‘Cybersecurity superstars’ complete tool implementation

5 campus units fulfill key requirement in U-wide initiative

Five campus organizations recently achieved a major milestone — successfully implementing a suite of cybersecurity tools, which fulfills a primary requirement of the University of Utah Cybersecurity Program.

Two principal goals of the campus-wide initiative, commissioned by President Taylor Randall in 2023 (memo in Box; login required) and led by the Information Security Office (ISO) and UIT Partner Relations teams, are implementing cybersecurity tools and establishing department, college, center, and office reporting relationships with the ISO.

More than a dozen campus IT staff members from the College of Humanities, College of Social Work, Division of Human Resources, University Advancement, and University Connected Learning were joined by Chief Information Security Officer Jake Johansen at a Unified Cybersecurity Toolset certification celebration on October 15, 2024, at Marriott Library, which included pizza from Pie Pizzeria and “Cybersecurity Superstar” T-shirts provided by UIT.

“Thank you all for getting yourselves and your departments over the finish line. It’s been a huge effort, and it’s very much appreciated,” said Dean Keyek-Franssen, a business analyst for Partner Relations.

Clay Postma, director for Partner Relations, noted that some conversations around the broader cybersecurity initiative predate the program’s rollout — going back to November 2022.

“We’d like to continue outreach with you apart from the cybersecurity program — find out how you’re doing and how we can help, and bring that feedback back to our UIT colleagues,” Postma said. “We’re one of your advocates in UIT. You now have an additional team on the inside of that circle, so to speak, that can bring your concerns up and help your voices be heard if you feel like you’re not getting heard.”

“And if we don’t have the answer, we know a person, right? We can figure out how to put you in touch with the right contact,” added Keyek-Franssen.

If you’d like to learn more about the U of U Cybersecurity Program, please review the website. If you have questions or need cybersecurity assistance, please email the UIT Partner Relations team at uit_partner_relations@utah.edu.

IT staff can request to join the Unified Security Toolset Microsoft Teams channel and opt in to attend weekly online community meetings via Teams held each Thursday, from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. To request a recurring cybersecurity meeting invitation, please email uit_partner_relations@utah.edu. University units that complete new cybersecurity tool implementations and trainings are recognized in Partner Relations weekly Friday Wrap-Up emails and Teams posts.

 

Node 4 Search