A Spring Update & Summer Outlook from our CIO, Dr. Sharyne Miller

As warmer days return and the spring semester unfolds, I want to thank everyone on campus for your ongoing partnership and involvement. This year has already brought great progress in teaching, learning and operations. I’m happy to share some updates, opportunities and highlights from Information Technology Services.

Supporting Our Campus Community

Business Analysis & Process Improvement Service

We recently launched a new support service focused on business analysis and process improvement. This service is designed to partner with departments to better understand needs, streamline workflows and identify opportunities for increased efficiency.

The person behind this service and who you will work with is Thomas Goff. Thomas is our featured subject matter expert this semester. Get to know him and explore his response to the question, “How does the Business Analysis & Process Improvement service help campus departments and areas?”.

HPC on Campus: Reaching New Heights

High-Performance Computing (HPC) is making great strides on campus, with usage climbing steadily. In October alone, the system clocked over 1 million compute hours, and our reports show that it is being used more, with idle time continuing to decline. This momentum shows that HPC is becoming an essential tool for our faculty, staff and students across campus. Learn how you can leverage HPC to support your research and projects.

ITS Welcomes New Staff to Our Team

We are pleased to introduce the newest members of our Information Technology Services team. Please join us in welcoming Trevor Tackett, our new Lifecycle and Surplus Coordinator, Jason Fishbain, the Enterprise Data Solutions Architect and Darian Lucas-Lipner, our newest Technology Support Specialist supporting classrooms and distance education. Meet our new team members and learn how their experience will support and strengthen services across campus.

Mastering Tools for Success

Introducing Microsoft 365 Academy

We are excited to announce the launch of Microsoft 365 Academy, a new training program designed to help faculty and staff build confidence, boost productivity and get more value from the Microsoft tools you use every day. The Academy’s debut course, Microsoft 365 for Beginners, went live on Jan. 15 and introduces essential skills while laying the foundation for future offerings.

Make the Switch to Microsoft Authenticator

Microsoft Authenticator is now available as an alternative to Duo, offering a faster, smoother, safer and more innovative way to log in to campus services. As of March 16, students are now required to use Microsoft Authenticator. While faculty and staff can continue using Duo, switching provides the best experience, access to the latest features and brings us closer to a 365-day password.

Expanding Creativity with Adobe

Creativity continues to be an important part of how we teach, communicate and share ideas across campus. We want to highlight a resource that is already available to every Seahawk: Adobe Express, a tool that helps you easily create professional-looking graphics, presentations and videos and requires no design experience or training. It is a helpful option for both academic and administrative work.

Strengthening & Improving Campus Technology

Apporto, A New Virtual Desktop Experience

As part of our efforts to improve campus technology, we’re excited to announce a new virtual desktop experience, Apporto, which will replace Horizon at the end of the spring semester. You can begin exploring Apporto today and experience seamless access to your campus apps in one place. The platform supports real-time collaboration and offers new capabilities that make it easier to work across applications and locations.

Get Ready for a New VPN Experience

As part of our ongoing efforts to improve campus security, we are rolling out a new Virtual Private Network (VPN) ahead of the Fall semester. During the transition, you can use both the old and new VPNs, giving you time to explore the new one at your own pace. The old VPN client will be retired before August, and we will provide more updates soon, including when you can start using the new VPN.

A New Phone System That Works the Way You Do

This year, the university will switch from its current phone system to a cloud-based one to better support your flexible work and learning. As the project continues, we will share more details, timelines and guidance to ensure you have plenty of notice before any changes are made. We expect to finish the transition by December, and support will be available to help you throughout the process.

Celebrating Phase 1 of the Network Refresh

The first phase of UNCW’s network refresh is complete, bringing faster and more reliable internet to Residence Halls. This milestone marks the beginning of a multi-year initiative to modernize campus connectivity. Stay tuned as this effort moves forward and visit the network refresh webpage for details on upcoming phases and progress.

Looking Ahead

As we move further into 2026, we’re focused on building a strong technology environment that encourages creativity, teamwork and new ideas. While these projects highlight the progress we’re making, we’re also supporting other campus-wide initiatives, including Project Kitty Hawk, Concourse Syllabus, the new CMS Research and many more. Our progress and the success of these efforts are possible because of the partnership with our faculty, staff and students.

Thank you for staying involved and for all that you do for our campus and community.