Project Theme: Serving Our Communities

The UNC Global International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) Office will implement a new tool to manage information for international students and scholars. The new tool, Sunapsis, will be the system of record for this information. All UNC international students, faculty and scholars need to follow immigration regulations that are managed using the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). SEVIS is a database used by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It tracks the… Read More about New Tool for ISSS (International Student and Scholar Services).

What is it?   Establish a secondary ITS Service Desk walk-in location in the Student Union. The showcase space will be designed with a focus on the student experience that allows ITS to better serve our student community.   Why are we doing it?   The second location provides more flexibility for the walk-in services, better visibility for the service desk staff, and a business backup/overflow location for the ITS Service Desk.    How does this impact our UNC… Read More about Service Desk Location at Student Union.

Duo is one of the multi-factor authentication tools that the University uses to keep UNC’s systems safe and stay ahead of security threats. In February 2022, Duo released a new version of its web-based prompt that improves accessibility and can automatically send to the last authentication method you used to authenticate — speeding up the process. The new version has a different look with some changes in functionality so the change will be noticeable to… Read More about DUO Universal Prompt.

This project aims to provide a digital platform that handles the end-to-end fiber management at UNC-Chapel Hill. The project will modernize Transport Operations fiber management and develop a continuous process for reconciling Campus ArcGIS Fiber maps. The main drivers are:  Replace Transport Operations spreadsheet management system with an industry-standard software solution for operationalizing map data. This new system will eliminate bottlenecks, documentation debts and communications silos.    Reconcile ArcGIS fiber information with information stored in… Read More about Reconciliation of Outside Plant Documentation.

What is it? The purpose of the data mart optimization project is to streamline processes and provide a way for end users to maintain the mapped values between UNC Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) and the UNC System Office data marts. Why are we doing it? Currently, the data mapping between UNC-CH and the UNC System Office is maintained by developers, and requests for changes are dependent on the developers’ availability. This project will create an interface… Read More about Data Mart Optimization.

After a three-year process involving hundreds of faculty, students, staff and other key stakeholders, the new General Education curriculum is being implemented for undergraduates beginning in fall 2022. This project implemented the system changes needed to support the new IDEAs in Action curriculum (IDEA stands for Identify, Discover, Evaluate and Act), which replaces the current curriculum adopted in 2006. For more information, visit the IDEAs in Action website.

As the Enterprise Data Warehouse grows, so does the time required to run the ETLs that keep it updated. (An ETL extracts, transforms and loads data from multiple sources to a data warehouse.) This project will redesign the nightly ETL for the Enterprise Data Warehouse to make better use of the after-hours time we have to run the jobs and to make it easier to diagnose problems.

What is it? UNC is transitioning from Sakai to Canvas, a web-based learning management system. Institutions of higher education, including some other UNC System schools, use Canvas by Instructure more than any other learning management system. Sakai will be available for teaching courses until the end of Spring 2024. Why are we doing it? While Sakai has worked well for the University, the number of educational institutions that make up the Sakai community has significantly… Read More about Canvas.

Currently, when you set up your Onyen, you answer some questions about yourself. Later, if you ever forget your password, you can answer these questions to prove that “you’re you” and safely reset your password. This security model is no longer considered safe enough by the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), the NIH (National Institutes of Health), REFEDS (the Research and Education FEDerations group), and the University’s own Information Security Office. Current guidance… Read More about Password Reset Using Duo 2-Step Verification.

What is it? This project will migrate approximately 250 unprotected VLANs (“virtual local area networks”) to campus enterprise firewalls. Why are we doing it? Migrating these VLANs will prevent attacks and also limit the scope of attacks across the University. Onboarding the rest of campus will significantly expand the range and depth of the University’s defenses. It will also give ITS unprecedented awareness of which mission-critical systems we need to protect. How does this impact… Read More about Enterprise Firewall Migration.

What is it? The National Institute of Health (NIH) is improving data security and is requiring stronger proof that a person logging into their system is who they say they are. The NIH uses the criteria defined in the REFEDS Assurance Framework to define levels of assurance. REFEDS, which stands for “Research and Education FEDerations,” is an organization that represents the requirements of research and education related to access and identity management. Why are we… Read More about New NIH Requirements for Identity Assurance.

What is it? UNC-Chapel Hill is moving toward passwordless logins with a new option called Carolina Key. When you use Carolina Key, you will be using your device’s built-in security features, such as facial and fingerprint recognition. You can also set up a  PIN. Carolina Key, used with your Onyen, streamlines single sign-on by eliminating the need for a password and two-step verification, while enhancing University digital security. Carolina Key works with all web-based applications… Read More about Carolina Key Passwordless Login.