New IT service disruption notification system

Dear members of the MIT community,

In an effort to keep you informed of IT service disruptions that may adversely impact the work of our community, we are implementing a new notification system called MIT Atlas Alert.

The system will provide prompt notification of disruptions to core IT services and applications, such as internet, phone, and email. These include planned disruptions that are part of continuous efforts to support and enhance the services provided to our community, as well as unanticipated disruptions due to issues impacting these services.

Our goal is to provide timely notification of these issues, share what we know about their status, link to additional information, and update you once a given issue has been resolved.

Atlas Alerts will inform you of core IT service and application disruptions through several channels:

• Email: All members of the MIT community (except those at Lincoln Laboratory) will receive notification via their MIT email address.
• Atlas Mobile Notification: If you have the Atlas Mobile app, you will receive push notifications on your device. Don’t have the app? Visit the MIT App Store to add it to your device.
• Text Message: You can sign up to receive text messages on the MIT Atlas Alerts website.

We encourage you to opt to receive notifications through multiple channels so that if one system is down, we can reach you in another way. For example, if email services are down, you will receive an alert by push notification and/or text message.

We know that IT service disruptions can be challenging. We hope that prompt notification will reduce confusion and help to inform your planning as we share awareness and information on the extent of the issue and, when possible, a timeline for its resolution.

Please note that this notification system is separate from MIT Alert, which notifies MIT community members about emergencies impacting the campus.

If you have any questions about Atlas Alerts, please contact the IS&T Service Desk at servicedesk@mit.edu or 617-253-1101.

Sincerely,

Mark Silis
Vice President for Information Systems and Technology