Vice President for Information Technology Status and Activity Report for August 2023 Prepared by Timothy M. Chester, Vice President for Information Technology (VPIT) 1. Key Items for Faculty and Staff Meetings •
Alan Dorsey named Associate CIO for Research Computing: Alan Dorsey has been named Associate CIO for Research Computing, effective August 2, 2023. As Associate CIO, Dorsey will direct research computing efforts at the University, including overseeing the Georgia Advanced Computing Research Center (GACRC). Dorsey served as dean of UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences for more than a decade and recently returned to the teaching faculty of the college. A theoretical physicist, Dorsey's research focuses on the physics of novel phases of matter produced under extreme conditions, such as low temperatures or high magnetic fields. He received his bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from Cornell University and his doctorate in physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For more information on research computing at UGA, visit gacrc.uga.edu.
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Bret Jamieson appointed Director of Finance and Administration: Following an external search, Bret Jamieson has been named director of finance and administration for units reporting to the Vice President for Information Technology at the University of Georgia. Jamieson joined the UGA community in 2018, managing IT licensing contracts and working to streamline many complex business processes, and has served as interim director of finance and administration since the summer of 2022. Before joining UGA, he worked in the defense industry, managing contracts, licensing, and compliance with state and federal laws and regulations. Questions about EITS business practices and IT contracts and licensing can be directed to him at bret.jamieson@uga.edu.
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Duo Verified Push available in Office 365, SSO applications: To help address multi-factor authentication fatigue attacks and the risks associated with users accepting false push notifications, EITS has turned on Verified Push in ArchPass, powered by Duo, for Office 365 and SSO applications effective August 1; Verified Push will go live in vLab before fall classes begin. With the new Verified Push model, users who select Send a Push or have their Duo options configured to automatically send them a push will instead see a code displayed on their screen. They must enter this code into the Duo app on their Duoenrolled smartphone or tablet to log in. An interactive demo of Duo Verified Push is available on Duo’s website at https://demo.duo.com/verified-push. This new process reduces the risk that a user will accidentally accept a false push notification if a bad actor gets their credentials and spams their device with login requests. Other Duo authentication methods, including phone calls, passcodes via text and passcodes through the Duo Mobile App will not change. Users will also still have the option to remember their Duo credentials by selecting Yes, Trust Browser when they log in. Duo Verified Push will also be available for logging into the Remote Access VPN at a later date. For more information, contact Lance Peiper at lpeiper@uga.edu.
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Microsoft Intune now available: Microsoft Intune, the cloud-based endpoint management solution from Microsoft, is now available to UGA departments, free of charge. Departments that are interested in utilizing this solution can submit an Intune Onboarding Request via TeamDynamix and EITS personnel will work with requesters to complete initial setup tasks and provide additional resources to aid in the transition. For more information about Microsoft Intune, please contact Ashley Henry
VPIT Status and Activity Report for August 2023
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