News

In the complex and quickly evolving world of cybersecurity, Cooper Leach, an Information Security Engineer III at The University of Alabama, serves a crucial role in defending critical data and safeguarding against digital threats. In a recent interview, Leach discussed insights into his professional journey, daily obligations, and the challenges… Read more: We Are IT – Cooper Leach

Mike Shelton has been named the next vice provost and chief information officer at The University of Alabama and will begin his tenure Dec. 1. Shelton will move into his new role after serving as deputy chief information officer for the UA Office of Information Technology since 2019. He has… Read more: Shelton Named UA Vice Provost, Chief Information Officer

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is adjusting OneDrive storage for individual users. Starting October 30, 2024, OIT will reduce OneDrive storage capacity from 5TB to 250GB per user in compliance with Microsoft’s updated storage limits. This change will only impact users whose storage is below the 250GB threshold.  Power users—those nearing or… Read more: Upcoming Change to OneDrive Storage Limits

Are you starting your academic journey at The University of Alabama? To help you navigate your tech needs, UA OIT has compiled a comprehensive Student Tech Checklist. This guide is designed to ensure you have all the essential technology tools in place before you step into the classroom. Here’s a list… Read more: Use this Student Tech Checklist as your go-to guide for essential tech at UA

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) will be performing an essential upgrade to the AiM system this October. Please take note of the following details to prepare for the scheduled downtime. Upgrade Schedule: During this window, the AiM system, including AiM Mobile and all reports or interfaces that rely on… Read more: Upcoming AiM System Upgrade: What You Need to Know

The first tool under review was Microsoft 365 Copilot, which integrates generative AI into the Microsoft 365 suite. This AI leverages Microsoft Graph technology to tailor outputs based on each user’s data access permissions, adding an extra layer of security. All prompts are processed by a private instance of Microsoft’s large… Read more: Microsoft 365 Copilot Pilot

OIT assessed Otter.AI, a generative AI tool for virtual meetings that offers transcription, note-taking, and summarization capabilities. Similar to Read.AI, which was previously prohibited on campus due to security concerns, Otter.AI aims to make meeting management more efficient by generating notes and action items. It even includes an “OtterPilot” feature, which can… Read more: Otter.AI Pilot

As generative AI tools rapidly evolve, faculty and staff at The University of Alabama are facing new challenges and opportunities. While many AI tools are making their way into higher education, not all offer the level of data protection required to safeguard university information. To better understand the potential benefits… Read more: OIT AI Pilots: Exploring the Future of AI at the University of Alabama

As part of our ongoing efforts to improve and maintain our email services, The University of Alabama’s Office of Information Technology will begin auto-archiving emails over two years old for all students, faculty and staff. This decision was made after a successful pilot with alumni, retirees, OIT staff, and the… Read more: Auto-Archiving of Emails for UA Accounts

OIT will deploy security enhancements to protect UA data on Microsoft mobile device applications starting September 16.  OIT will use Mobile Application Management (MAM) to protect UA data in University email addresses connected to Microsoft applications on mobile devices.  Security enhancements include:  These MAM security enhancements do not apply to… Read more: Mobile Application Management Deploying to UA Faculty

myBama will be unavailable Saturday, August 10 from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 a.m. for minor upgrades. A myBama maintenance page will be available with links to essential services during the maintenance timeframe, and all services will be restored upon completion of the upgrades. If you have any questions or concerns,… Read more: myBama Upgrades – August 10

OIT will perform upgrades to the Banner platform starting Sunday, August 18, 4:00 a.m. until 10 a.m. The following related services will be unavailable during the upgrade period: If you have any questions or concerns, contact the IT Service Desk at 205-348-5555 or itsd@ua.edu.

On July 19, 2024, at 4:09 UTC, The University of Alabama’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) faced a significant challenge when a defective Crowdstrike update caused a widespread disruption across campus systems. Crowdstrike, an industry-leading platform used by UA to protect servers from cyber threats, had released a Rapid Response Content update for Windows… Read more: How OIT Resolved a Critical Incident with Crowdstrike and Enhanced Security Protocols

DUO is the two-factor security authentication that the University of Alabama requires students and faculty to use in order to access myBama accounts. DUO now has new operation system requirements that students and faculty need review for their devices.   iOS The current version of DUO Mobile supports iOS 15.0… Read more: New DUO Operation System Requirements

A global CrowdStrike outage early Friday morning is affecting the University of Alabama network. The current known impact is network connectivity in some areas of campus and OnBase management platform. A security incident or cyberattack did not cause this outage. CrowdStrike’s cybersecurity software detects and blocks hacking threats. Like other… Read more: Outage – CrowdStrike cybersecurity software

OIT will deploy security enhancements to protect UA data on Microsoft mobile device applications starting September 3.  OIT will use Mobile Application Management (MAM) to protect UA data in University email addresses connected to Microsoft applications on mobile devices.  Security enhancements include:  These MAM security enhancements do not apply to… Read more: Mobile Application Management Deploying to UA Staff

In a significant milestone for campus operations, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) at The University of Alabama successfully conducted its most ambitious Disaster Recovery (DR) exercise on May 17. This test, a live DR scenario, was designed to ensure that critical campus operations could continue uninterrupted in the event… Read more: University of Alabama’s Office of Information Technology Completes Most Ambitious Disaster Recovery Exercise

We want to bring to your attention a concerning trend that has been on the rise recently: smishing scams impersonating UA leadership. “Smishing” is a term used to describe phishing scams that occur via SMS or text messages. These fraudulent messages may appear to be from President Bell or another… Read more: Beware: Smishing Scams Impersonating UA Leadership

Available Tools with No Restriction: Pending Review: Prohibited Tools: Q: What if the AI tool I wish to use is not something that is purchased, such as the free version of ChatGPT or Gemini? A: The University of Alabama has approved use of Microsoft Copilot with Data Protection, which is… Read more: AI Approved List

The current Eduroam certificate expires on Thursday, May 2, and must be replaced. Historically, most devices deal with the certificate replacement fairly smoothly, but some devices will prompt the user to accept/trust the new certificate. If your computer prompts you to accept a new Eduroam certificate on Thursday regarding Eduroam,… Read more: Eduroam Certificate Expiring