Designated Technology FAQ
-
Are there approved technology tools that are not on the Designated Technology Systems list?
Yes. The Designated Technology Systems list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every technology tool approved for use at UAB; rather, it is a list of technologies designated as the preferred or authoritative tool for certain use cases. Tools also approved for use at UAB include:
- All tools and software included in the IT Service Catalog and IT Software Center.
- All modules, libraries and tools included in the Cheaha high-performance computing system.
- Web browsers including Chrome, Safari, Edge and others.
-
With the Designated Technology Systems list in place, will I be prohibited from purchasing solutions that work for our research needs, in favor of existing, centralized tools?
You will not be prohibited from purchasing solutions that work for research or other purposes as long as they comply with UAB security and procurement policies.
-
If a tool I want to use for another purpose has already been approved for a different use case, will the review process be streamlined?
UAB will follow the existing technology contract and product review process, which includes estimated turnaround times based on data classification. Over the last seven years, UAB IT has delivered according to these service level agreements 99.56 percent of the time.
-
Is UAB reviewing AWS and AI-based software, such as notetaking software?
UAB has an enabling agreement with Microsoft and Salesforce for cloud environments. UAB is actively pursuing enabling agreements with Amazon and Google. You can review UAB-approved AI tools. Many more AI tools remain under review.
-
Why are there delays in approving technology tools?
UAB IT remains committed to a streamlined but effective review of software. That review is based on data classification and risk with three service level agreements in place:
- If the software processes public data only, the software review is the same business day and in most cases, instantaneous.
- If the software processes sensitive data, the software review will occur within five business days.
- If the software processes restricted data, the software review will occur as quickly as possible. Depending on the use case, UAB IT or HSIS will be responsible for that review.
Over the last seven years, UAB IT has delivered according to these service level agreements 99.56% of the time. Please note this applies to campus procurements through UAB IT. It does not apply to procurements that go through HSIS.
-
Does the technology approval process mean that UAB is trying to restrict research software requests?
UAB’s policy does not seek to standardize research software that is discipline specific. If the research software has widespread adoption or application, then UAB would be interested in considering adding it to the Designated Technology Systems list.
-
Can software written or developed in-house as part of R&D and that we might distribute to colleagues to enable their research be approved for use at UAB?
If locally developed research software has widespread adoption or application, then UAB would be interested in considering adding it to the Designated Technology Systems list.
-
My department uses unique software. Does UAB process or policy restrict discipline-specific software?
UAB policy does not seek to standardize research software that is discipline specific.
-
Can UAB develop department-specific guidelines that recognize the unique needs of research software, ensuring both security and flexibility?
UAB is not seeking to apply a one-size-fits-all approach to research software unless there is widespread use and adoption of the software at UAB.
-
The Designated Technology Systems list does not include software I typically use. What can I do about this?
Follow the process outlined for review of IT-related tools and contracts.
-
Do software upgrades require a review?
Software updates do not require a review unless the data classification changes.
-
I am using a machine learning software. Does this need to be approved?
Machine learning is a type of AI and needs to be approved. It will be reviewed through a risk-based evaluation.
-
Can I use cloud-based systems used by research funding agencies and journals?
Yes, those are exempt from the purchasing process.
-
I am running an HSIS app on a campus system. Can I do this?
You should contact HSIS for guidance and approval.
-
Are the modules supported by the Cheaha high-performance computing system included in the Designated Technology Systems list?
Yes.
-
If I have contracts with software vendors that are not on the Designated Technology Systems list or in the IT Service Catalog, can they be grandfathered?
If the contracts went through UAB procurement and security review then they are approved. If they did not, they need to be reviewed.
UAB Designated Technology Systems
UAB maintains approved technology tools that are the authoritative data source for a given data element or piece of information, or the UAB resourced and preferred tools for a specific function. The chart below lists the approved technology tools, along with their functions and the users who may have access to them. Eligibility can vary by use case. You can sort by column and search the list. View our FAQ here.
System | Functionality | Users | Usage |
---|---|---|---|
Canvas | Learning management system | Faculty/students | Academic Technologies |
Matlab | Analytical software, Math, Data Science | Students/faculty/staff | Academic Technologies |
SAS | Analytical software, Math, Data Science | Students/faculty/staff | Academic Technologies |
GitLab | Code repository | Academic Technologies | |
E2E Scheduling | Counselor/student scheduling | Staff/student | Academic Technologies |
xTender | Document management | Staff/faculty | Academic Technologies |
Profiles | Faculty activity reporting | Faculty | Academic Technologies |
Tessitura | Online event ticketing | Staff | Academic Technologies |
TurnItIn | Plagiarism detection | Faculty | Academic Technologies |
EndNote | Reference management | Faculty/Staff/Students | Academic Technologies |
Camtasia | Screen recorder, video editor | Faculty | Academic Technologies |
Banner | Student information system | Faculty/Students | Academic Technologies |
ProctorU | Student proctoring | Students | Academic Technologies |
Mathematica | Analytical software, Math, Data Science | Faculty/Staff/Students | Academic Technologies |
EllucianCRM Advance | Alumni and donor CRM | Advancement | Advancement Technologies |
Paciolan | Donations and ticket sales | Athletics | Athletics Technologies |
Azure | Cloud | Faculty/Staff | Common User Technologies |
Adobe Creative Cloud | Work productivity and creative services | Students/Faculty/Staff | Common User Technologies |
Adobe Sign | Electronic signature | Students/Faculty/Staff | Common User Technologies |
UABFile | File services | Faculty/Staff | Common User Technologies |
Box | Research storage | Faculty/Staff | Common User Technologies |
Citrix | Desktop virtualization | Faculty/Staff | Common User Technologies |
Lsoft Listserv | Email management | IT staff | Common User Technologies |
Microsoft Active Directory | Directory service | IT staff | Common User Technologies |
Bookings | Appointment scheduler | Faculty/Staff | Common User Technologies |
Copilot with Data Protection | AI Tool | Faculty/Staff/Students | Common User Technologies |
LDAP | Directory service | IT staff | Common User Technologies |
Teams | Chat, storage, video conferencing | Faculty/Staff/Students | Common User Technologies |
Dev Ops | Code repository | IT Staff | Common User Technologies |
Visio | Diagram creation | Faculty/Staff | Common User Technologies |
OneDrive | Academic storage | Faculty/Staff/Students | Common User Technologies |
Exchange | Faculty/Staff/Students | Common User Technologies | |
In-Tune | Endpoint protection | IT Staff | Common User Technologies |
Project | Project management system | Faculty/Staff/Students | Common User Technologies |
Planner | Project work | Faculty/Staff | Common User Technologies |
PowerBI | Reporting | Faculty/Staff | Common User Technologies |
Tableau | Reporting | Faculty/Staff | Common User Technologies |
Forms | Public survey Tool | Faculty/Staff/Students | Common User Technologies |
Qualtrics | Public survey tool | Faculty/Staff/Students | Common User Technologies |
Zoom | Video conferencing | Staff/Faculty/Students | Common User Technologies |
Axiom | Budgeting | Staff | Financial and HR Technologies |
BenefitFocus | Benefits | Faculty/Staff | Financial and HR Technologies |
Blackboard Transact | Dining transaction software | Staff | Financial and HR Technologies |
OnBase | Document and process management | Faculty/Staff | Financial and HR Technologies |
Sunflower | Asset management system | Staff | Financial and HR Technologies |
Taleo | Employee recruiting | Staff | Financial and HR Technologies |
PeopleAdmin | Faculty recruiting | Faculty | Financial and HR Technologies |
Oracle Enterprise Business Suite | Finance and payroll; human resources | Faculty/Staff | Financial and HR Technologies |
Docebo | Learning management system for HR | Faculty/Staff | Financial and HR Technologies |
TouchNet | Payment gateway and student cashiering | Staff | Financial and HR Technologies |
Kronos | Timekeeping | Staff | Financial and HR Technologies |
Beyond Trust | Desktop remote support | IT Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
Microsoft SCCM | Patch management | IT Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
Jamf | Apple patch management | IT Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
FileIO | File workflow | Faculty/Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
Grouper | Group management | IT Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
IDM | Identity management | IT Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
ServiceNow | Ticketing system, CMDB | IT Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
Redhat | Operating system | Faculty/Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
Enterprise Linux | Linux operating system | Faculty/Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
Satellite | Linux patch management | IT Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
Campus M | Mobile application | IT Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
EMS | Room scheduling | Faculty/Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
Shibboleth | SAML-based authentication | IT Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
SolarWinds | Server and system monitoring | IT Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
Commvault | Server backup and restore | IT Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
Cyberark | Server privileged access management | IT Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
CAS | Single sign-on | IT Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
VMWare | Server virtualization | Faculty/Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
ControlM | Workflow management | IT Staff | UAB IT Technologies |
Joomla | Web authoring | Staff | Marketing and Web Technologies |
WordPress | Web authoring | Faculty/Staff | Marketing and Web Technologies |
ESM | Content management | Staff | Marketing and Web Technologies |
SCALA | Digital signage | Faculty/Staff | Marketing and Web Technologies |
Salesforce Salescloud | Email marketing, recruitment, admissions | Staff | Marketing and Web Technologies |
Marketing Cloud | Email, texting | Staff | Marketing and Web Technologies |
Meltwater | Media pitching/press releases | Staff | Marketing and Web Technologies |
Form Assembly | Online forms | Staff | Marketing and Web Technologies |
Flow Paper | PDF flipbooks for websites | Faculty/Staff | Marketing and Web Technologies |
R Studio | Analytical Software, Math, Data Science | Faculty/Staff | Research Technologies |
Anaconda | Analytical software, Math, Data Science | Faculty/Staff | Research Technologies |
IRAP (Info Ed) | Research Administration | Faculty/Staff | Research Technologies |
Club Automation | Rec center management | Staff | Student Affairs |
Maxient | Student conduct case managment | Staff | Student Affairs |
Fullscreen not available on IOS
Blaze and the Fractured Jewel
You wouldn't believe it! Data, our crown jewel at UAB, has shattered into five pieces. Want to be a hero and help us piece the shards back together? Become a Data Defender and help Blaze rescue the data before it falls into the wrong hands!
Learn more about Information Security
Submit your ideas
Great Ideas
Covered & Premium Services
UAB IT offers a wide range of agile, innovative, robust and secure services. Most of these services, which are referred to as covered services, are provided to the UAB campus community without charge. Some services, which are referred to as premium services, are provided for a fee. The tables below list covered and premium services and their descriptions.
Covered Services** | |
---|---|
Service |
Description |
Human Resources and Finance | Ongoing maintenance, licensing, and support costs for human resources and financial applications. |
Research Administration | Ongoing maintenance, licensing, and support costs for the research administration applications. |
Student, Advancement, and Alumni | Ongoing maintenance, licensing, and support costs for the student, advancement, and alumni-related applications. |
Supporting Applications | eLAS support and maintenance, Touchnet support and maintenance, Servers and Systems maintenance for custom applications, Education and Training Data Warehouse support and maintenance, ODS/Datamart support and maintenance, Internal project management support, Common data repository support and maintenance |
BlazerID | BlazerID, Multifactor Authentication for BlazerIDs, Guest User Accounts |
Business Intelligence | Collaborates with users and partners across the campus on initiatives that provide positive outcomes for student recruitment and success, research growth, advancement, operational effectiveness, and efficiency. Areas of focus are information governance, data analytics, and related technologies such as Tableau and Power BI. |
Classroom Support | Fulfill requests for: Standard AV Equipment (Mouse, Bulbs) Support: AV Technology, Standardized Classroom Technology, Refresh Cycle; Classroom Scheduling for Provost supported classrooms. The cost of equipment is managed through the Provost. |
Data Privacy | Collaborates with users and partners across the campus on data privacy policies, statements, procedures, assessments, and questions for international and domestic data. |
Desktop Patching | Desktop Patching ensures all contract and distributed IT supported devices have the recommended configurations, software versions, and most recent security protection. |
Email and Unlimited File Storage | Secure UABFile (administrative restricted data storage for departments), Email from Faculty, Staff, and Students, Email for Departments, Applications, and Devices, Listserv Service, Microsoft Teams (Team Document Storage, Collaboration Tools), Office 365 OneDrive (Personal Document Storage), Office 365 Distribution Lists, Office 365 Group Management, com Cloud (Personal, Research, and Team Document Storage) |
Infrastructure Services | SSL Server Certificate Management, Department-specific Cloud-based Application Management, Department-specific Server-based Application Management, Department-specific Database Management, Department-specific Virtual Server and Server Management, Department-specific Server Storage and Storage Management, Department-specific Cloud Infrastructure (Azure, AWS), Data Center Colocation Services |
Information Security | Security Testing, Security Forensic Analysis, Security Compliance Analysis, Media Destruction, Security Exception Process Reviews |
IT Contracts | As part of the University’s contract review process, UAB IT is responsible for reviewing any University contract that includes an IT or IT-related component before such contract is executed. |
IT Helpdesk | Fulfill requests for first-level technology support and is the single point of contact for UAB IT; Support: Phone, Walk-Up and Remote Support. |
Mobile Applications | UAB IT’s Mobile Application team works with numerous administrative offices across campus to develop enhancements to the overall user experience with UAB’s official mobile app. |
myUAB Portal | The myUAB Portal allows seamless login to most of the UAB administrative applications using Single Sign-On and save customized resources & bookmarks. |
Project Management | The purpose of the project management office is to assist campus-wide clients in implementing enterprise technical software/solutions that require support by IT, or projects as directed by the IT strategic advisory committee or the IT strategic plan. |
Research Computing | UAB IT Research Computing provides comprehensive support for researchers that use Cheaha, the campus high-performance compute cluster. |
Software** | Purchase and distribution for site license and volume discount software, including Microsoft products. |
Virtual Desktop and Application Publishing Core | UAB Anywhere is available to students, faculty, staff, and researchers. Published enterprise applications, shared staff virtual desktops, and student public virtual desktops are available as a core service. |
Services with both Covered and Premium Components | |||
---|---|---|---|
Service |
Description |
Organizations in RCM |
Organizations not in RCM |
Client Support |
Desktop Services manages and maintains all computer assets for contracted faculty and staff, including computers, laptops, tablets, printers, and other accessories. |
Covered |
Premium |
Client Support |
Printer and copier repair costs after initial diagnostics provided by Client Support. |
Premium |
Premium |
Infrastructure |
SSL Server Certificate Management, Department-specific Cloud-based Application Management, Department-specific Server-based Application Management, Department-specific Database Management, Department-specific Virtual Server and Server Management, Department-specific Server Storage and Storage Management, Department-specific Cloud Infrastructure (Azure, AWS), Data Center Colocation Services |
Covered |
Premium |
Telecommunications |
Facilitating requests for network and telephone cabling. Providing support for telephony services and features. |
Covered |
Premium |
Telecommunications |
Installations for new buildings and significant rehab projects with separate budgets. |
Premium |
Premium |
Wired and Wireless Network |
Supporting wired and wireless connectivity along with its underlying infrastructure. |
Covered |
Covered |
Wired and Wireless Network |
Installations for new buildings and significant rehab projects with separate budgets. |
Premium |
Premium |
Premium Services | |
---|---|
Service |
Description |
Digital Signage | Digital Signage offers an inclusive digital signage solution to campus departments and schools. Digital signage offers dynamic, vibrant messaging with easily adaptable, branded content. |
High-Speed Connectivity | Connections between buildings and also to UAB locations not in Birmingham. Provides access to network architecture and support to increase security with vulnerability scanning, risk assessment, patching, and endpoint protection. |
IT Equipment Services Premium (TechTools) | Computers and accessories are available for immediate purchase to faculty, staff, and researchers. Repairs for printers and copiers are also charged. |
Mobile Devices & Usage Charges | Our Cellular Services Team facilitates the purchase and support of University Owned mobility equipment and services through UAB’s contract with Verizon Wireless. |
Technology Consulting | UAB IT’s Application Consulting Services team can help create technology solutions to meet the needs of your department or school that include: Custom applications - Develop and maintain, SharePoint apps - Develop and maintain, Power apps - Develop and maintain |
Technology Store | TechConnect is our campus technology store offering computer equipment and accessories available to faculty, staff, and students for purchase in the store and online. |
Third-Party Application Implementation & Support | Assist administrative units and schools with implementing third-party applications by working with the vendor and assisting with procuring UAB IT services. We will also support the vendor to maintain the application on either a Virtual Desktop environment or virtual server. |
Zoom Support and Premium Licensing | Provide support to UA System faculty, staff, and researchers for premium Zoom webinars and large meetings. |
** This is a campus perspective and does not include services for the health system, such as Microsoft enterprise licensing and software, e.g. Adobe.