Category: General News

Cloud Storage Options for UF

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UFIT is hosting a campus Cloud Fair on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. This online event will be an opportunity to learn about UF-provided cloud options (including research alternatives) as well as hear from the three leading cloud providers: Amazon Web Services, Azure, and Google Cloud Services.

UFIT Cloud Fair
Wednesday, March 29
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Via Zoom

Email it-comm@ufl.edu to reserve a space. Your reservation will be confirmed upon receipt, and you’ll also receive an email the day before the event with the Zoom link.

Cloud Fair will help faculty and staff become aware of the UFIT services to architect IT solutions that comply with the forthcoming IT Rationalization policy. A primary goal of the new policy is to ensure that UF data and intellectual property are protected and secure. One facet of the policy states that UFIT’s Cloud Enablement team is required to approve and assist with the provisioning of compute and storage IT resources by anyone in the university community, including those using public cloud services. For inquiries about the storage and compute options offered by UFIT, please contact Associate Director Barry Kinter.

Making Progress on the Goals for IT at UF

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Each year, Vice President and CIO Elias Eldayrie shares the progress made towards Our Purpose. Our Legacy. The University of Florida Strategic Plan for IT: 2020-2025. The progress is reported in a publication called the contributions report. The 2021-2022 Contributions Report is now online:

https://it.ufl.edu/about/strategic-plan/ufit-highlights-2021-2022/

UFIT reports advancements in context of the strategic plan’s six goals:

1. Enable Student Success
2. Empower the Future of Research
3. Accelerate Philanthropic Impact
4. Elevate the Stakeholder Experience
5. Advance an Analytics-Enabled Environment
6. Build a Resilient Cybersecurity Environment

UFIT’s current strategic plan and previous contributions reports are available on the
strategic plan webpage. Anyone with questions about these publications is welcome to contact the UFIT Communications office.

Prepare for Hurricane Ian

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With Hurricane Ian potentially impacting much of the State of Florida, now is the time to prepare while it is still in the Gulf of Mexico. Gators, know that updated news about campus closings and other important information is available at https://updates.emergency.ufl.edu/. This link is also featured as the top header on UF’s homepage and will remain so throughout this weather emergency.

Here are some tech recommendations to consider when campus is in the path of a storm:

• Conserve your laptop battery by exiting out of unused apps and turning on your device’s power-saving mode. Contact your local IT staff if you need assistance making these changes
• Connect with your area’s building emergency coordinator for directions on how to secure work areas prior to a weather event or university closing
• Update your desktop phone’s voicemail so colleagues have an alternative method for contacting you if necessary. Check out UFIT’s Unity Phones help page for setting up and accessing voicemail when away from the office
• Back up important work files using one of UF’s free cloud storage options, like UF Dropbox or OneDrive

Stay safe, Gators!

Quick Tutorials for UF Email, Wi-Fi

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UFIT’s YouTube channel is robust with information and how-to tips on a variety of topics. Since two of the most popular reasons for contacting the UF Computing Help Desk are UF email (GatorMail) and Wi-Fi (eduroam), we’ve curated some of the videos and online documentation available on these topics. So, while you are preparing to teach a class, taking a study break, or waiting for an RTS bus, watch a video or review a how-to doc. And remember, if you ever need assistance with GatorMail or connecting to UF’s eduroam network, just call, visit, or email the IT Help Desk. The Help Desk is available seven days a week!

Getting UF Email (GatorMail) on Your Phone:
https://www.mail.ufl.edu/managing-email/connecting-to-email/

Eduroam — UF’s Campus Wireless Network:
https://youtu.be/94qJtDkxZ1I

Adding a Device to Your Multi-Factor Authentication Profile:
https://youtu.be/1S1y4FzWUZo

Why You Shouldn’t Use GatorMail for External-to-UF (3rd Party) Accounts:
https://youtu.be/iOpwDHpIwGI

Using UF’s GatorMail Phish Alert Button:
https://youtu.be/m5kBbS4_tH8

Setting Up Wi-Fi on your iPhone:
https://youtu.be/kiAlsvQrVFo

Free AI Micro-Credential Courses for Staff

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Now is the time to increase your working knowledge of AI through professional development short courses offered by UF. The Provost’s Office is making the four-hour version of each course available to faculty and staff at no cost. The seven course topics, developed in collaboration with the Colleges of Business, Engineering, Liberal Art & Sciences, and Agricultural and Life Sciences, are:

1. Fundamentals of AI
2. Fundamentals of AI (STEM majors)
3. Applications of AI (Engineering)
4. Ethics of AI
5. Business and AI
6. Data Science and AI
7. Agricultural & Life Sciences and AI

The courses were developed to provide a foundation in machine learning and its impacts across a range of careers and disciplines. The micro-credential option provides a way to learn the lexicon of artificial intelligence, its current uses, and understand the near-limitless possibilities of the AI-supported environment. Upon successful completion of the assessments in the course, participants are eligible to earn a certificate of completion and 0.4 continuing education units (CEUs). To register, visit https://pwd.aa.ufl.edu/ai/courses/.

The discount code for UF faculty and staff is available by emailing Dr. Regina Rodriguez. Anyone wanting more information on the AI micro-credential, or who has questions about the registration process, may also contact Dr. Rodriguez.

Tech Support for All Gators

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Whether you are in Gainesville, Lake Nona, Leesburg, The Villages®, UF Scripps Biomedical Research, UF Health-Jax, or an IFAS extension or research center, IT support is just a call or service ticket away.

The UFIT Help Desk provides 24/7 support for account resets and more. Centrally located on the Main campus in 132 Hub, the UF community can get help with VPN access, GatorLink authentication issues, applications within myUFL and ONE.UF, as well as thesis/dissertation support.

IFAS IT enables extension services and agricultural research around the state with technical experts who understand the needs and programs used by IFAS faculty and staff. IFAS IT has an excellent, resource-filled website you can peruse or click the Get Help Now! button to submit a ticket.

The UF Health IT department provides support for clinical applications, like the Epic tool. They also provide expert assistance with instructional technologies, IT Training, videoconferencing needs, SharePoint, myTraining, and for telemedicine issues.

The Scripps Help Desk offers onsite technical support for the scientists, students, and staff at UF Scripps Biomedical Research. Contact them (scrps-fltech@mail.ufl.edu) for assistance with system access issues, technical support, or to order A/V services.

Cancer Patient Dataset Available

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To expedite clinical data delivery, UF Health’s data experts recently introduced ready-for-use, UF Institutional Review Board-approved patient record registries so faculty and staff can advance medical knowledge and the delivery of care.

UF Health Integrated Data Repository Research Services released a new dataset featuring details about more than 300,000 patients diagnosed with or suspected of having cancer at UF Health since Jan. 1, 2012. The dataset is available for anyone within the UF and UF Health community. This follows broad use of the UF Health COVID-19 patient dataset which includes records for 300,000-plus patients who presented with COVID-19-like symptoms, and were tested for COVID-19 at UF Health since Jan. 1, 2020. With pre-approval by the IRB, the protected patient information in these registries is de-identified and delivered quickly, bypassing the customary study-specific review.

For details and examples of how this data can be used, please click here for the full story along with a faculty Q&A.

Supporting UF’s Campus Master Plan

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UF’s campus master plan directs the use and strategy for university buildings and land resources. When new buildings are proposed or existing buildings are renovated, two teams from UFIT–Construction Management and A/V Design & Installation–work with UF’s Planning, Design, and Construction.

“Our department relies on UFIT’s expertise to drive the success of every project we have on campus,” says UF Construction Director Frank Javaheri. “With their involvement from the concept during the programming phases, UFIT provides the information necessary for budgetary requirements, procurement of telecom and A/V equipment, and coordination and installation. Partnering with UFIT, we can provide the best systems the university needs for our day-to-day activities, education, research, and other advancements.”

UF PD&C sends the plans for UFIT evaluation. UFIT’s Construction Management team evaluates the project’s telecommunications budget, confirms the plans have adequate space for telecommunication rooms, and evaluates the proposed location for conflicts with existing underground telecommunications assets. UFIT’s A/V Design & Installation team, integrated into campus construction projects for the last decade, works with PD&C on all projects with an audio and/or video technology component. Staff meet with stakeholders to determine their needs and ensure a high-quality product at the best cost for the university. A longer story of UFIT’s involvement and commitment to the campus construction process, with focus on the design and build of Malachowsky Hall, is online.

Saira Hasnain Named Associate VP

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On March 24, VP and CIO Elias Eldayrie announced the promotion of Saira Hasnain, Ph.D., to associate vice president and deputy CIO. In this role, Saira will continue to oversee the Infrastructure and Communication Technology department while also helping UFIT achieve the goals in the 2020-2025 UF Strategic Plan for IT.

Hasnain’s additional responsibilities include assisting Eldayrie by:

1. Providing leadership and guidance in critical areas of technology planning and strategy.
2. Developing a roadmap to improve UFIT service quality and overall operational effectiveness.
3. Providing leadership, direction, and support at the institution, state, and national level, with broad-reaching institutional and statewide impact
4. Acting on behalf of UFIT as needed or, in the absence of the VP and CIO, serve as the principal UFIT officer on executive decisions and executive-level committees.

Since joining UFIT in 2016, Saira has demonstrated significant leadership, leading consolidation efforts to enhance service delivery for academic, research, and administrative needs. Under her leadership, the UF Data Center upgrade was the strategic enabler to implement UF’s supercomputer HiPerGator AI. She also led UFIT’s implementation of the OneIT initiative by completing the IT rationalization efforts in voice communication, email, DNS, networking, storage, and cloud technologies. Saira’s transformational leadership style fosters a strong culture of quality, transparency, and innovation, elevating the entire organization and creating standards of excellence.

Organizational Changes Announced

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VP and CIO Elias Eldayrie announced a reorganization of Enterprise Systems (ES) into two departments.

The reorganization will optimize how UFIT works, flatten reporting lines to create a more nimble management layer, and enable progress towards the 2020-2025 University of Florida’s Strategic Plan for IT. The new departments, their inaugural directors, and functional teams are:

Applications, Development, and Integrations (Nicole Garvey Jeffers)
● Systems and Programming (ERP/UX/EDM)
● Business Support & Change Management
● Student Life, Development Services, & CRM

Data Platform and Analytics (Jim Freymann)
● Master Data Management
● Integrations
● DBA & ETL
● Reporting & Analytics
● Data Science & Analytics

Nicole Garvey Jeffers is the director of Applications, Development, and Integrations. Nicole has been with the university since 2005, most recently as associate director of ES. Nicole has held many leadership roles with UF’s PeopleSoft (myUFL) environment, including significant contributions to the HR and Financial upgrades. She also served as the technical lead for the COMPASS program’s implementation.

Jim Freymann is the director of Data Platform and Analytics. Jim has been with UFIT for over 15 years, most recently as associate director of data analytics. He served as the COMPASS program director, led the ES operations and change and release teams, and managed UFIT’s Project Management Office for six years. Jim also was technical lead for UF’s COVID-19 Return to Campus data and reporting initiative.

Both Nicole and Jim are now members of the CIO Senior Leadership Team and report to the VP and CIO.