Vice President for Information Technology Status and Activity Report for February 2024 Prepared by Timothy M. Chester, Vice President for Information Technology (VPIT) 1. Key Items for Faculty and Staff Meetings •
Security tools available for protecting sensitive or restricted data: The University of Georgia is committed to protecting the personally identifiable information of its students, faculty, and staff as its first and foremost business requirement for all IT systems. In higher education and other industries, disruptive ransomware attacks are growing at an alarming rate and this trend will continue as generative AI tools increase the capabilities of cybercriminals and other security threats. In addition, compromised passwords obtained through email scams or other fraudulent means pose significant risks for the security of university systems and data. Our best advice is to avoid, if possible, the collection, processing, or storage of sensitive or restricted information, such as Social Security numbers, bank account information, or personal health information. If handling this information is required for business purposes, the University has tools available to all units, discussed at http://infosec.uga.edu, that will reduce your risks associated with handling this information. For more information, contact Ben Myers, the Chief Information Security Officer, by email at bmyers@uga.edu.
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Spring Network Maintenance set for March 3: The 2024 spring network maintenance will be held on Sunday, March 3; students, faculty and staff should plan for intermittent outages throughout the day. This maintenance is necessary to continue to support the network, allowing EITS to provide ample bandwidth and Internet capacity to the University in the future. For questions, contact Rayid Tartir at rayid@uga.edu.
2. Services for Students •
Tech Lending desk provides students computing and audiovisual technology: This past year, UGA’s Tech Lending services at the Miller Learning Center have successfully provided students with a vast array of computing and audiovisual technology. In 2023, they helped a total of 1,825 patrons and transacted a remarkable 5,117 total loans overall. Perfect for class projects or other academic needs, students simply need to provide their UGA ID at the third floor East Desk of the MLC during service hours to pick up their requested equipment. Explore our Equipment List which offers a variety of technology, gadgets, and accessories including laptops, cameras, audio recorders, cables, and battery packs. For more details, visit our Tech Lending Site at: https://www.libs.uga.edu/mlc/techlending.
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Work continues on more than $1M in campus wireless upgrades: Work is underway on more wireless upgrades in academic buildings and student housing across the Athens, Buckhead, and Griffin campuses. These upgrades are part of EITS’s work to continuously improve Wi-Fi connectivity and coverage to support teaching, learning, and student life. The $1.2 million a year project, funded by Student Technology Fees, includes wireless refreshments and redesigns in many buildings. Wireless upgrades have been recently completed for Correll Hall, Amos Hall and Orkin Hall has been completed. Wireless upgrade work is ongoing in Moore-Rooker Hall, Benson Hall and Ivester Hall. Technicians are also working on more improvements to other buildings and wireless spaces across
VPIT Status and Activity Report for February 2024
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