Multidivisional and Office of the CIO
Prepared for launch of new customer support tool
In the second quarter, teams in ITS completed behind-the-scenes work and trained agents in the new customer support tool, TeamDynamix, in preparation of replacing ServiceNow on July 10.
Partnered to update the Time Information Management (TIM) system
ITS partnered with Finance and Operations to update the Time Information Management (TIM) system. The new cloud-based product launched on April 15.
Launched new AI pilot
ITS began a pilot of Copilot for Microsoft 365, an integrated productivity tool, in June. The pilot includes participants across the University in IT and non-IT roles. Next quarter, the project team will begin the research study phase of the pilot.
Completed Duo updates on UNC systems
Teams in ITS completed a multi-year project to move systems from the Duo traditional prompt to the Duo Universal Prompt or alternate modern solution. This quarter, teams updated VPN to use Single Sign-On and Duo Universal Prompt and updated Citrix to use Microsoft multifactor authentication. Over the life of the project, five ITS divisions collaborated to update five applications.
Updated information security controls
ITS revised the Information Security Controls Standard. The Standard will take effect in phases in the coming months. The updated Information Security Controls Standard will become the new baseline for everyone at the University. The ITS Policy Office and Information Security Office will hold workshops through August.
Launched internal engagement initiative
In Q2, ITS launched a new internal initiative, ITS Connect, which aims to foster staff engagement within ITS.
People
Steve Haring, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Finance & Administration, retired in June after leading ITS’ finances for 16 years.
ITS increased its representation on the Employee forum from five members from four. Theresa Silsby, Sharron Bouquin and Susse Toro were elected as delegates. Silsby and Bouquin are returning; Toro is a new Forum member. The terms of ITS’ other delegates, Michael Williams and David Bragg, expire next year.
Two ITS employees received Employee Forum awards. Theresa Silsby, Customer Experience & Engagement, was awarded the Kay Wijnberg Hovious Outstanding Employee Forum Delegate Award and Ken Whitt, Enterprise Applications, Ken Whitt received a Professional Excellence award.
Security & Identity Management
Deployed new protection and monitoring tool
In April, the Information Security Office deployed a new endpoint detection and response (EDR) tool. The new tool replaces two tools used for endpoint protection and 24/7 monitoring and includes new identity protection and detection features.
Completed four-year firewall migration project
The Information Security Office finished most of the work on a four-year-long firewall migration project. The migration moved about 200 unprotected VLANs (virtual local area networks) to campus enterprise firewalls.
Enhanced security for guest Wi-Fi networks
The Information Security Office completed the first phase of configuration changes to guest Wi-Fi networks to strengthen the security of University resources. On June 4, ITS removed UNC-Guest and UNC-Guest-PSK subnets from the UNC_Campus address book entry on the firewall. Phase two will happen in July.
People
Erin Towne joined the Information Security Office as a senior program business analyst for information security.
Customer Experience & Engagement
Communicated with campus
In the second quarter, ITS Communications published 22 ITS News articles about five ITS divisions. WorkWell republished three articles.
Updated brand guidelines
ITS Communications updated ITS brand guidelines for the use of AI and image and photo manipulation to provide clarity and align with guidance from University Communications.
Extended accessibility learning opportunities
This quarter, the Digital Accessibility Office (DAO) offered multiple learning opportunities to campus. The DAO co-organized a statewide virtual conference on digital accessibility on June 27. DAO also celebrated Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 16 by offering office hours and sharing accessibility tips with the campus community.
Migrated WordPress media libraries on sites.unc.edu
On June 21, ITS Digital Services migrated and optimized the file structure for WordPress file libraries on sites hosted on sites.unc.edu with the goal of enhancing performance and security of the WordPress environment. In another phase, Digital Services will migrate web.unc.edu and med.unc.edu environments.
People
Jason Cross was chosen to lead ITS Managed Desktop Services.
Chelsea Porter and Kerry O’Sullivan served on the conference committee for the HighEdWeb North Carolina regional conference, which was held on June 18.
Educational Technologies
Entered new phase in Sakai-to-Canvas transition
On May 15, Sakai entered a restricted access state and all Sakai sites were permanently unpublished. Instructors and site owners can review and retrieve content until Sakai is permanently decommissioned in 2026.
Supported instructors during Canvas transition
ITS Educational Technologies offered virtual and in-person training in May and June to help instructors with the transition to Canvas. Some sessions were offered in partnership with the Center for Faculty Excellence.
Redesigned Canvas discussions
In May, ITS Educational Technologies redesigned Canvas discussions to improve accessibility and introduce new features that help promote a more interactive, collaborative discussion environment.
Infrastructure, Operations & Networking
Announced a new division name
The division was officially renamed Infrastructure, Operations & Networking. It was previously known as Infrastructure & Operations.
People
Ethan Kromhout was named the permanent AVC for Infrastructure, Operations & Networking. He served as interim for two years.
Wireless engineer Dawn Douglass co-organized a wireless conference, Wi-Co, on June 12. Colleague Brady Ballstadt presented.