Secure IT Services for University Research Activities

Dear Colleagues,

The research you do is critical to the University’s mission and contributes to the scientific discovery and advancements that make us a top public research institution. As we work together to achieve our institutional research goals, we must continue to utilize the latest technology and security protocols to meet emerging regulatory and compliance guidelines. Doing so will help the University remain competitive for federal and state research grants and position us to gain greater insights and value from our vast data.

Securing our IT infrastructure

Today, the University operates a very large on-premise computing and storage infrastructure for diverse research activities and instruments. We recognize that a ‘one size fits all’ model is not the right approach to meet the growing needs of our research community. Instead, we aim to develop a secure, standardized yet flexible portfolio of solutions (including cloud and on-premise) that all faculty can use for their research needs.

University Information Technology Services has launched the Accelerating Secure IT Services (ASITS) Program to strengthen the security of our IT operations as an outcome of the 2018 IT Security Performance Audit. The ASITS program is currently in the early stages of gathering requirements and planning for the University’s future research computing and storage needs. By June 2025, this new program will provide campus units and researchers with network, server and laptop services that are centrally-supported and institutionally-funded.

A collaborative approach

UITS and Research Innovation and Impact (RII) are committed to embarking on this critically important work in a collaborative manner without disrupting or adversely impacting research activities. UITS and RII will collaborate with faculty, staff, students and IT Liaisons that have been appointed by college and division leadership to develop the best, cost-optimized solutions that meet the University’s research and security requirements.

The College of Science has volunteered to be an early implementor of this approach with UITS and RII to smooth the process for the rest of the University research community. Additional email updates will be shared as we make progress on this initiative. You can also visit the ASITS webpage for the latest information.

Supporting faculty and your research computing needs – both now and in the future – is an important priority for us. We look forward to partnering with you to make the University’s research activities more secure and resilient from evolving cybersecurity threats.