UIT, 9 U orgs celebrate cybersecurity toolset implementation

Nine university organizations recently marked a major cybersecurity milestone — implementing a suite of cybersecurity tools required by the University of Utah Cybersecurity Program.

Dentistry, DLT, neurosurgery, radiology, and Red Butte

Five university organizations celebrated at Red Butte Garden & Arboretum’s Rose House on July 31, 2025, with pizza from Pie Pizzeria, soda, and UIT-provided “Cybersecurity Superstar” T-shirts:

• Red Butte Garden & Arboretum
• UIT Digital Learning Technologies
• Department of Radiology and Imaging picture archiving and communication system (PACS) team
• Department of Neurosurgery
• School of Dentistry

“The visibility these tools provide have changed the way we identify and respond to IT security incidents,” Chief Information Security Officer Jake Johansen said. “We sincerely appreciate your support and engagement.”

Donna Roach, chief information officer for the University of Utah Health, lauded the efforts of UIT Partner Relations, which, along with UIT’s Information Security Office, is leading a campus-wide effort to deploy cybersecurity tools at the college/department/organization level. Roach also praised retired CISO Corey Roach for his efforts in establishing the program. “He was a big part of this,” she said.

Following lunch, Joe Killian, Red Butte’s customer relationship management (CRM) administrator, treated attendees to an onstage tour of Red Butte’s amphitheater, site of a summer concert series that attracts about 90,000 fans each year.

“A surprising amount of technology goes into a concert,” Killian said, and not just sound and lighting equipment configured for each artist. “People often forget about the challenges of network connectivity in this kind of environment, and the support our volunteers need, from mobile ticket scanners to cashless payment systems.”

Dean Keyek-Franssen, associate director for UIT Partner Relations, said fewer organizations hit the milestone each week — a good thing.

“We’re looking forward to the day we can say we’re completely done with this phase,” Keyek-Franssen said.“For everyone who is done, we want to keep meeting with you. Keep in mind that UIT offers a lot of different services besides [cyber]security. If you want to bring forward IT initiatives but need expertise you may not have in-house, UIT is here to help.”

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Auxiliary Services, Rice-Eccles Stadium, University Campus Store, and UCard Services

Four university organizations were recognized on August 14 with a T-shirt giveaway and southwestern buffet, sodas, lemonade, and dessert in Rice-Eccles Stadium’s Ken Garff University Club:

• Auxiliary Services
• Stadium, Arena, and Campus Event Services
• University Campus Store
• UCard Services

“It was fun to celebrate this first win together,” said Jennifer Reed, senior associate vice president for Auxiliary Services. “We have multiple lines of business that utilize points of sale in addition to more traditional IT hardware, but with Auxiliary Services and UIT working together, we overcame the challenges related to the complexity of our operations and have contributed to making the University of Utah more cybersecure.”

Jim Innes, Auxiliary Services’ director for IT services, called Reed a “champion of the process and project from day one” who was able to “share that vision with the leadership of each auxiliary unit.”

Innes also gave shoutouts to two associate IT directors in Auxiliary Services — Jesse Booth and Scott Hill.

“Jesse has been point on this project since it began and has taken that role very seriously. He worked tirelessly to make things happen in a timely manner and helped overcome numerous hurdles along the way,” Innes said. “Scott joined the team late in 2024, and one of the first things he had to do was wrap his head around the inventory and cybersecurity tool deployment for more than 400 endpoints. Scott has been amazing and has more than stepped up to the challenge, and continues to do so.”

Lastly, Innes thanked Keyek-Franssen.

“I honestly don’t know how Dean juggles all the various departments and projects so well,” he said. “Dean has been extremely helpful and quick to act anytime we needed help or had questions throughout the process. We look forward to working with him in the upcoming phases of the project.”

 

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