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

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

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is performing a disaster recovery exercise from Saturday, May 18, at 7:00 a.m. to Sunday, May 19, at 7:00 p.m. The exercise will involve shutting down the Gordon Palmer data center network and restoring services at the Ridgecrest data center. We do not anticipate this exercise… Read more: OIT to Perform Disaster Recovery Exercise

Beginning in April 2024, faculty and staff with Windows computers will begin receiving announcements on their computers to upgrade Windows 10 to the newest supported version, 22H2. Faculty and staff have the option to upgrade when they receive the announcement or schedule the upgrade for another time. OIT recommends that faculty and… Read more: Upgrade Windows 10 – 22H2

On April 7, 2024, we will be upgrading to Version 5.6 to enhance system performance, security, and functionality. Key Upgrade Details: Important Notes for Users: We understand the importance of uninterrupted access to our systems, and we assure you that every effort will be made to complete the upgrade process… Read more: Upgrade Notice: K2/Everest Production Environment Update to Version 5.6

In our ongoing commitment to maintaining the security and confidentiality of sensitive information, the IT Service Desk is implementing an enhanced identification verification process. Effective immediately, we will be utilizing IDVerse, a trusted digital identification company, to verify the identities of individuals requesting access to sensitive information or services. Once… Read more: IT Service Desk’s Enhanced Identification Verification Process

The Office of Information Technology is phasing out the use of Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) for authentication purposes by the end of 2024. Instead, we are transitioning to more secure and efficient solutions provided by Microsoft, specifically Azure Authentication and Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD). What does this… Read more: Important Notice: Phasing out LDAP for Azure Authentication

Microsoft is merging the powerful capabilities of Stream and SharePoint to bring you native video experiences integrated across Microsoft 365 on April 15, 2024. For more information, see the Stream (on SharePoint) overview. The team at OIT will be migrating the old streams videos to the new streams before April 15 so… Read more: Microsoft Streams Classic to Transition April 15, 2024

OIT is investigating an issue causing instability to the eduroam network that is impacting connectivity in some buildings on campus.

As AI grows in popularity, staying aware of potential risks and challenges associated with these powerful technologies is essential.  AI undoubtedly provides significant value to daily tasks and research, but it is crucial to exercise caution and diligence when leveraging AI products. The data input into these tools is often… Read more: Stay Sharp While Using AI 

A letter from Xfinity – Dear Residents: We’re writing to apologize for the service slowdowns and disruptions that occurred last Tuesday on campus. This is definitely not the experience our customers should have. You deserve better, and together, in partnership with your university leadership team, we have put a plan… Read more: Xfinity Outage – Tuesday, January 16

The University of Alabama’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) is pleased to inform the faculty, staff, and students that macOS Sonoma 14.3 is now available for installation on all OIT-managed machines campus-wide. It is highly recommended to opt for the most recent version for improved performance and security. Before updating,… Read more: macOS Sonoma 14.3 is Now Available

The University of Alabama has a policy in place to ensure the security of its digital communications and data. The policy requires adherence to the minimum security standards, which state employees, contractors, and non-student affiliates are explicitly prohibited from configuring mail clients to automatically forward UA email to personal accounts or other… Read more: Email Forwarding

Box is currently investigating an issue with Logins, Uploads, Downloads, All Files page, API calls. Users attempting to use these services may see errors or timeouts. Please check the Box Status Page for updates as Box resolves this issue.

OIT will briefly shut down both on-campus data centers on Friday, December 22 at 7:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. for maintenance. Along with intermittent internet outages, the following services will be unavailable during the maintenance period: all on-premise servers, such as Banner, Action Card, myBama, etc. If you have any… Read more: Controlled Data Center Shutdowns December 22

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) would like to inform all Mac users within our university community about an important matter concerning the latest operating system, MacOS Sonoma. We strongly advise against upgrading to Mac OS Sonoma at this time. Preliminary testing has revealed that this update may remove certain… Read more: Notice: Important Information Regarding MacOS Sonoma

To enhance the digital security of its student community, the Office of Information Technology is partnering with Keeper Security, an industry leader in password management and data protection. As part of this collaboration, OIT will be offering Keeper’s Unlimited plan for free to all students. This initiative reaffirms OIT’s commitment… Read more: OIT Partners with Keeper Security for Student Account Needs

The local Microsoft Account Team will be providing an AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals) class at the University of Alabama on November 9th from 9:00am – 4:00 pm. The cost of the training is FREE. Room for this event will be limited to 40 participants. The agenda and Registration link are below. Additional general details will… Read more: Opportunity: Azure Fundamentals Class