Stay secure online: Top tips for Cybersecurity Awareness Month

This message was sent to all University of Washington (UW) students, faculty and staff and UW Medicine employees.

Husky Community,

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM), a time to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and share resources to help keep you and our entire UW organization digitally secure. This year, the Office of Information Security (OIS) and UW Medicine Security are focusing our efforts on four themes: Data Classification, Artificial Intelligence, Ransomware Resilience, and Cyber Hygiene.

Throughout October, we are providing online presentations, in-person events, and informational materials to enhance awareness and promote conversation about these topics. Security and privacy tips, informational materials, and a schedule of events can be found at the NCSAM IT Connect page.

We all play a role in protecting personal and institutional data and promoting a culture of cybersecurity at the University of Washington. We consider everyone who utilizes our systems to be a member of our information security organization. This October and throughout the academic year, OIS wants you to keep the following cybersecurity tips in mind:

Recognize Phishing Scams: Be suspicious of emails with unsolicited job opportunities, offers of financial aid, or requests to purchase gift cards. Don’t click on links or download attachments from unverified sources. Never provide personal information, like passwords or credit card numbers, over email or via texting services like Telegram or WhatsApp.

Unique Passwords and Multifactor Authentication: Never use your NetID password for another account and be sure to use multifactor authentication for personal accounts like your bank or social media.

Use eduroam Wi-Fi: Use eduroam, a free, encrypted Wi-Fi network, when you’re on campus. For instructions on how to set up eduroam on your device, check out the eduroam page on IT Connect.

Connect to Husky OnNet at Home: Husky OnNet is a virtual private network (VPN) that helps secure your home Wi-Fi network when you are remotely accessing resources on the UW network. Visit the Husky OnNet page to learn how to install and set up the software.

Protect Institutional Data: Learn what types of data you are responsible for, take the necessary steps to secure that data – including encrypting laptops and devices – and ensure it is backed up properly. Learn more about data types and privacy responsibilities by visiting the IT Connect privacy guide.

Know the Laws: State law prohibits the use of UW computing resources, tools, or services for commercial or political purposes. Follow copyright laws for software, images, music, or other intellectual property, such as books and videos. Review the Appropriate Use page on IT Connect for more information.

This October and beyond, our teams are committed to partnering with you to protect personal data and secure UW’s institutional information.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact help@uw.edu.

Thank you for helping to keep UW cyber safe,

Isaac Straley

UW Chief Information Security Officer

Office of Information Security

Augie D’Agostino

UW Medicine Chief Information Security Officer

Information Technology Services

A tech revolution leads to about $2 million in savings for UW

By Ignacio Lobos| UW-IT Strategic Communications

I came into the office the other day and there was no wired telephone handset on my desk.

And just like that, I had become an actor in a quiet technological revolution going on at the University of Washington and other work and study places across the globe: We are just not connecting our devices to ethernet ports as much as we used to.

Some of us have moved our UW phones to our computers, taking calls via Zoom or Teams. Others have ditched desktops for laptops and docking stations that use Wi-Fi.

At the UW, you can still find an ethernet connection at pretty much every workstation — practically all walls on all floors in all UW buildings have the ubiquitous four-port plate that connects us to the UW network and the world.

Lit keyboard connected to the Ethernet — New technologies have freed many of our devices from cables. But many still need them.

Except that now, more and more people prefer to connect via Wi-Fi. And as Wi-Fi has continued to improve — with faster connections and better security features such as encrypted communications, for example — we are moving from a wired environment to one that is mostly untethered.

Does that mean Ethernet ports are going away? Not at all, said Dave O’Meara, service owner of the wired network service in UW-IT’s Infrastructure Division.

“At UW-IT, we completely understand that there’s a steady migration to wireless, but many people in our UW community will continue to require ethernet ports for all kinds of reasons. Ethernet connections are not going away,” he said.

What’s happening is the strategic deployment and maintenance of ethernet ports across UW — replacing or modernizing those that are in use and deactivating those that are not.

Now, this is not a simple step. UW-IT, particularly its infrastructure division, pays close attention to how technologies are deployed at the UW, and it sees the migration to more wireless devices as an opportunity to save everyone some money. In this case, to the tune of about $2 million in the next two to five years.

“As we started to modernize our ethernet ports, our engineers discovered that as much as 40 percent of available ports had not been used at all in the last 12 months,” said Bin Guo, vice president of the infrastructure division.

student listening, with wireless laptop on table. — More and more computers at the UW are going wireless, and students are leading the way.

“It costs money to touch each and every one of those ports, so it makes no sense to refresh a port that’s not being used,” she said.

For Guo, paying attention to something as small as a four-prong port signals how nothing is too small for UW-IT’s commitment to serve the UW community.

“Saving about $2 million is highly significant. But just as important is how we keep pace with technological changes,” she said. “We adapt and innovate to better support the University.”

In the meantime, the wired service team has a plan to contact all building managers in advance before any changes are made to Ethernet ports.

Building managers will have a great deal of discretion to decide which ports will remain active even if they have not been used at all in the past year.

“Our goal is to work closely with building managers to ensure their connectivity needs are being met,” O’Meara said. “If you need an ethernet connection, you got it.”

Contact UW-IT for help:

Do you want to migrate your UW Phone to Teams? Go to Teams Phone service page now.

If you have any questions about the Ethernet project or you’re a building manager who needs to get working on your connections right away, send a query to help@uw.edu with “ethernet ports” in the subject line.

What’s in a name? Everything!

UW introduces new app to support proper name pronunciation

close up of a microphone — With the Namecoach App available in Canvas, you can record your name without worrying about stage fright.

Text by Ignacio Lobos | UW-IT Strategic Communications

I was at a pizza joint recently and the cashier asked for my name so they could yell it out when my slices came out of the oven.

I hesitated for an uncomfortable few seconds and I finally told her, “Just make it Tony.” She gave me a glance that I read as, “You don’t look like a Tony to me!”

OK, so I was tired and hungry, and I didn’t want to hassle with another teachable moment, so surely you can understand. And come on, Ignacio is not that hard to pronounce. Just a handful of syllables.

And yet, over the years, my name has been mispronounced countless times — Over and over, in loud bars and pizza joints, in offices, and yes, in the classroom as well. Co-workers, friends, fellow students, a stubborn boss. All guilty as charged!

So, it’s great to hear that my employer, UW Information Technology, has acquired an app that is supposed to make it easier for people like me to share the proper pronunciation of our names.

This September, Namecoach will be unveiled in Canvas, the UW’s learning management system, and it will be available for students and faculty on all campuses first. If things go well, UW-IT hopes to release Namecoach to other users, including staff members like me, across other applications that are widely used at the University.

The app lets students (and faculty) create an audio recording of their name and enter a phonetic spelling if they want. The info is then accessible by others who have permission to use Canvas. Namecoach will appear as a tab in a Canvas course.

This is a big deal for a lot of people. Names matter. They’re an integral part of our identity. When you mispronounce someone’s name on purpose or make light of it, it’s certainly a show of disrespect. Don’t just take it from me. Check out this article from my colleagues in UW Medicine, which talks about why correct name pronunciation helps people feel respected and included.

So, say it with me: Ignacio! (a decent Youtube interpretation, until I get to make my own recording in Namecoach.)

More Information:

Easy-to-follow instructions to get your name set in Canvas.

New UW-IT computing expert will help shape UW’s AI future

By Ignacio Lobos | UW-IT Strategic Communications

When Jared Reimer joined the computer science program at UW nearly 30 years ago, the 17-year-old was more likely to find mentions of artificial intelligence (AI) in science fiction rather than the classroom.

Today, AI is on the cusp of becoming the most transformative technology of the 21^st century — and as Reimer and many other tech industry leaders see it, more important than the Internet, cell phone or just about any other electronic gadget we put our hands on.

“This is a once-in-a-generation innovation, perhaps one of the most significant advances in technology in the last 100 years,” said Reimer, who has returned to the University as Lead AI Architect for University of Washington Information Technology (UW-IT).

“AI, no doubt, will change the world in ways we cannot imagine,” he said.

Hiring Reimer underscores UW-IT’s commitment to ensure AI will deliver on its promises and give UW a competitive advantage over other major universities, said Bin Guo, Associate Vice President of Infrastructure and CTO.

“This is a critical role for UW-IT and UW at large at this pivotal moment of the AI age,” Guo said. “Jared will help shape and implement our AI strategy to transform UW into a leading AI-powered University.”

UW alum brings rich AI experience across industries

Jared is no stranger to technology, even to the hype and promise of earlier technologies that have failed to deliver. But AI is not a passing fad, he said, pointing to his own children’s immediate adoption of Chat GPT and other generative AI technologies.

Jared Reimer, Lead AI Architect for University of Washington Information Technology (UW-IT).

“How we interact with technology will change fundamentally with AI,” said Reimer, an early Internet and cloud services industries pioneer.

Reimer grew up in rural Kitsap County, not far from UW, where he earned undergrad and graduate degrees in computer science. He started his career building core Internet infrastructure including oz.net (early dial-up ISP) and the Seattle Internet eXchange, the world’s largest free internet exchange point.

Later, he founded Cascadeo, an international professional and managed services firm. The company, which placed in the global Gartner Magic Quadrant for Public Cloud IT Transformation Services, was acquired in 2020 by a leading telecommunications provider in Asia.

Most recently, he served as Cascadeo’s CTO post-acquisition and led the cascadeo.ai SaaS product, the world’s first enterprise cloud management platform to leverage generative AI.

If you haven’t heard his name, you may know some of the things he has been involved in: launching the Nest Learning Thermostat, designing and building CenturyLink Cloud’s global monitoring infrastructure and serving as senior technical advisor to HBO’s Emmy award-winning comedy “Silicon Valley.”

Because of his expertise in cloud computing and AI, he’s become a sought-after speaker, including appearances at Goldman Sachs, AWS re:Invent, Warburg Pincus, KeyBanc, NANOG, CNN Philippines, The Wall Street Journal and many others, including guest lectures at UW.

Critical time for AI at UW

While a firm believer that AI is a force for good, Reimer also understands you need a strong plan and strategy to deliver AI that will advance the mission of the University.

“With any dual-use technology, we risk making a wrong turn,” he said, pointing to his favorite movie, Terminator 2: Judgement Day. “That movie was far ahead of its time and today, it’s more relevant than ever in the age of AI,” he said.

But we will not have a terminator day if we pay attention to how we deploy and police AI, he said. And we also can’t turn the clock back. AI is not going away — it continues to grow at a rapid pace across the globe.

“The ethical use of AI is of vital importance, especially in a university setting,” he said. “Building fairness around the system and guarding against bias are not terms we just throw around. We are deeply committed to UW’s mission and guiding principles.”

“Our work with AI foremost exists to serve the UW and its many stakeholders equitably,” he said. “It also aims to set a very high bar for others to follow.”

More information

Jared Reimer now helps lead UW’s new AI Community of Practice. Join today via UW Teams!

What is going on with your heart?

Video by Sam Han | Text by Ignacio Lobos | UW-IT Communications & Engagement

In one of your commercial flights over the Cascade Mountains, between snacks, bathroom breaks and terrible romantic comedies, did you ever stop to think about the massive engineering feat that kept the engines running?

Have you ever considered your own engine — reliably ticking away year after year?

Patrick Boyle spends a lot of time thinking about the heart and the intricate electrical system that keeps it ticking along better than a Rolex ever could.

Boyle and his team in UW’s Cardiac Systems Simulation (CardSS) Lab in the Department of Bioengineering know the heart is an amazing workhorse, but they also know things go wrong.

That’s why they are using computational tools, machine learning, artificial intelligence and the power of Hyak, the UW’s supercomputer managed and operated by UW Information Technology (UW-IT), to spot electrical abnormalities before they turn into killing strokes.

“One of our areas of study is atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular heartbeat that causes the heart to beat too fast,” Boyle said. “It affects millions of people across the world, and it’s a terrifying disease.”

“It can be present, and your heart and body can tolerate the condition, and you may not know it at all,” he said. “For many people, the first sign there’s a problem is when they have a stroke.”

As its name implies, Boyle’s lab runs computational simulations of beating hearts to better predict and prevent electrical abnormalities. By studying heart rhythm disorders — specifically atrial and ventricular arrhythmias — the lab seeks to better understand why people suffer from heart disease and move health care technology forward.

Super heavy-duty computer users

An electrical abnormality is not an easy thing to track, much less predict. And that’s where the power of Hyak comes into play. It allows Boyle and his lab to run uninterrupted studies that can shed light on what’s making things go haywire.

Patrick Boyle and two members of his team working data on a blackboard. — Patrick Boyle and his team analyze data from one of their studies on electrical abnormalities.

His lab is also using many complex open-source packages maintained by the openCARP community, whose software and code is freely available for academic purposes; and powerful new tools created by numericor, which provides cutting-edge cardiac electrophysiology simulation solutions.

“We’re grateful to have amazing software tools to use in our work, and on-premises supercomputer to crunch the data,” he said. “We’re fortunate to have a resource like Hyak. For us, a single study has enough data to consume 3 to 4 million CPU hours. That’s an incredible amount of computing power,” he said.

And he needs every bit of it. He and his team are not studying one heart. They are studying thousands of electrical permutations in hundreds of hearts, all of them beating at their own rhythm and creating incredibly complex data points that add up to an incredible puzzle that the CardSS Lab can’t wait to crack.

Traveling this summer?

If you’re about to hit the road, don’t forget to set up your devices with eduroam, the UW’s preferred Wi-Fi app. It’s secure and encrypted, but better yet, it’s accepted at more than 30,000 points across the globe. Check it out!

UW-IT chooses AVP to lead new People & Culture Division

By UW-IT Communications & Engagement staff

When Bethany Brodsky is not operating as an HR executive — solving tough people problems and coaching those around her to do the same — you will likely find her busy with various activities, most involving her family and her community.

One meaningful role her family has played has been as a host to refugees from Afghanistan and other politically troubled places across the globe.

For refugee families, learning how to navigate a new country, learning a new language, and adapting to new norms can be emotionally difficult — and often an exciting journey as well.

In this context, culture is all too important for Bethany, her family and for refugees. As a host family, new immigrants have someone they can trust as they navigate new ways of doing things. For Bethany and her family, helping people on their journey to new lives has been an eye-opening and a mutually rewarding experience.

That ethos is reflected in Bethany’s professional choices, where people always come first. Over the years at different companies, she was immersed in leading culture change — advocating for healthier workspaces, mapping career development for staff, building cohesive talent strategies for organizations, and coaching leaders on thoughtful growth and change.

This week, Bethany starts a new chapter in her career, as Associate Vice President of People & Culture — also a brand-new division within University of Washington Information Technology (UW-IT).

“It’s an incredible opportunity to be able to step into a brand-new role and brand-new division that puts people first,” Bethany said.

“It’s clear that UW-IT has highly competent, talented individuals who really care about the University,” said Bethany, who endured a rigorous interview process, including a forum attended by about 100 UW-IT staff and leaders. “I see my job partly as helping clear the way for talented and capable teams within UW-IT to do their best work on behalf of the University.”

Her goals and insight impressed UW leaders and staff during the competitive interview process.

“Bethany’s leadership style is grounded in vision and empathy, aligning with our goals and the journey we are on,” said Andreas Bohman, vice president and chief information officer for UW-IT.

“Her skills and insights will be crucial as we continue to evolve and strengthen our organization,” Andreas said. “We believe Bethany is the leader UW-IT needs, and we are excited for the fresh perspectives and energy she will bring to our team.”

New division seeks to empower UW-IT staff

The People & Culture Division is a product of UW-IT’s extensive reorganization, which got under way in 2022. UW-IT staff asked for more support and clear values, which the new division seeks to deliver.

Today, UW-IT as an organization has chosen a set of core values to foster a healthier organization. In turn, these values are meant to guide UW-IT in support of UW’s mission, how UW-IT goes about its work and how its staff collaborates with one another and the UW community.

“UW-IT’s People & Culture division aims to ensure that our workforce is set up for success, and to maximize the value of our human capital,” Andreas said. “Bethany will help us achieve those goals.”

Bethany has a strong background in talent development and organizational strategy and accomplished important goals at Netflix and Evernote.

“Her experience in creating a learning and development function at Netflix and leading a global talent initiative at Evernote showcases her strategic thinking and dedication to professional growth,” he said.

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New UW-IT infrastructure directors take on critical roles to better serve UW

Three units within UW-IT’s Infrastructure Division critical to the University of Washington’s business functions now have new leaders — a key step in a major reorganization that was completed in late 2023.

Scott Bingham is Director of Microsoft Platforms, a new unit in UW-IT; David Cox is Director of Computing and Storage; Joby Walker is Director of Infrastructure Tools.

Strengthening UW’s partnership with Microsoft

UW students, faculty and staff rely on multiple IT tools and apps to accomplish their work, but over the years, as the University has sought to streamline its offerings, Microsoft tools have grown in importance.

Photo of Scott Bingham is Director of Microsoft Platforms — Scott Bingham, Director of Microsoft Platforms

“With our new Microsoft Platforms unit, we aim to elevate our partnership with Microsoft and maximize the value of Microsoft technologies for University business,” said Bin Guo, Infrastructure’s associate vice president.

“Scott will help us to strengthen our partnership with Microsoft, and at the same time, work with other UW-IT teams to curate relevant Microsoft technologies and continue to deliver premium services to our community,” she said.

Scott brings broad technical expertise across applications, infrastructure, program and project management, and IT operations. “And he is proficient in bringing together technology and business strategy to solve unique challenges,” she said.

Scott is no stranger to UW, where he received a Computer Science degree. He has more than 20 years of experience leading technology teams delivering high-value digital solutions and services.

For the last 12 years, he served in various IT leadership roles at Seattle Children’s, and most recently has led the IT Operations department, where he implemented and supported a large portfolio of digital solutions and services across the Hospital, Research Institute and 40 remote clinical sites.

Scott is also the founder and president of Housing Solutions for Hope (HS4H), a Seattle Children’s non-profit — showcasing his deep passion for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in support of under-represented communities.

Cutting-edge computing and storage solutions coming to the UW

The Computing and Storage unit also will play a critical role as the University seeks new business solutions in the short- and long-term, Guo said.

Photo of David Cox, Director of Computing and Storage — David Cox, Director of Computing and Storage

“We are at a pivotal point of leading the university into the next era, and the Computing and Storage unit continues to play a key role in that journey,” Guo said.

“This includes a few major efforts like defining and driving the implementation of next generation student systems in collaboration with our partners in the Data and Applications Division, modernizing of our on-premises storage solutions and expanding our computing environment to the cloud.

David is well known around UW, where he has been contributing to its mission in different roles and capacities for more than 30 years — with outstanding results. He has diverse technical knowledge and experience as well as leading teams in various areas.

“It’s a super exciting journey ahead and we are glad to have David onboard,” she said.

Infrastructure tools key to smooth University business operations

The Infrastructure Tools team already has played an instrumental role in Finance Transformation by enabling UW Connect (ServiceNow) to be the enterprise customer support platform, Guo said.

Joby Walker, Director of Infrastructure Tools.

Under Joby’s leadership, she expects the unit will continue to scale up the capabilities to enable more business workflows and onboard more university customers efficiently.

UW-IT also oversees a vast portfolio of tools to support the management of the backbone IT infrastructure for the university, including project management and developer tools. But as University priorities change, the Infrastructure Tools unit will play a key role in building a solid roadmap for years to come.

“Joby is perfect for this role,” Guo said. “He has been contributing to UW’s mission in different roles and capacities for more than two decades and he has a great track record of delivering outstanding results in an extremely collaborative and pragmatic manner.”

“He also brings diverse technical knowledge and experience and is a great example of the embodiment of our three core values — invested, compassionate and team player.”

“I am confident that Joby will help us lead through this growth and pave the way forward,” Guo said. “It’s a super exciting time.”

Leadership changes reflect UW-IT’s path to a dynamic future

Photo of Bin Guo, Associate Vice President, Infrastructure Division — Bin Guo, Infrastructure Division AVP

In the past year, UW-IT has transformed itself and created new divisions and units, committing itself to a new work model focused on the people who depend on IT tools and services.

The new hires and units, Guo said, go a long way to fulfilling Infrastructure Division’s mandate. As part of its work, various units design, implement and support essential IT infrastructure services and technologies that are indispensable to carrying out the University’s mission.

They include the University’s wired and wireless networks, telecommunications services, computing and storage services, infrastructure tools and service delivery platforms. At the same time, Infrastructure works closely with other divisions in UW-IT to ensure the right IT solutions are in place. See where Infrastructure and its units fit within UW-IT.

“We are very excited to have such committed leaders in UW-IT,” Guo said. As UW-IT continues to position itself to better serve the University’s mission, we need a strong vision to get us there.”

New research computing division gets strong leader

By UW-IT News & Announcements

Xiao Zhu, a research computer expert with the knowhow to help other researchers across the University of Washington to meet their evolving computing needs, is UW-IT’s new Associate Vice President for Research Computing.

“It is my belief that Xiao will skillfully support the UW in its role as a world leader in research,” said Andreas Bohman, UW-IT’s Vice President for UW Information Technology and CIO. “I am also confident that Xiao’s commitment to fostering innovation, collaboration and diversity in higher education will be a significant contribution to the UW’s mission and vision.”

Zhu was chosen from among a strong field of finalists to lead the new Research Computing Division in UW-IT, which reorganized in the past year to better serve the University’s needs.

UW and UW-IT leaders recognize that research computing is a key differentiator for the UW and it needs to continue to grow in this area to meet the needs of an innovative and fast-moving research community.

The Research Computing Division’s primary mission is to empower and facilitate groundbreaking research, foster innovation and support researchers across the university.

One of its goals is to provide the best computing resources available, in-house tools and expertise and unwavering support to everyone, whether they’re seasoned researchers or students just getting under way.

Through its new division, UW-IT is committed to enabling best practices that not only enhance the quality of research outcomes but also mitigate funding risks associated with computational endeavors.

“I am thankful to everyone who participated in the selection process,” Bohman said. “I especially appreciate the work from the recruiting firm Next Generation Partners, LLC and the search committee chaired by Xiaosong Li, Associate Vice Provost for Research Cyberinfrastructure, and made up of leaders across the University.

Xiao’s experience, in both the private and public sectors, encompasses research computing leadership, deep technical expertise, and securing external funding for research infrastructure. Most recently, he served as Senior Technical Consulting Engineer at Intel, where he was immersed in innovative technologies that support research computing.

Xiao’s education includes earning a Ph.D. in Computational Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from Purdue University, his employer prior to Intel. Xiao also holds a Bachelor of Science in Polymer Materials and Engineering from the University of Science and Technology of China.

While at Purdue as a Senior Research Scientist, Xiao designed and delivered cost-effective services to meet the evolving cyberinfrastructure needs of researchers, including the deployment of GPU resources for ML/AI. He also played a pivotal role in securing over $20 million in funding from the National Science Foundation, which facilitated deployment of the Anvil Supercomputer for the national science and engineering community.

Additionally, at the Texas Advanced Computing Center, Xiao was instrumental in deploying and later enhancing one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers at the time, while providing support to scientific computing communities.