In 2024, we partnered with Dell to create UT’s first Security Operations Center, or SOC. Select the “Watch Video” button below, to learn how UT is partnering with Dell to bring innovative ideas to securing the campus.

Up Next: We’re excited to take the security program to the next level by continuing to implement best practice controls in coordination with our campus and university partners. We will continue the rollout of standard control benchmarks to all university-owned computers and servers, allowing everyone to have the confidence that we are working with a common baseline. We will also incorporate more network security protocols with the next network evolution that we hope will begin in 2026.

In 2024, OIT launched the new UT Verse AI Assistant, which received recognition as the world’s first fully accessible AI application. This groundbreaking achievement directly influenced accessibility standards at Microsoft and across the industry. Our team pioneered this emphasis on accessibility, highlighting our leadership and commitment to inclusivity and innovation in AI. Additionally, UT Verse’s extensive coverage in respected media outlets, such as WBIR and MSN, validated its broader societal impact.

OIT contributed to the DASH implementation in various ways, from systems integrations to application integration and support—ultimately affecting our students’ academic success, engagement, and retention. Maintaining an adaptable mindset helped minimize the impact on our campus partners as data shifted from IRIS to DASH.

The dedicated groups of OIT staff worked to make the DASH Go-Live a success by:

• Modifying, testing, and implementing changes to approximately 60 programs within the Student Information System.
• Converting mission-critical reports to Power BI utilizing the new DASH employee tables.
• Updating internal processes for NetID creation and licensing for many OIT services.
• Implementing a Statewide Dash Support Plan in TeamDynamix.

With the 128th season of Tennessee football kicking off in August 2024, we are happy to report that RockyTopWiFi, Neyland Stadium’s Wi-Fi system, is available to all corners of the stadium.

The project was a collaboration between OIT and the University of Tennessee Athletics to provide reliable internet access for fans during games and other events. Fans can connect to RockyTopWiFi through their mobile device settings, similar to connecting to any other Wi-Fi network, and no registration is required.

In November 2024, when Peyton Manning escorted Dolly Parton onto the field for a rousing rendition of Rocky Top, Wi-Fi use at Neyland Stadium surged to 31 Gigabits per second, a record high for similar events.

Read the full article, published by Stadium Tech Report, touting the successful launch of UT’s RockyTopWiFi to the fans.

In 2024, OIT partnered with Student Success, Enrollment Management, Student Life, and the Office of Communications and Marketing to launch two new services to elevate the student experience.

VolConnect, powered by Salesforce, facilitates student academic success, engagement, and retention by enabling holistic case management among Vol Success Team members (academic advisors and coaches, One Stop counselors, and enrollment management staff) and event management. Functionality includes an events calendar, registration, payment options, and attendance data.

Vol Edge is an online learning platform for college experience enrichment via native Salesforce applications Blackthorn and Appinium, respectively.

In February 2024, the Office of Communications and Marketing and OIT launched the first UT Knoxville Employee Hub, a collection of intranet sites that serves as a unified resource for employee information and engagement. From anywhere within the hub, faculty, staff, and student employees can search and locate procedures, forms, news, and resources from across campus.

The UT Knoxville Employee Hub was 18 months in the making! Since its launch in February 2024, we have worked with the UT System to launch the UT System Employee Central Hub; OIT has mentored many departments on campus needing a small-scale departmental intranet.