Vice President for Information Technology Status and Activity Report for June 2021 Prepared by Timothy M. Chester, Vice President for Information Technology (VPIT) 1. Key Items for Faculty and Staff Meetings •
Building Router Refresh Project under way: The Building Edge Router Refresh project is a multi-year effort to upgrade the current building edge routers and cabling to a new platform that connects buildings back to the university’s core network. EITS will complete a series of maintenance activities over the next two years that will replace all old building edge routing equipment with new hardware. This effort will consist of refreshing equipment in approximately 180 buildings. For more information, visit https://eits.uga.edu/network_and_phones/building_edge_router_project/.
2. Services for Students •
UGA Mobile App gets upgraded look and improved usability: With input from the Student Government Association, our mobile app team is upgrading the official UGA Mobile App to improve its look and controllability. The upgrades will improve scalability of the home screen and update the branding. The first phase of upgrades was completed in April, with users being able to arrange icons within the apps into customizable categories. In addition, an icon for logging into OneUSG Connect has been added and the login experience for Athena has been simplified. Users who tap on the Athena icon in the app will now be redirected to their mobile browser for access to Athena. The second phase of upgrades, which is estimated to be finished in June, will involve a full change to improve the app’s aesthetic with UGA-branded colors and affiliated photos. The official UGA Mobile App is currently available free to iPhone users with iOS 9.1 and above, or Android OS users with Android 7.0 and above. For more information, visit mobileapps.uga.edu.
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Wireless equipment refreshes continue: EITS Network Infrastructure has completed wireless network redesigns and refreshes in several key campus buildings. Wireless equipment has been recently updated in Environmental Health Sciences, the Hoke Smith annex, Food Sciences, International Education, the Chemistry Annex, Barrow Hall and Boyd Graduate Studies. Technicians are on track to complete wireless updates in the Law School by mid-June and Pharmacy South by the end of the month. EITS performs these refreshes to replace aged and under-performing equipment, in turn providing a better end-user experience. These building refreshes and redesigns are funded by the Student Technology Fee, a fee that helps fund a variety of facilities and services on campus. To learn more, please contact Chris Fleming, cfleming@uga.edu.
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Wireless improvements coming to outdoor areas: EITS is working to improve the wireless performance in several outdoor areas in north and central campus, making it easier for students, faculty and staff to work and study outdoors. The $417K project, funded by the Student Technology Fee, includes updates to the wireless infrastructure and access points servicing five outdoor areas: the Old College quad, the Main Library quad, Herty Field, the area in front of the Miller Learning Center and outdoor areas around Tate Student Center. EITS plans to complete work on the Old College and Main Library quads by the end of this month; the remaining areas will be completed over the summer. To learn more, please contact Chris Fleming, cfleming@uga.edu.
VPIT Status and Activity Report for June 2021
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