On December 2, the Information Security Office will roll out revamped annual training for IT administrators across the University.
The new training has a new name, is more user friendly and is now conveniently accessible where UNC-Chapel Hill employees are accustomed to going for other training — the University’s Carolina Talent Learning platform.
The revamped training is called IT Administrator Policy & Standards Training. It used to be called SAI Systems Administrator Training, and it was accessed through the now-decommissioned Sakai learning management system.
IT admins keep UNC systems secure
The training is for more than 100 IT administrators across campus who are ultimately responsible for key systems and services. This includes systems administrators, client administrators, network administrators, web developers, web application developers, software developers and others.
“Essentially, if you administer an IT technology of any kind, this training is meant for you,” said Sam Garcia, an information security specialist in the Information Security Office.
Garcia overhauled the training and lent his voice to the narration. “Yes, a video-based training, finally!” he said.
As the name indicates, the IT Administrator Policy & Standards Training focuses on informing IT administrators of the IT policy and standards at UNC and incorporates important new concepts that the Minimum Security Standard (MSS) introduced in May 2024. The revamped training is a 25-minute video that covers all the relevant IT policy, a downloadable handout with resources and contact information and a 10-question quiz.
Revamped training adds new format, convenience, opportunities
Aside from a more engaging format, the platform move from Sakai to Carolina Talent adds convenience. Carolina Talent is the central hub for training at UNC, meaning a lower learning curve for users. Carolina Talent will also help users keep track of their compliance by automatically adding the course to their transcript.
The move to Carolina Talent also enables automated notifications. Garcia noted that the notification system was an entirely new option for the training and that the system will send reminders that the training is due. If users miss their “complete by” date, Carolina Talent will send a past due email to the user and their supervisor.
The reminder system is especially helpful since the frequency of the training is also changing. “This is now an annual training,” Garcia said. Annual training means more opportunities to share information and ensure IT administrators are informed about any changes to UNC polices or standards.
Part of larger security initiative
The Information Security Office overhauled this important training as part of a larger multi-year initiative to revise the University’s security guidance and processes to further ensure that UNC can utilize technology safely and responsibly.
This larger revision to the security program is based on the principle that UNC must meet regulatory, statutory and legal compliance obligations as well as societal expectations about appropriate management of University data. As part of that principle, anyone who administers and makes decisions about information technology for Carolina also accepts responsibility and must be appropriately trained.
Because everyone at the University has a role in keeping the University safe, all faculty and staff are required to take annual cybersecurity training. The Information Security Office will soon release a revamped version of this training as well.
If you have questions about security training or other IT security issues, use the “Get Help” button in the Help Portal to contact the Information Security Office.