Information Technology Services (ITS)

2025 initiative highlights

The IT@UofT Strategic Plan (2025 – 2027) guides activities for the development and deployment of information technology infrastructure and services across the University for the next three years. This page outlines the initiatives that will take priority in the first year (2025), which directly relate to our three-year objectives.

Last updated: Jan. 28, 2025

Information security – Empower digital trust across the University by fostering a culture of secure digital activities as we implement a multi-year information security strategy.

Initiative highlights

  • Enhance security awareness training to extend fundamental security awareness to all members of community, with focus on inclusion of faculty and role-based security training for IT professionals.
  • Expand anti-virus end point protection for all University-owned user devices and servers by onboarding units for delegated access to manage their endpoints, including visibility on security alerts for quick detection and response.
  • Establish an Identify Governance and Administration (IGA) framework that includes policies, procedures and standards for managing identities and access in preparation for technical implementation of new identify management platform.
  • Extend new Palo Alto University-wide Firewall-as-a-Service to provide enhanced security capabilities, including URL filtering and intrusion protection, unify firewall management and centralize firewall logging for improved visibility and incident response.

Professional skill enhancement – Cultivate a future-ready IT@UofT community by offering professional development and skill enhancement through continuous learning and knowledge exchange.

Initiative highlights

  • Advance work of new IT@UofT Professional Development Advisory Group by identifying priorities and coordinating opportunities across divisions and units to build technical, leadership and management skills.
  • Extend Generative AI (GenAI) learning opportunities and events to support awareness and practice related to these emergent tools and technologies for IT professionals in a range of roles, including a new special interest group exploring GenAI for IT professionals.

Digital learning – Enable instructors, students and staff to proactively explore and leverage the transformative potential of emerging technologies, including innovative AI-enabled strategies, to enhance teaching and learning.

Initiative highlights

  • Advance learning analytics infrastructure and institutionally supported instructor dashboard providing more detailed Quercus course activity and related faculty support programming to support course design and teaching enhancement.
  • Develop and deploy early prototype GenAI virtual tutors; conduct evaluation activities to provide insight on instructor and learner experiences that will inform institutional planning.
  • Support use of GenAI for teaching and learning applications through faculty development and community engagement initiatives to ensure high quality experiences for learners.
  • Initiate computer-based assessment delivery procurement process to identify candidate platforms supporting digital test and exam delivery via lab computers and student devices to support academic integrity.

Focus on accessibility – Enhance inclusive design and accessibility across University IT systems, services and resources. Ensuring equitable access and usability for all community members.

Initiative highlights

  • Collaborate with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act (AODA) office to promote awareness and training for accessible digital design, implementation and procurement practices, including role-based training for IT professionals.
  • Explore tooling options to help support conversion of existing material to accessible formats to ensure AODA compliance and accommodate all learners in a timely manner.
  • Implement platform for accommodated testing services to manage accommodations information and communication end to end to improve efficiency and ease of user experience.

Administrative systems transformation – Advance digital transformation strategy to continue modernizing and transforming the University’s core administrative systems, which will improve user experience for students, faculty and administration staff.

Initiative highlights

  • Contribute towards the establishment of Student Information Systems (SIS) strategy and roadmap to transform and modernize student systems platform and capabilities, including governance, resourcing, business plan, conceptualization and transition planning.
  • Enable improved reporting through development of micro credential course and learner data infrastructure and workflow processes to gain efficiency and access to data for institutional planning.
  • Complete implementation of curriculum management platform for the School of Graduate Studies to support processes to propose, change and retire courses and programs in compliance with governance processes.
  • Transform U of T timekeeping application (from Kronos to Dimensions) for improved user experience and enhanced functionality to support divisional needs.
  • Enhance My Research funds with administrative template generator, awards intake and autopayment processes and non-funded research application workflow enhancements, as well as initiate new research ethics module transformation project.
  • Advance SAP Employee Central application phase 2 implementation, including high level design, process mapping and business needs alignment in support of onboarding functions.
  • Advance development of Student Advising Service (SAS) student portal to provide an access point for students’ interaction and scheduling of advising appointments with U of T advisors utilizing the SAS administrative module.

Research enablement and resource stewardship – Invest in shared research infrastructure to support secure, cost effective and sustainable research activities.

Initiative highlights

  • Develop a long-term strategy with Research Information Security (RIS) to transform the public interface and data services catalogue, streamlining MyResearch design and features and achieving a more user-centric design and efficiency through standardized processes.
  • Support the RIS program in launching the Trusted Digital Infrastructure Framework (TDIF) initiative, including hosting monthly office hours for researchers and research-facing staff, offering training, providing consultations and risk assessments.
  • Initiate preparatory work for improvement of information security protocols and practices for REDCap survey software through collaboration with CRIS and VPRI, setting the stage for updated processes and scheduled data retention protocols to improve functionality for researchers and reduce risk.
  • In partnership with Centre for Research Support and Innovation, explore use of commercial cloud technologies and prototype support models to facilitate ease of access, reduced cost and sustainable, secure storage of research data.
  • Onboard tenants to new Research Data Centre, leveraging infrastructure providing researchers professionally managed and physically secure co-location data storage.

Portfolio management – Enhance project visibility at the portfolio level to foster transparency, communication and trust across the University community.

Initiative highlights

  • Establish investment prioritization framework for IT@UofT Boards to evaluate and prioritize IT investments based on strategic alignment, risk, and cost, ensuring optimal resource allocation and support for university goals.
  • Build accurate and replicable institutional IT expenditures report – analyzing and optimizing costs both centrally and across divisions to ensure they are efficient, necessary and aligned with the university’s strategic goals.
  • Review enterprise-level licensing agreements to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and economies of scale.
  • Increase transparency of iterative and annual reporting on IT@UofT operational initiatives and outcomes, advancing strategic objectives outlined in refreshed strategic plan.
  • Implement Change Advisory Board to assess, prioritize, authorize and schedule changes as part of the change control process for institutionally supported services. Establish service level management targets when applications put into production.

Shared Infrastructure – Collaborate with divisional and unit leadership to update and standardize campus-core infrastructure and ensure a consistent user experience regardless of where and how connecting on the campus.

Initiative highlights

  • Initiate technical implementation of SailPoint platform; analysis and planning for design, configuration and testing of custom connectors, workflows for managing identities and access on new IDM platform.
  • Expand adoption of Network-as-a-Service to improve security and resilience while reducing duplication and risk.
  • Continue to renew and expand the tri-campus wireless network to improve service and coverage.
  • Standardize array of supported cloud services available to the IT@UofT community to improve efficiency, scalability and security.
  • Initiate planning for refresh infrastructure for institutional data, analysis and reporting systems in collaboration with IRDG.
  • Collaborate across IT functions to assess, design and deploy initial prototype artificial intelligence enterprise solutions for productivity use, as well as appropriate training and documentation.

Service Management – Optimize use of IT resources through service models aimed at providing equitable access for all divisional and business partners, while reducing costs and ensuring sustainable IT infrastructure across the University.

Initiative highlights

  • Enhance IT service management function and capability through business process review to optimize ServiceNow functionality and workflow. Use system data to improve ServiceNow provisioning and workflows to enhance user experience and efficient access to resources.
  • Update the UniversITy Service Catalogue to allow the IT@UofT community to discover and learn more about ITS services and applications.
  • Develop TA administrative management system to manage workflow for the TA hiring process for single department faculties will be available live in production as shared service.
  • Review and recommend preferred bulk email service provider for institutional communications.
  • Launch IT Service Management Board as third component of IT@UofT Governance to support alignment and prioritization of service initiatives.