Category Archives: Updates

February 2025 Updates from the Office of the CIO

Updates, UTET, ,
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Successful closure of the Department of Justice web audit at the University
of Texas at Austin 

Enterprise Technology Learning 

As part of our ongoing effort to enhance the accessibility of our online landscape, we are pleased to announce the successful closure of the Department of Justice (DOJ) web audit at the University of Texas at Austin. This achievement was made possible through a cross-disciplinary approach, with the Digital Accessibility Center (DAC) coordinating efforts across various departments. The DOJ commended UT for its commitment to accessibility, stating, “In light of UT’s demonstrated commitment to accessibility and its robust response.” This positive feedback underscores our dedication to providing a learning and working environment in which all users can meaningfully participate. Key insights from the DOJ report, combined with ongoing collaborations with committees, working groups, and policy creation facilitated by the DAC, will help unify digital accessibility knowledge and resources across the UT community. These efforts will ensure that our digital platforms remain accessible, user-friendly, and compliant with the latest accessibility standards. 

School of Information Migration to Microsoft365 

Enterprise Technology Learning 

As part of our ongoing effort to enhance collaboration and productivity within the iSchool, a project has begun to migrate many of their existing data and systems to Microsoft 365. This migration will significantly improve efficiency and collaboration for the iSchool team, while also optimizing resource management and reducing operational costs. This transformation began with a series of initial lunch and learn sessions aimed at familiarizing team members with the Microsoft365 tools and functionalities. After the success of the lunch and learns, the iSchool staff were very interested in moving forward with a strategic migration. The project began with hiring 4 student workers to migrate the iSchool’s comprehensive wiki, with a focus on utilizing the more visual user-friendly SharePoint page designs. 

The Enterprise Technology Infrastructure team is working hard at upgrading outdoor Wi-Fi on campus

Infrastructure 

So far, the team has replaced 95 of the 250 (38%) outdoor wireless access points on campus. The entire lifecycle upgrade is planned to be completed before the start of the fall semester. The new wireless access points support newer encryption technologies, offer improved performance and support more user devices. The outdoor wireless access points on campus are reaching end of life and need to be replaced. In addition to mitigating the risk of these aging devices failing, the new access points offer greatly improved performance. 

Enterprise Technology Organizational Update January 2025

Updates, UTET

I’d like to share several updates from the Enterprise Technology Leadership Team, including how we’re evolving and continuing to create greater alignment across our teams, improve efficiency, and better position us to serve the university’s needs.

It has been a long haul to get to this point, but we are ready to make the necessary organizational changes that I have previously discussed with our team. Yesterday we announced changes to our org chart, new leadership team, and our new website. These changes are effective immediately. We prepared an informational “placemat” that describes our SLT roles and functions along with some FAQs. Please take a look.

Let’s take a look at the top level changes:

  • John Lovelace will be promoted to Associate Vice President of Infrastructure. John and I will work alongside one another to create the strategic long-term plans for the NextGen Network which will help transform the university into a more modern, digital university and enhance teaching, learning, research, and administration. Mike Martell will be promoted to Executive Director and his team will move under the leadership of John Lovelace. He will continue to lead the Data Center operations, Electronic Physical Security, and some aspects of our infrastrcuture.
  • Heather Hanna will be promoted to Associate Vice President of Engagement and Experience for Enterprise Technology. In this role Heather will oversee a critical and complex portfolio designed to bring all aspects of institution-wide IT customer experience, project management office, and IT business relationship management together to advance the mission of the University and provide a seamless experience to the campus community.  
  • Graham Chapman will be promoted to Associate Vice President of Enterprise Platforms. In this role, Graham will be responsible for managing and optimizing the university’s business applications, ERP systems, and academic information systems. Graham will ensure that these critical systems are integrated, efficient, and support the university’s mission of research, teaching, and community engagement.
  • Dave Moss will be promoted to Executive Director of ET Campus Solutions overseeing the management and optimization of enterprise environments such as document management, collaboration tools, web services, and identity management.
  • Mario Guerra previously led Longhorn Experience team which will now be known as Enterprise Learning Technology team. In his role as director, Mario will lead the efforts for digital accessibility and learning management. 

Finally, I’m delighted to announce the launch of the Enterprise Technology website. Thank you to Amanda Walker and Jana Tate for their assistance with getting this off the ground.

Enterprise Technology SLT Org Chart.

UT Works in the Wild!

Updates, UTET, UTWorks, ,

As I sit down to reflect on the journey we’ve embarked on with UT Works, I am filled with a sense of pride and accomplishment. Last month, we successfully replaced an obsolete mainframe software system with a modern, cloud-based solution. This new system, UT Works, is already having a significant impact on our operations.

The thing that is note-worthy to me personally is that this is the first program of this size and scope that I had a chance to be an Executive Sponsor of with our Chief Operation Officer, Jim Davis. It was an amazing experience getting to see our teams work toward such an ambitious goal. It gives me significant hope for our future modernization efforts.

The launch of UT Works is the culmination of two years of collaboration and planning across multiple University units. This new system is helping our team members enhance mission-critical projects, provide data for capital improvements, and streamline workflows. For instance, you may have noticed facilities’ team members now using iPads to manage their work — a clear sign of our transformation from outdated applications to innovative technological solutions.

UT Works worker using iPad to fix a problem.

The feedback we’ve received about the system has been incredibly positive, from frontline workers to project managers. One team member shared, “Learning and discovering UT Works together has been an incredible team-building experience, bridging the old and new!” Another mentioned, “The ability to take and view pictures of parts and equipment greatly aids in identifying necessary items for maintenance.” And one more added, “I love that both minor and major projects can be managed seamlessly in the same platform!”

The success of UT Works is a testament to the sheer number of determined people working in Business and Financial Services; Facilities Services; Planning, Design and Construction; University Housing and Dining; and Utilities and Energy Management. These team members worked with the UT Works technical team, UT Enterprise Technology, and the vendor to design a system that will meet the University’s future needs.

Operational excellence is the foundation of our work together, and this project is a shining example of that. I encourage everyone to recognize our colleagues across the University for successfully implementing this milestone. And if you see a member of our operational team in the field, give them a shout-out. Together, these great stewards of the University make this place run.

For those involved in this transformation, thank you for being part of this incredible journey. I want to continue to build on this success and strive for even greater achievements in the future. We have the team in place and our campus partners are lining up for the future.

September 2024 Updates from the Office of the CIO

Updates, UTET,

As we continue to innovate and improve our services at the University of Texas, I am thrilled to share some of the significant accomplishments and updates from our recent initiatives. These efforts reflect our commitment to enhancing the student experience, optimizing our operations, and staying at the forefront of technology.

New Q-drop Form Launch We are excited to announce the launch of a new Q-drop form and workflow on September 12. This new system standardizes the process for students to withdraw from classes after the census date, making it more efficient and user-friendly.

Fall 2025 Undergraduate Applications For Fall 2025, standardized test scores will once again be required for applications. Additionally, we have introduced Early Action, reduced the number of short answer questions, and implemented a new waitlist process to streamline the application experience.

Data Center Migration We are pleased to welcome UTMB as a new regional customer in our data center. This migration will help reduce operating costs and free up budget for other important projects.

UT Directory Modernization The UT Directory is undergoing a significant upgrade from a Perl interface to a Python framework. This modernization effort will improve maintainability and performance, ensuring a better experience for all users.

ID Card Modernization Our ID Card Center is also being modernized to enhance efficiency, reduce wait times, and transition functionality off the Mainframe. These improvements will benefit students, faculty, and staff alike.

Digital Accessibility Center We are establishing a Digital Accessibility Center to address accessibility issues, expand captioning services, and comply with new ADA regulations by April 2026. This initiative underscores our commitment to inclusivity and accessibility for all members of our community.

AWS Connect Implementation University Health Services has successfully implemented the first AWS Connect queue, with plans to expand further. This implementation will save costs and increase our internal expertise in cloud-based solutions.

These accomplishments would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our ET team and all of our partners. Thank you for your continued support and collaboration.

CIO Updates September 2024Download