UFIT In the News

Find the latest news headlines and press releases featuring UF Information Technology: our higher-education technology expertise, high-performance computing and storage, innovative research, and commitment to fulfilling the technical needs of UF's students, faculty, and staff.

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UFIT News


AI set to supercharge Ag research

Frank Giles for Specialty Crop Industry Ag Net Media 

Nov. 1, 2023 

"If you take the computer most of us use in our daily lives, those machines have four to six cores. The HiPerGator has 70,320 cores. It can do more than a billion calculations per second," UF's CIO Elias Eldayrie said. 

Read more about HiPerGator's computing capabilities. 


Supercomputer at the University of Florida is harnessing the awesome power of AI

Michael Paluska for ABC Action News WFTS-TV 

Feb. 14, 2023 

"Computers are not smarter. We're actually using the wrong words, because computers are just good at doing the manual or the sort of repetitive tasks that humans take a lot of time to do," Dr. Erik Deumens said. 

Read more about Michael Paluska's tour of HiPerGator. 


Can ChatGPT be your answer for love advice this Valentine's Day?

Karen Dooley for UF News 

Feb. 14, 2023 

“Rather than providing you with just a list of hyperlinks like you would get from Google or other search engines, ChatGPT pulls from this massive volume of words written on the topic and throws them together in good English,” Mark McCallister, director of UF Academic Technology, said.  

Read more about ChatGPT's Valentine's Day advice. 


University of Florida’s HiPerGator 3.0 is an AI Powerhouse

Dr. Erik Deumens for HPCwire

May 16, 2022

“HiPerGator 3.0 is enabling AI workloads, empowering researchers, and aiding Floridians with its vast computational abilities.”

Read more about how HiPerGator 3.0 is impacting researchers and AI computing.


International tensions renew emphasis on online security

Ashley Hearn for WUFT News

March 22, 2022

“A cybercriminal only has to be right once,” Eldayrie said. “We have to be right every time.”

Read more about how important online security is for the UF community and beyond.


Network Upgrades Enable Universities to Accelerate Research

    Wylie Wong for EdTech Magazine

    Feb 16, 2022

    "The faster network connectivity will enable researchers to take full advantage of the new $70 million HiPerGator AI supercomputer. We want to drive innovation with cutting-edge AI research and prepare the next-generation workforce with necessary AI skills," Eldayrie says.

    Read more about how faster network connectivity will enable researchers to take full advantage of the new $70 million HiPerGator AI supercomputer.


    What It Takes to Secure the Cloud

    Chris Hayhurst for EdTech Magazine

    Aug. 5, 2021

    “For us,” says Elias Eldayrie, UF’s vice president and CIO, “it does not matter where your data is when it comes to protecting it.”

    Read more about UF's approach to data security with cloud-based services.


    Top-ranked HiPerGator AI supercomputer paves the way for growing AI Initiative at UF

      Makiya Seminera for the Independent Florida Alligator

      July 12, 2021

      “The AI initiative and HiPerGator AI will dramatically enhance the reputation of UF by allowing its students and faculty to become experts in AI,” Erik Deumens, director of UFIT Research Computing

      Read more about how HiPerGator expands possibilities for the UF community and beyond.


      Spring 2021 HiPerGator Symposium highlights artificial intelligence research

        Emily Cardinali for UF News

        April 1, 2021

        "Sharing ideas with the panelists and hearing how the catalyst awardees are using machine learning will spur even more ideas for using HiPerGator AI. Plus, the attendance by faculty representing 25 universities across the U.S., shows the interest of the University of Florida's AI initiative,” Erik Deumens, director of UFIT Research Computing

        Read more about the AI research showcased at the Spring 2021 HiPerGator Symposium.


        Lenovo Delivers Edge-to-Cloud Solutions with AMD EPYC™ 7003 Processors, Setting a New Standard for Modern IT Architectures

          Lenovo Data Center Group for Xperience

          March 16, 2021

          “Lenovo’s AMD based ThinkSystem servers have more RAM per core, which is critical to our researchers’ data intensive applications that require more memory,” Erik Deumens, director of UFIT Research Computing

          Read more about how UFIT provides researchers with the latest innovative IT architectures.


          The academic engine that propels young companies

            Dell Technologies for HPCwire

            Oct. 26, 2020

            “Deumens noted that as long the companies are in a fledgling status, they can get support from the University of Florida and they can make use of HiPerGator resources at a very cost-effective rate.”

            Read more about how UFIT supports startup companies with supercomputing resources.


            What genes can tell us about COVID-19 mortality rates

              Tracy Gale for UF Explore

              Oct. 21, 2020

              “We have the technical resources to make our researchers’ lines of inquiry a reality. Recent storage upgrades and the addition of NVIDIA’s DGX™ A100 system gives UF research the world’s most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.” Erik Deumens, director of UFIT Research Computing

              Read more about how UFIT enables Covid-19 research.


              UF Board of Trustees approves $20 million investment in artificial intelligence

                Ariana Aspuru for the Independent Florida Alligator

                July 21, 2020

                “It is not clear what AI will bring in the future, but it will be effective. That is why everyone needs to take an interest in this, not just leave it to a few techies.”  Erik Deumens, director of UFIT Research Computing

                Read more about UF's investment in Artificial Intelligence.


                Zoom Boom: Virtual meetings, classes flourish at UF

                Sarah Nelson for the Gainesville Sun

                April 11, 2020

                "The transition, Eldayrie said, has been fairly smooth, something he credits to faculty. Academia may have the reputation to be slow to change, but Eldayrie said the faculty’s quick response busts that myth. 'They rolled up their sleeves and made it seamless for our students,' he said."

                Read more about UF's transition to virtual classes and meetings


                University of Florida Accelerates BioTech Research Innovation with Qumulo

                Elias Eldayrie and Erik Deumens for EnterpriseAI

                Feb. 10, 2020

                “Our investment in Qumulo is an investment in our faculty,” said Elias G. Eldayrie, vice president and CIO. “We want to enable their research with the best supercomputing environment possible…”

                Read more about the University of Florida's decision to invest in Qumulo for research computing


                Electronic Information Technology And Communication Accessibility (Eitca) Risk Analysis And Communication Plan

                Elias Eldayrie and Anne L. Allen for Education Technology Insights

                July 25, 2019

                “Increasing diversity on campus and protecting civil rights by working towards electronic information technology accessibility requires significant investment, but results in huge dividends for the entire university community.”

                Read more about the University of Florida's creation of an Electronic Information Technology and Communication accessibility plan


                UF WiFi to complete switch to Eduroam network this Spring

                “Phasing out the UF Network option improves the experience for our students, faculty and staff who travel,” said Saira Hasnain, the associate CIO and senior director of UFIT.

                Read more about the switch to eduroam for wifi


                UF’s Vice President and CIO named to higher education board

                McKenna Beery for the Independent Florida Alligator

                November 5, 2018

                “Representing the University of Florida in service of higher education nationally and globally is one of the highlights of my 30 years’ career.”

                Read more about Elias Eldayrie joining the board of directors of EDUCAUSE


                University of Florida Aims for top grades in supporting student achievement

                Dave Gruber for IBM Case Study

                August 13, 2018

                “Our goal at the University of Florida is to ensure that students reach their full potential so they can build a bright future for themselves and their families,” explained Dave Gruber, UF’s associate chief information officer. “To do this, we not only focus on keeping students enrolled in their courses, but on helping them succeed throughout their time at the University of Florida.”

                Read more about UF using Cognos to empower students


                Wi-Fi in Green Spaces, Where OSP Shines

                Sheard Goodwin for ICT Today

                July/August 2018

                “Studying out on the plaza, watching classes in hammocks and signing up for student events is not possible without Wi-Fi.”

                Read more about wifi in green spaces


                High-Performance Computing Drives Research on Campus

                Erik Deumens for Ed Tech Magazine

                April 26, 2017

                “Faculty researchers need state-of-the-art systems,” he says. “They come up with these weird ideas — we want that, because our faculty is hired to try and do things that nobody has ever done before — and we need to support them."

                Read more about campus research using high-performance computing


                The International Academy of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

                Fedro Zazueta for Resource Magazine

                March 2017

                “In keeping with its mission of improving the quality of life and global development, the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (CIGR) has established the International Academy of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering (iAABE).”

                Read more about iAABE


                Promoting Transformative Change in Teaching and Learning

                Elias Eldayrie for CIO Review

                March 7, 2017

                “Knowing the educational technology issues your institute needs to address is essential, but even more attention must be paid to implementation and adoption.”

                Read more about educational technology


                Canvas crash causes confusion on campus

                Paige Fry for the Independent Florida Alligator

                March 1, 2017

                Two and a half hours before Michael Huang’s online calculus 3 exam, the website on which he would take it crashed.

                Canvas, a learning management system students across the U.S. used to access course materials and take online exams, went dark on Tuesday, prompting confusion — and constant refreshing — from students who needed to study for or take exams.

                Read more about canvas crash confusion


                Promoting Transformative Change in Teaching and Learning

                Elias Eldayrie for CIO Review

                January 2017

                “Knowing the educational technology issues your institute needs to address is essential, but even more attention must be paid to implementation and adoption.”

                Read more about educational technology


                UF to update login page on Nov. 6

                Paige Fry for the Independent Florida Alligator

                November 3, 2016

                Brandon Vega, UFIT’s associate director, wrote in an email that there was concern about students and faculty members getting confused by a sudden change, so the demo offers a glimpse of the update.

                “With so much attention on website spoofing and attempted malware attacks at UF, there is concern that students and faculty unaware of the change to login.ufl.edu will think the
                new page is fraudulent,” he said.

                Read more about login page update


                Transcripts, audits move to One.UF

                Katelyn Newberg for the Independent Florida Alligator

                February 11, 2016

                Student services, such as transcripts and degree audits, will move from ISIS to One.UF, UF’s new online class registration system, on Feb. 19, Tracy Gale, UF’s Information Technology communications manager, wrote in an email. Currently, students can access a version of the site to search for classes. The changes are part of a campus-wide, multi-year program to modernize student services and make them easier to use, she said.

                “ONE.UF is a portal, and the plans are to move more student services (or “apps”) to the one.ufl.edu platform,” she said.

                Read more about ONE.UF


                Internet2 Community Member Warren Curry Advances TIER’s Efforts Around APIs and Schema

                Emily Eisbruch for Internet2 Blogs

                January 19, 2016

                “I see Grouper as a giant box of Legos in eight or sixteen colors, but they’re all one-space Lego pieces. You can build anything, but there are lots of ways to do it. I would like to see TIER devote resources to developing templates for common service scenarios,’ [said Warren Curry, identity and access management guru at the University of Florida]”

                Read more about Warren Curry's contribution to TIER


                UF President Fuchs celebrates launch of super-computer

                Monica Andrade for the Independent Florida Alligator

                December 2, 2015

                Elias Eldayrie, UF Information Technology vice president and chief information officer:

                “The computer allows the 1,500 researchers who use it to extract interesting information from big data sets…This can help them create simulations and patterns…

                It’s a wonderful time in the university with the new president and the resources to advance research and become the preeminent institution that we can be.”

                Read more about launch of super-computer


                Striving for high-speed Internet

                Anthony Clark for the Gainesville Sun

                November 28, 2015

                “[Dave] Pokorney[, chief technical officer for LambdaRail and former director of technical services at UF,] served on a city-county cable advisory committee in the late 1980s and early 1990s that did a pilot project using UF modems and the Cox coaxial cable system to make university books available through the network to the home.

                ‘So UF helped launch Cox into the home cable modem business,’ he said.”

                Read more about UF striving for high-speed Internet


                HiPerGator 2.0 Ranks Second Among Public University Supercomputers

                Oscar Bergeron-Oakes for WUFT News

                November 24, 2015

                “Projects ranging from the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle to how the English language is evolving on social media are all using HiPerGator’s processors, [Director of Research Computing Erik] Deumens said.

                ‘The fact that we have that diversity is probably the thing that excites me the most,’ Deumens said. ‘All of these are so innovative and they all have the potential to impact society and the world.’”

                Read more about HiPerGator 2.0 ranking


                UF’s unveils HiPerGator 2.0 supercomputer; fastest in region

                Associated Press for the Washington Times

                November 22, 2015

                “UF’s vice president for research David Norton says HiPerGator will be used to help scientists tackle complex problems like climate change, poverty and disease.”

                Read more about UF's new supercomputer


                One of world’s fastest computers at University of Florida – TV Interview

                David Williams for FOX 13 – Gainesville

                November 18, 2015

                “HiperGator is so fast, it can process every single U.S. federal income tax return in a fraction of a second.

                So, why have a supercomputer? [Stephen] Orlando [a University of Florida spokesman] explained, ‘The answer is so researchers can do the important research that needs to be done, and to tackle those really perplexing questions and puzzles that we face in the world today.’”

                Read more about HiPerGator 2.0


                UF’s HiPerGator 2.0 among world’s most powerful supercomputers

                Florida Trend

                November 17, 2015

                “’This is a ranking and an accomplishment that every Gator can take a lot of pride in,’ said Elias Eldayrie, UF’s vice president and CIO. ‘Our world-class faculty have access to world-class computing, and they’re using it to crack the world’s toughest and thorniest issues.’”

                Read more about UF's HiPerGator 2.0


                Higher Education Challenges: Big Data; Cloud Computing; Information Security

                Elias Eldayrie for Education Technology Insights

                July 1, 2015

                “Big data resources at the university are also important for recruiting and training top faculty.”

                Read more about higher education challenges


                OneDrive cloud storage service now open to health students

                Chris Kennedy for the Independent Florida Alligator

                April 3, 2015

                “Chris Easley, UFIT interim director of enterprise infrastructure and operations, wrote in an email the ban was lifted after discussions with UFIT, UF general counsel and the UF privacy office.

                Students are expected to follow the rules and not share health information through this channel, he said.

                “’UF has an Acceptable Usage policy that must be adhered to and followed,’ Easley said.”

                Read more about OneDrive open to health students


                New computer application sorts big data from social media

                Natalia Arteaga for the Independent Florida Alligator

                March 20, 2015

                “MassMine has been working alongside the HiPerGator — Florida’s most powerful computer — which allows it to run more efficiently and securely store data from social media, said Erik Deumens, director of UF Research Computing.

                “’If you have a large amount of data, you also need a large amount of computing power to deal with the data,’ Deumens said.”

                Read more about MassMine


                Adobe pilot ends, now available at lower fee

                Alyssa Fisher for the Independent Florida Alligator

                February 26, 2015

                Jameson Johnston, the UF Information Technology manager, said there was great feedback.

                ‘It gave us the information needed to make the program successful,’ he said.”

                Read more about Adobe@UFApps


                Communicating the Value of IT at Your University

                Tracy Gale for EDUCAUSE Review

                January 26, 2015

                “In 2012, the University of Florida Information Technology (UFIT) division had a clear mandate: to create awareness of the IT services and value we provide across the university. At that time, UF had 50,000 students, 3,100 faculty, and 10,000 staff on multiple campuses in more than 900 buildings. And, as the state’s flagship land-grant university, UF has long had a physical presence in all of Florida’s 67 counties. Create awareness? Easy peasy!”

                Read more creating awareness of the IT services


                Voluntary GatorCloud email transition period ending Jan. 29

                Alyssa Fisher for the Independent Florida Alligator

                January 16, 2015

                Todd Williams, UF Information Technology project manager for the Student Webmail Deprecation Project, wrote in an email the voluntary period was created for an orderly transition.

                “Students can sign up for the voluntary migration through a fairly simple process, and I would encourage any students who haven’t already to do so sooner rather than later as the voluntary migration slots are limited,” Williams said.


                UF Help Desk gets rid of appointments, consolidates services

                Alyssa Fisher for the Independent Florida Alligator

                January 8, 2015

                “Removing the appointment step will improve the turnaround time, said Kiem Tran, assistant manager of the desk.

                “’The appointment system could get confusing and lengthy,’ she said. ‘We also want to help walk-ins in line for Wi-Fi and email.’”


                HiPerGator computer almost full

                Alexia Fernandez for the Independent Florida Alligator

                November 17, 2014

                “Negotiations and planning have begun to create a second HiPerGator, one that is bigger and faster than its predecessor. Erik Deumens, director of research computing at UF, said the HiPerGator’s system is expected to be 70 percent full by February.

                “’The acceptance of HiPerGator has been so fast, faster than we projected,’ Deumens said. ‘We plan for HiPerGator 2 to be online in June 2015. That’s when the first one will run out of capacity.’”


                Adobe programs now free on UFApps

                Alyssa Fisher for the Independent Florida Alligator

                November 10, 2014

                “Students can stop by the Hub to create their UFApps Adobe pilot account to access the Adobe Creative Cloud, said Tracy Gale, communications manager for UFIT.

                “’We are doing this pilot — right now it’s free, so we can gauge the interest of our students,’ Gale said.”


                UFIT to host event for mobile app development

                Christina Hunt for the Independent Florida Alligator

                October 28, 2014

                “MADE@UF is a collaboration between the George A. Smathers Libraries and UFIT to provide resources to students to facilitate mobile app development and to create a community environment for peers, entrepreneurs and innovators, said Anne Allen, UFIT assistant director of academic technology.

                “This ‘mobile sandbox for UF students’ has been three years in the making, said Allen, and is a space with software, hardware and necessary resources for students to learn and start developing apps.”


                UF starts up the first Student Tech Fair: Friday outside Marston

                Alexia Fernandez for the Independent Florida Alligator

                October 8, 2014

                “Jameson Johnston, IT manager for UFIT, said about 20 on-campus organizations will participate in the event to showcase the services available to students.

                “’Students aren’t aware of all the different types of services available to them, whether it’s the UF Help Desk or the computer labs across campus,’ he said. ‘We want to make sure that students are aware of the technology offered.’”


                UFIT offers seminar to show faculty how to flip teaching classroom method

                Damaris Lopez for the Independent Florida Alligator

                September 24, 2014

                “Unlike live classes, the flipped model requires instructors to prerecord lectures and post them online, allowing students to get the material ahead of time, prepare and be able to focus on participating during class meetings.

                “’Imagine being able to do all of your group work in class as opposed to having to schedule it outside of class,’ Stephanie McClelland, CITT’s manager of instructional design services, wrote in an email.”


                UF receives $500,000 system donation from IBM

                Alyssa Fisher for the Independent Florida Alligator

                September 24, 2014

                “With PureData Analytics, researchers can do queries of 10 to 100 million records in three seconds, versus the 27 hours it would have normally taken, said Elias Eldayrie, vice president and chief information officer of UF Information Technology.

                “’IBM recognized our drive for preeminence,’ Eldayrie said. ‘And this latest donation by IBM will be one more tool added to the toolkit that we make available to our staff.’”


                IBM boosts UF’s Big Data capabilities

                Jeff Schweers for the Gainesville Sun

                September 23, 2014

                “IBM donated a PureData for Analytics system to help speed up processing capabilities. The system — valued at $500,000 — was installed in the East Campus Data Center on Waldo Road over the summer and is currently ready for use by the UF community.

                “’This is a great day for the University of Florida,’ Elias Eldayrie, vice president and chief information officer for UF, told a group gathered for the annual Research Computing Day at the George Smathers Library.”


                Courses moving to Canvas in transition away from Sakai

                Damaris Lopez for the Independent Florida Alligator

                September 12, 2014

                “Douglas Johnson, the associate director for learning services at UF Information Technology, said the change to Canvas first started in Spring 2014.

                “’Canvas has a more intuitive interface,’ he said. ‘It’s got some very well-done ease-of-use improvements over what we used to have in Sakai.’”


                UF now has free GatorCloud storage

                Lesley Wright for the Independent Florida Alligator

                September 11, 2014

                ‘With OneDrive, saved documents and files are not limited to the UF community, [UF Information Technology communications manager Tracy] Gale said. Students can share photos and videos with friends and family anywhere.

                “’It frees up a lot of space for you and gives you a lot of storage capacity,’ Gale said, ‘but it also gives you the opportunity for all these other collaboration tools.’”


                UF computing help desk open 24/7

                Alyssa Fisher for the Independent Florida Alligator

                August 27, 2014

                ‘“This is a great resource when you are working late and finishing assignments,’ [UF Information Technology communications manager Tracy] Gale wrote in an email. ‘We hope these extra service hours will be helpful for our students, knowing that if an IT issue happens at night you have someplace to call or email for assistance.’”

                Read more about UF computing help desk


                UF app provides option to tour campus without leaving home

                Lindsey Cook-Saucier for the Independent Florida Alligator
                July 1, 2014

                “By the fourth day of release, it had been downloaded 354 times, Allison Mondell, public relations coordinator for UF Information Technology, wrote in an email.”

                Read more about UF's new virtual tour app


                100 Gigabit Ethernet: The Way Forward for Research Networks

                Brocade
                June 25, 2014

                “To be competitive as a university, you have to give your faculty the ability to collaborate on projects involving big data,” [says Dr. Erik Deumens, director of research computing at UF.]

                Read more about 100 Gigabit Ethernet


                UF Phonebook gets facelift, update from 2008 version

                Natalia Tamayo for the Independent Florida Alligator
                June 19, 2014

                “‘As with all technology, advances in programming and capabilities require service upgrades,’ [UF’s Information Technology communications manager Tracy] Gale said.”

                Read more about updated UF Phonebook


                UF trying to lasso online learning

                Jeff Schweers for The Gainesville Sun
                June 14, 2014

                “‘To be top 10, you have got to be global,’ Elias Eldayrie, UF’s vice president and CIO for Information Technologies, recently told the board of trustees. ‘You need to connect.'”

                Read more about online learning


                UF joins online university consortium

                Jeff Schweers for The Gainesville Sun
                June 11, 2014

                “We really hope to influence and control the ecosystem of digital learning and higher education,” [Chief information officer Elias] Eldayrie said. “If we put our efforts together as universities, we are going to be better off, in a much better position in how learning impacts students and aids faculty in doing day-to-day teaching.”

                Read more about digital learning and higher education at UF


                The University of Florida chooses TERMINALFOUR to simplify content management processes around its 3,000 websites

                TERMINALFOUR
                June 3, 2014

                “‘The University of Florida, with its global online presence, requires a content management tool the caliber of TERMINALFOUR,’ says Vice President and Chief Information Officer Elias Eldayrie. ‘Academic and administrative staff tested several solutions and commented on TERMINALFOUR’s presence in–and commitment to–the higher education customer. Faculty and staff recommendations, coupled with the opportunity to leverage significant savings across the university, made TERMINALFOUR the right WCM choice for UF.'”

                Read more about T4


                UF Information Technology to fully replace Sakai with Canvas

                Hannah Fell for The Independent Florida Alligator
                June 3, 2014

                “‘This is a huge experiment to see what Canvas brings out,’ [Doug] Johnson said, ‘but many people are convinced the benefits of Canvas will outweigh the benefits of Sakai.'”

                Read more about the move to Canvas


                UFApps permanently free for students

                Josh Ferrari for The Independent Florida Alligator
                June 3, 2014

                “‘Pilot program usage numbers were impressive, and with more students being part of UF Online and distance learning classes, making these software programs available through UFApps means we are helping the students who are not necessarily in Gainesville,’ wrote Tracy Gale, UFIT communications manager, in an email interview.

                Read more about UFApps


                What Drives Investment in the Middle of HPC?

                Nicole Hemsoth for HPC Wire
                May 15, 2014

                “If the users are asking for the latest novel technology but it’s not the most efficient, we aren’t going to deny them what they need for their research,” says [UF Director of Research Computing Erik] Deumens

                Read more about HPC investment


                University of Florida Takes the Science DMZ to the Next Generation

                Energy Science Network
                April 3, 2014

                “As early adopters of ESnet’s Science DMZ in 2004, originally called a Campus Research Network, UF offers a unique study of the Science DMZ as they have gone through a second upgrade to their infrastructure. This was to accommodate an increase in data-intensive research, as well as computer science and network research.”

                Read more about the science DMZ


                Shibboleth strikes again: UFIT solves Webmail issues

                Sean Stewart-Muniz for the Independent Florida Alligator
                March 26, 2014

                “UFIT communications manager Tracy Gale said the university’s campus is large and complex, and UFIT leadership is constantly looking at solutions for IT issues like system enhancements and product upgrades.
                ‘UFIT does everything possible, resource-wise, to proactively maintain and prevent system outages,’ she said.”

                Read more about Webmail fix


                Happy 25th birthday, World Wide Web

                Staff report for the Independent Florida Alligator
                March 12, 2014

                “The University of Florida’s web presence is truly our ‘front door’, welcoming people visiting from around the globe,” [Fedro Zazueta, associate CIO and director of academic technology] said. “In the last completed academic year, www.ufl.edu recorded 18,453,622 unique visitors from more than 220 countries.”

                Read more about the 25th anniversary of the Web


                UFIT, IFAS create website to gauge value of Florida’s energy projects

                InsideUF
                February 20, 2014

                “The My Florida Energy Projects website not only provides the public with valuable project data — it also provides the online evaluation tools necessary to examine and analyze the information,” [Senior Director of ES Dave] Gruber said. “The coding work was as important to the project as the website development, because the tools help the public determine which energy methods are the most cost-effective and efficient. Our staff was extremely pleased to work on a project with statewide reach.”

                Read more about Florida's energy projects website


                UF security office warns Gators of phishing scams

                Jana Berkowitz for The Independent Florida Alligator
                February 7, 2014

                “Derrius Marlin, a UF data security specialist, described phishing as a social engineering attack.

                ‘Besides implementing technology to monitor for and quarantine phishing messages as they come into our email servers, we also work hard to raise awareness of the threats so that users can recognize phishing attacks for themselves,’ Marlin wrote in an email interview.”

                Read more about phishing scams


                UF to revamp ISIS, mobile technology

                Beatrice Dupuy for The Independent Florida Alligator
                January 16, 2014

                “’If you are trying to register for a class, and the class is closed, the new system allows you to go on a waiting list,’ [Eldayrie] said. ‘It’s first come, first serve, so when a seat opens up, then boom — you’re in.’”

                Read more about ISIS revamp


                Scam emails impersonate UF Help Desk

                Beatrice Dupuy for The Independent Florida Alligator
                January 9, 2014

                “UFIT communications manager Tracy Gale said no one from the UF Help Desk can send mass emails to students.

                ‘Nobody at UF will ask for your GatorLink password,’ she said.”

                Read more about scam emails impersonate UF Help Desk


                UF preparing to upgrade 30-year-old student records system

                Jeff Schweers for the Gainesville Sun
                January 7, 2014

                “We have really outgrown the needs of what the system could provide for the university. It’s aging technology that needs replacement,” [CIO Elias] Eldayrie said. “It is not going to break tomorrow, but we don’t want to wait. We think we have three to five years and want to start the work as soon as possible.”

                Read more about UF preparing student records system upgrade


                University of Florida gets 100 Gbps link to Internet2, upgrades campus research net to 200 Gbps

                John Dix for Brocade
                December 18, 2013

                Dr. Erik Deumens: “…Instead of the university bringing a big pipe to your desk, which is not scalable and we don’t have the money for, I will provide an infrastructure where you can load your data in the central repository and give you the compute resources and infrastructure where you can quickly and easily do all the modern research you want. So that’s where the campus research network becomes more important. So that’s the vision.”

                Read more about UF upgrading campus research net to 200 Gbps


                Brocade 100 GbE Core Routers Provide High-Performance Network to Advance Global Research

                Matt Wolpin for Brocade
                December 2, 2013

                “We wanted to keep the network cutting-edge from a usage perspective,” said [Dr. Erik] Deumens. “We were looking for a strong and robust roadmap for SDN support, and Brocade fit that need. And to top things off, this was the most cost-effective solution for our design.”

                Read more about Brocade


                Cross-university Data Sharing

                Sunshine State Education & Research Computing Alliance
                November 28, 2013

                “Dr. Erik Deumens, director of research computing, University of Florida, said: ‘To support our goal of building a statewide research community, we’re creating an extensible storage environment to increase collaboration and data sharing. DDN’s WOS technology will provide the vital storage framework while leveraging the essence and simplicity of cloud infrastructure to help SSERCA broaden its data-centric research capabilities.’”

                Read more about cross-university data sharing


                Terascala Storage Appliance Upholds Research at University of Florida

                Sarah Wilson for Search Storage at TechTarget
                October 30, 2013

                “’Everybody is collecting data and [working on] complicated problems that single investigators cannot solve, so you have collaborations that are going to be across the world and nation,’ said Erik Deumens, UF’s director of research computing. ‘So, all of a sudden, there’s a much bigger need to store data.’”

                Read more about Terascala Storage Appliance


                University of Florida Deploys Desktop Media Capture Campuswide

                Leila Meyer for Campus Technology
                October 23, 2013

                “According to Brian Smith, IT specialist at UF, the Web-based My Mediasite app is easy to use, even for the university’s “most tech-challenged staff.
                ‘”“Before Mediasite, our students watched lectures. Now, they experience lectures,’ said Smith in a prepared statement. ‘Mediasite’s ability to clearly display content by separating it from video in a rich media format is one of the innovative features that have helped to improve academic video on our campus.’”

                Read more about Desktop Media Capture


                Why Florida is the Online State

                John K. Waters for Campus Technology
                October 2013

                “Online education is gaining traction — and credibility — at incredible speed. Nowhere is this more evident than in Florida. ‘This change is happening. We could have sat on the sidelines and let others figure it all out, but we decided instead to get ahead of the curve.’”

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                Connectivity Revolution: Internet2 and its Bold Transformation Initiative

                Mark Hagland for Healthcare Informatics
                August 22, 2013

                “You’ve got to be intentional about the way you architect your security regime, to make sure that you look at your campus’s data flows and security protocols”

                Read more about the connectivity revolution


                Over 20 Academic Institutions Now Use Terascala High-Performance Computing Solutions

                Christine Newman for Business Wire
                July 23, 2013

                “’In the coming months, some 500 researchers and 160 teams with more than $175 million in research funding will be using HiPerGator to run their experiments,’ said Dr. David Norton, Vice President for Research at the University of Florida.

                “UF recently received an $8 million federal award from the National Nuclear Security Administration, along with the designation as a center of excellence, as a result of its high-performance computing capabilities.”

                Read more about Terascala high-performance computing solutions


                Linking Research and Patient Care: The University of Florida’s Bold Internet2 Adventure

                Mark Hagland for Healthcare Informatics
                July 5, 2013

                “Erik Deumens, Ph.D.: When the Internet was invented decades ago, it grew out of an academic and military background. But in the beginning of the 2000s decade, universities got together and said, we’ve got this Internet, but we can no longer do research on it anymore. So they created a new consortium with 200 members, and called it Internet2, for second-generation Internet. And the first focus of activity was to try to get faster speed.”

                Read more about UF's Internet2 adventure


                UF Lands $8 Million Federal Award for Supercomputing Research

                University of Florida News
                June 28, 2013

                “The award from the National Nuclear Security Administration and accompanying designation as a center of excellence is a direct result of UF’s drive to boost its high-performance computing abilities, said David Norton, UF vice president for research.

                “’It really leverages the investment the university made in high-performance computing and HiPerGator,’ Norton said. ‘All of that was key in getting this award. This is exactly what we need in moving toward top-10 status.’”

                Read more about UF's federal award for supercomputing research


                New Internet Line Lets UF Research Speed Go from Jalopy to Ferrari

                Zach Peterson for The Gainesville Sun
                February 8, 2013

                “Connecting a half-inch fiber-optic cable to a high-powered network has expanded computing power 10-fold at the University of Florida,” said Erik Deumens, UF’s director of Research Computing.

                Read more about new internet line