Category Archives: UTET

Mid Century UT Enterprise Technology

AI, UTET,

I am not sure what it is about the UT brand that makes me think about the mid-century modern aesthetic. Maybe it is the overall color palette, or some of the rooms I have seen while working in Main. Whatever it happens to be, I really like the vibe of these images that I generated while working on a presentation. I needed some images that spoke to the overall scale of our work and for some reason the AI chose to zero in on this look. I used DALL•E to describe a bunch of styles, but when I stumbled onto this look and feel, I asked it to make one for each part of our org. I love the Mad Men vibe that some of them throw off.

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

August 2024 Updates from the Office of the CIO

Updates, UTET,

I am thrilled to share the progress we have made in recent months. Our collective efforts have led to significant advancements that have not only enhanced our digital infrastructure but also improved the overall experience for our community.

One of our major accomplishments is nearing completion with two significant network equipment lifecycle projects. The installation of wireless access points is 97% complete, with 3,636 out of 3,759 access points installed across 160 buildings. This project supports newer encryption technologies, improves Wi-Fi performance, and accommodates more user devices. Additionally, the installation of vulnerable switch replacements is 96% complete, with 976 out of 1,020 switches installed across 162 buildings. This initiative reduces risk by eliminating switches that can no longer be security patched, vastly improves performance, and reduces the number of switch models we need to support, lowering the complexity of operations and improving service.

We have also made significant strides in teaching and learning technology. The Simple Syllabus Tool, which provides an easily usable, standardized template for syllabus production and submission, has seen a 259% increase in adoption for the Fall 2024 term compared to Spring. Additionally, we have completed 73 Canvas integration requests between July 1 and August 29, 2024, with 19 more in progress. These integrations ensure that faculty needs are met while protecting student data and lowering the University’s risk of exposing FERPA data.

Another noteworthy achievement is the launch of the Guest Authentication SSO service. This service enhances application access and security for UT guests, visitors, private industry partners, and research collaborators, significantly reducing the need for guest EIDs. Early adopters, such as the Texas Advanced Computing Center and The Alienware Longhorn Esports Arena, have reported high user satisfaction and seamless integration, illustrating the potential for broader application across the University.

These accomplishments are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our Enterprise Technology (ET) team and our partners. Your unwavering commitment and collaboration have been invaluable in achieving these milestones. Together, we have set a new standard for excellence and innovation.

Thank you for your continued support and collaboration. Let’s keep pushing the boundaries and achieving great things together.

CIO Updates August 2024Download

July 2024 Updates from the Office of the CIO

Updates, UTET,

Celebrating Our Achievements: A Summary of Recent Projects

As we continue to innovate and enhance our digital infrastructure, I am thrilled to share some of the remarkable work our teams have accomplished recently. These projects not only demonstrate our commitment to excellence but also highlight the collaborative spirit that drives our success.

Business Process Workflow for Mobile Application Development

Scott Richardson, Manager of the Technical Customer Support Team, recognized the need for a defined process for mobile application development. This initiative ensures that applications are useful, intuitive, secure, and aligned with the UT brand. Scott’s team has been instrumental in guiding customers through this process, and they are currently finalizing the workflow and approvals1.

REDCap Service for the Research Community

In collaboration with the VP-Research, our Campus IT Infrastructure and Services team has initiated a project to provide a central REDCap service for the campus researcher community. This secure, web-based application supports data capture for research studies and aims to offer a robust, scalable service shared across multiple colleges and units2.

GitHub Copilot Proof of Concept (POC)

There is significant interest across campus in testing GitHub Copilot to improve developer productivity and generate more secure code. This POC, a collaboration with Enterprise Technology and many CSUs, has received ISO approval and is now underway3.

MS Azure AI/ML Cloud Services Approval

We are excited to announce that MS Azure AI and ML services are now ISO approved for confidential data. This approval allows CSUs across campus to use these cloud services to support their business needs, significantly expanding our capabilities4.

New MyUT Student Portal

The new MyUT student portal, launched on July 25, 2024, offers a secure, streamlined, and personalized student service. This project, in partnership with Modo Labs, improves security, enhances the student experience, and reduces annual renewal costs. The new portal is a testament to the collaborative efforts of many teams across the university5.

Onboarding of New Data Center Regional Customer

We have successfully onboarded the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) as our newest and largest regional customer in the data center. This migration project helps lower the subsidy needed to run the data center, freeing up additional budget for Enterprise Technology6.

5G Cellular Wireless Network Upgrades

Our Network and Telecommunications team has overseen the installation of new radios and antennas to support 5G services on the main campus and at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. These upgrades will significantly enhance network speeds, capacity, coverage, and reliability7.

Financial Aid and Scholarship Management Systems

We have rolled out new financial aid and scholarship management systems to modernize student services on campus. These systems provide improved compliance, better visibility into financial aid offerings, and more powerful tools for scholarship awarding committees8.

Acknowledgments

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the UT ET team and all of our partners for their dedication and hard work. These achievements would not have been possible without your collaboration and commitment to excellence.

CIO Updates July 2024Download

All Staff Reflection: July 2024

SLT, Thoughts, Updates, UTET

Yesterday we hosted my first hybrid all staff meeting in our new UTA Commons space on the Austin campus. At first, to be completely honest, it was a bit overwhelming seeing so many people together in a room that until yesterday I had not seen more than 10-15 people in at a time. I feel like I am not 100% over the isolation practices of the pandemic times — lots of people in a constrained space make me a little uncomfortable. It is weird because I am in crowded places all the time — airports, concerts, and the like. But, for some reason, it all felt a little surreal doing it in the context of our workspace with over 100 people. By about halfway into the meeting that feeling was replaced with excitement and I can’t wait to do more of it!

Photo of all staff meeting in UTA Commons.

Once the technology started to (mostly) cooperate, I was able to share some thoughts on the organization, the University, and how I want us to shape our role in being the drivers of progress and digital change. I reviewed the slides I shared in my previous post, but this time I was able to pause and talk about the “why” behind the decisions we have made. I was also able to spend a bit of time highlighting a couple of the organizational values we have developed and why I believe they are critically important — I highlighted the importance of Engagement, Service, and Security and how those three values need to be top of mind and at the center of our decision making going forward.

We reviewed the three primary pillars of our emerging strategy and discussed how we see ourselves getting there. The first thing we talked about was the Organizational Roadmap that will provide the guideposts to organizing ourselves appropriately and communicating change to campus.

Screenshot of a powerpoint slide describing our organizational roadmap approach.

We then did a bit of a dive into the IT Modernization workstream that I am aligning with the President’s Change Starts Here strategic plan. The power in this alignment allows us to utilize existing governance structures to address our largest enterprise technology challenges, hear directly from campus leaders, and turn these challenges into opportunities. The slide I shared aligns to five critical areas of focus for us to organize around. You can see it below, and to be honest, the five areas are even more important at this moment than the initiatives contained within each. This framework should help us work with campus partners to make significant progress in the most critical areas of need.

Finally, we discussed how we wanted to improve both the services we currently offer and identify those offered across campus that should be provided at the enterprise level. Essentially, my perspective is allowing the identified services to help dictate how they are delivered and supported in a holistic, enterprise way. In other words, find the services that have enterprise level consumption and treat them like actual enterprise, common good offerings from a central provider. Our campus customers should not need to know who offers a service, just that it is available. This work will need to lean on all of our campus partners, governance groups, and the needs of our audience as the guiding principle.

We closed with what felt like a very open conversation about many topics — talent, growth, work from alternative locations, the need for the team to understand how our budget works, and more. Coming out of the meeting I will be launching a Coffee with Cole series that aims to bring small numbers of staff together with me for more personal conversations. These skip level meetings have always been an important part of my understanding of the real challenges people are facing while trying to do their jobs. And with that said, I cannot wait to continue this journey with my new colleagues as we work to build upon the legacy of innovation in our work supporting this amazing university.