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CIO Blog: Driving change through COVID-19 and facing challenges 

People frequently ask me: “How it is going?” and I tentatively say: “good.” By this, I mean my family and friends are healthy, as are my colleagues and team members at Information Technology Services (ITS).

It is the new challenges and increased workload that are off of the charts, and make me take pause. Lately, I have seen inspirational social media posts from leaders that I admire and people post some really fantastic insights and articles that help me through my days. One article’s initial focus is on the challenges the chief information officer (CIO) has faced and overcome, but CIOs really are just the orchestrator and we depend on our amazing teams to deliver. 

CIO Blog


COLLABORATIONS & SOLUTIONS

New ITS Preparedness infographic

Since March, ITS staff has been providing increased critical resources and services across the tri-campus community. To illustrate the work, demand and response of the ITS department, three infographics — representing IT@UofT Strategic Plan pillars — were developed. The final infographic was released this week, it focuses on "Solutions." 
Read more

ITS recruitment/orientation SharePoint site

A new ITS Recruitment and Orientation SharePoint site launched this month to help employees, including managers, joining ITS ease into their roles. It offers resources and information related to the University’s ITS organizational structure, processes, services and more. Read more

Key ITS contacts
Feedback?
If you have questions and/or more information related to ITS, please contact its.prep@utoronto.ca. This mailbox will be regularly monitored.

New Connect+Learn sessions: May 26 & 27

Connect+Learn sessions provide staff with training on common technologies and applications. The next sessions are:

  • May 26, 12 p.m.: How to Build User-friendly and Accessible Web Pages in SharePoint Online
  • May 27, 12 p.m.: SharePoint Office Hours
Staff are also encouraged to subscribe to the new Connect+Learn newsletter to find out about upcoming sessions. 
Read more

SECURITY MATTERS

Tips to protect against cyber health care attacks

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) has been monitoring an increase in targeted attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the health care and research industries having been hit hard. In response, the Cyber Centre has published curated advice and guidelines for targeted institutions and IT professionals. Read more

CanSSOC webinar: Threat Feed Pilot Service 

The Canadian Shared Security Operations Centre (CanSSOC) hosted a webinar on May 12 to launch its Threat Feed pilot service. Check out this archived webinar video to learn more about this service, which provides a sector-specific threat intelligence repository and platform with specialized feeds for current and educational threats.


Coming soon: New multi-factor authentication 

Beginning in summer 2020, the Information Security team, part of ITS, will launch a new multi-factor authentication (MFA) service called UTORMFA. This service will  introduce a scalable service that can be used across all U of T platforms, as needed. Read more

#UofTEngineering's Leo Chou is pursuing a one-step approach for simpler and faster #COVID19 testing. His team is designing synthetic #DNA strands that self-assemble: uofteng.ca/detection

GENERAL UNIVERSITY NEWS

President's message: September 2020

President Meric Gertler recently addressed the U of T community regarding plans for fall 2020. He said planning has focused on three guiding principles: promoting health and safety, advancing academic excellence and meeting the needs of students, faculty, librarians and staff. He also pointed out that each of the three campuses may experience unique conditions, requiring distinctive responses. Read more

U of T Roadmap

Mix of in-person/virtual courses for fall semester

U of T's fall semester will emphasize a mix of in-person and virtual learning for students that delivers a world-class academic experience – all while respecting public health measures required by the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Courses are being designed to be flexible and accommodating, making use of the latest technologies and approaches to instruction. Read more

HR & Equity: new updates to programs/timelines

Human Resources & Equity continues to update the community on staff and faculty-related news. Recently, it was announced that the launch of the 2019/2020 Performance Assessment Process will be delayed until fall 2020. Another update was that the University has opted not to move forward with the Year 2 (2020) data collection for the UniForum benchmarking program. Read more

Virtual ITS Town Hall
May 26, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
An opportunity to connect with ITS colleagues. Presentation by ITS CIO Bo Wandschneider with Q&A session to follow. (Invite only).

EASI Connect+Learn sessions
May 26 & 27, 12 p.m.
Participate in online lunch-time learning sessions about University enterprise applications. Join sessions via Teams. (No registration required).

  • May 26: How to Build User-friendly and Accessible Web Pages in SharePoint Online
  • May 27: SharePoint Office Hours
Project Management BootCamp
May 28: Pre-recorded content sent to registrants
June 4, 10 a.m.: Live virtual webinar 

This U of T Learning, Leadership & Culture (LLC) course covers the basic concepts and functions of project management and their integration into a coherent project management framework. Register here.

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