The post UIT is Making Research More Efficient appeared first on Office of the Chief Information Officer.

2025 was the year of AI, both at York and beyond. Our Innovation team has worked on some truly incredible initiatives and projects, not just keeping up with the continuously changing world of AI but actively shaping it and leading the way in higher education. They helped to launch 37 new websites, created and enabled the student absence reporting feature for students on eClass, created an AI course assistant on eClass, worked on process automation with GitHub Copilot, and created many AI ‘agent’ prototypes.  

2025 was also a big year for the Cyber Security team. This year, they streamlined the vendor risk assessment process, reducing average review time from 8 months to 3 weeks; a 91% in time improvement! They also launched a university-wide cybersecurity training program and achieved a 67% completion in its first 7 months!  

The Workgroup Technology Services team had a big��year, with the launch of the Azure Virtual Desktop service in 2025. This launch made��York the first Canadian University��to do a cloud-native implementation.����

Our��IPA��initiative also kicked off in 2025.��The��initiative��is helping to revolutionize how data can be used to make informed decisions. By combining data from various sources and��leveraging��advanced tools like AI and machine learning, the��initiative��simplifies reporting, improves efficiency, and builds powerful models.��UIT is always looking for ways to improve our technologies and processes, and this project speaks to��the innovation and ambition of our teams.��We look forward��to��seeing��the continuation of the project in��2026!����

Often,��the biggest��accomplishments��in UIT��aren’t��heard��about by the��community;��it is��just the nature of our��jobs. When things are going well, we fade into the background.��This is why��we wanted to take��this opportunity to shine a spotlight on some of our quieter achievements.��We��accomplished��so much with our��network��modernization��initiative,��which��provides��the community��with��a��faster, more��secure,��and more reliable��network.��UIT strives to ensure that our services work as efficiently as possible, so you can too.������

Although 2025 was a year of success for UIT, the work��doesn’t��stop.��We��wanted to take a moment to thank��everyone who has supported us this��year; your partnership means everything, and we will continue to work hard to provide you with the help and services you need.

The post UIT Retrospective, 2025�� appeared first on Office of the Chief Information Officer.

IT Day is more than a series of presentations or keynote speeches—it’s an invitation to explore your part in what aptly calls our “human machine.” More importantly, it’s a day to connect with the people around us. A day to break down silos and pull up a chair beside someone you’ve never met or someone you’ve only ever met on a screen. It’s a day of discussion and expanding minds. A day of aha and haha moments that each generate their own sparks of inspiration.

IT Day began with a challenge. Tim Hampton, Director of Information Technology and our emcee, dared us to introduce ourselves—even to those we’ve worked with for years. It was a lighthearted but powerful way to break down the first barrier that can keep us from truly connecting.

Connection is the purpose of IT Day. Tim describes that, above even new technologies and techniques, IT Day is about seeing the humanity in what we’re up against and how that creates a camaraderie that naturally chisels away at the tribalism that can grow between groups as we work in vacuums and silos.

Resilience

The theme of this year’s gathering was resilience. A word that means something different to everyone—and can feel trite if only examined at a surface level. To , resilience is “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.” For us in IT, it means something far more.

For Sarah, resilience isn’t just an ability but an act and an art—even, at times, a martial art: “Sometimes we think about resilience as meeting the challenge head-on in a direct, even adversarial way. Like we're going to battle this thing to the ground. But other times, it's about absorbing even accepting the challenge and finding another way around, like in many martial arts.” Sarah expounds on this idea of absorbing challenge and redirecting that energy by likening resilience to a cork in water. “If you push a cork down, the cork offers no resistance, but the minute that you let go, the cork pops up with the force that submerged it, plus extra energy.”

To Tim, resilience is less the cork in the water and more the ship on stormy waves. He describes being truly resilient not as merely putting things back together after the storm but as having a clear purpose that serves as our north star and recognizing that “the ways we achieve that purpose can change with time, and so resilience is improving everything we do to achieve our purpose. The sails could be up to the left. They could be up to the right, but we're still going in the direction we need to achieve our purpose.” Brad Strom defined resilience in much the same way, as “the ability to stay the course” and drew on a simple yet powerful lesson from his children’s VeggieTales days—to “keep on keeping on.” To Milena Jeremic, that keeping on means, “giving "100% even when the situation is hard or things aren’t going the way that you imagined”

Mention of VeggieTales had Erin Skopitz thinking back to her earlier career working on the production of the Magic School Bus: “On that show, the kids were constantly being put in situations that required them to use their combined knowledge to think fast and adapt to new and changing environments. I think this notion of adaptability, often through trial and error, really lands with me in terms of how I view resiliency. So to quote Ms. Frizzle, ‘Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!’” 

The paradox of resilience is that it’s an independent journey we each share. We are all in our individual ships (or floating school buses) on the same stormy sea; some of us are hit by different waves—caught by different crosswinds, but we each keep on keeping on. You may see your colleagues from a different crew drifting off to starboard, others off to port; the important thing is that we acknowledge that while our journeys may be different, our destination is the same. As the storm worsens, we need to lash together in new ways and find new strength in our connections.

Value

IT Day offered more than just opportunities for connection—it provided attendees with unique and meaningful takeaways. For Milena, who did so much behind-the-scenes work for the event, IT Day showed how valuable being creative is and gave her a chance to leverage some of the soft skills that don’t always get to shine in her everyday work. Erin appreciated the opportunity to gain insight into what others are doing—removing the blinders that our busy schedules naturally force over our eyes to see the bigger picture. For Brad, it was watching the IT Team showcase their knowledge and gifts of communication and seeing those hidden talents clawing out from under their operational workloads.

These are vital aspects of our daily lives that we often overlook in our busyness. IT Day offers us that moment to pause, reflect, and broaden our perspective. It’s up to each of us to carry that outlook forward in the weeks and months ahead—extending the spirit of IT Day from a single day to every single day.

Taking the Plunge

IT Day owes its success to all of you—brave presenters and gracious attendees alike. The most valuable things we can share are our time and our thoughts, and IT Day thrives because of your willingness to contribute both. Beyond the day’s highlights, IT Day also offers opportunities for professional growth—but it’s up to you to seize them. When asked how to grow as IT professionals at York, Brad encouraged everyone to take the leap and submit a presentation.

“Where there is risk, there is growth. Standing before your peers can be intimidating—they know your strengths and weaknesses better than anyone. But every time someone shares, it benefits the whole community. Your courage makes the event possible and inspires others, showing them they can do it too. There’s something powerful about watching someone face their vulnerabilities, creating a ripple effect of growth and connection. The community's gonna benefit, both from your knowledge and also from your example, but you're gonna grow too. And I think that's some of the best fruits you can get.”

Tim describes this risk-growth mindset through the concept of misogi, a Japanese ritual where participants endure a freezing cold waterfall to prove to themselves that they can do something hard. Similarly, stepping up to present at IT Day can feel daunting, but it’s an opportunity to embrace the challenge, grow from it, and pave the way for others to do the same.

When the IT Day 2025 call for proposals opens, take the plunge and submit your idea. And if you’re not quite ready yet, we look forward to seeing you in the audience!

In the spirit of connection, growth, and taking the plunge, Brad offered another valuable piece of advice to carry with us as we prepare for IT Day 2025: the importance of openly sharing your aspirations and goals.

"It’s always amazing when someone approaches me and says, ‘I have aspirations in this area—can you offer any advice on how to get there?’ I’m always happy to come alongside them, but it takes courage to start that conversation."

Brad encouraged speaking not just to your manager but also to others, your directors or colleagues across teams. "Make sure your aspirations are known. People are busy, and your goals can easily go unnoticed. By sharing them, you create awareness and position yourself for opportunities when they arise."

He also recommended coming prepared with ideas or solutions when discussing your aspirations. Bringing something other than a blank page shows initiative and makes the conversation more real and productive.

Finally, Brad stressed the value of seeking advice and building connections. "Talking to others—not just your leaders—can give you valuable insights and help further your growth. Don’t be afraid to start those conversations."

The post Looking Back on IT Day 2024 appeared first on Office of the Chief Information Officer.

What is a firewall?

A firewall is like a security guard for a network. It monitors and controls the flow of data entering and leaving the network, deciding what’s safe and what might be harmful. Like a bouncer checks IDs and okays people at the door, a firewall examines data traffic—like emails, websites, and files—and blocks anything suspicious to keep the network secure.

Just like any bouncer left too long at their post, our old firewall was aging and getting tired—becoming slow and easier to trick. It was becoming not only a risk, but a performance bottleneck.

We needed something cutting-edge that could tackle emerging technologies and evolving threats. Something robust enough to remain futureproof and agile enough to adapt to the rapid changes in the global IT ecosystem. It turned out we didn’t just need a firewall; we needed two. The dual-firewall approach was a groundbreaking innovation that involved a complete reimagining of our infrastructural security.

Our Approach

Protect the Core

The first new firewall was deployed at our data center. It oversees our internal server-to-server communications, preventing unauthorized access between systems and eliminating any lateral movement by malicious actors within our core.

The core firewall not only enhances our security but also simplifies policy management. Our previous firewall rules were tied to specific devices, meaning we needed to manage separate rules for each device authorized on our network. If someone already approved to access the firewall switched their device, their access would be blocked. This was an inflexible system held together by layers of individual rules that added complexity that compounded over time. The new core firewall employs user-based rules, allowing access based on the individual rather than their device. With role-based access, our environment is easier to manage with higher consistency and significantly less operational waste.

Safeguard the Perimeter

Our perimeter firewall monitors and controls all incoming and outgoing traffic to filter out unauthorized access attempts and prevent malicious redirections. The firewall’s Automated Threat Detection and Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) systems continuously scan the network, searching for vulnerabilities and flagging suspicious activity while identifying and responding to potential threats before they can cause harm.

Remarkable Performance

One of the project's most impressive outcome is the dramatic improvement in network performance. The new firewall system has increased the average throughput from 12 megabytes per second to an astounding 528 megabytes per second, dropping latency from 81 milliseconds to just 1.8 milliseconds. This represents a 4205% improvement in performance, an outstanding figure that shouts this project’s success.

“These performance gains are a game-changer for our infrastructure,” ICT Infrastructure Director Steve Ojwang noted. “Tasks that used to take hours can now be completed in minutes, but most importantly, we achieved these gains while improving our security posture."

Advanced Security Capabilities

The new firewall technology enables us to be on the cutting edge of network security by giving us more granular control over how we provide and protect our services. Some of the new tools in our belt include:

• DNS Protection: A new feature introduced to protect against domain-based attacks. DNS protection is a security measure that safeguards the process of translating domain names (like "example.ca") into IP addresses used to locate and connect to websites. If bad actors try to trick you into visiting a fake site to steal your info, DNS protection will keep you safe.
• WildFire: This global security feature shares threat knowledge with other networks and helps us work together. WildFire watches for any suspicious activity or files; when it finds something malicious, it compares it to what other networks around the world have seen to help stop it. If a threat is found in one place, WildFire alerts all connected systems to block it, protecting everyone from new dangers. This helps us know about and safeguard against threats before they even have a chance to harm us.
• URL Filtering: This allows the university to block access to specific websites, including malicious, adult, gambling, social media, streaming, and piracy sites.

Kudos

This project was a major milestone for UIT and �첥��Ƶ. Beyond strengthening our security, we've boosted our capacity to deliver high-performance service. This achievement was the result of immense effort, collaboration, and expertise from our dedicated team, who deserve all our praise.

Kudos first goes to Linda Slater, our Senior Network Designer, whose creativity revolutionized the original design and whose vast knowledge of the existing network infrastructure led to a successful implementation. Her leadership over the past several years has been crucial to the network’s transformation and we couldn't have done it without her.

A project as complex as this involves so many people, but there are a few more we want to shine the spotlight on. Our CIO, Brad Strom, had the following to say about the team:

"I wish to extend special recognition to the following exceptional staff: Steve Ojwang, Mansoor Khan, Revital Gorsht, Linda Slater, Andy Ho, Luis Carlo, Tim Gao, Mohammed Adam, Jonas Baguioro, Jean Chan Kong, Karandeep Singh, Viquar Syed, Peter Marques, and Rob Jefferson, along with all the devoted team members who contributed to this remarkable achievement. Your meticulous planning, effective execution, and collaborative spirit exceeded our highest expectations. Your unwavering dedication to excellence and commitment to our shared objectives are truly praiseworthy."

This project addressed significant challenges, and only through the collaboration of these incredible people did we achieve success. The upgraded technology allows us to scale operations and handle tasks previously out of reach and enables new opportunities for us to grow as an institution.

Looking Ahead

With our new firewalls watching our backs, we're ready to look forward. Our network team will continue to expand our firewall features to further enchance our security. We'll be rolling out more advanced filtering capabilities and continuing to optimize the network for even greater performance.

“This is just the beginning,” Steve Ojwang remarks. “As we continue to unlock the full potential of this new system, we’re confident that it will provide even greater benefits to the university.”

The post �첥��Ƶ Boosts Network Security and Performance with Next-Generation Firewall Upgrade appeared first on Office of the Chief Information Officer.

Our Winning Project

We were recognized for our groundbreaking CRIA prototype, now YU AURA—a Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) solution designed to provide quick and reliable 24/7 support to York’s students, faculty, and staff.

YU AURA combines pre-trained language models with advanced indexing technology to access and use external information, making it a secure, scalable tool that empowers users to create GenAI solutions in less than 5 minutes. It’s designed to support various business scenarios, from enhancing student support with a virtual assistant that answers questions around the clock, to improving internal processes across departments such as HR, IT, and procurement.

YU AURA’s user-friendly, no-code interface gives users complete control over their AI solutions, reducing reliance on third-party vendors and allowing for greater flexibility and customization. It also enhances security and protects personal information by leveraging multiple in-house servers.  

Patrick Thibaudeau, Director of IT Innovation and Academic Technologies, had the following to say about the win and his team’s hard work:

I am incredibly proud that our Education Design & IT Innovation team won the prestigious CIO Award for our innovative project, CRIA. This project, an AI RAG system specifically designed for Higher Education, exemplifies our entire team's dedication, creativity, and hard work.

This award is a recognition of our innovative approach and a celebration of the collaborative spirit and relentless effort that each team member has contributed, including all the staff and faculty members who helped us test the prototype. CRIA’s success reflects our commitment to enhancing our community's educational experience and providing valuable tools for everyone at York.

Impact on York

YU AURA augments York’s digital landscape, bringing value to our institution by streamlining business processes and increasing operational efficiency. YU AURA isn’t just another AI bot; it’s a platform that enables the development of cutting-edge AI solutions across various departments, including HR, IT, Housing, Procurement, Recruitment, our Libraries, and Registrar’s Office. It also supports instructors with course design and delivery, joining AI innovation with education.

Looking Ahead

Our next step is integrating YU AURA into Microsoft Teams and Outlook, ensuring that services and support are just a message away.

We’ll also launch an AI initiative page to update you on what’s on the horizon. Let’s keep this momentum going and continue raising the standards of IT excellence.

The post �첥��Ƶ Wins Prestigious CIO Awards Canada 2024 for Innovative AI Project YU AURA appeared first on Office of the Chief Information Officer.