April 2026 Tech News Continued
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Teams Phone Project Highlight: EITS has successfully completed the campus-wide transition from the legacy PBX phone system to Microsoft Teams Phone, delivering a modern, cloud-based communication solution to UGA employees. Approximately 8,500 phone extensions were migrated to the Microsoft Teams platform, significantly reducing aging infrastructure. Teams Phone allows faculty and staff to make and receive calls, check voicemail, and manage meetings, chats, and calendars in one place through the Microsoft Teams app on laptops, tablets, or mobile devices. This large-scale effort required close coordination with departments across campus and has resulted in a more flexible, unified communication experience, along with meaningful long-term cost savings for the university. For more information, contact Steven Duffee.
Automated Student MyID Clean-Up Under Way: In 2024, EITS automated the clean-up process for student MyIDs. This automated process runs once a semester; students who left the university or graduated approximately a year ago will have their MyIDs and UGAMail addresses flagged for disablement and deletion. Alumni and former students who have their accounts flagged will receive two automated emails to their UGAMail address, alerting them that their account will be disabled and deleted soon. Account holders who are currently employed by UGA or are attending UGA for another degree program will not have their accounts deleted. The automated clean-up kicked off March 2, 2026, with two notices to impacted users. Accounts will be disabled o April 13, 2026. For more information, contact Kristi Wall at [email protected].
Wireless Upgrades Work Continues on More Than $1M in Campus Wireless Upgrades: EITS continues to work on more than $1 million in wireless upgrades across campus, with this year’s efforts focused primarily on large classrooms to address connectivity issues experienced by students during class. These recent upgrades have been completed in the Instructional Plaza Auditoriums A and B, as well as several classrooms in the Miller Learning Center. Work will continue until wireless capacity has been enhanced in all large classrooms. These improvements are part of an ongoing effort to strengthen wireless connectivity and coverage to support teaching, learning, and student life. The $1.2 million annual project, funded by Student Technology Fees, includes refreshing and redesigning wireless networks in many campus buildings. In addition to the ongoing classroom upgrades, EITS is addressing other student areas with weak wireless coverage as issues are identified or reported. Upgrades have been completed at the Health Sciences Campus, the Lucy Cobb Complex (home to the Carl Vinson Institute of Government), the Rhodes Animal and Dairy Sciences Buildings A, B, and C, River’s Crossing, the Poultry Diagnostic Research Center (PDRC), and locations on the Tifton and Griffin campuses. EITS is also supporting the UGA Police Department by installing wireless access points in the new emergency call stations as they are deployed, supporting the university’s broader efforts to enhance campus security. For more information, contact David Stewart.
GACRC Helpdesk Access and Support Services:Help with accessing and using GACRC resources is available through the GACRC Helpdesk. The GACRC Service Catalog directs users to the appropriate TeamDynamix page. There, users can submit requests for services such as lab group and user accounts, class accounts, software installations, and general support. Tickets may be submitted at any time and are addressed promptly by the GACRC Support Team. For more information, please contact Guy Cormier.
FY26 User Access Verification Underway: In preparation for the financial state audit for fiscal year 2026 (FY26), EITS conducts a verification of all user accounts for several systems. The FY26 verification kicked off on March 26, 2026, and includes Banner systems, the UGA Financial Management System, the UGA Budget Management System, OneUSG Connect, and UGAJobs. The deadline to verify and approve access to systems is May 1, 2026. This year’s verification process will feature an updated user interface and a more streamlined workflow. For more information, contact Stacy Boyles.
AI Purchase Program Now Available: EITS launched the AI License Purchasing Program in fall 2025 to provide a centralized, streamlined way for UGA units to purchase premium versions of generative AI tools for faculty and staff, with the first licenses provisioned in February 2026. The program ensures these tools are covered under the university’s data protection and privacy agreements, offering enhanced safeguards not available in individual or consumer versions. It also simplifies procurement by eliminating the need for departmental CESS requests, UGAMart purchase requests, P-card transactions, and reimbursements, reducing administrative burden and improving efficiency. EITS will contact Chief Business Officers (CBOs) and IT Directors this month with information about the next onboarding cycle, and units must request additional licenses by May 1, 2026. The next opportunity to request new licenses will be July 1, 2026. For more information, please contact the AI Tools Team or visit the EITS Knowledge Base.
Digital Accessibility Tool for Websites Launched: In November, UGA launched Ally for Web, a new digital accessibility tool designed to help identify and address accessibility issues in website content. This initiative supports compliance with a federal rule from the U.S. Department of Justice requiring all state entities to make their websites and mobile apps accessible to individuals with disabilities by April 24, 2026. Ally provides clear visual indicators and actionable feedback to guide improvements in accessibility. As part of the rollout, the Digital Accessibility Services team contacted Digital Accessibility Liaisons (DALs) to collect a list of their unit’s website domains. Once accounts are provisioned, DALs will gain access to Ally and can begin updating their sites to meet compliance standards. Weekly standing DAS office hours will take place every Friday at 10 a.m. Participants can register and view recordings of past sessions on the DASH Website. For more information, contact the EITS Digital Accessibility Services team.
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