Another suggestion is to have "baskets" that leave reports could be sorted (moved) into, i.e., sign, pending, reject.
All present saw value in moving to this completely online process.
Several reported they continue to print leave reports and there were no problems with printing.
Finally, are there other comments or observations that you have?
Other comments.
Responses:
Training is necessary. Include a statement as to which end of the device goes into the computer.
State where the device goes on the computer, i.e., USB slot.
State that device is not like a USB drive that needs to be ejected and can simply be pulled out.
A USB extension cable makes it much easier.
The demonstration classes given by Greg were helpful.
Are there plans to move the supplemental leave sheets to this online process?
This same person reported that the first month doing leave that the leave balances were all jumbled up. But they were OK this month.
Several agreed they had a problem simply depositing old eTokens into a locked box. They would rather have someone reformat or destroy contents while they watch pr supply downloadable software for the user to do it themselves.
A one click install and configuration is needed before distributing this widely. Also, a one click install would make changing processes or devices easy and therefore acceptable to the end user.
We need to be cognizant of the number of "devices" needed and used at the university and keep them to a minimum.
Need someway to distinguish one eToken from another in case it is lost or misplaced so the end user can tell who's is who's. For example, put a file on the device entitled "yourname eToken".
Because there is a limit of 10 invalid login attempts before you are locked out of the device is it possible to put a warning message say, for example, after the 5th invalid attempt to say you only have 5 attempts left? Someone mentioned putting up a message every time after the second invalid attempt.