University IT established 11 Strategic Priorities for the 5-year period that ended with fiscal year 2024. Here are some of the key milestones of the past five years.

Information Security

• Added Information Security Liaisons for UHCL, UHD and UHV to enhance the systemwide Information Security Officer (ISO) program
  • Information Security Officers (UHS) — 66
  • Information Security Liaisons (UHCL, UHD, UHV) — 36
• Modernized DUO multi-factor authentication (MFA) to eliminate insecure methods. Began adding MFA to new products and services as they are introduced
  • Enrolled customers — 180,000+
  • Daily authentication requests — 15K-20K (at UH)
• Improved the maturity of the UHS universities on the Texas Cybersecurity Framework assessments (44 security categories)
  • Number of universities that improved score — 4

Collaboration and Unified Communications

• Completed the migration from on-premises Skype for Business to cloud-based MS Teams Telephony for all faculty, staff and student workers, and over 800 common area phones. UIT funded the replacement of over 1,000 MS Teams-compatible phones and headsets.
• Migrated call center services from on-premises Anywhere365 to the cloud-based Genesys service and to MS Teams Response Groups
• Made large-scale infrastructure improvements for cellular coverage on campus, including a 5G Verizon tower at the stadium garage and a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) at Fertitta Center
• Refined email practices to eliminate weaknesses and risks caused by the use of account aliases

Network Connectivity

• Upgraded all core and distribution routers with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)/Aruba equipment, retiring legacy Cisco devices
• Raised all building routers to a 10Gbps capacity and core routers to a capacity of 40Gbps-100Gbps
• Continued replacement of access switches (60% complete); the standard access switch now has 1Gbps port capacity.

Data Management and Analytics

• Completed Key Performance Indicator (KPI) dashboards for nine units in Administration and Finance: Administration, Campus Safety, Equal Opportunity Services, Facilities, Finance, Houston Public Media, Human Resources, UH Police Department, and University Information Technology
• Redeveloped the Laboratory Utilization Guide in Tableau
• Launched Academic Dashboard for the UH Victoria campus

Mobile Technologies (UH Go)

• Won several Appademy Awards
  • Best App, Use of Xmodule — Best Integration (2020)
  • Most Innovative App for Communication (2021)
  • Best Integration — Bikeep (2023)
•  Added new ways to reach UH Police by SMS/text or directly from UH Go

• Hosted the inaugural UH Ideathon 24, which showcased the ingenuity of students who brought their UH GO mobile app ideas to life; of 56 teams that applied, six were selected to compete for over $5K in cash and prizes
• Enhanced UH Go with new features and integrations
  • Added CoogStrong, a suite of tools to help users return to campus post-pandemic
  • Integrated the Alumni mobile app
  • Integrated Cougar Card functions
  • Added Dine on Campus for comprehensive dining information
  • Created Grade Center, a one-stop source for students to access current and past grades
  • Introduced Get Involved, which integrated and rebranded the Engage system for campus events
  • Added UH Police Help emergency call feature, which created a jurisdiction geofence to help the user find the right emergency service, and a dashboard for UH Police to monitor the real-time location of the user
  • Added value to Bikeep (smart bike rack system) by verifying ownership of a registered bicycle and enabling remote control for locking and unlocking it
  • Reworked the way myUH integrates with UH Go, saving the university $160K
  • Provided Housing Move-in Map for students checking into their dorms
  • Redesigned app features for better usability, based on customer feedback
  • Added live chat and an interactive map for New Student Orientation assistance
  • Integrated with Facilities’ FIXIT system for campus residents to manage housing maintenance requests

Shared Services

• Conducted three Technology Reviews, bringing the total to 17 UH Colleges and Divisions and three UHS universities
• Completed Service Assurance Reports for 13 Colleges and Divisions, up from nine in 2019
• Added to the number of enterprise services provided by UIT to the entire university or UH System to achieve further economies of scale
• Continued to increase collaboration between UIT and the Colleges and Divisions through the Technology Partners Program

Continuity of Operations

• Assured that mature processes and procedures outlined in the UIT Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) enable reliable service availability
• Conducted the annual UIT COOP exercise, which focuses on the highest-risk areas for continued improvement
• Routinely met targeted IT service availability assured by Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for critical core services and information services
• Adopted new technologies to reduce security incident response time by 77%

Academic Technologies

• Upgraded 50 general-purpose classrooms with advanced technology: dual monitors, assisted listening devices, auto-tracking cameras, zoned sound speakers, room speakers, whiteboards, digital displays in the back and side to allow instructors to see their online students in real time, rather than forcing at-home students to participate as just voices. Audiovisual control systems, located near a classroom’s teaching station, allow instructors to switch seamlessly between different video feeds with the touch of a button.
• Implemented system for Enrollment Services to provide CougarNet accounts and associated services to admitted students earlier
• To address digital divide issues that emerged after the pandemic lockdown was ordered, UIT initiated and carried out a three-year laptop checkout program. It was essential to assure continued student success during the abrupt transition to fully remote learning. The program was successful and popular.
  • Spring/Summer 2020: 52 Checkouts
  • 2020-2021 School Year: 570 Checkouts
  • 2021-2022 School Year: 1,495 Checkouts
  • Fall 2022: 272 Checkouts
  • Spring 2023: Program was retired

Research Computing

• Launched Scholar’s Walk, outdoor signage near Student Center South created in collaboration with the Department of Research, to promote awareness and use of High Performance Computing (HPC) by researchers in under-represented areas

Blended Data Center

• Worked closely with other groups throughout the university to identify and migrate applications from on-premises software and hardware to cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Consolidated functions and migrated data to cloud services (OneDrive, SharePoint) to reduce the number of physical and virtual servers, resulting in significant cost savings to UIT, the Colleges, and the Divisions

Internet of Things (IoT)

• Migrated security cameras to a centralized video management system
• Pursued a continuing project to replace obsolete, analog cameras with IP models; the effort was 67% complete at the end of FY2024
• Initiated an ongoing project to standardize duress alarms by deploying a system powered by the university’s network
• Began a three-year project in FY2024 to replace all analog emergency phones with digital network models
• Expanded the UHS emergency alert system to allow those at UH at Katy and UH at Sugar Land to opt in to targeted notifications