Considering how IT is woven into every aspect of our lives, it’s hard to pick a few areas to highlight. Everything OneIT does directly impacts every faculty, staff, student, and department within the University.

All across OneIT, we are making technological advancements—big and small— that help advance the work of our faculty, staff, and students. With a cloud-first, Microsoft-first mindset, we are making great strides in ensuring our community has the resources it needs to excel.

Expanding Access to Research Software

After years of being one of the top-requested research software products, Research Computing Support (RCS) facilitated a three-year agreement to provide Overleaf Professional to UT Knoxville’s graduate students, faculty, and staff at no additional cost. Overleaf is a prime example of how RCS evaluates software based on cost, sustained demand, and the breadth of benefits across the university colleges and departments.

College of Nursing Simulation Lab Environment

As part of the new College of Nursing, Network Services designed and implemented a specialized network to support the simulation lab environment, ensuring connectivity for simulation equipment, cameras, instructional technologies, and other network-connected devices. The project required close coordination with the College of Nursing, facilities teams, contractors, and simulation vendors to architect a network that could integrate many specialized devices into the university infrastructure. Rumor has it that one of the simulation manikins was named after one of the network engineers in appreciation of his help! 

In addition to the College of Nursing, OneIT helped open the Boyd Theatre, Poplar Hall, and Beacon Hall by providing state-of-the-art communications for the university community.

Security Improvements: Managed Computers

Microsoft Intune ensures that university data stays secure and follows policy guidelines on desktops, workstations, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Intune provides security regardless of the device location and without requiring individual action.

In 2025, Desktop Support and Security enrolled existing Windows computers, new MacOS computers, and iPads into Intune. Intune deploys a standard application package and security protocols to keep your computers safe, updated, and protected.

UT’s Intranet Expansion

After the successful launch of the intranet-based UT Knoxville Employee Hub in 2024, OneIT has partnered with the UT System and UT Southern to create employee hubs. By applying the lessons learned from the Knoxville rollout, we were able to decrease the start-to-launch time to a few short months. All employees have access to the UT Central Hub, a go-to resource for UT employees across the state, providing quick and easy access to the information and tools you need.

Visit the UT System Central Hub

Vol Connect (Salesforce CRM)

The Vol Connect Salesforce CRM Team collaborated with 16 cross-functional professionals from OneIT’s Office of Innovative Technologies and the Office of the Provost. Over nearly four years, the team worked to establish Vol Connect, making UT the only university with a comprehensive, unified student information platform. Through extensive engagement with more than 100 faculty and staff members across campus, the team developed a solution that enhances the student experience from onboarding through graduation. The platform delivers personalized student onboarding, integrated advising dashboards, student engagement and event tracking, and targeted communications and marketing capabilities. This transformative effort exemplifies the power of cross-campus collaboration in advancing student success and institutional effectiveness. 

Center for Precision Health: New Video Wall

OneIT partners with groups across campus to bring innovative solutions to their area. Last year, we installed a one-of-a-kind 16-foot video wall at the University of Tennessee’s Center for Precision Health in collaboration with the Center for Precision Health, located at the UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm. This extra-large computer screen functions as an advanced visualization wall for reviewing complex medical images, analyzing population health data, and running data simulations.

About the Center for Precision Health

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Consolidated Email across the University

The University of Tennessee is consolidating email and collaboration services around Microsoft 365, creating a more connected and consistent experience for the university community. Over the past year, faculty, staff, and 76% of Knoxville students have transitioned to Microsoft Outlook, joining campuses across the UT System in a shared platform for communication and productivity. This move strengthens spam protection and security, integrates email and calendaring, improves collaboration, simplifies technology support, and provides a more reliable foundation for how the University works, connects, and serves its students.

Application Support Services

Application Support Services strengthened the university’s digital foundation by modernizing critical systems, expanding secure cloud and AI services, and improving the connected student experience. Working closely with campus and system partners, the team delivered reliable, scalable tools that support learning, research, and daily university operations. Our work provides the secure, reliable infrastructure that makes nearly every digital experience at the university possible—from registering for classes in Banner to connecting to wireless in classrooms, residence halls, offices, and athletics venues.

Service Highlights from 2025-26

• Partnered with the Provost’s Office and Institutional Research and Strategic Analysis (IRSA) to form and co-lead a data governance council for the campus. 
• Converted 42 remaining SAS Viya reports to Power BI
• Implemented fee waivers and automated course fee processing

OneIT Supports University Websites

OneIT, in collaboration with the Office of Communication and Marketing (OCM), worked with Communications Directors across campus to migrate existing sites to the hosted WordPress platform and the official Web Design System. All new university‑supported websites are also built on this platform, using the Web Design System and the new Torch theme. Together, these teams provide ongoing support for this modernized, campus‑wide web environment.