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Celebrating Success: Adobe Day and Microsoft Week at UA

Last semester, our campus was buzzing with innovation and creativity as we hosted two major tech engagement events: Adobe Day and Microsoft Week. These events brought together students, faculty, and staff to explore cutting-edge tools, learn new skills, and connect with industry leaders. Adobe Day: A Creative Explosion Adobe Day was a resounding success, drawing…


The Importance of Change Management in IT: Why UA’s OIT Team Embraces Continuous Improvement

In today’s fast-paced digital environment, change is not optional – it’s essential. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) systems underpin nearly every aspect of modern university life, from classroom technology and research platforms to administrative systems and cybersecurity. To keep these systems secure, efficient, and user-friendly, change management plays a critical role. What is Change…


Blackboard Ultra Update

What’s New & Why It Matters Enhancements Faculty & Students Love Smart Tools Powered by AI Support & Resources If you’re curious about what’s next or want to get started today, explore the resources at cit.ua.edu or reach out via cit@ua.edu.


Digital Accessibility at UA is Everyone’s Assignment

Federal rules from Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act now require all university digital resources, such as websites, apps, course materials, and more, to be accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. The compliance deadline is April 2026, so we are actively addressing policies, training, and technology, but success depends on all of…


We Are IT – Bud Hobeck

The University of Alabama’s Office of Information Technology wanted to introduce one of the only completely remote workers, Bud Hobeck. Hobeck works for OIT remotely in Virginia as a Program Analyst IV in Process Automation. Hobeck’s primary role is administering and working with the OnBase system, a repository for the university’s documents, forms, and more.…


We Are IT – Allen Beddingfield

For over two decades, Allen Beddingfield has played a pivotal role in advancing and upholding the University of Alabama’s central technology infrastructure. Since joining the Office of Information Technology team in 2000, he has assisted in guiding the university across multiple generations of technological systems, from legacy environments to modern Linux and virtualization platforms. “I’ve…


CIT Completes Migration from Weebly to CampusPress for Faculty Websites

The Center for Instructional Technology (CIT) at The University of Alabama successfully transitioned over 750 faculty websites from the Weebly platform to CampusPress, a WordPress-powered solution designed specifically for higher education  Why the Move? The migration was driven by two key factors: accessibility and cost. Weebly, while widely used, did not meet UA’s technology accessibility…


Simulating Cyber Conflict: OIT’s Red Team/Blue Team Exercise with CrowdStrike

In a proactive move to bolster cybersecurity, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) recently completed a Red Team/Blue Team (RTBT) exercise in collaboration with industry leader CrowdStrike. UA’s Chief Information Security Officer, Taylor Anderson, explained the exercise is “designed to enhance the team’s readiness for real-world cyber threats by pitting a CrowdStrike Red Team, emulating…


Notice: Personal Microsoft Account OneDrive Synchronization Blocked on UA Windows PCs

Effective May 29, 2025, Microsoft is implementing a change that will impact how personal Microsoft OneDrive accounts interact with UA-managed Windows devices (ua-net). OIT will block this capability to prevent potential security issues with personal data being “mixed” with UA data.  What’s Not Affected? Why This MattersThis change helps protect both personal and institutional data by…


Classic Teams End of Availability

Starting July 1st, 2025, classic Teams will be unavailable to use as mentioned in the documentation at: Teams Classic End of Availability. Users will not be able to dismiss the blocking message or use the classic Teams app. To avoid any business continuity issues, you must upgrade to new Teams or use Teams on the web…